Twin brothers conquer 21km categories at the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run 2025

Borneo Post

28-07-2025

Hazarullah (fourth right) and Syahrullah (fourth left) were the top two finishers of the 21km Men's Open and 21km Men's National categories at the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run 2025. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (July 28): Running has not only brought twins Hazarullah and Syahrullah Safri closer but also helped them conquer podiums across the country.
Hazarullah, 27, from Saratok, clinched first place in both the 21km Men's Open and 21km Men's National categories while Syahrullah finished second in the same categories at the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run 2025 held here yesterday.
When met by The Borneo Post after the prize presentation ceremony at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) compound, the Malay-Melanau lad shared how his brother had first inspired him to lace up his running shoes.
'My motivation is actually my twin brother, Syahrullah. He started running earlier than me. My original sport was football, but when I saw him running in 2017 and consistently finishing on the podium, I felt like I wanted to follow in his footsteps,' said Hazarullah.
He eventually made the switch in 2019 while pursuing his degree at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam.
'I started running seriously when I was 21, during my degree days at UiTM Shah Alam. Since then, football has taken a back seat. I don't play anymore. I just run,' he said.
This week alone, Hazarullah secured two championship titles—at the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run and earlier at the Sarawak Day Run in Bintangor.
'I'm happy, of course, because last year in this same event, I finished third. The top two were runners from Kenya. But this year, I managed to win both the Men's Open and Men's National categories.
'Earlier this week, on Tuesday, I also became champion at the Sarawak Day Run in Bintangor. So, two wins this week,' he added.
Currently undergoing his practicum at Sekolah Kebangsaan Nanga Babai in Julau, Hazarullah said he joins running events almost every week.
'Almost every week there's an event that I join. Next week, I'll be in Bintulu. After that, back to Kuching, then again in Kuching,' he said.
He estimated that the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run was his ninth or tenth event of the year so far.
Among his proudest achievements to date was placing 9th in the Malaysian category at the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon last year.
'That's one of the biggest events in Malaysia, and I was really proud to be in the top 10 for the 42km category,' he said.
Hazarullah poses with his prizes.— Photo by Roystein Emmor
Hazarullah believes running is an activity for everyone, whether for fitness, fun or competition.
'Running helps steer you away from negative influences, like social ills. It's a healthy activity, and everyone can participate. If you train more and have the talent, you can go far. But even if you're just running for fun or fitness, that's perfectly fine too.
'As for me, my target is always to be in the top 10 for every event. That's good enough for me,' he added.
A total of 3,200 participants took part in the second edition of the Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run 2025, comprising runners from Malaysia and 21 other countries.
The event was organised by the Kuching City Joggers Club (CJC) in collaboration with MBKS in conjunction with the Kuching City Day celebration.
The prize presentation ceremony was officiated by Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah. Also present was Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng. Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run lead lifestyle running