Sojourn Note: Stay for the Last Runner
Some races are remembered for the winner. Trail races are also remembered for the person who is still moving when the town has already woken up.
This Sunday morning, Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB reaches its final hours in Taiping. The official schedule lists a celebration of the last MY100 finisher at the Dataran Warisan finish arch from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, with the final MY100 cut-off at 11:00 AM. The overall prize-giving follows from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
If you are in town this morning, consider staying a little longer at the finish. The front runners deserve applause, of course. But so do the people arriving after a night on the trail, after the crowds have thinned and after the easy photographs have already been taken.
There is something very Taiping about that kind of patience: no need for a grand gesture, just people waiting, clapping and making sure the last person home does not arrive to silence.
After that, Taiping will slowly return to its usual Sunday rhythm — coffee shops, old streets, rain trees and an unhurried morning. That contrast is part of the charm.
Published: 13 September 2026, Taiping.
