Two Runners Were Hit by a Motorcycle on the Kuala Lumpur Marathon 10K Course

Two runners in the 10K at the Kuala Lumpur Marathon were injured on Saturday morning when a motorcycle came the wrong way through a closed stretch of the course and struck them. Police say the 21-year-old rider tested positive for alcohol and was trying to get away from an officer at the time, The Star reported on Saturday afternoon, citing Kuala Lumpur traffic police.

The male runner, 41, hurt his right knee and his hand. “One of the victims, a 50-year-old woman, suffered neck injuries and is receiving treatment at Prince Court Medical Centre,” said Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa, who heads the city’s traffic investigation and enforcement department, according to The Star. Race organizers said on Instagram that both runners are “expected to make a full recovery,” and credited bystanders and fellow runners for helping them.

More than 9,800 people ran the 10K, which opened the race’s 18th edition on Saturday alongside a 5K, according to the organizers. The marathon and half-marathon went ahead on Sunday, with Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi winning the men’s marathon in 2:21:19 and Ethiopia’s Alemitu Ajema Lema the women’s race in 2:39:29.

Police recorded a breath reading of 164mg/100ml from the rider, and blood and urine samples were taken from him and his passenger at Hospital Kuala Lumpur. The case is being investigated under Section 44(1A)(b) of Malaysia’s Road Transport Act 1987, which covers causing injury while driving with more alcohol in the body than the legal limit allows, and under Section 186 of the Penal Code, which covers obstructing a public servant. Since the act was toughened in 2020, a first conviction under Section 44(1A) has carried seven to 10 years in prison, a fine of RM30,000 to RM50,000 ($7,300 to $12,200) and a driving ban of at least seven years. The Penal Code offense carries up to two years in prison, a fine of up to RM10,000 ($2,400), or both.

By the police account, the crash happened at about 6:15 a.m. on Jalan Munshi Abdullah, which had been coned off for the race. The rider and his 19-year-old passenger went past the cones and did not stop when an officer told them to, and he then rode the wrong way along the closed road and into the two runners. Police have asked anyone with information to call the Tun H.S. Lee traffic police station on 03-2071 9999.

A video of the aftermath spread quickly on social media, and The Star described other runners reacting angrily as police detained the pair.

The rider is being held on remand at Dang Wangi police station until Monday, and the passenger’s remand runs until Sunday. No charges had been announced as of Sunday.