SHAH ALAM – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has completed the gruelling Ironman World Championship in Nice, France, finishing the race in 13 hours and four minutes.
"Alhamdulillah. I am now an Ironman World Championship finisher! It still feels like a dream,” he said.
He described that before the event, his personal target was to finish safely and under 14 hours, as the official cut-off time was 17 hours.
He defined the course as "one of the toughest bike courses in the world," which included a 4km swim, a 180km cycling stage and a 42km marathon.
To put the difficulty into perspective for Malaysians, he said the cycling portion was equivalent to a ride from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, but with an ascent and descent similar to Genting Highlands on two separate occasions.
Syed Saddiq qualified for the championship after finishing sixth in his age group at Ironman Langkawi last year, despite crashing into a fallen tree during a storm and heavy rain.
“From that day, it had been non-stop waking up at 5am to put in the hours of training to be fit and become the best version of myself,” he said.
He admitted to feeling a sense of inferiority before the race, noting that many athletes had completed more than 10 Ironman races, while he had just completed one.
“But that feeling of inferiority disappeared once the swim began,” he added.
During the cycling stage, Syed Saddiq said he felt like giving up many times as the brutal climb left his body exhausted and his legs weak, but he had no choice but to keep pushing forward.
He also described the steep descent as dangerous, noting that many competitors crashed.
“I was grateful I didn’t fall, because I saw many who crashed, with ambulances stationed everywhere,” he said.
The former Youth and Sports Minister completed the final marathon stage in three hours and 56 minutes.
"I didn’t think too much. I just convinced myself that the hundreds of hours of training over the past 18 months had prepared me physically and mentally for this,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to his family, his friend Bella Astillah and her family and the Malaysian students who supported him.
“My mum and dad, Bella and her family were incredibly sweet to be there with me. Bella even ran alongside me to keep fuelling my spirit. I appreciate that so much.
"I have no idea how I did that when my legs and body had already been destroyed during the swim and the 180km bike ride.
"Alhamdulillah. I reached the finishing line with Malaysia’s flag in my heart. Anything is possible when you put your heart and mind to it,” he added.
Looking ahead, he said he had no plans to stop, as he pursues Ironman to become the best version of himself, build discipline and strengthen his willpower in a goal to continue competing until he is 100 years old.