KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 ― Participants of the Klang City International Marathon 2017 have criticised the lack of effort to ensure runners' safety, with one saying he was glad simply to have survived.

Following a crash that injured three runners on Sunday, entrant Barley Wong alleged that organisers did not take sufficient measures to avoid any mishaps during the run.

According to The Star newspaper, he noted that the routes were poorly illuminated while traffic was not dispersed away from the route safely. Runners were also not provided with water stations or mobile toilets.

"This was the first marathon I have been in where I thought I might not get home safely,” he was quoted saying.

Of of the three runners mowed down by a car on Jalan Kapar Batu 2 on Sunday, Ahmad Hadafi, 42, recounted the shock of the incident in which he was carried on the roof of the car for nearly a kilometre after it ran over the participants

"One minute I was running, the next I was on the roof of the car.

"I have no idea how I ended up on the roof. I kept pounding on the roof and window but I don’t know why the driver didn’t stop,” he told reporters when met at the Sungai Buloh Hospital yesterday.

Another runner, ultramathoner Evelyn Ang who had been pacing other runners, suffered serious head injuries and remained in hospital.

In a separate report by The Star, the race organisers denied that the event was illegal, and insisted that it obtained all the necessary approvals.

It said it applied to both the police and Klang Municipal Council for permission to hold the run, disputing remarks by the Sports Commissioner’s Office and the Youth and Sports Ministry that the event was not properly sanctioned.

"No company in the world will dare go on with such a big event without going through the relevant authorities because this concerns the safety of all participants,” a spokesman was quoted as saying by The Star.

When pressed on the Sports Commissioner’s Office's allegation that the organiser did not seek its approval, the spokesman declined comment.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that the organisers went ahead with the race despite having no approval from the Sports Commissioner’s Office, while the agency said it did not have any application on record.

However, North Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mazelan Paijan confirmed that the police received a letter from the organisers in July, and replied to advise them to adhere to traffic regulations.