KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — “Age is just a number” isn’t just a catchphrase for a 77-year-old Malaysian man who doesn’t plan to quit sporting events anytime soon.
Abdul Wahid Kassim decided to put his stamina to test by participating in a 104-kilometre marathon organised by Mara University of Technology (UiTM) over the weekend.
The two-day run, titled Ultron-UiTM Ultra 2020 (Vol.4), saw hundreds of runners from various age groups taking part in three categories — 52km, 84km and 104km.
In a Twitter post (which has gone viral since Febraury 3), a participant posted a photo of Abdul Wahid to pay a tribute to his courage for taking part in a sporting event at 77.
Uncle Wahid, 77 years young attempting UiTM 104km ultra. He may not be fast but does very good brisk walking, loop by loop, hill after hill. Make no mistakes, he is the persistent kind that just refuses to acknowledge the word Die.
— Yimster (@yimsterz) February 3, 2020
Well done reigning in the kilometres! pic.twitter.com/pPDSinSLt7
Abdul Wahid’s granddaughter also took to Twitter to praise her granddad for being such an inspiration.
guys this is my atok, dia mmg jogging setiap pagi petang sebb dia kata kalau dia tak buat nnti urat dia tegang and kaki dia akan sakit. also dia jugak ckp dia tak suka pergi marathon yang dekat2 , dia kalau boleh nk amik yang jarak jauh sikit supaya lebih mencabar - https://t.co/cI6Kykqkul
— Ya^ (@hyaaleeya__) February 3, 2020
The Twitter post, which has been retweeted over 10,000 times, has garnered many heart-warming comments mostly praising the 77-year-old and wishing him a good, healthy life.
Speaking to Malay portal mStar, Abdul Wahid’s eldest son Muhamad Haiman said that his father’s obsession with sporting events goes back to his younger days.
“He always loved running events when he was young, where he participated in sprint events back in the 60s.
“He still lives an active lifestyle and tries to run in the morning and evening,” said Haiman.
The 46-year-old son also said his father can’t sit still and was always doing some sort of activity throughout the day.
Apart from running, Abdul Wahid also enjoys trimming the lawn.
Haiman, who is just as active as his father, hopes that his dad’s story will inspire young people to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle.
Although Abdul Wahid had aimed to finish the 104km marathon, he managed to complete 13 laps, which was equivalent to 67km.
