By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: For Litta Jacob, running the 10km category at the 2026 Alliance Bank Borneo International Marathon today with her son was a way to remember her late husband, Robert Petrus.
The 50-year-old said her ultra-runner husband had initially wanted to register for the full marathon but later decided to join the 10km category with her.
"He was concerned about me because I had not been running for a long time after undergoing surgery for a prolapsed intervertebral disc.
"He wanted me to slowly return to trail running with him again. He was a very kind, loving and supportive husband.
"Today, my 20-year-old son ran on behalf of his late father as a tribute to him," she told the New Straits Times, adding that she chose not to change the registration name to remember Robert as someone who loved trail and long-distance races.
About a month ago, on April 11, the 53-year-old Robert collapsed within the first 12km while participating in the Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon through Kiulu Valley near here.
Litta said her husband had previously taken part in 50km events before Covid-19 and later challenged himself with 70km and 100km races.
Before the race, he showed no signs of illness or chest pain. In January, his electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and stress test results were normal.
"He always made sure he was in good condition before races and was disciplined about his diet.
"Before leaving for Kiulu that night, he was very happy. That was the last moment we had together as a family before he departed around midnight."
Litta, a paramedic, said she accepted his passing as God's will and thanked those who assisted her husband, but believed efforts should be made to prevent such fatalities at events, especially involving international participants.
She added that organisers could consider having paramedics on standby with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on bicycles, as trail routes are difficult for ambulances or vehicles to access quickly.
She also encouraged the public to spend 5 minutes away from social media to learn basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation as it could save lives.
The marathon, which began at 2am today, saw more than 10,000 runners from 35 countries take part in the 42km, 21.1km and 10km categories.
Filipinos Edsel Moral and Eduard Flores were the first to finish the 42km and 21.1km categories respectively, clocking 2:38:02 and 1:11:03.
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