Hi Ciele,

A glimpse into who Mohamad Azlan is:

I am from Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. 34 years old, a husband and a father. I’m an elementary
school teacher who has been teaching for 10 years. However I have only started running in
2016 after a good friend of mine suffer a health scare. As a way to support him, we both
started running and continue until this day even when we are no longer working together. Fast
forward to 2023, I am now the coach of my school’s track and field and also the cross country
team’s coach. Running has been a revelation to me, it showed me what we are capable of
and beyond that. Fast, slow, short or long distance, I give it all for the kids. Family, friends and
my kids are the most important thing to me and I believe that Ciele FAM will be a good
platform for me to contribute more to the community especially the school where I am
teaching now.

Recently I have been more involved with track running community in my hometown. Just last
week , our local running club organized a small race of 100 meters which surprisingly
attracted runners from throughout the state of Sarawak. I have a vision of highlighting the
talent that we discovered.

Running background

At first I thought of running as only a way to support my friend’s quest for a healthier lifestyle.
Now, I can’t quite get enough of it. Not a fast runner, I have to date completed 2 half
marathons, 2 full marathons, 5 ultra marathons. Not an impressive number but I take pride in
knowing that what I did certainly motivated my kids to do more and better. These days, I have
also been more involved with running club activities. Our latet venture was organizing Sibu
Tower Run which is a new niche here in our place and was fortunate enough to have
attracted runners from Japan, Singapore and Brunei. Our club aims to encourage the
community to adopt a healthier lifestyle and also provide training platform for those who are
more serious in their running journey.

Running story so far

My longet and hardest race so far is in 2020 which was the Four Feathers Ultra in Kota Belud,
Sabah (90 KM). That was my longest distance to date. I was fortunate to have a very
supporting wife who agreed to drive me there and waited at the finishing line. It took me 26
hours (yes, I am just that slow). that was also my only experience of pacing my friend once
her boyfriend dropped put due to heat stroke. Waiting on her when she took her nap at aid
station taught me the patience needed especially as a slow runner such as myself. My next
race would be the 100km Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival in Perak,Malaysia this November.
That will be the longest distance race for me. Training hs been tough as I have to work my
schedule around work and my 2 years old kid now. I just want to make them proud and know
that everything is possible when you work for it. Apart from my wife and club members, I have
been blessed with support from BigBigPlace, a local sporting goods store that has supported
me throughout my running journey. My first Ciele cap was bought from them in 2020. Since
then, I have collected over 30 caps from GoCap, AlzCap, Ciele x Tracksmith, and Ciele GRY.
I hve also been appointed as their local ambassador for SILVA headlamp. I could’nt have
asked for a better support system than them.

My expectation

Honestly, I have little confidence in this application but I truly wanted to put my name out
there for your consideration. Ciele FAM has always been a source of inspiration for me and
being a part of Ciele FAM will be the best platform to reach out to more out there and
encourage them to run and also to motivate my school kids that they can be what they want
to be.
Thank you,
Yours truly
Mohamad Azlan Omar
Ciele FAM wannabe