The multisport weekend at Encore Melaka that we flagged before the long weekend has wrapped, and the turnout numbers are its biggest yet.
A record international field
The eighth edition of the Melaka International Sports Festival drew 1,500 participants from more than 45 countries, with nearly 3,000 visitors on site across the weekend of duathlon, triathlon and aquathlon racing. The event is organised by the 113 Triathlon Series, run by events company Eventure Global, and was based at Encore Melaka on the Impression City waterfront in Kota Laksamana.
In the Olympic distance triathlon, a 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre cycle and 10-kilometre run, Juffrin Ranis took the men’s title in 2 hours 34 minutes 02 seconds. Spain’s Belen Olcina Sempere won the women’s category in 3 hours 00 minutes 43 seconds.
Racing as a reason to stay longer
Organisers built the weekend around what they call a “racecation”, pairing competition with family holiday time. Race director Andy Foo said the goal was for entrants to come for the race and return for Melaka itself, spending the rest of the weekend on food, heritage sites and time with family rather than heading home right after the finish line.
That framing lines up with how the weekend actually played out for visitors: racers and their families filled hotel rooms, restaurant tables and attraction queues around Kota Laksamana and Klebang alongside everyone else in town for the Merdeka long weekend.
Planning for next year
If a race-and-holiday weekend in Melaka sounds like your kind of trip, the festival has now run for eight straight years, so watch the 113 Triathlon Series registration pages for the 2027 dates. Encore Melaka’s usual programme is the nightly stage show, so a festival weekend is one of the few times the venue also doubles as a finish line.
