While studying at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, a running event held during convocation season sparked her curiosity. With little experience at the time, she signed up on a whim.
She ended up finishing 11th and went home with a hamper. It was a decent prize, but what stayed with her most was the thrill of the run itself – and the satisfaction of discovering she could go farther than she thought.
That experience turned into a deep passion for running. Today, Mukminah has completed around 20 ultramarathons, with several category wins to her name.
An ultramarathon is any race longer than the standard 42.195km marathon, often stretching to distances like 50km, 100km or even 100 miles (161km).
Even more remarkably, she has done it all while wearing a niqab. “Many people think it’s unique, but I’ve been wearing it from the start, so I’m very used to it,” Mukminah, 38, told FMT Lifestyle.
Her list of results is impressive. Mukminah finished top in the women’s category at the 104km UiTM Ultra in 2023, the 75km Perlis Ultra Marathon that same year, and the 2025 UiTM Ultra, an intense 100-mile event.
This year, she claimed top spot in her category at the 100km Malatra Ultra, finishing second overall and setting a new personal-best time of 12 hours and 4 minutes.
Achieving such results, she shared, requires a lot of sacrifice. Her routine can involve running 13km a day on weekdays, followed by 25-30km-long runs on weekends.
There is also speed work, high-intensity sessions, and block training. Not to mention doing all this under the Malaysian sun: Mukminah practises special heat training for runs that take place later in the day.
Additionally, she watches her diet closely in the lead-up to major events, increasing carbohydrates, cutting down on oily food, and taking supplements such as magnesium to aid recovery.
“Sometimes you wake up feeling tired with your whole body aching, but you still have to get up and train again later,” she said.
“If my friends ask me out in the period before a run, I usually only accept their invitations once a week. I need to get home early and make sure I get enough sleep.”
Quiet focus and satisfaction
Originally from Johor and now based in Bangi, Selangor, Mukminah works full-time as a design engineer at a private company. The youngest of five siblings, she balances the gruelling demands of ultrarunning with work and married life.
Running in a niqab, of course, can be challenging, especially in the rain or during speed sessions. Mukminah has learnt to adjust her breathing techniques to stay comfortable and maintain her performance.
Not every run has gone perfectly: early on, her inexperience resulted in mistakes that forced her to stop. She treated each setback as an opportunity to improve and come back stronger.
So, what motivates Mukminah to cover such distances? Running, she revealed, allows her to be alone with her thoughts. The quiet focus it brings allows her to reflect, and the sense of satisfaction she feels after completing a run is “beyond words”.
As for upcoming events, she aims to run a 100km marathon in June, and hopes to participate in races abroad someday. Her dream is to run the Borneo TMBT Ultra Trail, one of the oldest ultramarathons in the country.
(TMBT stands for “The Most Beautiful Thing”, a nod to Mount Kinabalu, whose scenery runners take in along the course. Its rugged conditions, however, have led former participants to nickname it “The Most Brutal Trail”.)
Mukminah hopes more people will discover the joys of marathon running, which she believes has health and social benefits.
“At the end of the day, an ultramarathon is not about speed – it’s about how far you can go,” she said.
As for those who have concerns about headwear, she has these words of advice: “Don’t overthink it. Just start running, and you will get comfortable and used to it.”
Follow Mukminah Paiman on Instagram.