Image © Getty Images.
As far as tall mountains go, Mount Kinabalu is a teddy bear; you don't need specialized equipment to climb one of the tallest mountains in Southeast Asia, except for a flashlight, water supply, walking boots, sleeping bag, and energy bars. You'll need two full days to make it to the top, although the mountain's trained rescue climbers can sprint to the top in two hours flat.
If you want to be ranked among the best of the best, try signing up to the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon, a race up to the peak along a 13-mile trail. Competing mountain runners (like the hardy fellow pictured below) climb up more than 7,000 feet to the finish, and must complete the race within two hours and thirty minutes or risk disqualification.
The Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon is on this October 23-24. (See their official website for more details.) Average climbers, though, can go at any time of the year and climb at their leisure, with no time limit to merit disqualification.
Image courtesy of Tourism Malaysia.
For more on climbing the roof of Southeast Asia, how to get there, and where to stay, read our article: Climbing Mount Kinabalu. (You might check out our other Eight Must-See Sights in Southeast Asia, if you are so inclined!)