Last Saturday, the 11th edition of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) got to a fun start with the Kids Dash and 5km categories, along with the Friendship Run at Dataran Merdeka.
The KLSCM has grown to become the premiere distance running event in Malaysia and draws thousands of runners to the country while firmly establishing Malaysia in the global running calendar.
5km and Kids Dash categories brought forward
But unlike previous years, the 5km category had been brought forward to allow for more capacity in the 10km, Full and Half Marathon categories, with the event being held in a two-day format for the first time.
Previously taking place on the main Race Day where kids would run in a looped course near the Royal Selangor Club, the change in scheduling for the Kids Dash was intended to give kids more prominence on their own and also the privilege of starting and finishing their race under the Main Race Arch at Dataran Merdeka.
In addition, the change allowed for more kids to take part – 1,000 kids this year as compared to 500 children from the previous years.
Kids Dash inspires children to run at a young age
Said Gloria Ng, Director of Dirigo Events, the owner and organiser of KLSCM “The Kids Dash is an important area of development for us as we want to inspire children to take to running from a young age. Obesity, and even childhood obesity is increasingly becoming a concern here in Malaysia and running is one of the easiest physical activities for anyone to do, to stay fit and healthy.”
Speed categories were introduced in the Kids Dash too, to give a more competitive edge to the race and to separate the faster children from the fun runners.
And in the 1km Kids Dash for kids aged between six to nine years, the Boys category was won by Wong Jun You in 04:24.74 minutes and the Girls category was won by Zhang Yuxuan in 5:08.22 minutes.
For the 3km Kids Dash, for kids aged 10 to 12 years, the Boys category was won by Jin Khoo in 10:01.48 minutes and the Girls category by Purnamrtta Aditya Ujjayni Kasyapa Gunala in 13:02.80 minutes.
New Speed category for competitive 5km runners
There was also a Speed category for the 5km run this year, and those running in that category would have their timings recorded and with medals being provided to the winners.
The 5km Men’s Open had been won by Ho Sze Hou from China, in a timing of 19:05 minutes and the 5km Women’s Open was won by Tung Yee Man from Hong Kong in a time of 26:41.28 minutes.
The 5km Friendship Run
The Friendship Run, a staple in the KLSCM Race Programme since its debut in the 2015 edition, is meant for Full Marathoners to have a warm-up run on the day before their big event.
Both local and international runners come to the run, dressed up in all kinds of outfits which add fun and colour to the proceedings, with each runner also being given helium balloons with country flags printed on them.
As well, the Friendship Run also ends with a pasta and carbo-loading breakfast where marathoners get to meet each other and forge friendships.
I had participated in the 5km Friendship Run, and this was my second time taking part in this fun running experience.
Flagging off at 8:30am
The Friendship Run was flagged off at 8:30am together with the 5km categories. So I got up at about 6:30am and after my morning run ritual, headed to Dataran Merdeka, reaching slightly after 8am, and then checking in upon my arrival.
I then took a helium balloon for myself and joined the other Friendship Runners in the starting pen, where I came across several familiar faces from the previous year. We greeted each other warmly.
Beginning My Run
As the sun was already up, it was already pretty hot when I began running.
This was supposed to be a fun run, so I took it running at an easy pace, simply soaking up the sights and sounds of KL City as I ran, especially during the beginning where all the Friendship Runners were so jovial and in high spirits and simply enjoying the run and each other’s company.
Run Route
The route took us past sights such as Tugu Negara, Bank Negara, Masjid Jamek and Bangunan DBKL. There was some elevation and slopes and it was not a flat course, it was nothing as bad as the Full Marathon route though.
Hydration
There was one water point and one 100 Plus point along the route, which was more than sufficient for a 5km run. I usually don’t take hydration for short runs, so I can’t comment on whether these were cold or not, though.
Kilometre Signages
As well, the kilometre markings were accurate enough for my standards, averaging roughly 200 metres off from my GPS watch. This is still within my acceptable range.
Volunteers and cheerleaders did well
After the 1km mark, I somehow managed to lose the other Friendship Run participants, who were now running either some distance in front or behind me.
I never felt like I was on my own though, because there were a handful of 5km race participants running around surrounding me, as well as volunteers positioned along the route to cheer on the runners and encourage us to keep going. They were alert, energetic and pretty motivating.
As well, race volunteers also acted as marshals to direct runners on which way to go at strategic turning points along the route as well as controlling the traffic at road junctions and roundabouts that had been partially rather than fully closed.
So perhaps this had been a good move on the part of KLSCM to flag off the Friendship Run together with the 5km categories, as I recall that previous editions of the Friendship Run route had been somewhat more quiet in terms of volunteers and cheerleaders.
Seeing the Singapore Blade Runner
Just after the 4km mark of the Friendship Run, I caught sight of a familiar face among the crowd – Mohammad Shariff Abdullah, who is better known as the Singapore Blade Runner because he runs with a prosthetic leg. I interviewed him for my blog some years back and we have been friends ever since.
He had been taking photos and videos of the Friendship Run and the 5km participants, and I greeted him, waved and said a few words into his video camera when I passed by.
Finishing the Run
I finished the 5km Friendship Run in about 34 minutes according to my GPS watch, crossing the finish line back at Dataran Merdeka. It had been a nice warm-up run done on a segment of the actual Marathon race route, to shake out my legs.
It’s Breakfast Time
After the run, I headed to the VIP tent for the race breakfast, which turned out to be really good, consisting of a wide spread of items ranging from egg omelet and spaghetti with tomato sauce, to roti canai, yoghurt, breakfast cereals with milk and even some chocolate brownies for dessert.
I tried everything – but I felt so full at the end of it all! I guess I’m usually not used to eating this much for breakfast.
Catching up with old and new friends
And I also took the chance to catch up with familiar faces, as well as managed to meet some new ones from all over the world, including an American who’s based in China, as well as a Hong Kong runner.
Like me, they were all in KL to run the Marathon. I find that it is truly amazing how running transcends so many boundaries and how this sport has the ability to unite and bring together like-minded people hailing from all over the world.
The Friendship Run had been a great session and it ended all too soon. My only gripe about this run though, was that due to the late starting time, it got scorching hot a bit too quickly, so as a result, hanging around outdoors became simply unbearable as a result.
Largest edition of the KLSCM yet
With more than 40,000 runners taking part, the 2019 edition of KLSCM was the largest edition yet, and once again had the sponsorship of title sponsors Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, as well as Under Armour, 100 Plus, Seiko, Jaybird, Tudung People, Banana Boat and Pacific Regency and DBKL as venue hosts.
Also taking part in the Friendship Run had been Abrar A. Anwar, Standard Chartered Malaysia MD and CEO, who said, “I really enjoyed myself and it was amazing to meet all these local and international runners brimming with positivity and camaraderie.”
And he also continued, “As the title sponsors for over a decade now, we are truly convinced that this event has a powerful ability to unite people from all walks of life. It is an honour to support an iconic sporting event such as this, which has come to exemplify the coming together of a diversity of nationalities, backgrounds and ages.”
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