For the first time in the history of Malaysia’s premier running event, public registrations for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) were conducted using a ballot system.

Ballot Winners Picked

Successful applicants had been confirmed when Minister Of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, officially activated the random computerised selection yesterday, following which ballot winners were picked and notified of their selection.

Said the Minister, “It’s certainly a privilege to be involved with the premiere distance running event in Malaysia. I have been inspired by the hard work undertaken by SCKLM to develop the sport of distance running by consistently putting on a world class event that attracts more than 38,000 runners from Malaysia and around the world.”

SCKLM Has Grown From Strength To Strength

Over the past decade, the SCKLM has seen phenomenal growth with the 10th anniversary edition in 2018 seeing the highest attendance to date, with over 38,000 runners. 

Public registrations for the 2018 race had been snapped up within 10 hours of opening, leaving many disgruntled runners who did not get a chance to register due to several reasons, including network congestion and poor Internet connectivity.

Moreover, the 2019 event saw a significant increase in loyalty registrations, with 2018 runners being given the privilege to sign up and secure their slot before registration opened to the general public.

As a result, almost two thirds of the slots were taken during the month-long period, leaving just over 12,000 slots across all categories left available for public registrations, which opened on 13 February.

Ballot Gives Everyone An Equal Chance

So due to the demand, a ballot system had been introduced to give everyone an equal chance to secure their race slots with runners could cast their ballots from 13 – 19 February 2019.

Explained Rainer Biemans, Project Director, SCKLM, “We introduced loyalty registrations in 2016 to give back to the running community who have strongly supported us and we have continued to implement this in the following years. Since then, the take-up rate of the loyalty registrations consistently yielded about 40 – 45 per cent of overall slots available.”

He added, “This year, we were caught by surprise when the loyal period saw more than 60 per cent of slots snapped up. This is why we had to implement balloting for public registrations. That way, everyone gets an equal chance to secure a race slot and will not be hindered by network or work issues.”

Moving forward, Biemans added that the balloting process will be implemented from the loyalty registration period.

Standard Chartered Bank Renew Sponsorship

The 2019 event of SCKLM was also given a boost when Standard Chartered Bank renewed their title sponsorship for a further four years. The Bank has been a steadfast supporter of the race since its inception in 2009 and a major factor behind the event’s phenomenal success.

Said Abrar A. Anwar, Managing Director and CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, “We are delighted to resume our title sponsorship of the SCKLM. The past ten years have shown us the amazing power that this event has, to bring people from all walks of life together to do extraordinary things. 

He continued, “SCKLM has grown from strength to strength and is now one of the most sought after events in Malaysia as well as the region. Now, this year marks another milestone for SCKLM with the ballot system introduced for public registrants.”

As well, some new sponsors for 2019, Under Armour, Banana Boat, Jaybird and Tudung People will also be joining returning sponsors 100PLUS and SCKLM stalwarts Seiko and Pacific Regency Hotel Suites, too.

Run For A Reason

And the SCKLM charity programme Run For A Reason has been an integral part of the event having benefitted and improved the lives of thousands of Malaysians over the past 10 years. This year’s beneficiaries are National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Hospis Malaysia and Dignity for Children Foundation.

And at the launch event, the Minster For Youth And Sports , who will be running in the Half Marathon himself, added that he finds the Run For A Reason initiative heartwarming. 

He said, “While the competitive aspect of SCKLM has provided talented Malaysians such as Leo Tan and Muhaizar Mohamad with the platform to perform alongside elite international runners and raise their game, the heart warming aspect of SCKLM is the commitment placed on making a difference through the Run For A Reason charity initiative.”

This September, I am running the Full Marathon at SCKLM, raising funds for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia. Click here for my fundraising page and/or to make a donation.