The 2023 edition of the Kuala Lumpur StanChart Marathon (KLSCM) closed with the Media Appreciation event which took place last week at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

Winners announced

At the event, the winners for the Media and Corporate challenge were given out as well as a sneak preview of the official KLSCM race film.

I was the winner of the Women’s Open Half Marathon category within the Media Challenge with my time of 1 hour 57 mins 23 sec for the 21.1km race.

I received my prize at the event, which was a pair of Brooks Ghost 15 shoes and a special limited-edition medal. Thanks again KLSCM.

Special KLSCM film 

The film was extremely moving and I found myself struggling to hold back tears. It featured four KLSCM runners, all of whom had intriguing stories. The full film was aired over the weekend.

Renee 2nd from left

The runners featured had included Jojo, a young schoolboy who fell in love with running and begged his parents to let him join KLSCM, Mike, an avid marathon tourist who lives in Hong Kong and has run almost 300 marathons all over the world including several editions of the Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Singapore Marathons. He has also run marathons in Japan, Europe and Australia, amongst many others.

But the runner who really tugged at my heartstrings the most was that of Renee Aziz Ahmad, a Stage 4 cancer patient who completed the 5km event at KLSCM 2023, raising funds for Hospis Malaysia in the process.

Thanks so much Renee for sharing your super inspiring and meaningful story. I was literally holding back tears during your sharing.

The DJ runner

As well, another special award was presented to Dr. Ram, who ran the Boost Juice 10km race whilst spinning music on a real  DJ console the entire way. 

This achievement earned him his spot in the Malaysia Book of Records and he was presented with his accomplishment. I thought that his feat was pretty amazing.

Racing from KL to Taipei

The winners of the StanChart Race from KL to Taipei were also presented with their prizes of an all-expenses paid trip to represent Malaysia at the the Taipei Marathon, inclusive of flights and accommodation.

Conclusion

The event was concluded with finger food provided by the organisers. These included pastries, sandwiches, coffee and drinks. It was great to chitchat over finger food and nibbles.

Overall I would say that it was a great closure to the KLSCM 2023 and very nice catching up again with running friends in KL.

Thanks again to Dirigo Events and KLSCM for hosting another wonderful event at the beginning of October and I am already looking forward to the 2024 edition of Malaysia’s premier running event.