KL StanChart Marathon pacers to wear Brooks running gear

Brooks will be partnering Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2023 as the Official Partner, outfitting the event pacers with a full set of running gear.

The 2023 event will see the largest group of pacers in its history, with pacers for the 10km category in addition to the half and the full marathons.

Pacers received their kits

Pacers will wear bright yellow tops, black shorts and Brooks running shoes. 35 out of 40 pacers recently received their kits at a presentation ceremony at the Brooks Bukit Bintang outlet.

The pacer singlets are made from 100% micro fibre polyester fabric, making it lightweight, soft and moisture-wicking. The shorts use 100% polyester woven fabric, meaning they are breathable, lightweight and wick sweat easily.

For shoes, pacers will wear Brooks’ Glycerin 20, Hyperion Tenpo, Ghost 15 or Adrenaline GTS 22 models.

Said Victor Tiew, Brooks Malaysia Brand Manager, “By providing them with the necessary high-performance gear, we hope to inspire the KLSCM pacers to do the best they can in helping as many runners as possible to achieve their goals.”

A total of 40 pacers

There will be 24 pacers in the Full Marathon, eight pacers im the Half Marathon and another eight in the 10km run.

Pacers are important in distance events, as they act as guides and motivators to participants. They are experienced runners and maintain a consistent, predetermined pace throughout the race to help runners achieve their desired race timings or personal bests.

Pacer recruitment

Said Rainer Biemans, Director, Dirigo Events, “We take the role of our pacers seriously as we want to help as many runners as possible to either achieve their target times or more importantly, finish the race successfully and with a sense of fulfilment.”

“Our pacers go through a fairly stringent assessment process before they are selected based on their consistency of pace and attitude.”

The pacer recruitment process involves running as consistently and as close to target pace as possible – without the use of any watches or GPS devices. They run loops and are timed for each loop. Target pace is achieved strictly by feel.

Why the pacers want to pace and give back

Abu Sofia’s is a seasoned runner and KLSCM pacer multiple times. He said, “I keep coming back to be a Pacer at KLSCM because I really enjoy sharing my experience to help runners to achieve their time targets.”

Janice Yin, who will be a pacer for the first time, decided to take the plunge after taking running competitively and even making the podium in the KLSCM 2018 and 2019 10km and 5km categories.

She said, “This is the first time in my life that I will be a pacer and I’m beyond excited. Being selected has given me confidence to strive to create a positive and inclusive environment during the race where runners can feel empowered and encouraged to give their best.”