Kuala Lumpur StanChart Marathon 2021 Returns As Virtual Run

For the second consecutive year, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) will be taking on a virtual format, between 20 – 28 November 2021.

Stay healthy and keep our immunity strong

Said Rainer Biemans, Director, Dirigo events, the organisers of the race, “It’s unfortunate that the pandemic has yet to run its course so in these trying times, we hope that the staging of our second Virtual Run (VR) will give our runners something to look forward to.”

He continued, “It is imperative that we remain positive in our outlook and do what we can to stay healthy and keep our immune systems strong during this difficult period.”

Free to register to encourage more partcipation

The KLSCM VR 2021 is free to register and will offer the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5km categories and runners from all over the globe are expected to take part.

Said Rainer, “We are keeping registrations free as we are sympathetic to the economic plight that Malaysians are facing, during the extended lockdown and we want to encourage as many people as possible to participate.”

Added Abrar A. Anwar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, title sponsors of the event since 2009, “We want to continue facilitating our community’s love for running and we hope the continued commitment of our sponsorship will encourage runners to maintain a healthy lifestyle – mentally and physically. We encourage runners to go the distance and challenge themselves to unlock new achievements.”

Virtual Press Conference

KLSCM organised a virtual press conference to launch the 2021 VR, where Rainer took runners through the dynamics of KLSCM VR 2021, as well as key changes from last year.

The press conference was attended by members of the media, bloggers, and avid KLSCM fans.

Key Highlights of KLSCM VR 2021

To sum it up, the highlights that Rainer had shared are as follows.

Grand Lucky Draw Prize: Registered runners will stand a chance to win a grand prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to an international marathon event in Europe in 2022
Practice Runs: From 4 – 31 October, all registered runners will automatically be entered into the Practice Run challenge which encourages them to train consistently towards the actual event. There will be weekly lucky draw prizes. As well, the person with the highest distance at the end of the challenge period received a prize. Runners are allowed to take part either individually or as a group.
No Tracking Limitations: runners can use any GPS-based apps or wearable to record their distance and submit their results as a .gpx or .tcx file onto the KLSCM VR platform. Examples of apps include Garmin Connect, Strava, RunKeeper and MapMyRun.
States Challenge: Malaysian-based runners can choose a State to represent during the event and their ranking within the State is recorded
Digital Photos: A variety of digital photo frames will be available for runners to record their participation and mark their finishing
Commemorative Merchandise: Exclusively designed KLSCM VR 2021 merchandise will be available for purchase and is not limited to registered participants only.

Follow COVID-19 SOP guidelines

However Rainer stressed to runners that it is important to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding COVID-19 regulations wherever they are running.

He said, “I can run around my neighbourhood even though I am in a hotspot. Everyone needs to check on their local SOP; do not run in groups if you are not allowed to, and do not take big group selfies and post these on Facebook. We need everyone to cooperate and follow local guidelines so that we can get this pandemic under control.”

Experiences of 2020 VR runners

At the press conference, notable runners were also invited to share their 2020 VR experiences which had 52,000 runners participating. These were Malaysian champion runners Muhaizar Mohamad and Sheela Samivellu, both of whom need no introduction, as well as Asia’s top tower runner Soh Wai Ching, seasoned marathoner Dominique Luzinaud who is in his 60s and resides in Kuching, Sarawak, and last but not least, avid runner Zeti Ariff, who completed her maiden Full Marathon at the KLSCM VR 2020 while quarantined in a hotel room.

90 loops around his condo

Dominique, who had attempted the full marathon at last year’s KLSCM VR, did about 90 loops, running around his condo due to the lockdown.

Each loop was about 470 metres, and the runner had his own personal water station set up at the end of each loop, in order to keep himself going.

Running a FM while quarantined in a hotel

Zeti, on the other hand, has been a regular KLSCM participant since 2017. She had initially wanted to challenge herself with a full marathon at the 2020 edition, but then the pandemic hit.

She said, “I was under quarantine because I was one of the close contacts for a COVID-19 case. I was quarantined from 6 – 19 December and the KLSCM from 5 – 13 December. I was originally thinking of foregoing the race, but my friend told me to try running the FM in my hotel room.”

Spurred on by her friend, Zeti did just that, beginning the marathon after her morning prayers at 6:30am. One loop in her room was 10 metres, so to complete the marathon, she would need to do 4,220 loops.

She completed the half distance after five hours, after which she started to struggle mentally and contemplated thoughts of throwing in the towel.

“But my friends and family motivated me to keep on running. Finally, after more than 10 hours, I completed my FM in my quarantine room.”

This year, spurred on by her success, Zeti will be signing up for the full marathon again, with a target of completing it in six hours.