Organised by Dirigo Events and with Standard Chartered Bank as the title sponsor, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) announced the introduction of its inaugural Virtual Run, which will take place from 5th – 13th December 2020.

The Virtual Run, which is free to register, offers the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5km events and runners from all over the world are expected to take part.

Photo: Dirigo Events

Said Rainer Biemans, Director, Dirigo Events, “we understand that a lot of people are struggling financially at the moment, so we decided to make registrations free of charge to encourage as many people as possible to take part.”

Dirigo Events and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia launched their virtual running event today in a Zoom press conference attended by media, bloggers and members of the running community.

With the Covid-19 pandemic putting a halt to all mass participation events, virtual runs are becoming popular as the next viable event to fill that void, for many race organisers and runners.

KLSCM 2019

Said Rainer, “The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our lives and the running industry has been affected by the cancellation of almost all events since March. With no ending in sight, we decided that just waiting was no longer an option. We wanted to lift spirits and to get the running community to run and take part in events again.”

He added, “With the pandemic continuing to spread, it is now more important than ever for us all to maintain our health at optimum levels and keep our immune systems strong.”

Unlike many virtual runs where you can accumulate your mileage over several runs, a distinctive feature of the KLSCM virtual run is that it provides a proper challenge, as runners are required to complete their distance in a single attempt.

Added Anwar A. Abrar, CEO, Standard Chartered bank Malaysia, “even though we cannot gather at Dataran Merdeka for the event this year, your zeal to run is unwavering, so we are reformatting this event so that you can experience it virtually. What we have achieved in our digital space, bringing the KLSCM to you virtually, is a milestone for us.”

He added, “This has been a challenging year for everyone. We hope to bring you this virtual experience to bring back the joy of running with others, only virtually instead of physically. We are hoping that this event gives everyone the chance to stay fit and motivated and to inspire everyone to go the distance, be it the 5km or the full marathon. We look forward to seeing your updates online.”

KLSCM 2019

And during the press conference, Rainer also brought us through the main features of the KLSCM app, a free download on both Apple and Android. Using the app, runners are able to track their runs and submit their results. 

As well, there are category leaderboards as well as an Augmented Reality selfie filter. For easier tracking purposes, runners can also sync the app with their other wearables such as Garmin, Fitbit and Polar.

Said Rainer, “The KLSCM app which we have developed especially for this event has many fun features so do check them out.”

Taking a look at what the app has to offer, I definitely have to say that I’m pretty excited by what I have seen so far.

There is no participation limits with regards to any distance or category, and there are also no specific cut-off times for each category. Runners can complete their run at any outdoor location of their choice. Treadmill runs are not eligible.

KLSCM 2019

I definitely plan to take part in the KLSCM virtual experience and I am thinking of signing myself up for the 21km category.

While the run is free of charge to register, runners who wish to commemorate their run can purchase exclusively designed merchandise such as personalised medals, event tees, sports towels and face masks, when they sign up for the virtual race.

Said Rainer, “So if you want something to commemorate your achievement or remember your accomplishment by, you can. But this is a new dawn for everyone, so bear with us if there are any teething problems along the way.”

Photo: Dirigo events

He continued, “We hope to give people the opportunity to run again and retain the element of competitiveness as well as giving them the chance were they stand within the running community.”

However with that, Rainer also stressed to runners to observe the guidelines of their local authorities, as the race is taking place during Malaysia’s CMCO (conditional movement control order) period as a bid to combat Covid-19.

He said, “Maintain social distancing and hygiene measures, take all necessary precautions, and I hope that you have a safe, rewarding and enjoyable experience come race day.”