Score Marathon’s Run The Day 2019 took place last weekend, beginning and ending at the Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and promising its runners an adrenaline-pumping experience amidst a picturesque blend of modern and historic scenery.

Three different race categories

There had been three categories to cater to runners of different preferences, and these were the 5km, 10km and 21.1km half marathon events.

Last-Minute Change of venue 

The event was originally supposed to have flagged off at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City.

But because of a scheduling conflict with the national football finals taking place at the stadium, the event organisers had been forced to scramble for a new race venue and route. This had happened about two months before the race.

Organiser did well

However according to participants who took part in the event, everything had been pulled off successfully and the organisers did a good job in putting together a well-run event.

Said Maggie Kim Hong Goh, 55, PA to a CEO, who participated in the Half Marathon, “For some reason, I have never participated in the Score Run before. So this was my first Score Run.”

She added “And I must say that I am impressed with the organisers’ efforts, to ensure that the Half Marathon was run smoothly with safety marshalling, as well as the selection of the route, and amenities such as the food, sponges, drinks and in fact, everything from the race pack collection to the handing of medals to the runners at the end.”

Race pack collection

Maggie.

Right from the race pack collection which took place the week before the race, Maggie had been impressed. 

She explained, “There were lots of freebies, the location to collect was easily accessible with plenty of parking and it was open till late, which was great. And there were many samples for us to try there, too.”

Getting to the Race Venue

And on race morning, Maggie had been happy with the free MRT services for runners to the start line, from 2am onwards.

She said “Getting to the start line, we did not need to worry about anything because the MRT was available for us. The bag drop was also easy to identify and pick up later, and the venue turned out to be excellent.”

For an early race, it is usually a hassle for runners to get to the start line, so the Score Run had thought the starting time issues out well according to Maggie.

Said Maggie “As well, the flag-off timing of 5am, in my opinion, was also good because it meant that the run was not hot, even for the slower runners.”

Chio Kian Tatt, 36, a Facility Assistance Manager, another runner who also took part in the Half Marathon, however, pointed out that the trains were not frequent, therefore resulting in long waiting times. 

He said “It was good of the organiser to arrange for free MRT train to the location but this caused another issue because the trains were not frequent. So the waiting times were quite long. I was late for the race because of the waiting times at the MRT station.”

Kian Tatt.

Toilet Queues

Kian Tatt also felt that the toilet queues were a bit long. He said “They provided portable toilets for runners at the race village as well as most of the water stations. That was good, but there could have been more pre-race toilets so that the waiting times won’t be so long.”

Lots of hydration 

The run itself went smoothly for Maggie in all aspects. She said, “I am a tried and true marathoner and I believe that the most basic things was provided well, especially water.”

She continued, “There were plenty of drink stations easily accessible, be it along the race route or at the end. Because without drinks, runners cannot feel good especially during a run and at the end. So it was great that there was plenty of water and if we wanted more, it was there, and we didn’t need to queue for it.”

And added Kian Tatt, “The water stations had been located at strategic locations and there was one banana station along the way too, for runners to recover their lost energy.”

Central but hilly running route

The running route was pretty central, taking runners around the city centre in Kuala Lumpur. Said Kian Tatt, “The race route was good. It started from KL town to Botanic Garden and then back to KL Town with plenty of challenging hills along the way.”

He added “I felt excited when I was beginning the run through the congested Kuala Lumpur city area but it felt fresh when I reached the Botanic Gardens.”

And Maggie also agreed that the hilly race route had been challenging.

Said Maggie, “I must say that there were many slopes and hills so the organisers must have thought over this to make it a tough half marathon. The only observation I will add is that there are many corners – maybe the organisers should have tried to do away with this. Perhaps the reason for this, was that the race was held in the city.”

Great marshals 

As well, the marshals along the way were very helpful and attentive. Said Maggie, “The marshals were smiling, and very helpful, which was great.”

There have been races where marshals have been half-asleep or yawning as runners are passing through, so it was great that the Score Run was not amongst these.

Pacers were consistent 

The event’s pacers, according to Maggie, were consistent and did a great job, too. She said, “I even managed to follow the balloons, so the pacers had been well-trained at the race.”

The Finish Line

But Kian Tatt, however, felt that because of the 5am flag off time for the 21.1km event and the 5:40am start for 10km, there had been a clash of the different categories of runners congregating the finish line, resulting in congestion. This had been the case for him when he had completed his race.

He said, “There had been a long waiting time to collect the finisher entitlements, for both the 10km and the 21.1km finishers, so maybe the race start times could be adjusted.”

Post Race village

After her race completion, Maggie added that there had been ample space for runners to relax and recharge. She said, “The fact that we were not hurried away from the finish area was nice. There was also plenty of space for all runners to sit and relax and enjoy whilst waiting for their friends.”

However Kian Tatt had felt that there could have been more services available for runners though.  

He said, “Maybe due to location space issues, there were not much amenities and services, it was the standard items being provided like bread, sweets and biscuits, nothing very special. There was also Milo and 100PLUS for drinks, but I think there could have been more.”

Maggie was impressed overall

Overall Maggie was impressed with the Score Run. She said, “The whole organisation of the event, right from the race pack collection was great. The organisers must have thought over their logistics and with the years of experience behind them, they have applied this well.”

She continued, “As well, they even had a service to provide timing engraving on your medals after the run is over. You just needed to pay a minimal fee, which is a great option for all those who did well.”

She has no improvements  

In fact, Maggie added that she has no improvements for the organisers, too.

She said, “I love the Score Run and and I will definitely join again in future years. I am usually very critical but this was one race where I had felt that 99% was great.”

All photos in this post were provided by Maggie and Kian Tatt.