High performance sportswear brand, Under Armour (UA), will be the official apparel sponsor at the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon (SCKLM) this year, outfitting 40,000 participants with their running shirts.

Malaysia’s premiere running event 

Back for the 11th year, the 2019 edition of SCKLM takes place on 28 and 29 September 2019 and will see participation from a record xbreaking figure of more than 40,000 runners, who will range from elite athletes to first-timers. The event boasts participants from all over Malaysia as well as more than 70 countries.

Today the SCKLM has become Malaysia’s premiere running event with top runners competing for a total of MYR 500,000 in total prize money.

Said Michael Binger, Chief Executive Officer of UA Sports (SEA) and Triple Pte Ltd which brings the UA brand into Malaysia, “We are excited to be a part of SCKLM 2019, one of the nation’s most-antici pated marathons.” 

He also added, “It will be one of the highlights of the year for us, as we believe the partnership will allow us to reach out to more runners.”

The Pacers

As well, Under Armour will also outfit the 30-member pacer team with newly designed UA HOVR performance running shoes and race kits to enable them to train better. There will be 24 pacers in the Full Marathon category and another six pacers for the Half Marathon.

Pacers, who are experienced runners who can run at a steady pace, are important because they ensure that a runner finishes a race according to his or her set time objectives. 

For less experienced runners, as inexperience or fatigue sets in, it is the pacers who are able to provide the right encouragement and motivation to get runners on track to finish the race within their set times.

Said Rainer Biemans, Project Director of SCKLM and Director of Dirigo Events, the organisers of the race, “Experience is key and we have been very fortunate to get a returning group of runners who regularly volunteer their expertise for every SCKLM.”

He added “Some of our pacers have been with us from Day One and are quite well-known in the local running community so their popularity and experience is a big advantage for us. We are very grateful for their selfless service over the years.”

Pacers are grateful to be part of the team

One of the regular pacers is Kartini Ahmad Kamal, 41, an Admin and Accounts Manager from Sandakan, who is grateful for the chance to be part of the SCKLM pacer team for the third year running.

He said, “Being a pacer is not an easy task and I trained harder for my pacer job compared to when I race. I have learnt so many things since my first pacer duty in 2015.”

The pacer also added, “The best part of being a pacer is seeing runners get to the finish line in a time they previously did not believe was possible. We may have played a small part in that and for us, that’s a real honour and privilege.”

Chan Wai Yee, on the other hand, will be making her debut as a Full Marathon pacer, having previously paced the Half Marathon distance.

Said Wai Yee, who is from KL and works in retail marketing, “I enjoy being a pacer as I feel sometimes, we are too absorbed in our own personal improvement that we forget to support other runners, especially new runners. I also want to encourage the slower runners who are often forgotten or disregarded. I do it for the love of running and I hope to pass this spirit on to other runners too.”

Photos are courtesy of SCKLM.