In the spirit of Olympics

Participants in the Olympic Torch Relay Fun Run at the Dataran Merdeka on Sunday had an enjoyable time.

The 5km Fun Run, organised in conjunction with the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay held on Monday, attracted about 2,000 participants. The Run had two categories – men and women – for participants over the age of 13.

Ready, set, go: Runners setting the pace t of the Olympic Torch Fun Run at Dataran Merdeka.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said the Run was to create awareness of the Beijing Olympics.

“Only a selected group of 80 people were picked to be part of the Torch Relay. So, we organised the Fun Run for the Malaysian public to be part of the historic event. We are pleased that the sponsors had also initiated several activities for the public,” said Sieh, who also took part in the Fun Run.

Ahmad Lamcharak and Geraldine Low emerged as the winner in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. Ahmad completed the distance in 20:14 while Low took 28:43 to cross the finishing line.

Coca-Cola Malaysia’s director of public affairs and communications Mohamed Kadri Mohamed Taib said the Fun Run was a congregation of social runners.

“We did not offer any cash prize but the response was encouraging. We should create more similar events to promote healthy lifestyle among Malaysians,” said Mohamed Kadri.