Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Route designed for all runners


JUDGING from the relatively flat terrain for the upcoming Standard Chartered KL Marathon scheduled on June 28, the organisers hope the participants will step up the pace to complete the race.

However, race director Hemant Dua warned the participants that the hot and humid weather will be a major obstacle to tackle.

Recently, the organisers have drawn up the course guiding the participants through the iconic landmarks around Kuala Lumpur.

“We have designed the route to appeal to runners with different abilities — from beginners to professionals. In adding excitement and flavour to the event, we are also trying to convince social and cultural groups to perform and portray the unique diversity of Malaysian heritage especially to the visitors at designated areas along the way,” said Dua, adding that the two segments of the moderate hill climb are at the 4km and 36km (Jalan Damansara stretch) mark.

The three main races for the proper event are marathon (18 years and above), half marathon (16 years and above) and 10km run (16 years and above).

For the 5km fun run, participants can sign up either as individual or group comprising between three and four members.

Children aged between nine and 12 years can take part in the Kids Dash covering 3km while those from six to nine years will feature in the 950m event.

So far, the organisers have hit the halfway mark in their aim to attract 13,000 participants.

“Our aim is to encourage more people to be physically fitter through running. For a start, it is a huge challenge because running culture does not have a strong following in Malaysia.

“But, we have been receiving positive response and we were also surprised that the women’s participation have also increased by 45% so far. Foreign recreational runners from almost 30 countries have also confirmed their entries through our global network,” said Dua.

The inaugural event starting and finishing at the Dataran Merdeka is offering a total cash purse of RM350,000. Besides the top six finishers in the women’s and men’s open as well as top three Malaysian women’s and men’s performers over the 42km distance, the top three finishers in the women’s and men’s open 21km race will also rewarded.

Entry closes on June 15. For details, visit www.kl-marathon.com or e-mail inquiries@kl-marathon.com.

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