Celebrating unity: TARCians posing for a photo after the run.
AFTER a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) campuses nationwide were recently once again filled with excitement and joy stemming from participants of the TARCian Run.
The annual run, organised by the institution and TARCian Alumni Association (TAA), is popular among TAR UC students, alumni and staff, and this year, the occasion was made even more special with DUKE Highway coming onboard as a title sponsor.
Hence, this year’s run, held on Sept 16 to coincide with Malaysia Day, was dubbed DUKE TARCian Run 2022.
As an added bonus, the participants had the privilege of running along the newly constructed Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway (SPE), which was closed to traffic for the event.
On race day, TAR UC campuses in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Perak, Pahang and Sabah were a sea of white and red T-shirts with runners gathering before the break of dawn.
The run began simultaneously with the flagging off of participants of the 12km men and women categories at 6.30am, followed by the 7km fun run.
At the Kuala Lumpur main campus, the runners were flagged off by Ekovest Bhd managing director Tan Sri Lim Keng Cheng, TAA honorary advisers Datuk Yap Kuak Fong and Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, TAR UC president Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei, and DUKE TARCian Run 2022 organising chairman Lim Kok Eng.
G. Sivaneshwaran and Ong Sueming took the top spot in the 12km men and women categories, respectively, in the KL races.
They bagged RM1,000 and a plaque each for their effort.
As part of the event, lucky draw prizes such as the latest smartphones and tablets were up for grabs.
For Kenneth Kong Lik Huong and his family, the run was a meaningful affair.
The TAR UC alumnus who pursued his Foundation in Science at the institution said the run was a great event to strengthen family bonds.
“My sister is studying at TAR UC and when she shared about the TARCian Run, my family and I decided to join.
“My dad is an avid runner, so he signed up for the 12km run while I joined the 7km fun run.
“My mum and sister did not join the run but they were excited to come and cheer for us.
“The route was challenging but I had a lot of fun running with my fellow TARCians,” he said, adding that the festive atmosphere and student performances brought the campus to life.
Describing the turnout as “great”, Kok Eng said this was the sixth time the TAR UC run had been held.“We faced some new challenges this time around because we were running on a highway, so there were lots of coordination involved. “Nevertheless, we worked hard to bring TARCians from all walks of life together as this is the ‘beyond education’ experience we want to continue to uphold as TARCians,” he said in his speech.
