PETALING JAYA: After a hiatus of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, marathon running in Malaysia returned with a bang when 1,000 participants woke up early to pound the streets of Padang Timur here.
The event, organised by the Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM) returned to town yesterday, bringing with it yet another refreshing change, as men were allowed to sign up for the race that was once the exclusive domain of women and girls.
And in observance of the protocols laid out by the Youth and Sports Ministry, the number of participants had to be capped at 1,000, even though many agreed that the open air event could safely host several thousand more without any undue risk.
Yesterday’s event, known as the MCIS Life-Malaysia Women Marathon which offered cash prizes, consisted of a full and half marathon, along with the 10km competitive race.
MWM founder and race director, Karen Loh, was overjoyed at how the event turned out.
“We did things in full compliance with the standard operating procedure, including on-site Covid-19 testing,” she said.
According to Loh yesterday’s event was a significant step in marking MWM’s decade old history as men now play an equally important role in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment, which is the philosophy espoused by the title sponsor and MWM.
Loh and MCIS Life chief executive officer and managing director Prasheem Seebran believe in “the goal of growing a community, where women are equally empowered as men, is a shared responsibility of all”.
They also stated their pride in doing their part towards this global need.
Prasheem said this was the first time since the pandemic that they were hosting a physical sporting event but in strict compliance to established the SOP.
“The turnout today shows that Malaysians are excited to pursue their fitness goals through events such as ours which allows them to push their physical endurance limits,” said Prasheem.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad said that they have been working with MWM for several years to promote Selangor to domestic and international tourists.
“Sports tourism is part of our focus in promoting domestic tourism and the MCIS Life-MWM event’s theme is in line with our Pusing Selangor campaign where we encourage local tourists to explore interesting places in the state,” he added.
Women Open champion, Loh Chooi Fern, 30, was pleased at how the event turned out.
“I am happy to be back to a real event, as it is my first time out after two years.
“I did not manage to train due to MCO adjustments and work challenges. The event’s (Covid-19) SOP is as expected, and as long as everyone complies, all of us should be safe,” said the website designer.
The participants for the full (42km) and half marathons (21km) and 10km were flagged off by Ragunath Murthy, MCIS Life chief distribution & marketing officer, Josephine Mary, Malaysia’s own Olympian and Commonwealth Games athlete, as well as Jamaliah Jamaluddin, the Bandar Utama assemblyman, respectively.
The next instalment of MWM will be held in Ipoh on July 31.
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