Running to help the less fortunate

Racers in the 10km category making their way from the starting line.

MORE than 1,000 participants joined in for the good cause of raising RM20,000 for Great Heart Charity Association (GHCA).

The run co-organised by travel and tour agency World Connection Travel Sdn Bhd with GHCA at Padang Timur last Sunday was in support of GHCA’s mission to help the underprivileged.

The event featured a 10km race with categories of Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Men’s Veteran, Women’s Veteran as well as a 3km Fun Run.

Many parents could be seen participating with their children as a fun family outing, running side by side with 30 invited beneficiaries during the event.

The top 10 participants in each category won a trophy each.

The medals awarded in the run were another highlight of the event, with every finisher taking home a unique medal featuring a spinning aeroplane to represent “travelling the world”.

A lucky draw after the race hyped up the atmosphere with exciting prizes such as a Royal Jordanian Airlines return ticket to Bangkok, Ethiopia Airlines return ticket to Singapore and China Airlines return ticket to any Asian destination.

There were also goodie bags from IndoCafe along with umbrellas from Japan Airlines.

The race was flagged off by World Connection Travel Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Daren Kwan Aik Kiat, World Connection Travel Sdn Bhd director Choke Jin Wai, brand ambassador and radio DJ Gan Mei Yan, celebrity entrepreneur Jeff Chin, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah, Malaysia Chinese Tourism Association deputy president Jackson Thian and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents honorary secretary-general Nigel Wong along with a number of airlines representatives.

The event beneficiary – GHCA – was established in 2010. It is a non-profit organisation providing assistance to low-income families, old folk’s homes, children’s homes and indigenous groups.