Kuala Lumpur is gearing up for its biggest marathon yet, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2024, Malaysia’s biggest marathon and arguably the most popular in the region – records have already been broken before the October race, in more ways than one.
Some 42,000 runners have signed up for the race this year, breaking last year’s record of 40,000 participants. At more than 12,500, the number of Full Marathon participants is also the largest ever since KLSCM’s inception, or any full-distance road-running event in Malaysia, for that matter. The sign-ups for the Half Marathon, totalling 13,770, is a record-breaking number too.
This year, the KLSCM is placing a big emphasis on its Run For A Reason (RFAR) charity initiative. Runners and corporate sponsors can raise money for four beneficiaries: Standard Chartered’s Futuremakers, Hospis Malaysia, Kechara Soup Kitchen, and Teach For Malaysia (TFM).
Defending Champion Vows to Donate Winnings
Two-time KLSCM champion Poo Vasanthan Subramaniam is returning this year to defend his title in the Malaysian Open category. Vasanthan is not only looking to win the race, but he has also pledged to donate part of his prize money to one of the RFAR charities if he achieves a hat-trick this year.
“I cherish the competition and I’m ready to do my part in making this a great race to remember,” Vasanthan said in an interview. “I will donate part of the prize money to one of the RFAR charities if I make it a hat-trick this time. Let’s all not forget to do our share for society.”
The 26-year-old champion finished the race last year in 2 hours 37 minutes and 38 seconds in his back-to-back win. His perennial rivals, including five-time winner Muhaizar Mohamad and last year’s runner-up Nik Fakaruddin Ismail, will be there to give him a run for his money again.
Money raised by runners and corporate sponsors will benefit four such organisations associated with the event this year, through the RFAR platform. They are women empowerment advocates Standard Chartered’s Futuremakers, palliative care provider Hospis Malaysia, marginalised communities champion Kechara Soup Kitchen, and education foundation Teach for Malaysia (TFM).
Since the event officially opened for business in March, some RM750,000 has been raised by runners and sponsors, according to the latest estimate. That’s not far from Dirigo Events’ modest aim of breaking the million-ringgit threshold for the first time.
Participants Running for a Cause
Many runners are participating in the KLSCM this year to raise money for causes they care about. Dr. Mohd Amirul Husaini Ibne Walid is running a half-marathon to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia, which provided care and comfort to his wife in her final days of battling cancer.
Jun Wu, a 32-year-old education consultant and Teach For Malaysia (TFM) Fellow, is running to raise money for the organization’s mission to end inequity in education. Wu previously taught in a high-needs school and co-founded an English Club to help students improve their English proficiency.
After a successful collaboration last year, Kechara Soup Kitchen is also stepping up to help marginalised communities and the urban poor by providing dry-food supplies through their volunteers. Lew Jean Wern from Puchong, will be doing her part by running the Half Marathon to raise funds for the charity.
Standard Chartered Executives in Fundraising Face-Off
Even the title sponsor, Standard Chartered Malaysia, is getting into the fundraising spirit. The bank’s CEO, Mak Joon Nien, and his counterpart at Saadiq, the bank’s Islamic banking unit, Bilal Parvaiz, are in a personal race to raise the most money for Standard Chartered’s Futuremakers program.
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Looking Ahead to the Race
With less than six weeks to go before the race, the excitement is building. The organizers are confident that this year’s KLSCM will be the best edition yet. The event is scheduled for October 5 and 6, 2024 at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
For more information on the KLSCM and the RFAR initiative, visit the official website: https://www.kl-marathon.com/charity/run-for-a-reason/runners-profile/2024/
