Monday, October 07, 2024

Day 1: KLSCM 2024 Kicks Off Its Biggest Edition Yet With 42,000 Runners


Kuala Lumpur, 5 October - The country’s premier distance running event, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2024, kicked off its 16th edition today with its largest number of participants yet. 42,000 runners will be converging on the iconic Dataran Merdeka over two days on 5 and 6 October, with the 5km, 10km and Kids Dash categories having taken place today. The blue-ribbon Full Marathon and Half Marathon categories take place tomorrow with intense competition expected from the top runners.

Japhet Rono breasting the tape in the Boost Juice 10km 

The Boost Juice 10km got the ball rolling where in the Men’s Open category, KLSCM debutant Japhet Rono from Kenya clinched the win in a time of 33:14. “This is my first time participating in the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon and although I didn’t expect it, I thank God for giving me the strength to win,” said Rono. “I look forward to participating in the next edition in 2025,” he added.

Boost Juice 10km Men Open 

The second and third place finishers were from Malaysia, with Daren James Nair coming in second place in 33.23 and Ruveshwaran Balachandran finishing third in a time of 33:56.

Boost Juice 10km Women Open

In the Women’s Open category, the top two finishers were also from Kenya with Chengetich Langat winning the event in a time of 40:18, while Purity Jelimo Serem took second place in 41:02 and Chan Ann Sze from Malaysia came in third in 45:11. “My target was to win the race and as I knew the course was hilly, my strategy was to wait for the hills and then try to push the last 2km for the win,” said Langat.

Boost Juice 10km Men Veteran

In the 10km Men’s Veteran category Malaysian Loganathan Munusamy clinched first place in a time of 38:02. Coming in second was Jeffrey Ross from Great Britain clocking in at 38:11 and another Malaysian, Saravanan, claimed third place in 38:28. 

Boost Juice 10km Women Veteran 

In the 10km Women’s Veteran category, Jane Wanjiru Muriuki from Kenya finished first in 41:12 while Malaysians Lee Sium Louw and Ng Siew King came in second and third in 45:19 and 46:37 respectively.

The 5km category flagged off after the 10km category and the Fun Run was a colourful affair as a number of runners showed up in creative and fun costumes.

Kids Dash 1km Flag Off 

A traditional highlight of the first day of KLSCM is the staging of the two Kids Dash categories for children aged from 6 – 13 years, which were reinstated last year. “It’s always great to welcome the kids who are participating in the 1km and 2km Kids Dash categories as they are the future of the running community,” said Rainer Biemans, Project Director of KLSCM and director of Dirigo Events, the owner and organiser of KLSCM. “It’s also a fantastic opportunity for families to participate in an outdoor activity together, boosting their physical and mental health in the process,” he added.

Kids Dash 1km Boys

The Kids Dash Boy’s 1km category was won by Aydan Haris in a time of 03:53 while Muaz Qusyaere took second place in 03:54 and Sam Bakker from the Netherlands finished third in 04:09. In the Kids Dash 1km Girl’s category, Nur Mikhaila bagged the win in 04:33, Nur Afrina Arissa came in second in 04:39 and Winifred James took third place in 04:40. 

Kids Dash 1km Girls 

In the Kids Dash 2km category, the Boys title went to Muhammad Zafry Idraky who finished in 06:51, while Amer Firash Isaac Zuhayr came in second place in a time of 07:00 while Ashton Choo Chen Xi took the last podium spot in 07:22. In the Kids Dash 2km Girl’s category, Anissha Veluswami won it in 08:09 while Medoraa Sofea took second spot in 08:13 and Adeelea Uwaesha Fysarra finished third in 08:15.

Kids Dash 2km Girls

Nick Tiernan, CEO and Owner of Boost Juice Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, took part in the Boost Juice 10km category and was excited to be a part of the largest running event in Malaysia.

Hospis Malaysia Run For A Reason runner Lorraine Especkerman in the Boost Juice 10km 

"We are delighted to be back as a Gold Sponsor of KLSCM, inarguably the most sought-after distance running event in Malaysia, and possibly the region,” said Nick Tiernan. “Our smoothies and juices make the perfect pick-me-up for anyone looking to recharge and fuel their athletic endeavours! We’re excited to share our "Love Life" philosophy, helping runners and athletes tap into the full potential of our beverages, which we feel blends seamlessly with KLSCM’s objective of encouraging a healthy lifestyle” added Nick.

Stormtrooper against the backdrop of the Petronas Twin Towers

KLSCM has evolved to become the biggest running event in Malaysia that attracts thousands of local and international runners whilst firmly establishing Malaysia in the global running calendar. This year saw a 72% increase in the number of running tourists arriving in Kuala Lumpur to take part in the event, bringing in significant tourism revenue to the country. The 16th edition of the event will once again see sponsorship from Title Sponsor Standard Chartered Malaysia, along with Gold Sponsor Boost Juice Malaysia, Pressio, 100 Plus, Brooks, Seiko, TudungPeople, Pantai Hospital KL and Counterpain. This event is supported by venue host DBKL, along with MAF and FTKLAA, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism.

For more information and updates on KLSCM, please visit:

 



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