Pulau Pinang, 18 Dec 2016 – THE 1st edition of OSIM Sundown Marathon Penang proved to be a stepping stone for Singapore’s iconic home-grown night run as it ventures overseas into Penang. The event attracted more than 2,600 runners.
Penang hosted over 500 international runners from countries such as Singapore, Kenya, China, Indonesia and the Philippines while providing the perfect platform for Penang’s running community to run together. The theme, “Sleep Can Wait” challenged runners to sacrifice sleep and run through the night while enjoying the beautiful night skyline of Penang.
At 12.01am, 12.05am and 12.10am, runners for the 21.1km Half Marathon, 10km Challenge and 5km Fun Run race categories were flagged off respectively. Runners who wanted to finish the race at a specific time had the help of pacers who were easily identified by the helium balloons showing the targeted finishing time.
Supporters and finishers of the run were treated to exciting activities in the Race Village, such as band performances by Shades of Dreams and overnight movie screenings of blockbuster favourites such as Transformers: Age of Extinction.
“We are extremely pleased with how OSIM Sundown Marathon Singapore has evolved to become one of the signature sporting events in the regional running scene. We have been planning for regional expansion for several years now, and we are glad to be able to organize a successful race today in Penang for Malaysia. It is a stepping stone for us and we will only get bigger and better in years to come,” said Adrian Mok, Managing Director of HiVelocity Events Pte Ltd, the organiser of OSIM Sundown Marathon Penang.
John Cheong, Sales Director of OSIM, flagged off the various race categories. He said, “We’re really happy to see how the runners enjoyed themselves through the night. The spirit of the marathoner resonates with OSIM because we believe in challenging your spirit to do your best. Not only have these runners completed the challenge to sacrifice sleep, run through the night, and beat the sunrise, they also embodied strength, courage and passion. For those who took on the 5km Fun Run for the first time, we believe that this is merely the start of a healthy lifelong journey ahead of them. Our aim is to inspire well-being to everyone from all walks of life and we also wish to contribute to Malaysia’s running scene in every possible way.”
The best Malaysian timing for Men’s Half Marathon category was Ow Yong Jin Kuang, who crossed the finishing line with a timing of 01:22:27, and came in fourth behind African runners Kiptoo Joackim Kemboi (3rd), Biwott Justus Kipruto (2nd) and Njoki Charles Munyua (1st).
“This race is very different from the usual ones that are carried out in Penang. The race village is filled with exciting activities, it was so easy to go about in the race village where everything was organised and made easy for the participants as well as supporters. It was an enjoyable run, and I will definitely be joining Sundown Marathon Penang again,” said Ow Yong Jin Kuang.
Meanwhile, Yee Pei Ni had the best Malaysian timing for Women’s Half Marathon category, with a finishing time of 01:40:23, coming in second behind Towett Cynthia Chelangat.
“It was an exhilarating experience to be in this race, the race route made it easy to be able to keep up with my usual pace. The race village makes you feel like it is the place to be, they made sure everyone was well taken care of. There was a Zumba workout to help participants warm up for the race, and band performances that kept everyone pumped up. It was really exciting to be part of the first OSIM Sundown Marathon in Penang,” said Yee Pei Ni.
For more information, log on to www.sundownmarathon.com
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