Thursday February 21, 2013

KL Marathon anticipates 30,000 participants by June

KUALA LUMPUR: The fifth edition of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is back and promises to be bigger and better with 30,000 participants expected to sign-up for the run which takes place on June 30.

The marathon which will start and end at Dataran Merdeka this year has steadily seen an increase in participation over the years from just 13,500 in 2009 to a whopping 28,000 last year. And event organisers are confident the 2013 edition will see an increase of participants.

This year’s marathon, organised by Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd and co-organised by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and The Ministry of Youth and Sports carries the theme “Run for a Reason” with a total prize pot of US$110,00 (RM341,000).

Youth and Sports Minster Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek who launched the marathon at the Standard Chartered KL Park yesterday, praised the nation building efforts brought on by sporting events like the marathon.

“The Malaysian sports industry has been making giant strides due to corporate partnerships with national sports organisations and Standard Chartered has successfully stamped their mark in this event,” said Ahmad Shabery.

“It has contributed greatly to nation building by not only elevating the prestige of the Kuala Lumpur marathon but by fostering camaraderie amongst the people whilst helping to nurture healthy lifestyle adoption and I hope that this legacy will continue during this year’s edition,” he added.

“Last year, we had 1,434 international participants from 48 countries. This is a great testimony as to how fast the KL Marathon is growing.”

Over the last four years, the KL Marathon has also managed to raise RM2.4mil to benefit charities nationwide. This year’s recipients are the Standard Charted Foundation, National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), Ecoknights and Hospis Malaysia.

Registration for the KL Marathon is opened from Jan 30 to May 31.

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