PRESS RELEASE : MPI Generali Run 2016 Offers Community More Than Running

• The fifth MPI Generali Insurans Berhad’s annual community run continues to promote healthy lifestyle and work-life balance 
• Family day concept debuted
• Project Good Deeds collected 267 pairs of sports shoes and around 1,490 T-shirts

Kuala Lumpur – MPI Generali Insurans Berhad held its fifth annual community run at Padang Merbuk last Sunday.

 

Participants gathered as early as 6:00am at the heart of the city for the event. After an aerobic warm-up session by Pilatique, MPI Generali Run 2016 officially started with the first flag-off. Soon, Bukit Tunku was awash with the bright orange T-shirt of the Run, which represents the last colour block in the Run’s logo.

 

Runners were categorised by gender, seniority and route distances 5km, 9km and 12km. There was also a 3km Fun Walk for participants who wanted in on the exercise but prefer a more leisurely pace. These categories serve the Run’s theme of “Healthy Lifestyle – Work-Life Balance” well and continue to promote the Run’s objective of encouraging the general public from all walks of life to take up running as a healthy and sustainable recreational activity.

 

For the first time, the Run introduced the Speedsters and Cruisers groupings, which are MPI Generali Run’s version of the Wave Start practice. They enable runners with similar abilities to start the race together. This way, the race route would be less congested and contribute to a safer and more enjoyable experience for all categories.

 

Besides the usual Sponsors’ and Partners’ booths, participants were treated to a bustling atmosphere at Padang Merbuk Car Park where they could find bubble performances, balloon sculptors and assorted refreshments like popcorn, cotton candy and Indian snacks.

 

Project Leader Ms Jayne Liew approved of the atmosphere: “We want this Run to be a family day affair for our loyal followers. Some of them have been with us since the first Run, and they would bring their friends and family members who would also run or take part in the Fun Walk. Now, instead of just fun from running their own races, they get to enjoy some quality time together after the Race.”

 

The Run’s corporate social responsibility aspect, Project Good Deeds, continues to make another record collection of pre-loved sports shoes and T-shirts for the Orang Asli community: 267 pairs of sports shoes and around 1,490 T-shirts [compared to 207 pairs of shoes and around 1,282 T-shirts previously]. The recycling project has now increased its total number of beneficiaries to 10 since the 2014 Run.

 

All the Champions were new faces to the top spot in the Run except for Ms Sheela a/p Samivellu, the Champion of Women’s Veteran (12km) category. Ms Sheela a/p Samivellu clinched the first prize in the Women’s Open (12km) category in MPIB Run 2013 (the previous name of the Run).

 

Ultimately, MPI Generali Run is never about the winning, but the doing. The annual run will continue to help the community start the new year on a healthy footing!

Note: In Category C Women’s Open 12km, Ms Genevive Njoku was awarded the Champion title after consultation with Ms Lyndsay Clarke. Ms Genevive Njoku was leading the pack past the 5km and 9km checkpoints but a wrong turn added 2km to her race, causing her to finish eighth. In a great show of sportswomanship, Ms Lyndsay Clarke offered Ms Genevive Njoku runner-up spot instead.