Press Release : GREAT EASTERN BUBBLE DASH RUN 2016

A collaboration between Yayasan Jantung Malaysia and Great Eastern Life to launch the first Bubble Run in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 June 2016 – Heart Foundation of Malaysia (Yayasan Jantung Malaysia) announced its collaboration with Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad (Great Eastern Life) to present the Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run 2016 which will be held in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. For the first time in Malaysia, this year’s 5km Fun Run category will be based on multi-coloured bubble (made out of foam) stations placed throughout the running route. The recurring partnership follows the success of last year’s inaugural Great Eastern Colour My Heart Run, which was sold out at both venues. The announcement was made today by YABhg Tun Ahmad Sarji Bin Abdul Hamid, President of the Heart Foundation of Malaysia at Yayasan Jantung Malaysia and YBhg Dato Koh Yaw Hui, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Great Eastern Life.

YABhg Tun Ahmad Sarji said, “We are proud to collaborate with Great Eastern Life for the second consecutive year and we look forward to another fruitful partnership. Last year’s collaboration was a tremendous success raising over RM82,000 for the Heart Foundation of Malaysia”

According to YBhg Dato Koh Yaw Hui, the collaboration signifies both parties’ commitment in empowering the nation to embrace a balanced lifestyle through health and wellness initiatives.

He also added, “As a LIFE company, we want to empower more Malaysians to turn their health intentions into actions on their journey towards better living. Through this run, we want to demonstrate that an active lifestyle can be exciting, fun and a great way to spend quality time with our loved ones. For 2016, we want to be the first to bring a multi-coloured bubble run to over 25,000 Malaysians and inspire them to be fit and happy”

The Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run 2016 will flag-off at Queensbay Mall, Penang on 25 September 2016 and will make its way to Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur on 23 October 2016. It will be one of the signature events under the company’s Live Great Programme, the first integrated health and wellness programme developed by an insurance company in the region designed to help people in achieving their health goals.

Participants of the highly anticipated 5KM Fun Run category will pass through several stations where they will be showered with coloured bubble and foam, enjoy heart-pumping music and a host of other surprise activities. This category will be a leisure run and caters to runners of all ages and fitness levels. Early bird and LIVE GREAT Card member registrations start at RM 55, which includes a T-shirt, face mask, number bib and a pair of sunglasses.

For runners who are aiming to test their athletic prowess, they will have the option to sign up for either the 12KM LIVE GREAT Run category or 21KM LIVE GREAT Run category. The latter is a newly introduced category that will cater to an increasing demand from professional runners. Both categories will be an endurance race and will only be available at the Kuala Lumpur event. Early birds and LIVE GREAT Card members will enjoy a registration fee of RM 65 for the 12KM category and RM 75 for the 21KM category.

After completing their run, participants will also enjoy a post-event carnival (also known as the Healthy Heart Carnival) at both locations. The carnival will be open to runners for FREE and will feature exciting on-site offerings such as free health screenings, Live Zumba workout sessions, on-stage entertainment and exciting giveaways. Other attractions include various food and beverage stalls, interactive games and inflatable objects for children to play.

“The importance of providing a wholesome and positive participant experience in an event like this is critical if we are to reinforce the message of having a healthier lifestyle. As heart disease and stroke are still the number one killer in Malaysia (almost double the number of cancer-related deaths) we want to reduce this statistic by inculcating an active lifestyle through more proactive approaches.” stated Datuk Dr. JS Sambhi, Chairman of the Heart Foundation.

While encouraging Malaysians to live healthier and better in line with the Great Eastern Life brand promise, the run also incorporates a charity element whereby a portion of the proceeds from registrations will be channeled to the Heart Foundation of Malaysia.

For information on ticket pricing and discount information, please visit www.greateasternbubbledash.com and follow the Bubble Dash Facebook page for the latest updates and special promotions.