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MORE JOIN STANDARD CHARTERED KL MARATHON 2017 RUNNING CLINICS

Hundreds of Participants Eager to Learn Dos and Don’ts of Running
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2017: The Standard Chartered KL Marathon Running Clinics are gaining in popularity as more than 300 runners took part in the second round of Running Clinics organised by Dirigo Events, owner and organiser of the premier running event in the country, over the last weekend. There was a Junior Running Clinic on Saturday, 11 March for children between the ages of 6-12, a general clinic for adults on Sunday and even a specialised Running Clinic for those attempting their first Half Marathon.
 
“We are delighted that the clinics are getting more traction from participants. We were one of the first running events in Malaysia to start organising Running Clinics in 2009 with an average of 50 participants or so per clinic, and we are now starting to see bigger interest in these clinics,” said Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events and Project Director of SCKLM 2017. “More runners are starting to recognise the importance of the correct running and training techniques and find these clinics extremely useful as they can also get all their questions answered by our official running coach Mark Williams,” he added.
 
The Junior Running clinics got off to a slightly wet start on Saturday at the MSN Sports Complex in Setiawangsa as a brief downpour threatened to put a damper on proceedings. The clinic was halted temporarily but resumed once the rain stopped. The clinic is broken up into two categories to cater for the two categories available for children at the race, namely the 1km Dash for kids aged between 6-9 and the 3km Dash for those aged from 10-12.
 
“It’s great to see the kids taking such an interest in running, and even more gratifying when they show improvement after taking your advice into consideration,” said Mark Williams. “Some of these kids need a great deal of work to unlearn some bad habits they’ve picked up with regards to posture, stride, cadence, etc but a few of them are natural runners who could go far with the right encouragement,” he continued.
The General Running Clinic for the adults on Sunday at the Bukit Jalil Recreational Park looked more like a running carnival with hundreds of SCKLM participants there from the crack of dawn, along with sponsors who set up booths to provide refreshments or display their products and services. Title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank provided coffee and bananas to famished runners while apparel sponsor Brooks had a booth that provided accurate measurements of runners’ feet that would help with selecting the right type of shoe that best suits your running gait. Lucozade were also on hand to keep the runners hydrated throughout the clinic.
 
While the firs Running Clinic was all about what you need to do when “Starting To Train” this second Running Clinic was focused on the “Correct Running Form”. After some dynamic stretching exercises, Mark showed the runners how to run in a way that minimises resistance and enhances running efficiency. The participants then went on looped runs around the park with the number of loops depending on the category they have entered for the race, before ending with strength and conditioning exercises.
Sivabalan and Ashiq, both 50 and both first-time participants of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, are relative newcomers to running and who were also attending a Running Clinic for the first time. “We decided to get into running in order to keep fit and healthy as we both have very desk-bound jobs working in IT,” said Sivabalan. “The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2017 is the first official race we will be taking part in and we’re definitely glad we came for this Running Clinic as we’ve learnt quite a few pointers from the coach,” added Ashiq.
There were also a unique group of participants who attended the last Running Clinic – 15 visually impaired runners from the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) who have been sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank to take part in the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2017 in the 5km category. These visually impaired runners will run with “running buddies” who are staff volunteers. The programme is part of Standard Chartered Bank’s CSR initiative that promotes sustainable communities. In total 30 visually impaired runners will be given the opportunity to accomplish something that would have been out of their reach were it not for this programme.

Runners can still sign up for the remaining Running Clinics as there are two more General and Junior Clinics to go before Race Day. You can find out more at www.kl-marathon.com
 
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