Press Release: THE KUALA LUMPUR STANDARD CHARTERED MARATHON VIRTUAL RUN IS BACK!

 THE KUALA LUMPUR STANDARD CHARTERED MARATHON

VIRTUAL RUN IS BACK!

Grand Lucky Draw prize to drive registrations

3 August 2021, KUALA LUMPUR: For the second year running, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) will go virtual and will take place between 20 - 28 November 2021. The premier virtual running event in Malaysia is organised by Dirigo Events, with Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia returning as Title Sponsor. The free-to-register Virtual Run (VR) will offer the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5km distance categories and runners from all walks of life from all over the globe are expected to participate.

A Virtual Run is where participants who register for an event can run anywhere within the specified time-frame as long as they provide proof of their completed distance through GPS-based running apps or wearables. The inaugural KLSCM VR was held last year when the ongoing pandemic made it impossible to hold mass participation events like the traditional KLSCM marathon. The event was well received, with over 52,000 registrations comprising local and international runners.

“It’s unfortunate that the pandemic has yet to run its course so in these trying times we hope that the staging of our second Virtual Run will give our runners something to look forward to. It is imperative that we remain positive in our outlook and do what we can to stay healthy and keep our immune systems strong during this difficult period,” said Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events.

“We are keeping registrations free as we are sympathetic to the economic plight that Malaysians are facing during the extended lockdowns and we want to encourage as many people as possible to participate,” added Rainer.

While no prizes or awards will be presented to the category winners similar to the first VR, a Grand Lucky Draw prize awaits a fortunate winner this year, consisting of an all-expenses paid trip for two to an international marathon event in Europe.

Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, who have been title sponsors of the traditional Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon since 2009, returns to helm that role for this virtual event. The Bank is eager to encourage people to maintain a healthy lifestyle by participating in the event.

Abrar A. Anwar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Malaysia said, “We want to continue facilitating our community’s love for running and we hope the continued commitment of our sponsorship will encourage runners to maintain a healthy lifestyle – mentally and physically. We encourage runners to go the distance and challenge themselves to unlock new achievements by completing the race virtually and at their convenience.”

The Bank remains steadfast in championing its social responsibility causes and runners are encouraged to donate to Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion in their markets.

The Organisers have introduced new features to enhance and make the KLSCM 2021 VR more exciting for all participants. The key features are:

1. Grand Lucky Draw Prize

Successful registrants will be in the running to win a Grand Lucky Draw Prize for an all- expenses paid trip to an international marathon event in Europe in 2022.

2. Practice Run Challenge

Registered participants will automatically be eligible to take part in this challenge from 4 – 31 October 2021. This Challenge is meant to encourage runners to train consistently towards the actual event. There will be weekly lucky draw prizes while the person with the overall highest distance at the end of the Challenge period will receive a prize. For this Challenge, runners are allowed to participate individually or create/join a running group or club.

3. No Tracking Device Limitations

Runners are free to use any GPS-based running app or wearable to record their distance and submit their results either by using screenshots from their device or by uploading their GPX or TCX file from their preferred device onto the KLSCM VR platform.

4. States Challenge (For Malaysian participants only)

To add an extra element of competition and potential bragging rights, runners will also be able to choose a state to represent during the event, with their ranking within their state also recorded.

5. Digital photo frames for social media

Runners will be able to showcase their participation on social media through a variety of digital photo frames from the KLSCM website. The “Finisher” photo frame will only be made available to legitimate finishers.

6. Special commemorative merchandise

To commemorate the VR, exclusively designed official merchandise such as personalised medals, long and short-sleeved event tees, ultralight running jackets and pants, sports towels, face masks and key chains will be made available for purchase during the registration period.

The official merchandise is also available for all to purchase and not limited to registered participants only. All apparel merchandise are provided by the Official Apparel sponsor - Compressport.

Registration for the KLSCM 2021 Virtual Run will be open from 3 August to 18 November 2021 through this link.