 |
(L-R) D
atuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin
,
President,
Muse Group Asia
; YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia
|
 |
(L-R) Brynn Lovett, Miss Malaysia World 2015 and HSN21KM Supporter; Mr. Darma Devan, Project Manager, TwentyFirst Century Sports; Mr. Victor Tiew, Brand Manager, Brooks Malaysia; Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin
,
President,
Muse Group Asia
; YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia; Datuk Md Radzaif Mohamed, Deputy CEO, Proton Holdings Bhd; Ms. Azariah Tahir, Corporate Affairs, Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia; Pn Norlila, Sales Manager, Swiss-Inn Chinatown KL
|
 |
Mr. Darma Devan, Project Manager, TwentyFirst Century Sports; Pn Norlila, Sales Manager, Swiss-Inn Chinatown KL
;
Ms. Azariah Tahir, Corporate Affairs, Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia;
Brynn Lovett, Miss Malaysia World 2015 and HSN21KM Supporter;
Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin
,
President,
Muse Group Asia
; YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia;
Datuk Md Radzaif
Mohamed
, Deputy CEO, Proton Holdings Bhd
;
Mr. Victor Tiew, Brand Manager, Brooks Malaysia |
PUTRAJAYA, 29 August 2016 – Runners can find themselves
alongside fellow Malaysians and international running enthusiasts in the spirit
of fitness and fun at the inaugural HSN21KM run set to take place on 8 October
2016. The official launch of HSN21KM – the marquee event at this year’s Hari
Sukan Negara celebration, was officiated today by the Minister of Youth and
Sports, YB Khairy Jamaluddin together with the President of Muse Group Asia,
Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin. Muse Group Asia is the organiser and originator
of the event.
“I commend this
initiative by renowned event organiser Muse Group Asia and the Ministry is
pleased to support HSN21KM. It is good to see the private sector coming forward
to support the Hari Sukan Negara which is our national agenda in creating a
sporting nation. Through HSN21KM and Hari Sukan Negara, we want to further
ignite and strengthen the desire to keep fit and be healthy among all
Malaysians. I am
confident HSN21KM will receive good response from the public, based on the
overwhelming support at last year’s Hari Sukan Negara activities. By
encouraging the organisation of sporting events like HSN21KM, we also hope to discover new sporting talents,”
said YB Khairy. This is the second year Hari Sukan Negara is being held, after the
inaugural celebration in 2015.
Held in the heart
of Kuala Lumpur, with three recognisable flag-off points, HSN21KM aims to bring
together runners from all walks of life – inculcating the spirit of running in
the young ones, challenging the elite and inspiring others to beat their
personal bests or make their maiden attempt in a running event. “This will be
an event for anyone and everyone. From elite runners to casual strollers and
just about everyone in between, HSN21KM will be a challenge, and more
importantly, also a fun event that unites the people of Malaysia and
international running aficionados. Since we opened for registration, we
currently have 6,000 participants registered for HSN21KM, and we are geared up
for the registrations to come flowing in after this launch,” said Datuk Megat
Zulkarnain.
The event will feature
three distances - 21km, 10km and 5km. The 5km fun run is designed as an
obstacle race, and unlike the more gruelling, mud-slinging variety, there will
be fun-filled obstacles for the whole family instead this time. It is also
unique in that participation is open to persons with disabilities,
wheelchair-bound or otherwise. Flagging off at the famous Padang Merbok, the
5km fun run will make a thoroughly enjoyable race for families and fun-loving
participants.
Dataran Merdeka
will be the flag-off point for the 21km race. Set to be the highlight of
HSN21KM due to the record-breaking opportunity, the 21km route will pass
through several known landmarks such as Bukit Tunku, Petronas Twin Towers and
more. The 10km race, which is expected to have the largest participation, will
flag off at Jalan Raja Laut, also passing through several landmarks on its
route. All three races will end at Dataran Merdeka.
HSN21KM has much
to offer participants. First off, the prize purses being offered for the various
categories are large, with up to RM36,000 to be won. The winner of the 21km Open
Men’s and Women’s categories can look forward to a RM 7,000 cash prize with
various purses offered up to 6th place in the 21km Open and
Veterans’ categories for both men and women. Cash prizes are also offered to
the top five finishers in the 10km race – for the Open and Veterans, and Men
and Women’s categories.
Beat Your Record
is a special feature of HSN21KM, where Malaysian participants will have the
opportunity to surpass the National Record for 21km and take home a whopping RM
20,000 incentive. Arul Thevar Muniandy, who recorded a time of 1 hour 7 minutes
59 seconds in Ipoh on 4 July 2004, currently holds the men’s National record
for the half marathon, while in the women’s category, record holder Norlida
Ismail set the best time of 1 hour 27 minutes 15 seconds on 21 May 2005 at the
Arafura Games, Australia.
“These records
are set by fellow Malaysians, who have a place in history because of their
outstanding feat. It has been more than 10 years since anyone has broken those
records. HSN21KM challenges runners to make this attempt. If you break the
record, you’ll be a newly discovered Malaysian sporting star! In the years to
come, we are also looking to expand Malaysia’s reputation as an international
destination for competitive runners, by organising bigger races in the future
and more. The HSN21KM is an excellent beginning for the Ministry’s
collaborations with the private sector to make this vision a reality,” added YB
Khairy.
For runners who
are capable of bringing their family and friends together, the Race Captain is
just what they need. Individuals who can get 10 other people to sign up for
HSN21KM in any category can run for free and will be called Race Captains.
Several companies have come on board as
official partners and sponsors for HSN21KM. PROTON is the Presenter
Sponsor, and is offering a car up for grabs as the lucky draw prize, which will
be held at Dataran Merdeka in conjunction with the race as well as Hari Sukan
Negara. Both HSN21KM runners and visitors to the Hari Sukan Negara celebration
at Dataran Merdeka are eligible for this coupon-based lucky draw. With Brooks
Malaysia signing up as the Official Apparel Sponsor for HSN21KM, all
participants can expect running T-shirts courtesy of Brooks. HSN21KM has also
signed up Lucozade as the Official
Beverage for the run and Swiss-Inn as the Official Hotel.
The race pack
will be available for collection on 1 and 2 October 2016 from 10am to 6pm at
Dewan Dato’ Mokhtar Dahari in the Olympic Sports Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
There will be much to occupy
members of the public at Dataran Merdeka in conjunction with Hari Sukan Negara.
Activities to expect include popular sports and games like netball, futsal,
arm-wrestling, tug-of-war and an eSports competition, among others. There wlll
be a OneSilat National Series competition for a touch of the traditional, while
visitors young and old can also occupy themselves with kids’ activities, a sports
bazaar and much more.
Registration for
HSN21KM ends on 15 September 2016. Registration will close after this date, or
if the maximum capacity is reached before the closing date, whichever comes
first.
