§staticmap(1307,4,450,250)On June 24th 2012, you’ll be organizing the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Can you tell us where it is located?
The Standard Chartered KL Marathon will be held at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The race will start and end at the historical Sultan Abdul Samad building.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
The race started in year 2009 and 2012’s race will be the fourth race for Standard Chartered KL Marathon. The marathon was created to encourage Malaysians to view sports as a way forward towards unity and national development, which is in line with the vision of the Sports Ministry in Malaysia and running is an activity that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Additionally, the marathon brings together runners and spectators from various countries, making it a major tourist attraction for the country. Running in the marathon also creates the bonding timing for families whom run together.
The routes are for full marathon (42.2KM), half marathon (21.1KM), 10KM, 5KM fun run and kids dash (2.5KM & 700m). The route tours around the city of Kuala Lumpur. Each category will have its own route but will pass by significant KL landmarks, such as the National Art Gallery, Petronas Twin Towers, Parliament House, Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Dataran Merdeka and etc.
How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
Our target is 27,000 and we hope to achieve it. We see all type of runners from all age groups and fitness levels. For example, we have elite runners who are invited from overseas to participate in the marathon as well as Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja – Henry is a blind marathon runner that runs guided of Joseph, his best friend. Additionally, we have families that take part in various race categories and even children in the ‘Kids Dash’.
The Standard Chartered KL Marathon offers running clinics almost every week prior to race day. Those who participate aren’t running a particular distance; they will run a particular time in preparation of their specific distance they signed up for for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. We offer these sessions to everybody on a first come first serve basis in order to have our runners prepared for the Event in June.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
The driest periods in Malaysia are usually between May till July and we hope that a sunny day will result. As the run starts early, runners can expect a cool start before it warms up at around 8:00 am onwards.
Have you planned festivities around the marathon?
On the marathon day, there will be a carnival for spectators with booths from sponsors, F&B, performances, clowns, face painting, jigglers, etc.
Malaysia’s cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Many cultures from within the country and from surrounding regions have greatly influenced the cuisine.
The runners can visit some of the city’s fascinating destinations such as the world’s tallest twin towers, the Petronas Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre at the base of the towers. For a spot of greenery, runners can head for the Butterfly Farm and the Bird Park, at Lake Gardens to see colourful, distinctly and variedly patterned butterflies and magnificent exotic birds.
In the word’s of YB. Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Tourism Malaysia, “Our country is rich in multiracial community, appetizing food, interesting travel destination, eco-tourism, homestay, historical heritage, beautiful beaches and islands or modern shopping malls that can all be found here.”
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon?
Come join the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, an iconic sporting event with one of the most scenic runs in the country, and stand a chance to take home the prize package of USD 100,000, the highest amount offered in Malaysia.
Interview with Rainer Biemans, Project Director of Standard Chartered KL Marathon from Dirigo Events.
Dirigo Events is a Kuala Lumpur based company that provides strategic event management expertise for high scale sporting events.
Dirigo is headed by Rainer Biemans and Gloria Ng that collectively have over 30 years in planning international sports events and managed previous Standard Chartered KL Marathons.