The inaugural Sila Lari, Jangan Duduk Fun Run got off to a flying start with 800 runners participating in the event this morning.
While registration closed 10 days before the Oct 22 deadline, officials from the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) joined in the fun as they ran alongside participants of the 5km event held at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur.
Among those who ran were OCM and Badminton Association of Malaysia president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria, FAM general secretary Stuart Ramalingam, former national athletes Moh Siew Wei and Noraseela Khalid and members of Istana Negara’s sports and welfare club. Some 159 runners from AmBank and close to 30 staff of regional business service provider Daythree also took part in the fun run.
Organised by the nation’s latest news website Twentytwo13, the event was supported by the Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletics Association. Other supporters include 100Plus, Kuckreja & Co, Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd, Asiana.my, ONE Championship, Genesis Fortis, TrueStart Coffee and Rantau PR.
The name of the run is a play of words on what Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, who had just before officiating the Dewan Rakyat session after the change in government, said: “Sila duduk, jangan lari”, referring to the opposition MPs who staged a walkout a day earlier.
Twentytwo13 managing editor Pearl Lee was elated with the support for the event.
“It’s really amazing as the spirit of sportsmanship and friendship came alive through Sila Lari, Jangan Duduk Fun Run 2018,” Pearl said.
“Our peers like New Straits Times, Bernama News Channel, BFM and The Mole featured our run. It’s almost unheard of when a news agency organises an event and a fellow industry player highlights it. This is indeed refreshing and our way of breaking boundaries.
“While sports is often competitive, it should also be carried out in a fun manner. The idea is to get more people outdoors and have a good laugh. It’s our way of reaching out to our readers and to encourage people to ‘run’ and not just sit.”
More than 40 runners went home smiling as they won lucky draw prizes which included the official Rugby World Cup 2019 balls, VIP tickets for next month’s ONE: Destiny of Champions worth RM390 each and a Philips Viva Collection All-In-One cooker worth RM590.
Twentytwo13 went live on May 22, 2018, at 10.13pm (22:13) with 13 articles. It has since been quoted by its more established colleagues – Channel News Asia, The Malaysian Insight, New Straits Times, Stadium Astro and Kwong Wah, among others.
It provides in-depth analysis, providing people’s perspectives while breaking boundaries.
