By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Sept 27: Get ready to put on your running shoes and embark on a journey towards better health with Hock Seng Lee (HSL) as it announces two upcoming fitness events: the ‘La Promenade School Holiday Night Run’ on Dec 16, 2023, and the ‘2024 HSL Samarahan Marathon’, Samarahan’s first-ever full marathon, which will take place from May 11 to May 12, 2024.
HSL is offering a limited-time bundle deal for participants who register for both the School Holiday Night Run and the HSL Samarahan Marathon, allowing them to take advantage of early bird rates and receive a further RM10 discount, a fantastic deal that will only be available until Dec 17, 2023.
The School Holiday Night Run, held on the first Saturday of the school holidays, will feature two categories, 3km and 6km, and will be held amidst the festively lit La Promenade’s Christmas decorations.
The HSL Samarahan Marathon, on the other hand, will be a watershed moment for La Promenade Mall because it will be the first full marathon held in the Samarahan Division.
The marathon will have distance categories ranging from 3km to 42km, with the shorter race categories (3km and 6km) held in the evening on May 11 and the full marathon (42km), half marathon (21km), and 10km held in the early hours of the morning on May 12.
According to marathoner and race director Anthony Lee, timing chips will be provided for the 10km, half marathon, and full marathon.
“The 42km will be a straightforward route all the way. We don’t see any hills or inclines along the way.
“When we exit La Promenade Mall, we will travel all the way to the Unimas (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) junction, where we will enter Unimas. We will have access to the major part of the campus.
“In this way, we are helping to promote the Samarahan community as well as local landmarks. This is a time when people will come from all over Sarawak, Malaysia, and even from other countries to experience the best of Kota Samarahan,” Lee said at a press conference held today at HSL Tower in Kota Samarahan.
Meanwhile, HSL representative Yu Ji commented: “I think essentially, this is the first full marathon in Samarahan. It’s never been done before.
“The route is very flat, so it’s very amateur-friendly. If someone wants to try to run a longer distance and move up a more challenging category, this might be the right place to do it because it’s a flat route. And for professionals, they may be able to get a personal best at this flat route as well.”
Yu Ji said that the expected number of participants for the HSL Samarahan Marathon is between 3,000 and 4,000. As for the School Holiday Night Run, the target number of participants is estimated to be between 600 and 700.
As per a press handout, prizes for the HSL Samarahan Marathon total over RM50,000 for men, women, and veteran (age 45 and up) categories.
Sally Yap, Malaysia’s leading female ultra trail marathoner and an HSL sponsored athlete, serves as the spokesperson for the fitness events. Yap is also going to be one of the people running in the HSL Samarahan Marathon.
“Registration is open starting today. To sign up, people can scan the QR code on the mall posters or go to the website. And if they sign up for the School Holiday Night Run and next year’s HSL Samarahan Marathon, they get an additional discount,” Yu Ji added.
For more information about the events, visit https://events.lapromenademall.com.my/. — DayakDaily
