By Wendy John
SIBU, Feb 14: The fourth Sibu Tower Run 2020 slated for March 8 will proceed despite the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
The event hosted by Sibu Municipal Council will take place at 6am on at Wisma Sanyan, currently the tallest building in Sarawak with 28 floors.
Event organiser, Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI) Alumni Association, is using the run to raise fund for its 23 poor students, who are in need of RM70,000 for their studies.
“The run will proceed as scheduled and we will be taking preventive measures to prevent any unforeseen circumstances from happening.
“We will do a health check on all participants before the run and all participants will be given a face mask,” organising chairman, councillor Mohd Izkandar Rosely, told a press conference here today.
He added that organisers, despite targeting 1,000 participants, will not be pushing or promoting for entries amid the virus outbreak. As in today, 300 people have registered for the run, attracting 180 male runners and 120 women.
Mohd Izkandar said the participants are from Sarawak (269), Peninsular Malaysia (26), The Philippines (3) and one each from Singapore and United Kingdom.
“One female runner from Singapore who confirmed her participation will have to undergo a health check upon arrival in the state,” he continued.
The organising committee has also decided to extend the registration deadline to March 5 from Feb 15.
Registration fees are set at RM80, an increase of RM10 from the previous RM70 early bird registration.
Mohd Izkandar said competition ambassador Soh Wai Ching, who is the world’s number one tower runner, will defend his Sibu Tower Run title that he had won in the past two years.
“In conjunction with the International Women’s Day celebration, we will be giving away flowers to all female participants on that day,” he continued.
The run is divided into Men’s and Women’s Open, Men’s and Women’s Veteran. The champion in each category stand to receive RM800 in cash prizes including trophy, while second place will take home RM400 and a trophy.
The third place winner will walk away with RM300 and a trophy, while fourth and fifth place will receive RM100 respectively. Those finishing sixth to tenth will receive RM50 each.
To register, do download the JomRun mobile app from the Google Playstore or Apple Store. — DayakDaily
