Largest contingent will be from Indonesia, more than double 2023 numbers
The
Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon is the premier distance running event
in Malaysia, with participation numbers not matched by any other road race in
Malaysia. This year, a record 42,000 participants, comprising new, seasoned and
competitive runners, will congregate at Dataran Merdeka over Race Weekend,
which takes place on 5 & 6 October 2024.
The
event has grown from strength to strength over the years and is a much sought-after
race for the running community, with it fondly being known as the “Hari Raya”
of running in recent times. While participation is largely made up of
Malaysians both, from within the Klang Valley and from the rest of the country,
the event’s international reputation is also gaining traction.
The
event usually receives between 1,500 to 1,700 running tourists from 40 – 50
countries around the world each year, bringing in significant tourism revenues
to the city and the country. This year however, will see over 2,500 running
tourists from 45 different countries participate in the race, representing a 72%
increase from 2023. A large proportion of these runners are from Indonesia,
with over 1,200 runners making their way to Kuala Lumpur, more than double the
numbers from 2023.
Indonesia is going through a surge in the popularity of running, largely driven by the explosion of social media. Runners want to amplify their achievements, as well as highlight cool, running locations that end up inspiring others to take up the sport.
Hizkia Tri Hananto, a 45-year-old team leader at a multinational manufacturing company in Batam agrees that social media has a big part to play in driving participation numbers up. “Lately, running has become very popular in Indonesia, and I believe social media has been very influential in driving this increase,” said Hizkia.
50-year-old Yudha Mega Kusumonegoro, from Jakarta also attributes the increase in Indonesian runners to social media. “Running is more popular in Indonesia now, especially when social media influencers post their running activities. Last year I happened to meet a group of runners from the Eastern part of Indonesia (Sulawesi) which was unusual as I used to only meet runners from Medan and Jakarta previously,” said Yudha.
Suyanti, 32, who hails from Tanjung Pinang, believes that Indonesian running groups play a big role in fuelling the popularity in running and the increased participation n events like KLSCM. “Most Indonesian runners are usually part of a running group, of which there are many here. If someone from a group signs up for an event, chances are high that others would follow,” she said.
For
Indonesian runners who want to explore a runcation (travelling for a holiday
while participating in a running event) experience, Kuala Lumpur is an obvious
choice due to its proximity, connectivity and costs. For Francis
Sukardono, a 46-year-old Oil & Gas inspector from Batam who will be
participating in KLSCM for the first time, these factors played a big part in
influencing his decision to sign up for Malaysia’s largest distance running
event.
“Kuala Lumpur is not too far from Indonesia, especially
Batam. The costs of flights from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur is also not expensive,
and accommodation in Malaysia is still reasonably priced,” said Francis.
Hizkia was in agreement with Francis with regards to distance and costs being significant factors to the influx of running tourists from Indonesia. “Many people are looking for domestic or international running events and Malaysia is a good choice because of its proximity to Indonesia, with ease of transportation at reasonable prices for traveling or vacations,” he said.
Compared to Francis,
Hizkia, Yudha and Suyanti have participated in KLSCM before. In fact, Yudha has
taken part in five previous editions and has had extremely successful outings
in 2018 and 2019 when he secured 4th and 5th spots in the
Full Marathon Veteran Open category. “I’ve been happy with my previous
performances but I don’t have a specific target this time. I just want to enjoy
the race,” he said.
Hizkia, on the other hand, will be making his second appearance at KLSCM after taking part for the first time last year. “I initially took part last year for the convenience since Malaysia was close to Batam but I am returning this year because I found the event to be well organised with a very lively atmosphere,” he said. Suyanti will also be making her second appearance at KLSCM after participating last year. “I signed up last year because I wanted to try running in another country and Malaysia would be the most convenient but after experiencing the euphoria of the event last year, I can’ wait to come back for more,” said Suyanti.
Most running tourists usually bring their families along and
extend their visit when they come to Kuala Lumpur, using the opportunity to do
some shopping and visit some tourist attractions within the city or in other
parts of Malaysia and Indonesian runners are no different. Both, Hizkia and
Yudha, will be coming with families in tow and plan to spend at least five days
in Kuala Lumpur.
“I prefer to come with my family because we can enjoy a holiday at the same time. In fact, one of the main reasons for participating in KLSCM is so that my family and I can do some shopping and travelling,” said Hizkia.
Francis on the other hand, will be travelling with a group of runners and although he only plans to be in Kuala Lumpur for three days, he is still keen on getting some shopping done. “This is my first time for KLSCM but although I won’t be staying in Kuala Lumpur for long, I’m still keen on looking for running gear and I’m pretty excited to check out KLSCM’s Active Lifestyle Expo, where I heard you can get some pretty good deals,” he said.
Dirigo Events, the owners and organisers of KLSCM, are pleased that their efforts to attract more running tourists are starting to bear fruit. “In the last couple of years, we have made a conscious effort to promote our event to an international audience using targeted social media advertising and we’re delighted with the increase in these numbers for KLSCM 2024,” said Rainer Biemans, project director of KLSCM and director of Dirigo Events. “International runners tend to spend more time on vacation when they visit Kuala Lumpur and this translates to increased revenue from tourism, benefitting businesses around the city,” added Biemans.
