Kuala Lumpur, 31 July 2017: The IJM-Allianz Duo Highway Challenge kicked off at the Besraya Highway, welcoming more than 5,700 runners. The first leg of Malaysia’s first ever duo highway challenge offered a 13km challenge and a 6km fun run that went along the stretch of the elevated Besraya highway.
The run kicked off at 6.30am for the 13km highway challenge and at 7.00am for the 6km fun run that started at the Loke Yew Toll Plaza all the way to Pandan Indah and took a curve at Jalan Istana and Salak Selatan before turning back to the toll plaza. Participants got to enjoy a scenic view of the KL city skyline on an early Sunday morning as they ran along the Besraya highway. The total stretch of the highway is nearly 29km, which offers connectivity between UPM Serdang, Balakong, Salak Selatan, Ampang, and Jalan Istana.
The supporters and finishers of the Besraya Highway Challenge also participated in exciting activities at the Race Village, including the electric buzzer game and various one-minute challenges at the IJM booth as well as the opportunity to grab Allianz’s exclusive promotion rates for home insurance premium plans during the event.
The duo highway challenge was held in collaboration with IJM Corporation Berhad and Allianz Malaysia Berhad as the title sponsors and Besraya (M) Sdn Bhd (a subsidiary of IJM Corporation Berhad’s Toll Division) as the venue sponsor. The event is organized by EC Pixels Sdn Bhd.
Dato’ Soam Heng Choon, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of IJM Corporation Berhad said: “We are delighted by the turnout and success of the duo highway challenge. Community sports events are very much the heart of IJM’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives as we are always passionate about serving and giving back to the communities that we operate in. This initiative as well as all the other community sports events that IJM is part of are in line with our goals to promote healthy urban lifestyles, as well as providing safe and well-organised venues for sports enthusiasts of all levels through our highway concessions. We are happy to see that the first leg of the IJM Allianz Duo Highway Challenge was successful and we hope that the next leg would bring as much excitement as this one.”
Zakir Khir, Chief Executive Officer of Allianz Malaysia Berhad said: “At Allianz, we have always advocated in the importance of healthy living and staying active to keep a positive lifestyle. The running community in Malaysia is growing and it is amazing to be able to witness our society living a healthy regime by taking better care of their well-being. Partnering with IJM for this has been great as we get to work together with another health advocate. We feel that the first leg has been successful and I hope that participants will bring the same determination to the next event – the NPE Highway Challenge that will be happening on 10 September 2017.”
The best Malaysian timing for Men’s Open 13km category was Poo Vasanthan Subramaniam, who crossed the finishing line at 44 minutes and 55 seconds, with Nik Fakaruddin Ismail coming in at second place at 45 minutes and 2 seconds and Anas Rosli with a timing of 45 minutes and 30 seconds.
“It was my first time running at the highway and it was a bit challenging. I’m glad I managed to pull through, and crossing the finishing line under 45 minutes,” said Poo Vasanthan Subrmaniam, the Champion for 13KM Men’s Open
In the meantime, Sheela Samivelu got the best timing for the 13km Women’s Open at a time of 54 minutes and 5 seconds. Followed by Lou Chooi Fern that took second place with a time of 57 minutes and 50 seconds and Michelle Looi Mei Yan with just minutes away from second placing at 1 hour, 3 minutes and 4 seconds.
Sheela Samivelu, the champion of 13KM Women’s Open Besraya Highway Challenge said “The race route for Besraya Highway has been challenging but it was a great experience as I managed to finish at first placing. I am aiming to beat my personal best for NPE Highway as it is an easier route but as a 21.1KM distance, the pace for the run would be different compared to the 13KM at Besraya Highway.”
The second leg of the Duo Highway Challenge will be happening on NPE Highway on the 10 of September 2017, where the start line will flag off from the iconic Sunway Pyramid. The champion of the Duo Highway Challenge will be in the run to win a cash prizes up to RM2,000, a round trip to Osaka, whereas second and third place will be in the run to win a round trip to Thailand with cash prizes of RM 1,000 and RM 500 respectively.
