| James Kon |
SOME 2,000 female runners of all ages attended the second She Runs event held yesterday at the premises of Fitness Zone branch in Serusop. Present to officiate the event, was Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She Runs is held annually to raise awareness and promote women empowerment, as well as raise funds for non-government organisations (NGOs).
“Your participation is very important for the continuation of the success of She Runs because of your efforts and generosity. It’s all for a good cause, for the society to continue to make a difference and She Runs is the one,” Her Royal Highness said to the runners.
Her Royal Highness also applauded Wu Chun for his dedication, and the sponsors for organising the unique all-female event again.
Wu Chun, Managing Director of Fitness Zone, also revealed his reason for organising the annual event by saying, “One of the reasons that I am putting in a lot of time and effort to organise She Runs is because I’d like to dedicate the event as a Mother’s Day present to my late mother who is up there watching me.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with Wu Chun, Managing Director of Fitness Zone and Julinda Dharmawan, Human Resources Manager of QAF Group during the She Runs 2016 event yesterday
Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Wu Chun in a group photo with members of the Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam
Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, receiving a token of appreciation from Wu Chun, Managing Director of Fitness Zone
Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna with Wu Chun and Reggie See, General Manager of Brunei Press, as well as Brunei Press staff
Royal Skies winners with Wu Chun, Managing Director of Fitness Zone, and a representative from Royal Brunei Airlines (RB)
She Runs 2016 participants posing for a group photo
Participants of the 5km run after the flag-off
Wu Chun with QAF Auto and Brunei Press staff. – PHOTOS: BAHYIAH BAKIR
“Since I was a teenager, my mother inspired me with her commitment towards charitable work. She made me understand why being a woman, especially being a great mother, is the proudest thing on earth and that’s the reason why I hope to gather all our proud ladies this morning to celebrate women’s success. Teamwork makes the dream work and She Runs wouldn’t be as successful without the generous support from our proud sponsors, the media and all the ladies who run for the meaningful cause!” he added.
Female runners from all walks of life including from 16 countries, took off from the premises of Fitness Zone branch in Serusop during the flag off officiated by Her Royal Highness, Wu Chun, together with the title sponsor, BMW, Julinda Dharmawan, Human Resources Manager of QAF Group.
Also present at the event were Reggie See, General Manager of Brunei Press, as well as Lim Guat Wen, Royal Skies Loyalty Manager.
Among the highlights of the event was a lively performance carried out by members of Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam (SOBD), witnessed by Her Royal Highness. Two of the beneficiaries of the funds raised in She Runs are for Children’s Cancer Foundation (YASKA) and SOBD.
Speaking about gender inequality during an inspirational forum, Siu Tzyy Wei of YASKA said. “MIB or Malay Islamic Monarchy is the national philosophy of Brunei Darussalam and the philosophy teaches us to respect each other’s gender and religions, therefore Brunei does not have gender inequality.”
After crossing the finish line, participants and members of the public stayed on for post run activities that were held with the help of sponsors such as Kingston Ice Cream, Revive and Red Bull.
Most of the ladies who took part in the running event stayed until the very end for the various games.
Some of the prizes were given from sponsors such as sports apparels company Under Armour and Zen Spa.
In a surprise announcement, the top three runners received prizes from Wu Chun, who also presented the prizes for both categories.
In the 3.7km category, Jenny Tan bagged first place, followed by Syam in second place and Mei Ting in third.
Yenny Muslim came in first in the 5km category, followed by Dazzling Marnie in second and Claire in third.
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