| Fadhil Yunus |
OVER 800 local and foreign running enthusiasts and athletes converged along the vicinity of the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex yesterday, in a dual pursuit of glory and improved race times for the inaugural Borneo Run.
The guest of honour was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin.
The event commenced with a pre-race warm-up session, followed by a flag-off for the 10km and 21km races, with a separate one for the 3km recreational race.
The 10km and 21km races fell into the categories of the Half-Marathon Bruneian and the Half-Marathon Open for both men and women. A 10km corporate challenge, which was open for a team of runners, was also contested.
Race Director for the Borneo Run Major (Rtd) Talip bin Haji Md Tahir said at the prize presentation ceremony: “The Borneo Run 2019 is held in Brunei Darussalam for the first time by AKIF Marketing and Events Management, and the Brunei Darussalam Athletics Federation is an event partner on technical matters.”
“Besides being a platform for the athletes to test their endurance performance on certain distance of road running, the Borneo Run 2019 is also ideal for improving the timing of every runner,” he added.
The Borneo Run was also held for charitable causes. All proceeds will be distributed to the Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei, Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam, the Special Education Unit at the Ministry of Education, the BIBD ALAF Programme, the Sports Funds at the Department of Youth and Sports, and the Takmir Committee of Kampong Mata-Mata Mosque.
The vision of the Borneo Run was to benefit and support the communities in Brunei Darussalam, through collaboration with local non-profit organisations, corporate institutions and government agencies.
In line with Brunei’s strong community values, the Borneo Run was also aimed at promoting kindness for people with disabilities and the less fortunate, as well as encouraging runners of all levels to lead a healthy lifestyle.