On Sept 14, more than 4,500 people laced up their shoes and filled the streets of Puchong in support of a good cause. Lotus’s Malaysia hosted the third edition of its annual charity run at its Bandar Bukit Puchong outlet.
Runners, along with more than 120 brand partners, raised RM400,000 for the Lotus’s-Pintar SMART Up School Programme. The funds go directly towards sustainable education initiatives in underserved schools nationwide.
The event featured three race categories: 15km, 10km, and 5km. The 15km kicked off before sunrise, while the 5km drew the largest crowd, with many families, even those with strollers, joining in.
FMT Lifestyle joined as early as 5am to catch the action.
Azliza Azmel, corporate services executive director of Lotus’s Malaysia, shared: “I was amazed with the crowd. To see people with children, and the elderly – it was all about that spirit of unity coming into play for me.
“I think it’s always very beneficial to have something like this, not only to promote health and wellbeing, but also the spirit of unity and to raise funds for a good purpose.”
Last year’s run funded the SMART Shopper Plus workshop, which was launched on Aug 14 at SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah in Kajang, to equip B40 students with financial-literacy skills.
“With this year’s funds, we hope to ramp up those programmes to be more detailed and reach more of Pintar’s adopted schools,” Azliza added.
From 3,000 participants in 2023 to over 4,500 this year, Lotus’s Malaysia’s CCR has continued to grow. Each runner joined for different reasons: some for the cause, others for the spirit of the event.
Amanda Abdulah, who participated in the 10km run, said: “For those plus-size people, or those who run solo, especially girls, you don’t need to worry because towards the end you will find friends along the way.
“Even when I ran 10km, my friends were faster, but you will have random people saying ‘hello’ to you.”
She added: “It’s nice to run for a good cause, because previously I participated in runs just for fun. This time I have something to think of and motivate me while running.”
Although the run wrapped up at around 9am, many stayed on to enjoy over 40 product sampling booths, fun games and activities like Zumba, and a variety of food trucks, including those run by SMEs.
The event wrapped up with a lucky draw, where a total of 197 prizes were given away, including the grand prize of a SHARP 75-inch 4K UHD Google TV.
With eyes on the bigger picture, Lotus’s Malaysia and Pintar Foundation are working towards reaching 50,000 students across Malaysia in the coming years.