Sukan Kegemaran Rakyat Malaysia adalah OUTDOOR RUN

iloveselangor

Run, Malaysia, run
APRIL 21, 2019 @ 12:05AM
BY FANNY BUCHELI-ROTTER

Running is accessible to anybody and doesn’t require expensive equipment.


OUTDOOR running has become one of Malaysians’ best-loved sports activities.

Despite the tropical climate, you see elderly people running laps in every park during the early morning hours, and younger ones even in the unforgiving midday heat. How come this is a good idea?

Before moving to Malaysia, I subscribed to the slightly patronising and clichéd notion of groups of retirees engaged in silent sessions of tai chi in the wee hours of dawn. I imagined scenes featuring serene crowds of elderlies in loose fitting attire and comfortable canvas footwear practising this art of slow and meditative movement, preferably somewhere close to a pond or a river.

While you still see this in and around Kuala Lumpur regularly, many of the frail little ladies of my imagination have somehow morphed into sword-wielding, fan-throwing or techno music-supported congregations of anything but defenceless seniors.

There is some clinical evidence supporting health benefits of tai chi. Better balance achieved through core strength reduces the risk of falling and its slow and deliberate execution enables people with certain ailments to enjoy a form of exercise without causing shortness of breath or pain. However, as it is best enjoyed in groups, it isn’t the perfect sport for today’s individualistic, “me, myself and I”-focused society.

So, everybody else is running. Running laps on the reasonably flat jogging path around Lake Gardens, running up and down the — literally — breath-taking slopes of Bukit Kiara, or running along the footpaths of their neighbourhood streets. Each one plugged in to some sort of entertainment courtesy of modern mobile communication; each one in their own little bubble.

Long-distance running has become massively popular. While I would call it individual mass competition, others call it marathon running. In fact, an online search yields no fewer than 27 organised runs between 3 and 30 km this weekend alone.

Venues are spread around the country, and forms vary from regular road running to forest trails and even to the super challenging KL Tower International Towerthon Challenge, where contestants run to the top of Menara KL and back.

My own experience is restricted to one puny 10km run through the gorgeous, and flat, landscapes of the Angkor Wat temple complex of Siem Reap, Cambodia. My motivation got seriously challenged when I was overtaken by a young guy in flip flops and all but destroyed as I was left in the dust by an older participant on one leg.

Let’s agree that marathons are not my cup of tea. That doesn’t mean, however, that I lack admiration for my fellow humans who embrace this sport. One clear plus is certainly the fact that it is accessible to virtually anybody, since it hardly requires any expensive equipment at all (not even running shoes, since flip flops seem to work just fine). Another big bonus is the amount of money that goes to deserving charities, as many events not only collect funds, but also highlight the plight of disadvantaged members of our society.

The most important factor, however, in my mind, is the benefit it awards the runners themselves. Of course, there is the perk of being physically fit. But more importantly, running long distances seems to aid one’s psyche tremendously. As one record holding professional runner puts it, “running is like a relationship. It’s hard work, but the rewards are remarkable”.

Many spare-time runners will agree with her that running enhances their quality of life. “It’s not only the endorphins released into my system,” she continues, “it’s not an addiction”.

Instead she tells of a sense of freedom, the uninterrupted play with thoughts, the serenity that she feels while running. “It’s about all the good feelings that an early morning run lets you bring into your day.”

Like I said, I’m not a runner. But freedom, serenity, time to let your mind run wild? I now understand why so many Malaysians, young and not so young, engage in marathon training before they brave the morning rush hour traffic of a loud and crowded city.

The writer is a long-term expatriate, a restless traveller, an observer of the human condition and unapologetically insubordinate.

kikuri

akak rela berlari berkilo meter dari berzumba... sebab aku rasa aku nampak cam org bodoh je terkinja - kinta macam tu... huduh... orang lain bukan main comey  je zumba...

iloveselangor

kikuri replied at 23-4-2019 09:48 AM
akak rela berlari berkilo meter dari berzumba... sebab aku rasa aku nampak cam org bodoh je terkinja ...

Berlari ni macam menari jugak pada Saya...tapi kalau Zumba tu Saya Rasa bosan sebab duduk Kat tempat sama.

Kalau jogging jumpa tempat yg cantik boleh buat renggangan n push up...best nye

Lepasni nak ajak kawan jogging Kat FRIM pulak...tazzabar

Peterpan17

tp jumlah rakyat Msia yg gundu tetap tinggi. obesiti kat Msia ni dah tahap kronik

paz

Paz berlari tak minat sangat, Paz suka try macam-macam.

Favorite adalah Yoga, Piloxing pun ok and sekali sekala mesti HIIT.

iloveselangor

Peterpan17 replied at 23-4-2019 10:06 AM
tp jumlah rakyat Msia yg gundu tetap tinggi. obesiti kat Msia ni dah tahap kronik

Saya Ada gak kawan gemuk2...Puas nasihat tukar corak pemakanan...sakit macam2...Saya Pon Tak koser nak ajak jejalan

RatuDunia94

Peterpan17 replied at 23-4-2019 10:06 AM
tp jumlah rakyat Msia yg gundu tetap tinggi. obesiti kat Msia ni dah tahap kronik

Kannn.. dlm 10 org yg kita jumpa 8 org adalah GUNDU!!

iloveselangor

paz replied at 23-4-2019 10:09 AM
Paz berlari tak minat sangat, Paz suka try macam-macam.

Favorite adalah Yoga, Piloxing pun ok an ...

Ok la tu sis..Piloxing Pon bagus utk cardio.

Buritan

iloveselangor replied at 23-4-2019 10:11 AM
Saya Ada gak kawan gemuk2...Puas nasihat tukar corak pemakanan...sakit macam2...Saya Pon Tak koser ...

Ko ajak dia pi zoo tengok gajahh

iloveselangor

Buritan replied at 23-4-2019 10:34 AM
Ko ajak dia pi zoo tengok gajahh

Heols suka tengok wayang makan McD.

Heols Diva ok...Tak tengok gajah2 tu semua

Peterpan17

iloveselangor replied at 23-4-2019 10:11 AM
Saya Ada gak kawan gemuk2...Puas nasihat tukar corak pemakanan...sakit macam2...Saya Pon Tak koser ...

aku mmg klu yg jenis obese ni jgn ajak exercise. tak jln. ko ajak mkn sakit pun terus sihat

Peterpan17

RatuDunia94 replied at 23-4-2019 10:18 AM
Kannn.. dlm 10 org yg kita jumpa 8 org adalah GUNDU!!

10 org, yg gundu 9. yg kurus 1. berapa punya kronik tahap obesiti kat Msia ni

Peterpan17

Buritan replied at 23-4-2019 10:34 AM
Ko ajak dia pi zoo tengok gajahh

gajah gundu tp kuat kerja. yg si gemok pemalas. melahap je kerjanya

iloveselangor

Peterpan17 replied at 23-4-2019 10:46 AM
10 org, yg gundu 9. yg kurus 1. berapa punya kronik tahap obesiti kat Msia ni

YG kurus Tak semestinye sihat uols...YG penting kardio sihat.

Orang kencing manis dan murung Pon boleh kurus

YG penting sebenarnya Cardio seseorang.

Peterpan17

iloveselangor replied at 23-4-2019 10:47 AM
YG kurus Tak semestinye sihat uols...YG penting kardio sihat.

Orang kencing manis dan murung Po ...

tp yg gundu mmg bermasalah. nothing good coming out from the gundus

jfq

My morning routine weekdays
Pukul 630am dah keliling tasik permaisuri smpai kul 8am
Love this place cos of the shady paths dah bnyk big mature trees
Kawasan rekreasi ni mmg ramai elderlies yg tegar jalan atau berlari
Yg regulars tu dah tau style dia org macamana
Ada yg suka tepuk tangan kuat2
Ada yg jalan slow2 ala taichi
Yg suka jerit kuat2 haaahhh

iloveselangor

Peterpan17 replied at 23-4-2019 10:49 AM
tp yg gundu mmg bermasalah. nothing good coming out from the gundus

Masa mak ikut Half Run Marathon ramai je yg cam overweight potong mak uolsss.

badan besar mostly sebab rangka diorg.

Susah Kita nak tahu tahap kesihatan seseorang berdasarkan ciri Fizikal kecuali dia buat check up.

Ramai je orang kurus tapi sakit jantung, kencing manis Dan Ada darah tinggi.

Peterpan17

iloveselangor replied at 23-4-2019 10:55 AM
Masa mak ikut Half Run Marathon ramai je yg cam overweight potong mak uolsss.

badan besar most ...

rangka besar tu cerita lain. ini yg gundu peha jalan berlanggar smp rashes, lemak melimpah. mkn melahap mcm babi. ipar aku laki bini kategori ni. classmate aku nmpk gemok tp frame besar. dia lemak pun takde siot.

pittjie

iloveselangor replied at 23-4-2019 10:55 AM
Masa mak ikut Half Run Marathon ramai je yg cam overweight potong mak uolsss.

badan besar most ...

tapi kan uols. ... kalau ikut kata pakar2 fitness ni kan .. dia kata mana ada org yang berangka over besar. rangka org ni rata2 lebih kurang je. tapi wallahualam la kan. mak tak penah nampak rangka bebanyak nak compare2 kan.

palmolive

padahal nak bersilfie jek...kunun