Run for humanity

When he signed up for his first full marathon two years ago, David Max wanted to prove to himself that he could complete the 42km race. He not only ran the distance but even began to enjoy running.

“I’d never run a day in my life before signing up for that race but since then, running has become something I look forward to doing. I’m usually so busy with work or attending work-related events that the only time I get to be by myself and my thoughts is when I run. It’s refreshing”

This year, Max is running the UNICEF Borneo Marathon, but he’s choosing to do it to raise funds for a charity.

“I didn’t join any runs after the marathon because, well, I didn’t have a reason to. But when I was asked to join the race for a reason, I agreed immediately as it gave me a reason: to raise funds for Say No to Bullying, Yes to Kindness and Seeing is Believing, a global initiative to help tackle avoidable blindness. Giving people their sight back I think that’s a really worthy cause.

On April 28, Max will join 35,000 runners, who will be running distances between 10km to 42km in support of one of five official charities for this year’s run. The other charities are Dignity for Children Foundation, High5, Salonpas, AirAsia, and ULTRON.

“I hope I can raise a lot for the charity. I feel the weight on my shoulders to try my best and I am not taking it lightly. The response has been good so far and I’m thankful to all those who have contributed to this cause. I am so amazed at some runners who have managed to raise their chosen own charities. That’s just wonderful that there are many Malaysians who want to donate to a worthy cause,” says Max who will be running the 10km race.

“I’ve always found running for more than 15 minutes a little bit like watching paint dry (while in pain) and have avoided it! But I have been training for the last couple of months and I am inspired by how hard people push their limits and run in these events,” shares Chong Leen, age is 39. Chong Leen has taken part in 3km and 5km fun runs before but her preferred form of exercise is pilates which she teaches on a part time basis.

Apart from reaching out to friends and acquaintances, Chong Leen and her mother also approached corporations to donate.

“My mother encouraged me to sign up actually and is the main reason I’ve received so much support from generous contributors. We’ve raised awareness mainly through word-of-mouth, social media sharing and approaching organizations to contribute as part of their CSR.

It my first 10km run but isn’t planning to push herself too hard.

“I really love the sense of camaraderie when people come together for a common cause. I plan on having fun on the day without focusing too much on my pace or being too competitive. I’m mainly hoping to complete the 10km in one piece!”