SCKL Marathon: Postponement of race to 23rd September 2013

Standard Chartered KL Marathon has just released a statement on their Facebook page.

"Dear runners,

It is with much regret to announce that the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 has been postponed till 29th  September 2013.

This postponement is unavoidable as the haze situation, while getting better still poses a health risk. An official statement will be released to the media tomorrow".

In the mean time, runners, please dont forget to utilize the discount voucher as available on this page:
http://www.cheayee.blogspot.com/2013/06/standard-chartered-kl-marathon-2013-new.html

Get that new pair of shoes (and accessories, as its per receipt!), and break some miles into it in time for the newly postponed race in September ^^

Racepack kit collection is still on as per the dates stated, and I am going to collect mine at PWTC tomorrow. See you peeps at the race in September!

For more updates on the race, please check their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/SCKLmarathon
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Official Statement as taken from their Facebook page here:

Organisers announce new date, 29 September 2013

The organisers of Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 officially made the decision today to postpone the Marathon that was initially scheduled for 30 June 2013 in the interest of public health. The decision was made with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, co-organiser Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and title sponsor, Standard Chartered Bank.

After discussions with the local authorities including Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Department of Environment (DOE) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the organisers and partners of the event came to a difficult decision to postpone the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 to 29 September 2013.

YB Khairy Jamaluddin, the Minister of Youth and Sports has concurred with the decision to postpone the event due to the current haze situation, given the potential detrimental health hazards posed to more than 33,000 participants of the Marathon.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor, YBhg Datuk Seri Haji Ahmad Phesal Talib reinforced the decision to set the Marathon to a more conducive time and date due to the unexpected circumstance. "The Standard Chartered KL Marathon is a key event for Kuala Lumpur, and I'm supportive of it being held in better weather condition. We want the participants to enjoy their run along the streets of Kuala Lumpur," he added.

Rainer Biemans, the Project Director of Standard Chartered KL Marathon further explained why such a tough decision was made, "The main factor of the postponement is due to the haze situation in the city. The Air Pollutant Index (API) which scaled to a hazardous level earlier in the week is yet to show strong improvement. We regret any inconveniences caused but we place our runners' health and safety above all else. The team worked very hard to get everything in place and we share the runners' disappointment. With a new date to look forward to, we hope that all runners will take this opportunity to continue training and be even more mentally prepared to run and finish a good race. We look forward to seeing all of you in September."

Title sponsor, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Osman Morad supported the decision and said, "As much as we would like to proceed with the Marathon, we will not compromise on public health. We have rescheduled the Marathon based on the city's calendar and on the advice of the authorities. I look forward to it taking place in September with keen anticipation."

Race Entry Pack Collection will however proceed as scheduled on 27 to 29 June at PWTC for runners residing in W.P. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. For runners that are not from W.P. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor may collect their race-entry packs on the week leading to 29 September where the organisers will set up a small scale Race Entry Pack Collection only for these outstation and overseas runners.

Organisers encourage participants to regularly visit the Standard Chartered KL Marathon official website atwww.kl-marathon.com and facebook.com/scklmarathon for updates.