SHAH ALAM, Sept 7 — Running events in Selangor are evolving beyond mere recreation, emerging as an effective platform to promote the state’s tourism destinations and boost its profile in the rapidly growing sports tourism sector.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Chua Yee Ling said such events add value to the Visit Selangor Year 2025 campaign by introducing various attractions to both local and international participants.
“Selangor offers natural attractions, historical sites, and modern destinations suitable for hosting sports events. Through these activities, participants not only engage in physical exercise but can also explore the unique aspects of the state.
“Tourism Selangor also continuously encourages more organisers to host similar events to expand promotional reach and enrich the content of the Visit Selangor Year campaign,” she said at the Alumni of Look East Policy Society (Aleps) Ekiden Half Marathon 2025 (AEHM’25) held at Dataran Kemerdekaan here today.
Chua said with support from various stakeholders, running events are expected to grow into one of the annual flagship programmes supporting Visit Selangor Year while strengthening the state’s position as a top sports tourism destination in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Aleps president Isrami Ismail said the response to the event has been very encouraging, showing that the community increasingly enjoys activities combining exercise and healthy lifestyles.
“Compared to running individually, we introduced a team-based format for the half marathon.
"Last year, five runners formed one team to complete the 21km distance. After receiving feedback from participants requesting more time, we changed the format this year to four runners per team while keeping the same distance,” he said.
He added that the second edition attracted 1,200 participants, including 100 runners from Japan, reflecting strong interest in the event.
“It is not just a health activity but also a social platform that strengthens relationships among participants. In addition to local community participation, the event saw Japanese residents in Malaysia and international runners from Japan taking part.
“We aim to triple participation for the next edition," he said, while expressing gratitude to Media Selangor, the event's gold sponsor, for providing extensive coverage.
The event, which began at 5am, was officiated by Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan. Also present were Batu Pahat MP Onn Abu Bakar as the patron of AEHM’25, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia, Nihei Daisuke.
