Runners from all over the country gathered together on 30 September 2017 in Putrajaya to show their support yet again at this year’s MAKNA Founder’s Night Run (MFNR), by the National Cancer Council (MAKNA). Organised for the third time themed A Dream, A Reality, A Legacy, had 4,000 runners assembling at Precinct 3, Dataran Putrajaya covering their respective distances. The MFNR is one of MAKNA’s continuous efforts at community engagement and public service, to further the cancer cause.
Participants running the 21km distance was flagged off at 8.00pm by the Founder and President MAKNA, Dato’ Mohd Farid Ariffin, after whom the run is named. The 12km and 5km fun-run categories was flagged off at 8.20pm and 8.40pm respectively. The 5K fun-run had 62 cancer survivors coming from all over Malaysia.
MFNR received encouraging support from the corporate participation of 10 runners in a team that allowed runners to run in any of the offered categories. Grouped in assorted run categories, the corporate team took it as teambuilding exercise by pushing personal limits with different distances.
Dato’ Farid was accompanied by 62 cancer survivors during the opening ceremony. He thanked the runners, supporters, sponsors and volunteers for stepping forward and joining hands in the fight against cancer.
“Each one of you here has contributed in helping boost the morale of cancer patients and remind them that cancer is not a battle that has to be fought alone. I am overwhelmed with the generosity of Perbadanan Putrajaya for being the venue sponsor, having us all gathered at the prestigious icon”.
A fight against cancer
The run aims to engage the community in sport and promote a healthy lifestyle as precautionary action against cancer. Many who joined the 2017 run indicated that they joined the run in support of cancer patients battling the disease or in memory of those who had not survived.
Based on feedback received prior to the event, a number of runners had joined the run to make a statement against cancer, which provided evidence of public commitment to the cancer cause.
The prize-giving ceremony for the first five finishers in the 21km run (men and women open, men and women veteran) started at 10.00 p.m. Poo Vasanthan finished his run within 1:08:08 and Danielle Nant at 1:33:00 emerged as winners of the 21km Men Open and Women Open categories. They both walked away with medal and prizes over the value of RM 5,000 which includes a return flight to Perth, sponsored by MAKNA’s official partner Air Asia.
Meanwhile, for the 21km Men Veteran and Women Veteran categories, Vadiveelu Arumugam clocked at 1:21:02 and Susan Khoo at 1:48:20. They both walked away with a medal and prizes value over RM 3,000 including a return flight to Sihanoukville, Cambodia sponsored by Air Asia.
