In the cool early gloaming on 3 December 2022, an exciting and joyous event took place at UTAR Sports Complex, Kampar Campus. In conjunction with UTAR’s 20th anniversary, the event titled “UTAR Kampar H20th Celebration Fun Run 2022” was held. The event was a five-kilometre run, themed Water Run. It was organised by a group of students with support from the Sports and Recreation Unit of the Department of Student Affairs (DSA), Kampar Campus. The run saw positive results as it attracted more than 350 participants.

Aiming to promote a healthy lifestyle through exercising after the impasse caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the five-kilometre run was also organised in collaboration with Kampar District Health Office (Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Kampar). Besides promoting a healthier lifestyle, another objective of the run was to raise funds for UTAR Hospital, serving as an effort towards realising a medical institution offering quality yet affordable medical services in Malaysia.

Due to the strict protocols set during the Covid-19 pandemic in the past two years, all physical events were highly restricted, causing an impasse to form with sports events which were held yearly at UTAR. With Malaysia shifting to the endemic phase, more lenient protocols were set, thus unfettering the restrictions set on physical activities. The first running event organised by UTAR this year was UTAR Colour Run 2022, held at Sungai Long Campus on 19 June 2022. Hence, the people of Kampar and Sungai Long can expect more running events to come about in the near future.

Accompanied by UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong and DSA Kampar Campus Head of Department Chiang Jeng Fong, UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat graced the run to officiate the opening ceremony.

In his remarks, Prof Dato’ Ewe said, “I am very heartened to see this event involving not only UTAR staff and students, but the Kampar community as well. Sports and exercise are very important to our everyday life, as they help to motivate us. When you are exercising, your bodies release chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals will help in cheering you up, preparing you to face challenges ahead. Therefore, it is always good to practise the habit of doing exercises to keep yourselves healthy, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

As the run’s flag-off ceremony drew near, DSA Kampar Campus Officer-in-charge Steven Ngan Mun Fong, together with organising committee members, led the participants in a warm-up session. During the session, Steven Ngan started off with some basic warm-up and stretching exercises. When the participants were accustomed to his pace, he kicked up a gear, performing a series of exercises which integrated elements from Tai chi and rhythmic dancing. Although somewhat exhausted from the spirited warm-up exercises, the students put on their beaming smiles in preparation for the run.

Flagging off the five-kilometre run were Prof Dato’ Ewe, Prof Choong, Chiang, Steven Ngan and Organising Chairperson Chan Lok Yi. As the sound of the airhorn echoed through the air and into the participants’ ears, the throng took off with a swift launch. Some took off wearing playful smiles on their faces, while others took off with smiles emanating auras of determination and resolution.

Small groups of committee members and student helpers were seen scattered along the route of the run. With their support, they brought a variety of fun factors to the run by pouring and splashing water at the participants as they ran by. Giving more colours to the run, participants were even provided with water toy guns. Equipped with “weapons”, they can either defend themselves or attack others by shooting water at the helpers and even at their peers. Moreover, the helpers also tended to the participants’ hydration needs by handing out cups of water and filling the participants’ bottles with water. The helpers’ support was not in vain as joyful and playful noises were heard along the route.

With more and more participants crossing the finish line, the run was finally drawing closer to the conclusion. In the meantime, participants were able to rest and buy refreshments or even a motley of goodies from the stalls. Riding along the vibrant spirit brought about by the run, the student helpers redefined jolliness with their series of fun performances, essentially uplifting the already vibrant atmosphere to the next level.

The participants were given free health screenings as a courtesy from Kampar District Health Office. The medical team was led by the District Family Health Officer of Kampar District Health Office, Dr Norhafizah binti Nor Azman.

The participants who finished the run were each awarded a medal to signify their achievement as well as a token of appreciation for their support towards the annual run event and UTAR Hospital.

A brief lucky draw session was also organised to make the run even more interesting. A few numbers were randomly picked from a box containing all the potential lucky winners’ numbers. They stood to win small prizes prepared by the organising committee.

For the success of the run, the organising chairperson, Chan Lok Yi, expressed her utmost gratitude and respect for the committee members and student helpers who worked tirelessly for the annual run’s grand return, saying, “The planning and discussion for this run were started on August. It took us a lot of time to just lay out the plans and make preparation. Due to the holidays and the Malaysian general election this year, we were left with a tight schedule. We definitely needed more time, but ultimately, we only had three weeks to advertise this event. Surprisingly, the run was carried out successfully regardless of obstacles. However, the participant counts could have reached more than 400 people instead of the official 350 people, as there were still many people asking to sign up for the run after the registration period ended. I would like to thank all 40 committee members and 150 student helpers for coming very early in the morning around 3am to 4am to make these preparations. Some didn’t even catch a wink and remained at the sports complex since yesterday night. Without their support, this event could not have taken off successfully.”

 “We chose water as the theme for this year’s run because water is the source of life and health. Everyone needs water to sustain themselves and lead a healthy life. It is environment-friendly too, therefore, we thought it is perfect for an environment-friendly event like ours,” enthused Chan regarding the decision on the theme.

As the first participant to cross the finish line in only 13 minutes, UTAR student, Tieh Xian Jun, shared his passion for running and challenging oneself. He said, “I joined this event as a warm-up to prepare myself for my upcoming running competitions in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. I love to challenge myself and surpass my own limit. I have prepared a jogging timetable to motivate myself to jog from time to time. People should jog when they have the time. It is a very nice exercise for everyone because it makes you healthy.”

Another UTAR student to pass the finish line in a short time, Tharoshan Siva Subramaniam, who also showed great passion towards running, commented, “There was a similar event called “Splash Run” held last week in my hometown, Johor. I planned to join it but ultimately could not make it back to Johor in time. I am not let down because I still enjoyed myself in the H20th Fun Run.  I just hope they make this event competition-oriented since it will make people feel the motivation to jog and run in preparation for the competition. In UTAR, there are people who jog every day, but most of the time, they are familiar faces. Hence, I hope to see more different faces on campus. Regardless, the run was fun. I hope to see more running events organised in the future.”

Faculty of Science (FSc) staff Natrah binti Khalid, who is also a daily jogger in the campus, joined the event to feel the delight brought by the sports event. “I really like running and jogging. As a daily jogger on campus for many years, I am surprised and delighted at the sight of people jogging on campus. I have missed this type of event since the inactivity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope the sports event can continue to be held again in the future, because I will definitely be there to join them,” Natrah remarked enthusiastically.

The chapter of the UTAR Kampar H20th Celebration Fun Run 2022 closed, nevertheless, the wind of its legacy continues to blow in the direction of the future.