BY EMILY K.
Participants making their way past Ipoh’s scenic limestone hills.
MORE THAN 1,200 participants braved through the morning heat and a downpour as they cycled their way to a greener earth in Sunway Property’s Race for A Better Planet 2017 cycling event.
Held at Sunway Geo Avenue, Sunway City in Petaling Jaya over the weekend, the annual event kicked off with a safety briefing and warm-up session led by fitness community centre Grit Nation Subang before the flag-off for the 15km Power Ride and 5km Fun Ride.
About 50 marshals, 100 volunteers, 35 traffic police, security forces and paramedics were stationed at Sunway Geo Avenue and along the routes to ensure the safety of the participants.
Sunway Bhd Malaysia and Singapore Property Development Division managing director Sarena Cheah said the event, held for the fourth year, aimed to bring the community together and promote a greener lifestyle.
“As a master community developer, we want our community to practise a healthier and greener lifestyle towards saving the environment, and ultimately, the planet, for our future generation.
“Bringing all walks of life together, this event was put together meticulously to educate participants about staying healthy, sustaining and improving the environment through a variety of activities,” she said.
“In total, we attracted about 4,000 participants nationwide compared with last year which only had 2,500. Moving forward, we hope to hold more fun and interactive activities to continue this movement,” Cheah added.
After the event, each participant was given a finisher medal, a Sunquick water bottle and a lunchbox to help them refuel.
Besides that, they also learned useful recycling and eco-friendly tips at the DIY workshops and bought many handmade crafts and eco-friendly products at the Vive Green Market.
Participant Ng Jiunn Jye, 40, felt that cycling was a healthy and fun sport for the whole family.
“These days, we are often glued to our electronic devices and have almost forgotten how much fun it is to be outdoors. Not only is it healthy for our body, we can also educate our children to practise a greener lifestyle,” said Ng, who is a regular cyclist.
“I like cycling because my dad likes to cycle. It was fun to cycle and spend time with my family,” said Ng’s eldest daughter, Ng Yun Ning.
The event, held in support of World Environment Day, also made headway at Sunway Property @ Anson Penang, Sunway City Ipoh and Sunway Iskandar Johor.
In Penang, 60 blind riders from St. Nicholas Home were part of the 450 amateur cyclists who woke up bright and early to support the cause.
“Everyone in our team enjoyed the ride very much, and we are thankful for the opportunity to be part of this ride,” said the home’s representative Daniel Soon.
Flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon at Sunway Property @ Anson, the non-competitive event had a 6km fun ride to Occupy Beach Street and back and a 40km round trip from Anson Road to Batu Maung.
Over in Ipoh, more than 1,000 cyclists took part in the 2km Fun Ride and 12km Power Ride set amid soaring limestone hills and a serene 4ha lake.
Sunway Bhd Property Development Division, Malaysia and Singapore deputy managing director Tan Wee Bee flagged off the race together with event partner, Kelab Roadrunners Ipoh.
“Sunway Property recognises the importance of sustainable living, and we will continue to dedicate our efforts towards engaging and nurturing different communities across the nation, making it a social inclusive society for all to live,” said Tan.
Another 1,000 participants gathered at Sunway Iskandar Sales Gallery located at the Lakeview precinct which had Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim flagging off the 20km Power Ride together with Cheah, Tan and Sunway Iskandar chief executive officer Gerard Soosay.
“Enchoing our township’s concept, the ‘Nature’s Capital City’, we are glad to have more and more participants joining us in appreciation of this tranquil environment and making a positive impact to the environment,” said Gerard.
The annual community campaign, which has been held since 2014, was organised in support of World Environment Day, a global initiative under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which aims to create global awareness for the public in taking positive environmental steps to protect Mother Nature.
This year, Sunway Property partnered Malaysian Environmental non-governmental organisations (Mengo) and like-minded companies such as Grab, Sunquick Malaysia, Spritzer, Daiwa House Malaysia which generously sponsored more than RM10,000 worth of prizes.
In addition , the developer also had various DIY workshops set up at the different venues to educate participants on how to reuse, upcycle and recycle items such as bottles, used CDs, paper and plastics. Many were excited to bring back their own masterpiece like DIY tree plants and upcycled CD craft.
Sunway Property donated RM50,000 to Malaysian Environmental NGOs to fund various environmental initiatives.
Together with its event partner Grab and main sponsors Sunquick Malaysia and Spritzer, Sunway Property gave away about RM30,000 worth of prizes. It will be announcing the RM12,000 Grab promo code winners via its Facebook page soon.
Other state sponsors were BMW, Brooks, Daiwa House Malaysia, G Cycle, Kangen Water, Mon Chéri, Obike and Walls.
Follow us on Wechat or Facebook for the latest updates.
Download StarProperty.my e-Mag(bit.ly/StarProperty_Emag) for more articles.
Want to contribute articles to StarProperty.my? Email editor@starproperty.my. [slider id='81590' name='StarProperty' size='full']
