Management and Science University, Malaysia

International Songket Run - Marathon, with a traditional twist

Songket is a traditional handwoven Malaysian fabric that is typically worn for formal events, with an exception at MSU's annual International Songket Run. Carving a niche in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) for ‘The Largest Number of People (4,878) Wearing or Having Songket Elements as Part of Their Dressing’ in 2018 and ‘The Largest Participation (4,868) in a Songket Running Event’ in 2019, the events were set to honour the Malaysian Songket, preserve its heritage value, and inspire the community to live a healthy lifestyle by taking part in a 5 km run.

The event was attended by MSU staff and students, the public, wheel-chaired contestants from the Bikeisable Group, as well as the Down’s Syndrome community, and it was fully supported by the Selangor Royal, HRH Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA).

As an organisation that fully supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), this annual running event strongly supports goals 3 for Health and Well-being, 11 for Sustainable Cities and Communities, 16 for Strong Institution forming collaborative partnerships to achieve the goal in SDG 17.

Top 3 Learnings

1. We can learn to celebrate and uphold the cultural heritage in Malaysia, particularly on the Songket element.
2. It motivated us to train and prepare for the event, leading to a better physical health and a sense of accomplishment upon completion.
3. This event can serve as a platform for promoting environment awareness and sustainability.