The story
Malaysia Sarong Music Run in Kuala Lumpur
The Malaysia Sarong Music Run is an annual themed fun run in Kuala Lumpur, held around the KLCC area with road closures for the event, in which participants run or walk while wearing sarongs, combining fitness, music and Malaysian cultural pride. The 2025 Kuala Lumpur edition drew Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as a participant, while a separate July 2025 edition in Kuching's MetroCity Matang drew about 2,500 runners, with sponsors including automaker Jetour supporting the event.
Fun runs are common in Malaysia, as they are in most countries with an active urban running culture, but the Malaysia Sarong Music Run adds a distinctive twist: participants complete the course wearing sarongs, the traditional wrapped lower-body garment worn across Malaysia's Malay, Indian and other communities, turning what would otherwise be a standard charity or promotional road race into a coordinated celebration of a garment that has, in recent years, become an unlikely focal point of Malaysian cultural pride.