Voices That Care
Say Hello to ... Parthivan
Every single person in Care2Run’s ecosystem is essential, and we’ve grown so much in three years thanks to all the different individuals who’ve played a part in getting us to where we are.
It is for this reason that we aim to hand this section over to our people – our participants, coaches, volunteers, parents, friends and loved ones – so they can tell you what Care2Run means to them.
This week we say hello to ….. K. Parthivan, a former mentee who is now a Care2Run Junior Mentor.
Parthivan started out with Care2Run as a mentee in early 2016. And since then, the young man has grown from strength to strength, displaying not just confidence in himself but empathy and compassion for his fellow participants.
Last year, was a particularly memorable year for Parthivan as he not only starred in three key Care2Run partnered race events (the KL Bar Run in January 2018, City of Light Run in May and Allianz-Pacesetters Relay in November) but also progressed as a Care2Run Junior Mentor and was recognised by his school for his outstanding commitment as the chairman of SMK Sri Permata’s athletic club.
Nevertheless, despite all he has achieved, when one talks to Parthivan, it’s not the impressive awards that he dwells on, but rather how grateful he is, and how he wants to inspire other young people like him achieve their dreams.
Here’s Parthivan to tell you more …
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I just finished my SPM and I’m currently waiting for my results. I love running and I want to keep improving. I actually wasn’t very active before, but when I started secondary school, I entered a cross country run and I got 2nd place. I loved running after that. I was in Form 1 then.
How did you get involved in Care2Run?
After the cross-country event, my teacher Cikgu Morgan asked me if I would be interested in entering more running events. Cikgu Morgan is friends with Coach Prem, so later he recommended me and some of my friends to Care2Run and asked us to participate.
I was supposed to run in the Blue Cap Run with Care2Run in 2015 but I couldn’t make it, so I entered the next run in late 2017. I can still remember the run very well. It was only 2.8km if I’m not mistaken and our team finished 1st in our category. I was a replacement runner. I’ve taken part in a lot of Care2Run events since then, including the KL Bar Run last year.
What does Care2Run mean to you?
Lately, I have not had much time to join the activities and programmes but Care2Run is very important to me. I learned a lot about running and being active because of the coaches. But more than that I learned a lot about life. To me, Care2Run is a like a family. And I’m very grateful to the coaches – Coach Prem, Coach Elgy, Coach Prakash, Coach Mee Leng and Coach Eric – for guiding me.
They taught me a lot about living. For running, my goal is to keep improving my times. But for my main personal goal, I want to be a sports teacher. I think if I do that, I can help others.
What is your dream for Care2Run?
I want to see Care2Run grow and become bigger – not just in Malaysia but if possible, internationally. I would like other people like me to join and experience Care2Run. Also, I’m a Junior Mentor now and I want to inspire others like me.