LIKELY, the haze is not going anywhere for the next few months but that is no excuse for Malaysians to indulge in a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, people are now turning to creativity to escape the air pollution that is beyond their control.
Thanks to the generous air conditioning, a trend has been gaining attention lately, where runners are turning lengthy shopping mall corridors to sweat it out.
Depending on the size and layout of the premises, runners may be able to complete multiple laps to accumulate their desired distance without having to venture outdoors.
The idea is not entirely new. Mall walking has gained popularity among Malaysians seeking convenient places to exercise, particularly those who prefer a sheltered environment away from traffic, rain and the heat.
But now, Malaysians have another reason to join the mall walking or running crowd.
Even recently, two shopping malls in Malaysia have joined forces with fitness groups to offer indoor running sessions.
Atria Shopping Gallery announced in an Instagram post about its latest event called RUN THE MALL: Beat the Haze, Keep the Pace! on 21 and 28 October.
The sessions are scheduled from 7pm to 8pm, allowing participants to run inside the mall for an hour and cover as much distance as they choose.
Meanwhile, Worst Pace Run Club is partnering with The Starhill in downtown Kuala Lumpur to organise an indoor running session on 21 October at 8.15pm.
“The haze can have the streets, we’ll take the mall!” it wrote in an Instagram post.
Apparently neighbouring Singapore has jumped onto the bandwagon too.
A post on Threads recently showed a group of runners in Singapore taking their long-distance training indoors at a shopping mall on Saturday, 17 October.
View on Threads
Singaporean runner Elmer Loy shared that they had received permission from the mall’s management to run inside the premises before it opened.
Loy added that he managed to clock 19km during the session, which also gave him the chance to run alongside other fitness enthusiasts.
“It beats running on a treadmill,” Loy said after his post went viral.
Other participants also reportedly covered distances of up to 21km, equivalent to a half marathon, making the session an alternative to outdoor training amid poor air quality.
“Please don’t do this without approval,” he reminded fellow runners.—Oct 21, 2026
