Fourth Edition of Lotus's Ceria Charity Run 2026 Raises Record RM 500,000, Advancing Goal to Empower 50,000 Students Nationwide with PINTAR

Lotus's Malaysia brought 5,000 runners together at Lotus's Ara Damansara for the fourth edition of the Lotus's Ceria Charity Run (CCR'26), turning a day of running into a record fundraising effort for education.

The 2026 edition raised RM500,000 for the Lotus's – PINTAR SMART Up School Programme, the highest amount collected since the charity run made its debut in 2023.

(From left to right): Yvonne Yong, Chief Finance and Property Development Officer, Lotus's Malaysia; Neil Gurusamy, Chief Operating Officer, Lotus's Malaysia; Susan Chin, Business Planning and Development Director, Lotus's Malaysia; Azliza Baizura Azmel, Executive Director, Corporate Services, Lotus's Malaysia; Norzalina Masom, General Manager, PINTAR Foundation; Saksit Panurach, Chief Executive Officer, Lotus's Malaysia; Erica Tam, Commercial Director, Food; Lee May Li, Commercial Director, Lotus's Malaysia; Nuathip Pituckpongsatorn, Executive Director, Customer and Marketing, Lotus's Malaysia during the symbolic cheque handover of RM500,000 to PINTAR Foundation at the Lotus's Ceria Charity Run 2026 (CCR'26), held at Lotus's Ara Damansara on 27 September 2026.

Turning Every Run Into Support for Education

Lotus's Malaysia's work with PINTAR Foundation stretches back to 2016 through its School Adoption Programme under the retailer's #KitakanJiran education pillar. Among the initiatives under the Lotus's – PINTAR SMART Up School Programme is Smart Shopper Plus, which equips students with practical money management skills. Proceeds from CCR help support programmes such as these.

Runners take off at the start line of the Lotus's Ceria Charity Run 2026 (CCR'26), competing across the newly introduced 21.1km Competitive Half Marathon as well as the 5km and 10km Shop & Run categories, as Lotus's Malaysia rallies the community behind Lotus's – PINTAR SMART Up School Programme.

Launched in August 2025, Smart Shopper Plus has reached 2,394 students across 21 Lotus's Adopted Schools in seven states, achieving a 96% programme goal completion rate.

The one-day financial literacy workshops introduce students to practical topics including needs versus wants, smart budgeting and smart spending. Looking ahead, Lotus's Malaysia and PINTAR Foundation are working towards empowering 50,000 students nationwide by 2030, with the proceeds from CCR'26 helping to accelerate progress towards that goal.

Every CCR'26 registration directly contributed to the cause, with RM20 from each registration channelled towards the programme. Runners could contribute further by purchasing a special edition CCR'26 jersey for an additional RM30, with those proceeds also going towards the same initiative.

CCR'26 Introduces Its First Half Marathon

This year's event also marked a new milestone for the charity run. For the first time since its 2023 debut, CCR introduced a 21.1km Competitive Half Marathon, with Men's and Women's Open and Veteran categories.

The new distance joined the returning 5km and 10km Shop & Run categories, giving runners across different experience levels an opportunity to take part.

A record turnout of 5,000 runners gathered at Lotus's Ara Damansara for the fourth edition of the Lotus's Ceria Charity Run (CCR'26), Lotus's Malaysia's annual charity run in aid of the Lotus's – PINTAR SMART Up School Programme.

“What makes Ceria Charity Run special is that every kilometre completed today contributes to a larger purpose. When we launched this run in 2023, we wanted to create a platform that brings communities together while supporting better opportunities for students. Four years later, we've raised a record RM500,000 and are one step closer to our goal of empowering 50,000 students nationwide by 2030. We are grateful to every participant, sponsor and partner who made this possible," said Saksit Panurach, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus's Malaysia.

Sponsors, Food and Activities at the Race Village

CCR'26 was supported by Exclusive Sponsors Milo, Omega, Nestum, Nescafe, Maggi, KitKat, Nestle Ice Cream, Enercal and Heitech, together with Platinum Sponsors Chipsmore, Jacobs, Tiger and TanjongEx. A wider roster of Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors and in-kind partners also supported the event.

Beyond the running routes, the Race Village featured 36 product sampling booths, family-friendly games and a wide selection of food and beverages.

The food and beverage line-up included Coca-Cola, U Kambing, Kaktun, Hana Bella Kitchen, SCY, JiJo Street Coffee, Teego, Nims, EjaSnekHouz Bakery, Aducktive, Pak Leh, ADW, Rasto, Cik Suri, Songkhla, Mikayla Delicious and Wall's.

Food trucks added more options from Milo, CPW, Nestum, Ovaltine, Kimball, Marina, Farm Fresh and ZUS Coffee, while homemade biscuits baked by beneficiaries of Kechara Soup Kitchen were also available.

The event wrapped up with a mock cheque presentation to PINTAR Foundation and a lucky draw featuring 10 prizes. Among them were the grand prizes, a Zero ZT-DynamiQ Treadmill and a Zero Atlas Lite Massage Chair.