About eliza noordin

founder of modest activewear Nashata.com twitter/elizanoordin | instagram/elizanoordin

3 Highlights from the 7th International Working Group Conference on Women & Sports

Posted on May 30, 2018 by eliza noordin

Nashata is blessed to participate in the 7th IWG on Women & Sports held on the 17th-20th May in Gaborone, Botswana. Nura Arabi, Nashata Ambassador and I were there for the first time to present a paper and to participate in dialogues pertaining to women in sports. It was a great experience, a good platform not only to share your work, but to network, have conversations and understand topic of interests in other market.

Nura Arabi presenting her paper at IWG

The conference brought together academicians, media, policy makers from sports federation, United Nations and several countries, as well as private sectors. Finland, being the last IWG host brought most participants after Botswana. Other representatives came from the UAE, Kuwait, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Israel, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Namibia, Uganda and South Africa.

1. Lead the Change
The former President of Finland, HE Tarja Halonen, graced the event with an important reminder about having women leaders in sports. Birgitta Kervinen, the President of European Non-Government Sports Organization (ENGSO) supported the message : Dream, Speak up & Act. Be the leader & lead the change. A few other key speakers echoed the theme with strong emphasis on leading by efficient and effective example and to act with integrity.

Keynote Session 7th INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP ON WOMEN AND SPORT

The suggestions and sharing covered promoting and grooming female coaches, world class female athletes and sports media – inspire female athletes to progress further in sports. Female athletes should be given equal pay, just as men’s.

Although not highlighted at the conference, I find parents, especially mother play an important role in supporting girls in sports. Active or athletic parents have strong inclination to support children’s interests in sports, and they are good inspiration for children.

2. Safety for Women in Sports

Be it training or competition, it is important to provide adequate equipment, safe environment and space for athletes. In certain societies, due to cultural or religious belief, there could be constrain for a female athlete to travel without a family member or mahram. More conversations and awareness can help parents and organizations to understand safety protocols can be developed to ensure female athletes are safe while travel.

Asian Women and Sport Network

The International Olympic Committee has put together a kit on safe sports, available for public at https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/library/safe-sport/. You can find e-learning courses from their site.

3. Sports without Borders

I believe sports is a good way to bring people together. At the conference, a few examples were shared on how private sectors have helped marginalized community to participate in sports. It could be through donation, providing training, equipment and facilities and many more.

It is through programs by Sports Outreach and Sports Gift, athletes like Phiona Mutesi get to shine both in sports and academically.

Nashata sponsored a paper, titled The role of physical education in social integration, authored by Nura Arabi, Nashata Ambassador, echoed the spirit of diversity and respect. You can go through her slides here.

The 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sports in 2022 in New Zealand. So please share the words around so that we have papers and thoughts shared at the conference. For the next IWG World Conference, Nashata is happy to sponsor accepted papers, authored by ASEAN scholars. We need more conversations and awareness so that our concerns and work can be understood and shared.

It’s Not Where I Go, But Who I Meet
Lastly, Gaborone is such a lovely city. The food was good, people are super friendly and hospitable. Every night, the organiser arranged lovely dinner followed by colorful performances. Here are some pictures of the colorful ladies from Africa!

Traditional Custom – Bostwana

Traditional Custome – Zambia

Slave Route Challenge 2018 – Cape Town

Posted on May 19, 2018 by eliza noordin

Rizq is when the city you travel to has a race that co-indices with travel dates. The Slave Route Challenge was held on 13th May, Mother’s Day in Cape Town, and I thought it was a good way to check out the city and get to know the community, so I registered for the 21km run. Cape Town is the oldest town in South Africa, also known as the Mother City

Climbing the Pentz Road, Bo Kaap Area with the city center at the backdrop. Picture courtesy of ABPHOTOZA

The registration was done online and the experience was smooth. I collected the bib and race license at the Castle of Good Hope a day before the run. It was autumn coming to winter in Cape Town and the weather was lovely with blue skies throughout my trip.

The run started sharp at 7am in front of the City Hall with three thousand participants in the half marathon category, followed by 10km and 5km every 15 minutes after. The runners were diverse and many runners in hijab ran along with me. What I like about running in hijab is getting the salams and greetings from other fellow muslims along the way. I look like many of them – the Cape Malays.

The 21km route took me along the beautiful neighborhood in the city of Cape Town with the sunrise shining upon gorgeous Table Mountain on the backdrop, Company Garden with a bit of a incline the first 5km. It was followed by a steep climb on Pentz Road 8km onward up to the top of Bo Kaap neighborhood. The runners were cheered by the residents, volunteers and locals along the way, serving local delicacies till the top of the climb. The run continued on flat roads towards the Stadium, Green Point area along the waterfront and back to the City Hall.

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What I enjoyed most about the race :

Supportive community
There were volunteers every 100 meters, cheering and managing the traffic throughout the run! They dressed up in tutus, skirts and other fancy attires. Not only that, the residents at Bo Kaap area came out from their homes and cheer! The runners were close knit and friendly. Alhamdulillah, I felt at home and made new friends at the run.
Coke at water stations
A coke lover like me would just find the drinks super refreshing. They even had coke zero at water stations. There was a water shortage in Cape Town and they provided drinking water packed in small green and blue plastic bags. Only coke was served in cups.

Coke Lover was happy
Opportunity to check out the city on foot
The route took me along historical and tourist sites on foot.It was a lovely and relaxing morning run. The cut off time was 3 hours 30 minutes and I took my time to finish the race. I stopped many times to capture beautiful moments. I spotted four mosques and suraus along the run. Even the race kit area was held at a historical site – Castle of Good Hope. All runners received free entrance ticket to District Six, also a historical site.

Here are more pictures!

Mosque at Bo Kaap

Many pleas to protect Bo Kaap as Heritage Site

The Medal

I would love to run again at Cape Town! It was simply an amazing experience!

6 Reasons Why You Don’t Want To Miss The Next SCKLM

Posted on April 9, 2018 by eliza noordin

SCKLM is the Premier Running Event in Malaysia
More than 38,000 runners descended on Dataran Merdeka to take part in and celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) 2018 and its popularity continues to grow, as evidenced by its race slots selling out in a day when public registrations opened.
Lovely routes of Kuala Lumpur
At the SCKLM’s 10^th Anniversary, the organiser incorporated new routes for the Full and Half Marathons which took in more of KL’s iconic landmarks but remained as challenging as usual with its route undulations. The hilly stretch beginning from Km32 was especially grueling for a lot of runners. But worry not, there were supporters along the tough route. For example, there was a group of supporters cheering runners and offering Malaysian popsicles at the first hilly route at Bukit Tunku.
Supportive and Committed Pacers
Pacers not only brought runners back on time, but they also cheered and supported the runners. They were cheerful and went over and beyond. I saw a few pacers running back to motivate and support runners a few hundred meters before finish line and repeated the process. They were incredible!

Pacers at SCKLM

Fazu supporting runners. Whatever it takes to motivate & cheer runners up!
Various Categories to Suit all Ages and Type of Runners
SCKLM is for both serious and social runners. Out of 38,000 runners, more than 10,000 took part in the Full Marathon and 11,000 in the Half Marathon categories. The rest were 10km, 5km, friendship run for social runners, as well as 1km and 3km Kids Dash for the first time. There were also several categories like the Corporate Challenge, Media Challenge, Universities Challenge and Ministries Challenge to either raise money for charity or provide friendly competition and confer bragging rights to the eventual winners.

Runners who raced at all 10 editions of SCKLM get special honour
Well Organised & Safe for Runners
Over 1,600 volunteers, paramedics, supporters and staffs of the organiser making sure the routes were secured, runners were safe and hydrated throughout the run. You do not have to worry about a moving vehicle coming from your back or heading towards you.

the full marathon started and ended with confetti blasts

Essential information about the run was provided and communicated well in the runner’s guide.There were many spots where you can rest and relax and catch up with running friends before & after your run. You could use the SCKLM mobile App to check running buddy updates and cheer for them as they approach the finish line. The app was pretty cool with a feature that adds your pictures taken by strategic cameras along the routes.
Prayer-Friendly for Muslim Runners
This year the organiser included location for suraus along the Full and Half Marathon on the runner’s guide. Not only that, signboards of suraus were placed at these areas so that runners know the location while running.

Signage for Suraus

So, don’t miss the next SCKLM in 2019! You get to meet new runners, make friends and enjoy a good run!

Lastly, here are some happy faces of running ladies at the Standard Charted KL Marathon 2018.

Nashsuhah finished her 14th Full Marathon under 5 hours

#NOEXCUSE because ‘Anda Hebat! ‘

Intan Siza and the Full Marathon Finisher Tee #omaksukarunning

Fullfilment Specialist & Stock Controller Wanted

Posted on April 4, 2018 by eliza noordin

Fulfillment Specialist & Stock Controller

Join the Pioneer team in REVOLUTIONIZING modest activewear. This is a FULL TIME and suitable for highly detailed and discipline person. Working hours are : Monday – Friday, 10am-7pm

The role requires you to:

Manage online orders, social sites and email
Manage and update online stocks and related systems
Receive and respond to inquiry products through various social media channels, lines, notes and partner companies
Check the quality of Nashata products prior to shipment
Packing and managing delivery of sales to customers
Manage purchase and delivery of sales to a business partner
Dealing with delivery of company for posting.
Helps work on stocks, stock handling and stock deliveries
Improve customer purchasing experience at all times

To perform the above, the role requires you to possess:

Knowledge and hands on experience packing products for shipment
SPM or Diploma holders
Good communication skills in English
Advanced user of computers, online applications and printers
Honest and trustworthy
Passionate communicating with customers
Proactive
Able to commute to Cyberjaya

Benefits

Medical benefits
Work life balance
Opportunities to grow
At Nashata, you are empowered
Monthly salary RM1400 – RM2500 (depending on qualifications & experience

Standard Charted KL Marathon 2018 : Road Closure Info

Posted on April 4, 2018 by eliza noordin

Are you ready for the biggest running event in Malaysia? Make sure you have the information you need to get to the race village in time. Take note of the road closures on the 6-8th April 2018

Standard Charted KL Marathon 2018 Road Closure

Have a great race this weekend!

Running at the 6th Malaysia Women Marathon

Posted on March 7, 2018 by eliza noordin

Ladies ran in tutus, colorful attires and all sorts of gears. But it’s not just the ladies, the male pacers ran in tutus too at the Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM). That was how supportive the men are! Indeed there were more men at the recent MWM. After all, 18% and 26% of the finishers at the Half Marathon and Full Marathon respectively were men.

Ran the Full Marathon in this new design – a swimwear

Runners in Tutu

The categories at the MWM were the 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km. Ladies came to the run for fun and sisterhood. Many took advantage of the event to catch up with girl friends the healthy way. That was why, the 5 km category is the most popular, with more than 2,300 registered runners, followed by 1,700 runners for 10 km. I participated in the least famous category – the full marathon with 250 registered runners (including male pacers). 166 ran that morning and only 61 runners finished, and 74% of the finishers were ladies. Many were not able to finish their run, not because they were not able to finish within the cut off time, but was stopped at many points due to safety reasons. I was one of the unfortunate ones.

Info from MWM Organiser

The route

The route for 10 km, 21 km and 42 km were the same, only that the later two required more rounds. It was a loop of 10 km. Sounds pretty simple, but many didn’t know the 10 km route consisted of many inclines, one after another. That’s quite a challenge to offer to lady runners, but they braved through the ‘obstacles’ anyways.

Since all runners except the 5 km category shared the same route, we bumped into each other a lot. I was tired after 7 am after 3 hours of running and just watched the 10 km runners speeding away. As I went through the hills for the 3rd round, my legs were already in pain and looking at hills ahead was not encouraging. What came through my mind was crazy. I never hated running till that day. I felt my wimpy legs were back and that running was not for me. It was my worst run. I always enjoyed the races I participated in. The pain and hardship were expected, but this time, it was different. Going through hills one after another in 4 loops just killed my motivation. I was determined to finish the run anyways and reserved my energy to go through the hill for the last loop. When I reached the 3rd checkpoint, they stopped me although it was just 4 hr 30 mins only. The volunteers claimed it was not safe to run and that I could run at my own risk as they were not able to control the traffic. True – I saw no traffic policemen at all! I ran back to the finish line feeling devastated.

Moreover, the motorists need to be considerate and thoughtful in having some tolerance in supporting public sports event. We witnessed roudy behaviour of motorists wanting traffic to move at roundabout junction and honked incessantly. When the runners tried to explained, the drivers lashed out with bad words. Some motorists stopped and moved the cones so they could move. This shouldn’t have happened in a civil society.

3/4 of the Elevation for Full Marathon

I arrived at the Race Village looking at happy faces taking loads of pictures at Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam. Everybody loved the medal! Congrats to all running sisters, looking pretty and sweaty always!

I had friends who finished the full marathon at previous MWM and said would run back again, but only for 5 km. Now, I understood why. The marathon was suited for elite runners. Three days after the run, only the 61 finisher names were listed on the race result page. I did not expect an e-cert from this race, but it was as if I didn’t even run.

Faces of Happy Finishers

The half marathon Finishers!

The half marathon finishers

We will finish our next Full Marathon, insyaAllah. More training required!

Supposed to be Nahsuhah’s 13th Full Marathon, but unable to complete.

Finishers get a bouquet of white orchids

Ever Supportive Running Ladies

What I like about this year’s run?

Plenty safety cones
Amazingly supportive and cheerful volunteers. They cheered for runners along the way, non-stop.
Many and supportive pacers. Amazing!
RELA volunteers worked hard managing the traffic at roundabouts and junctions
Many water stations
Route was shady
Lovely finisher items
Glamorous and colorful

Some key learning :

Physically go through the route prior to the race
Run long distance races at major running events
More hill training, more training
It is about the experience. Choose the one that pushes you forward

I ran in Nashata new swimwear design. Yes, a swimwear – i just felt like running in it that day! Till we run again! Woman Up! #pressforprogress

Note : Pictures are from MWM organiser, running sisters and Super Sergio

Meet Nashata Plus-Size Model – Nurul Noorzain

Posted on March 6, 2018 by eliza noordin

Our search for Plus Size Model ended when we found Nurul, a 28 year old graphic designer who is based in Johor. She is confident in her size, commit to her body positively and making commitment to loose weight by changing her lifestyle – by working out and eating healthy.

Late last year in 2017, Nurul made a personal commitment to loose weight. She managed to shed 14 kg the past 3 months by walking or running every day before she goes to work. She improves her diet by having oat, bread and salad in the morning and reduces rice intake. For snack, she indulges herself with fruits.

Nurul Noor Zain parading at Nashata Fashion Show at the Malaysia Women Marathon 2018. She was in Nashata Amina Sports Hijab and Riada Nahl Sports Top

Nurul was an active lady until she got injured in 2014. She enjoyed hiking and trailing and had to stop when she had a bad fall while hiking at Gunung Datuk Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Now, after a couple of years of recovery, with plates in her leg, she started to be active back again. Determined to loose weight, she joined a couple of weight programs that focus on fundamentals. Her friends, like Intan Aina help her during weight lost journey.

Sisterhood – Nurul & Intan. Intan is an avid runner who got Nurul to register into Nashata Model Search Program

As Nashata Plus Size Model, Nurul gets:

to be Nashata Model
to be one of models at Malaysia Women Marathon(MWM) Fashion Show in March 2018
supplies of Nashata Plus-Size Products for 3 months
to be featured in Nashata Blog
AND run at the Malaysia Women Marathon! (this is a bonus)

Nurul’s 1st 5km Run was at the Malaysia Women Marathon, and tells us she wants to participate more! She wore Nashata Amina Sports Hijab, Ultra Galaxy Top and Riada Active Pants.

What did she say about wearing and running in Nashata?

"Sangat Selesa, Tak Panas, Tak Pelekat"

Very comfortable, cooling and does not stick to her body.

AND she looked good in them!

Celebrating Diversity @ Nashata Fashion Show, Malaysia Women Marathon

Wefie Moment During Photoshoot!

Nurul currently weighs 106 kg, BMI-30 and targets to achieve a healthy BMI. We will cover and feature her progress. She traveled from Johor to be join the girly fun with us.

So do come back for more and check out her instagram account to find out more about confident Nurul! Support her!

BE FIT BE YOU!

World WOW Race Series – New challenges for you every month

Posted on February 28, 2018 by eliza noordin

Keep yourself motivated and rewarded every month when you join the Women of Wellness (WOW) Virtual Race Series. The ultimate race is in October 2018. Be a part of a new race, new challenges every month! Live while racing. Be a part of the active lady community.

WORLD WOW RACE

The March Race
The race kicks off in March with Cycle and Run challenges. You would need to cycle 15 km and run 15 km, in total, during the month of March 2018. You can cycle or run anywhere, in any sequence and anytime during the race period (1st-31 March) Submit your results to instagram account WOWRace or wowrace@nashata.com by 8th April 2018.

How can you join the March Series?
Just register (1-15 March 2018) and pay for the run.

Who can join the race?
As long as you are a girl or a woman, you can join the race. Open to all nationalities.

What do you get?

Nudges and updates from WOW Race team & community at WOWRace instagram account
Finisher gets Nashata Raazniq WOW Race Series worth RM49/SGD16.50/USD15.50. It is free size.
Finisher gets 20% discount for the next WOW Race
Finisher kit will be sent to you within two weeks after the running period is over. Free shipping worldwide!
Top 3 racers with most combined mileages will get special reward worth RM300 from Nashata.

Finisher gets the – World Wow Race Raazniq

WOW Run is an annual running event started by Mudzalifah Anuar in 2014. It was initially known as the World 1st Muslimah Run and has evolved into women run and now race series as an effort to promote active lifestyle. Mudzalifah is a fitness coach, a triathlete and an inspiring friend to many ladies. She designs the current and upcoming races for the World WOW Race Series until the month of September. The series will end with the WOW Run on the 8th October. BE FIT BE YOU and join the community of active ladies and let’s inspire and keep reminding one another!

The founder of WOW Run – Mudzalifah

Meet the Pacers for the 10th Standard Charted KL Marathon

Posted on February 28, 2018 by eliza noordin

Someone at the media session asked me – What is a pacer? Why pacer is important for a marathon? A pacer at a marathon helps runners to finish within desired times. Typically, there are pacers for the full and half marathon. They not only run together with runners with the timing balloons or identifiers, but also motivate runners throughout these long runs. They bring runners back to finishing line.

The 5 lady pacers

Standard Charted KL Marathon (SCKLM) celebrates its 10th Anniversary with 38,000 runners who filled up the spots within 10 hours after registration opened. Yes the slots sell like hot cakes as SCKLM is the most popular and biggest running event in Malaysia, with 10,000 registered runners for full marathon and 11,000 half marathon.

What is your reason?

SCKLM started having pacers in 2010 with 14 pacers, and some of them continue to pace till today. Two of them are Malcalm Chew and Kelvin Ng, with the later keep coming back to pace as a way to contribute to the development of running in Malaysia.

This year, there are 5 lady pacers among the 29 Official Pacers. One of them is Tini and she is well-known for her speed and wittiness. Everybody runs for a reason and as for the first time half marathon pacer, Munitaran Sundramtakes, being a pacer is his way to give back to the community.

The seasoned and new Pacers with their coordinator

SCKLM 2018 will be held at the Dataran Merdeka on the 8th April. So runners, have a target, train diligently, know and follow your pacer at the run! The pacers are ready, are you?

Follow the Pacer

The SCKLM is organised by Dirigo Events and SCKLM has not only gather runners from all over Malaysia but also over 70 countries.

Gloria Ng from Dirigo Events has been running SCKLM for many years. Kudos to her and team!

Reduce Sun Exposure in Raazniq

Posted on February 19, 2018 by eliza noordin

You can enjoy outdoorsy lifestyle – being out in the sun by the beach, forest and skiing, but don’t forget to take precautions to care for your skin. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause damage to skin – sunburn and skin cancer.

Other than putting on sunscreen onto your skin that needs reapplication after a few hours, clothes are one of the best ways for protection against the sun.

Sun-gaiter & Headwear – Raazniq

Raazniq is produced to provide covering for the neck, hair and head with an option to cover lower part of the face, if needed. It is a short, simple and functional headwear – suitable for outdoor activities like biking, trekking, mountain climbing and other outdoor activities.

You can choose to pull up the sun-gaiter to cover the lower part of your face when you are exposed to the sun, wind, dust, cold and pollution.

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Raazniq is made of 4-way stretchable, lightweight and soft moisture-wicking fabric that dissipates heat and moisture. The fabric is made of spandex. It is free size.

Raazniq by Nashata

Enjoy introductory price of RM39/SGD12/USD9 only at nashata.com

Other tips on using clothing to prevent skin damage due to sun exposure:

dark color clothing provides protection against UV
light color clothing provides protection against infra
Wet clothing has lesser UV protection as to compared to dry

Note – Do not cover your nose if you are running long distance or when performing long hour or intensity workout. Make sure you can breathe well both through your nose and mouth at all times.

Nashata

Empowering Active Lifestyle

Author Archives: eliza noordin