WOULD you like to enjoy some physical activity, indulge in some delicious food and have some nice photographs taken along some scenic spots in Penang?
If so, the inaugural ‘Experience Penang International Coastal Run 2020’ to be held at the Queensbay outdoor car park on March 15 is an event not to be missed.
Organised by the Penang State Exco for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage (PETACH), the event has two categories – the 11.5km Run for Adults and the 5km Run for Family and Children.
PETACH chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the new event is an outgrowth of the 10km Run of the Penang Bridge International Marathon organised by the state government through PETACH.
He added that it was crafted to capture the untapped dynamism of Penang and would be used as a mechanism to highlight one of Penang’s unique selling point, “Penang – A Great Place to Live.”
“They are fun runs and non-competitive. They are designed to attract all levels of participants and not just for serious long-distance runners,” Yeoh said.
“We combine sports tourism, culinary tourism and cultural tourism into one event. It’s also a family-focused activity.
“One of the attractive highlights of the fun run is that there will be five food tasting stations along the coastal route of the run dispensing free Penang street food. It’s a whole new experience for participants to be engaged in a healthy activity and be involved in Penang’s favourite pastime – eating!
“There will also be cultural stations and photo walls of iconic places of Penang for the participants to truly experience Penang while running.”
Both runs will start and finish at Persiaran Bayan Indah. Runners for the 11.5km Run will head towards the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (2nd Bridge) and turn back before the Batu Maung roundabout while the 5km participants will turn back around the Keysight Technologies.
Yeoh said PETACH was also undertaking to contribute towards reducing carbon footprint by giving away recyclable collapsible cups for participants (in race pack) to bring along with them during the run.
The run’s project manager Grace Teoh Koon Gee said they expected 10,000 participants for the 11.5km Run and 2,000 for the 5km Run.
“Every participant who finishes within the three hours for these two runs will receive an e-certificate of participation and a finishing medal.
“Every child, from six to 12 years old, must be accompanied by a parent.”
The closing date for entries is Feb 15.
For participation fees and other details, visit https:///www.epcoastalrun.gov.my/
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alvie Cheng