THE George Town Unesco World Heritage Site was literally painted yellow as 7,500 took part in the ‘I Love Penang Run’ at Beach Street today.
Wearing T-shirts of dominant yellow colour, with the words ‘I ♥ PENANG RUN UntukNegaraKita,” on the front and WOW! PENANG IS HOT! on the back, the sea of people looked happy as they enjoyed the 5km event in the cool of the morning.
The weather has been quite unbearable to many as the temperature has often soared to 33 degrees Celsius.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was invited to give a speech before joining in the run, said the initiative by the state government was to encourage a healthy society.
“We want the people to be healthy so that they can take care of their family, work and the country,” he said in his short speech.
The run was then jointly flagged off by state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee, Batu Lancang assemblyman Ong Ah Teong and Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng Soon Siang.
There were participants from various races, ages and nationalities. Among there were a French family of four – Sylvain Ronot, 46, his wife Katia, 44, and two children Leo, 13, and Gabin, 11.
“This is our first time participating in the run. We love sports. And we also love the food here, the city and the people,” said Katia, whose family has been in Penang for the past eight months.
Ronot, who hails from Alsace in northeastern France, is currently the managing director of Automotive Lighting in Batu Kawan.
Conspicuous among the crowd were some couples who used strollers to push their babies or small children along the route.
One such family was Malik Fauzi, 32, and his wife Nurashikin Zainol, 28, who brought along their two children Nur Alisha, six, and Nur Awliya, four. They travelled from their hometown in Juru, Seberang Perai.
“We also took part in the run last year. It’s a good outing for the family. It’s also important for us to stay fit and healthy. We don’t mind coming over to the island for such activity,” said Nurashikin, a clerk with the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
Like the many participants who completed the run, Nurashikin and Malik, a technical assistant with Telekom Malaysia in Penang, and their two children proudly received finishing medals.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alvie Cheng