THE annual Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) was officially launched on Sept 18 at Gurney Paragon Mall by exco member for Tourism Development and Heritage, Culture & Arts Yeoh Soon Hin.
According to Yeoh, the Fun Run category will no longer be available for this year but registration for participation in the event which will be on Nov 25 has been most encouraging.
“Although we no longer host the Fun Run category this year, we are proud to announce that we have attracted more than 27,000 registrations for Penang Bridge International Marathon this year who have registered under three categories namely Full Marathon (42km), Half Marathon (21km) and 10km run,” he said.
“The marathon has never failed to bring in a high number of sportsmen from diverse background who are here united by their common love for the sport. The event is a positive force to encourage healthy sportsmanship among people regardless of race or nationality especially in Penang as we work towards enhancing the quality of life.
“It is our intention to emphasise on delivering quality, instead of quantity in order to ensure a more competitive environment for the runners. This is in line with our effort to rebrand PBIM as an international marathon,” added Yeoh.
Among the sponsors which sent their representatives to the official launch were Brooks, Emico, Seiko, Asia Green Group, 100Plus, Nestle, Sports Toto Malaysia, Counterpain, High 5 Sports Nutrition, Special Coral Sdn Bhd, Hunza Properties Bhd and Hotel Equatorial Penang.
Story & pix by Victor Seow