Organisers to bolster medical safety, heat-reduction measures
Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2026 has received overwhelming response this year, with registrations reaching 16,000 participants – surpassing expectations.
Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the strong support reflected the event’s growing appeal both locally and internationally.
“In view of the encouraging response, registration is expected to close soon,” he said of the race taking place on Dec 13 from Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan.
“We urge interested runners to register as soon as possible to avoid missing out.”
Race operations had been strengthened, he said, with additional safety measures including more water stations along the route to ensure availability every two to three kilometres.
Wong said the enhancements were part of efforts to improve race standards and participant safety, particularly under challenging weather conditions.
Medical preparedness has also been bumped up through a multi-agency command system involving the Malaysian Red Crescent, St John Ambulance, Civil Defence Emergency Response Team (CDERT) and Penang Hospital.
Meanwhile, strategic collaborations with Pantai Hospital Penang, Gleneagles Hospital Penang and Island Hospital will strengthen medical coverage during the event.
“This partnership will significantly enhance our overall medical capability, ensuring a more integrated system covering pre-race preparation, real-time response during the race, and post-race care,” said Wong.
The PBIM full marathon (42km) will flag off at 1.30am, followed by the half marathon (21km) at 3.30am and then the 10km race.
Participants are expected to complete the full marathon by 8.30am. Those unable to meet the cut-off time will be transported by sweep buses.
Wong said PBIM continued to strengthen its position as a sports tourism platform, following its recognition under the Abbott World Marathon Majors framework and certification by Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
“Through internationally recognised races, runners can record their performances and build their global marathon journey, further integrating into the international running ecosystem,” he said.
He highlighted that PBIM now stood among globally recognised events such as the Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney marathons.
Meanwhile, Wong said PBIM organised its inaugural “Penang Running Clubs Dialogue” bringing together more than 20 running clubs and over 100 participants.
He said the engagement marked an important step in strengthening communication with the running community.
“In our pursuit of continuous improvement and to further elevate the standards of PBIM, we initiated this dialogue to actively engage with the running community and gather valuable first-hand feedback,” he added.
Among the participating clubs were Forward, PCRR, Q1RC, Bakawan, Over Achievers, Cendoi Run Club, Pace & Peaks, PFSC, WOS Run Club, Sprint, The Sunny Club, Howei Run Club, Thunder Athletic Club, O2Hikers, BM Leopard, Runxi, TSN, J1, SlowSlowRunner, Kakyy and NTCRC.
