Penang Bridge International Marathon 2019 attracts 25,000 runners

The last run for 10km category participants flagged off on Sunday (Nov 24). There will be no more 10km race in the Penang Bridge Intrnational Marathon next year as part of a rebranding exercise.

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) saw a 25,000-strong field of participants from 65 countries, with Kenyans emerging as winners in most of the categories in the Men's and Women's Open.

It was a smooth and incident-free marathon at Bayan Lepas, following major hiccups and a downpour last year which disrupted the event.

The 42km Full Marathon was flagged-off by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow at 1.30am followed by the Half Marathon and 10km Run later in the morning.

The event this year saw a special PBIM 2019 ambassador – Bernard Lagat, a five-time Olympian and thirteen-time medallist at World Championships and Olympics levels.

Chow, in his address, said the annual run had popularised long-distance running as a fun and accessible sport for both amateur and professional runners in Penang and the region.

Kenyans Moses Kiptoo Kurgat and Peninah Kigen were the champions in the Men's and Women's Open categories while the husband-and-wife team of Nik Fakaruddin Ismail and Noor Amelia Musa emerged champions in the Best Malaysian Full Marathon categories.