Ready to run: Sharine Leong (right) and her husband Teo Chee Hiang collecting their kits for the marathon. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: From restaurants to hotels, they are all set for an international marathon that has been billed as the biggest mass participation sporting event in Penang.
“We are ready for runners who need to ‘carbo-load’,” said Hameediyah Restaurant director Muhammad Riyaaz Syed Ibrahim.
This is in reference to the Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2024 tomorrow.
More than 20,000 participants from all over the world will run across the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.
He is anticipating the participants to patronise his three nasi kandar restaurants in Sungai Ara, George Town and in Jalan Baru in Perai for their “carbo-loading”.
For the first time, PBIM will kick off from Batu Kawan on the Penang mainland and instead of Penang Bridge, the winding Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge will be the race venue.
The bridge will be closed to traffic today from 11pm until 10am tomorrow.
Meanwhile, most hotels on both the island and mainland are packed ahead of the marathon.
For instance, The Granite Luxury Hotel has been fully booked.
Its communications manager Ng Su-Ann said the hotel has prepared for the number of runners arriving for the event.
“The Granite is glad to support this massive annual event, which, according to state tourism committee chairman Wong Hon Wai, will have more than 20,000 participants,” she said yesterday.
Iconic Hotel general manager Kevin Cheah said the hotel located in mainland Juru saw all its rooms taken up by PBIM participants and their friends.
“The occupancy rate almost hit 100% for the weekend,” he said.
The Light Hotel on the mainland also saw overwhelming bookings.
However, its general manager K. Raj Kumar said its guests were not PBIM runners but were those who had come for the Penang Pesta International Bowling Championship 2024, which began yesterday till Dec 21 at the Mega Mall Bowling Centre in Perai.
“There are about 350 bowlers from Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and other countries converging in Perai,” he said.
Besides PBIM 2024 and Penang Pesta International Bowling Championship 2024, the Star Education Fair is being held for two days this weekend at Setia Spice Convention Centre with thousands of visitors coming to check on the latest tertiary education options available for school-leavers.
