GEORGE TOWN: Limited slots for the Aspen-Klippa Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2026 Full Marathon (42.195km) category are available until Sunday (Oct 11).
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said this gives runners an opportunity to participate in a race after disruptions to several major running events since September.
"We have reopened a limited number of slots for the Full Marathon category to give serious runners another opportunity to race," he said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 8).
"This decision was made after considering runners who trained for months but were unable to take part in their planned races.
"This includes those affected by the cancellation of the Kuching Marathon and PJ Half Marathon as well as runners who did not take part in the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) (due to the haze).
"We understand that many runners spent months preparing for their races and do not want their effort to go to waste."
He also stressed that the reopening is limited to the Full Marathon category and not for the Half Marathon or 10km categories.
"PBIM 2026 has reached around 25,000 registrations and we are not in a position to reopen registration for the (other two).
"The Full Marathon is different because we are responding specifically to runners who may have lost their opportunity to race in September and October," he said.
Wong said the decision would allow PBIM to support the running community while keeping the event within its operational capacity.
"Our priority is to maintain the quality, safety and overall race experience for everyone who has already registered.
"This is a small window for those serious runners to have another opportunity before the end of the year," he said.
PBIM 2026 is scheduled for Dec 13 and will start at Aspen Vision City, Batu Kawan.
For further details and to register, visit penangmarathon.gov.my.
