GEORGE TOWN, Sept 1 — The Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2020 will be going virtual amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Tourism Development, Arts, Culture, and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin today said that PBIM 2020 would offer a different experience as it would be conducted through a virtual running app across the world.
He said that the app dedicated for PBIM virtual run this year, named “PBIMVR 2020”, is expected to be launched by the third week of September and it is free for all, with registration to be opened by Oct 1
“We believe that this will be a unique PBIM experience, as the distance will no longer be a limitation,” he said in a press conference here.
The virtual run will begin on Nov 21 midnight and ends at 11.59 pm on Nov 22 according to the Malaysia time zone (GMT+8).
PBIM virtual run participants will be given 48 hours to complete the run of their registered categories, namely 10 km run, half marathon (21 km) or full marathon (42 km).
However, he expected the participation of the virtual run to be around 3,000 and would not be as many compared to around 25,000 participants in last year’s PBIM.
Yeoh also said that around 7,000 participants who registered for PBIM 2020 last year would have to re-register in order to participate for this year’s virtual run.
He also said that the early PBIM 2020 registrants would also be automatically brought forward to PBIM 2021.
He noted that although the registration fee is not refundable, it would be transferable for those who are unable to participate in PBIM next year.
“The date for PBIM 2021 would be announced in January next year once it is confirmed in view of the current COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Sources: BERNAMA