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| Breaking of dawn in Kuala Kurau on 19/3/2017 |
When Four of us in the family had our free run in Kuala
Kurau last year covering more than 10 Km crossing the two bridges I thought it
would be a long time before I could run again in Kuala Kurau. It was a pleasant
surprise and jubilation when I realized that I not only could run again in my
hometown but in a formal marathon event. Thanks to the organizers and
sponsors for their thought in harnessing the tourism
potential of Kuala Kurau by organizing this inaugural running event
to make this beautiful fishing village known to the public.
This is my first running event in 2017 and three of us in the
family from Taiping registered for the 16.8 Km category while my sisters
and their children also participated in full force by running the 10 Km. I
think this event is a very special event to those who grew up in Kuala Kurau
but stayed in other places now. In fact , quite a number of them came back to
their hometown with their spouses and children to render their support.
The run started at the indoor stadium of Yu Chai Chinese Primary
School. As there is no running chip we were asked to assemble inside the
stadium and given our first of the three
rubber bands in the run as proof of our registration.We were started off at 7:00 am
which was late by half an hour. Nobody seemed to complain because the distance
is only 16.8 km and it is better to start running when it is bright because
most participants come with the intention of enjoying the beautiful scenery of the
fishing villages. From the starting point we ran through the town which is
about 1.5 km long and continued our run towards Tanjung Piandang, another
fishing town 10 km away. After running few km along the country road enjoying
the scene of traditional malay houses and paddy field , we turned into a small
trail towards the seaside. The seaside stretches for 10 km from Kuala
Kurau to Tanjung Piandang. Its uniqueness lies in its embankment which is not made up of rocks but
concrete pillars piled into the soil to prevent soil erosion. The sea stretches
until Penang island and we could see fishing boats trawling in the distance .
It is really a great moment running and at the same time enjoying the seaside
view. The surprise was the small sandy beach where there were some local
children swimming in the water. If I am not mistaken it is called golden sand
beach and this is the first time I set foot on it even though I have heard
about it when I was a child.
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| At Broken Bund where a storm is brewing |
After the seaside or broken bund as it called by the locals, we
ran into mangrove swamps with scattered huts in it. It is a pity that there are
muddy opening here and there in the mangrove swamps due to illegal
logging. It began to rain quite heavily when we were at the mangrove swamps. It
is normal to be totally drenched in a run but the real shock was a wild boar
dashing across the road just in front us. What a narrow escape! When we reached
the malay fishing village later, the rain began to subside. The sea view here
was breathtaking as we could see fish cages and huts floating on the sea.
We also had a fantastic view of the main bridge of Kuala Kurau from this
side of the town for the very first time.
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| Small fishing boats at the Malay fishing village |
When we came out of the
Malay fishing village which is just outside the entrance to the main bridge, we
ran across the main bridge which is 1.5 km long and marveled at the panoramic
view of Kuala Kurau town, the wooden houses on stilts on both side of the wide
Kurau river and the fish rearing cages in the middle of the river. From the
bridge we ran for another two km passing through oil palm estate before we
reached the fishing village across the river. This place is famous for its seafood
and other delicacies which is attracting more and more visitors to Kuala Kurau.
The run through the village was only 1 km and after crossing the pedestrian
bridge we came to the town centre of Kuala Kurau where it was crowded with
locals and those runners who had finished their run and looking for carbon-loading.
The finishing point was just a short distance from the town centre. Our timing
for the run was not promising at all since it is more like an explorace rather
than a competitive run. What is more important was the thrill we enjoyed and the
chance to visit every corners of Kuala Kurau town.
It was a very enjoyable and passionate run because it is a run
through my childhood playground which I left more than forty years ago though I
came back on visit occasionally. The organizers had done a good job for
attracting 1500 participants with some foreign runners. The numbers of
volunteers and the water stations are more than sufficient.The show of
solidarity among the youth of kuala Kurau and maybe nearby towns who really
went all out to make this event as memorable as possible to us runners is
really commendable. The food for the runners after the runs was not sufficient
and had to be sent by batches. That is the only shortcoming I noticed which
needed the attention of the organizers. The lucky draw gifts are quite
attractive but we did not get of any of them though we had twelve lucky
numbers as luck was not on our side. As the run is very successful, I can envisage a second Kuala Kurau run
next year. Cheers Kuala Kurau and folks, great job.
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| The scenic “ Broken Bund" |
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| On the main bridge across Kurau river |
