Kuala Kurau Run 2017

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.

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.

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.     

The scenic “ Broken Bund" 

On the main bridge across Kurau river