It was pouring an hour before we started our journey. Me, Yong Hooi and Simon (Saw Ping), with our crew Renn, Darren and Jeslynn had a good meal at HK Boy Cart Noodle, near to our starting point at Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower. Our plan is to run anticlockwise, circle the outermost route of Penang Island. Our pace was relatively quick for first 25km before winding road at Batu Feringghi and Teluk Bahang. Traffic was not very heavy but we had to slowdown because the road shoulder is very narrow, makes it difficult to avoid the vehicles passing by.
The fun part of the whole journey begins at the 6.5km long road from Teluk Bahang Dam. A very gradual ascent winding up to the trailhead to Pantai Acheh. The trail is paved with cement up to a point where we have to climb a short 100m distance unpaved trail to reconnect the cemented path to Pantai Acheh village. After that we have to navigate ourselves and ran the clearest and most accessible road and off-road at the westernmost of the island, passing Kuala Sungai Pinang, Kuala Jalan Baru, Malindo Beach (There's no beach in sight, just plenty of mangroves) and Pulau Betong before reaching another trailhead to Gertak Sanggul. Most part of the off-roads are so straight and flat it seems like running with no end in sight.
This is one of my favorite trails on the island where the hills meet the coastline. We followed the cemented path up about 150m high, and reached the higher ground where the path is more runnable. We can't see much of the scenery at night, but we can gently hear the sound of waves at seashore. Simon was struggling to run downhill because of his knee pain. We slowed down our pace before reaching the fishing village at Gertak Sanggul.
At this point I was still feeling fresh while Simon was struggling with his sleep deprivation. The rest of the journey is all paved road and dedicated running/cycling lane to the finish point. We went through another winding road from Gertak Sanggul to Teluk Kumbar, heading to Permatang Damar Laut where the airport runway situated. It was a beautiful sight when the sun rose from the small hills at Teluk Tempoyak.
The weather was not to warm in the morning when we reached Batu Maung. We stopped for a while at Penang Second Bridge viewpoint before we proceed to Bayan Indah (Queensbay). Next thing we know it was cloudless and the sun started to reign the blue sky. While I was struggling with the heat, Simon regained his strength and was on his flying pace. Yong Hooi as usual, shows little emotion and ran his comfortable slow pace. We passed the Penang First Bridge and The Light waterfront. Eventually Simon slowed down and waited for me and Yong Hooi before our last stop at Shell station along Jelutong coastal road.
The heat really bothers me after a long cooling night. I just followed Simon fast paced walking our last hurdle to Weld Quay, and waited Yong Hooi's arrival at the last corner to join us run our last hundred meters towards our start/finish point at QVM Clock Tower. I was glad and relived that everyone is safe and sound without any incident. Safety is paramount and we have prepared well with all our safety gears for this attempt.
Our crew, Renn, Darren and Jeslynn had to sacrificed their good night sleep, drove on a long road trip and waited patiently at meet up points throughout the night. I prepared the essential hydration for everyone and they bought the rest of the food and drinks. I pinned point the places where their cars are accessible to meet us to refuel our supply. Many wonderful photos were taken by them. This attempt would have be being difficult without their support, especially the shops closed after midnight.
I have ran twice round the island for 2 times on different routes. But this is the route where we can truly covered the outermost part of the island, where the scenery is best viewed at daytime, and to feel the calmness and quietness at nighttime (beside the noisy dogs barking some parts at the roadside). To be able to record this FKT is nice, but most importantly is to relive our running spirit after long lockdown, and rediscover our souls on this beautiful island.