Tawau’s Rainforest Tropical Run rewards runners with views of few of the world's tallest trees and waterfalls.

Photo courtesy of Sri Pelancongan Sabah. 

TAWAU: A 21-kilometre run at the Tawau Hills Park here will give runners through picturesque panorama and pristine forest with few tall tropical trees along the trail.

Dubbed as Rainforest Tropical Run 2019, the inaugural race will be held on Sept 28 at 7am, whereby the Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Christina Liew is expected to flag off.

Event race director Zachary Mobijohn said the first series was meant to inform the public of the existence of the park in Tawau.

“Many people are still unaware of this park although it is opened to the public on a daily basis for recreational activities.

“In fact, several former tallest tropical trees in the world were found at the park (before scientists discovered the above the 100-metre tall tree in Danum Valley),” he said when contacted.

Apart from the rich biodiversity, Tawau Hills Park is also well known for its three main peaks in the form of extinct volcanoes, namely Mountain Magdalena (1,310m), Mountain Lucia (1,189m), and Mountain Maria (1,067m).

At the turning point located at 800m above sea level, runners will also be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Borneo tropical rainforest.

The park is also surrounded by Table Waterfall and Gelas Waterfall. It also has a sulphur spring believed to have medicinal properties.

There are four categories for the event which are Men Open, Women Open, Men Veteran (Age 40 and above) and Women Veteran (Age 35 and above).

“As this is the first time we open the trail for a race, we set a maximum of 250 participants which the priority will be on elite and experienced runners as well as former participants of Climbathon (a race on Mount Kinabalu which was stopped this year after three-decade).

“For this run, runners are also encouraged to bring their own bottles to be refilled at every water station,” he said, adding participants are also advised to observe park rules and regulations which
includes not throwing rubbish indiscriminately or plucking plants among others.

Zachary added that the participating fee is RM200, slightly higher, as part of it will be contributed to the conservation of the park.

First prize is RM2,000, second is RM1,500, third is RM1,000 and fourth to 15th place is RM300 for all categories.

To register and more information,  visit http://hellosabah.my/ or via JomRun mobile application.

Ends.