Representatives of the charitable bodies pose with Yong (second right) and the organising committee members.
KUCHING: The Kuching Heritage Race organisers are planning to hold the event on a bigger scale next year following a successful fourth edition which was held on Feb 18 this year.
Organising chairman Philip Yong said the annual event had gone from strength to strength providing the participants with an entertaining way to get to know the city better.
“We had 208 participants this year representing 43 teams and the race was focused on the area around Kampung Ajibah Abol with the theme ‘Darul Hana Revisited’,” Yong told reporters yesterday after presenting RM23,000 raised during the event to six charitable bodies.
They are Catama Borneo, Kuching Parkinsons Society, 2 Tree Lodge, Single Mother’s Association, Hearts Treasure and Sarawak Society For Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals.
According to Yong, the race was not only aimed at providing awareness and appreciation for the vibrant heritage and the many hidden gems around Kuching and to better understand why there is a need to manage and preserve it for future generations but also to raise funds for the often under-funded charitable bodies.
“We are going to have a meeting next month to discuss on the theme, venue, number of participants and other things. This is not easy because it involves months and lots of preparation.
“For the 4th edition, we had eight months of preparation. We are moving towards making the race an international event,” he said. “The Heritage Race is a treasure hunt where teams of two to five participants use a map to find control points or stations. At each station, there is a task to be fulfilled relating to the local culture and heritage.
“This year’s activities include flipping roti canai, practising joget and silat. There are also many “brainy quizzes” related to Kuching’s history and heritage that reduce the teams’ time for each correct answer,” added Yong.
“This event would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors and 130 volunteers from Chung Hua Middle School No. 4 and St Joseph’s Private School.
“We would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Sarawak Tourism Board, Sarawak Convention Bureau, Sarawak Energy Berhad, Secret Recipe, Borneo Adventure, Dato Richard Wee and Water Genesis,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Convention Bureau won this year’s heritage race in a time of 101 minutes, followed by Rainforest Wanderers (104 minutes) and The Margherita Troupe (107 minutes) in second and third place.
They received RM800, RM500 and RM300 respectively.
The best social media was M5 while the best team spirit award went to Rojak Penang, with The Bridy Groomy-Groovy Troupe and The Margherita Troupe claiming the best costume awards.
The first edition of the race was held at the Main Bazaar area, second edition along Jalan Padungan and across the Sarawak River while the third edition was held at the Sarawak Museum Gardens.