nature ~culture ~ adventure…
Pahang Darul Makmur, one of the biggest state in Peninsular Malaysia - known for its diversity of flora and fauna, its grueling terrain, its breathtaking waterfalls, its myriad of cultural practices and tantalizing culinary feasts offers immense potential for eco-tourism and adventure racing activities.
The ‘rakyat’ has always been close to the hearts of the Pahang Royal Family. The late Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar has traveled to remote areas in Pahang by sampan, trekking on foot or on elephant to meet and listen to the people. There were fiestas at every stop to welcome the Sultan and his entourage. The Kuala Lipis – Pekan International Rafting competition is a re-creation of the route taken by the late HRH.
This has set a tradition which till today is followed by HRH Sultan Ahmad Shah, the Sultan of Pahang. In addition, HRH Sultan Ahmad Shah is known to enjoy nature, adventure and the outdoor. His picture depicting him being winched from a moving navy ship to another when he was the King clearly reflects his true self. Thus an adventure race known as Sultan Ahmad Shah International Eco Challenge was inaugurated and organized for the first time in 2008 on the beautiful island of Pulau Tioman in his honor. This inaugurated event was a resounding success and HRH in his speech in 2008 has proclaim that he would like to see this event being organized annually.
In 2008 the event tested the endurance of the participants in running, mountain biking and canoeing, while in 2009 the running endurance of the participants were tested over the jungle of both Tasik Bera and Pulau Tioman. For this year (2010) it will be a running event off the beaten track in Pulau Tioman with a theme to save the sea turtles of Pulau Tioman. This year event is organized in conjunction with TAT Turtle Sanctuary www.tatturtlesanctuary.com to highlight the plight of the sea turtles in Pulau Tioman. In conjunction with this year’s theme a carefully chosen route is planned to take the participants off the beaten track to 3 privately operated turtle conservation facilities in this famous island of Pahang. The 3 facilities are located at Teluk Seri Intan, Kampung Genting and Kampung Juara. It promises grueling challenges, difficult terrains with breathtaking sights and scenery which are not usually experience by the ordinary visitors to this island.
We would like to dedicate this year’s race to highlight the plight of the sea turtles of Pulau Tioman who is racing against time to prevent extinction. As such this year race will be aptly named “ THE TIOMAN TURTLE RACE”
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