Run Wild, Run Free ...

2011 Wrap Up!

2011-12-31T12:40:00.002+08:00

Hey, I'm back! For a wrap up that is lol. Yeah, I am guilty of not updating my escapades. Have do so much, sometimes I just don't know where to start really. Concluding 2011 with this entry as a reminder of how far I've been on my journey of running and biking. In summary, I'd say it's heaps better than 2011 because I've come out from my comfort shell to accomplish the following:

twice 100km finisher
conquered Mount Kinabalu within the cut off time for this unique climbathon
completed a total of 14 full marathon this year
biked more but wished I did have time for more

Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking lah :)

It's a bit small I know but here are the low downs if you care to know :P

14 full marathons
2 ultra 100km
4 ultra (>42km, <100km)
5 half marathon
4 events between 10 and 21km
3 events of 10km
5 events < 10km
1 mount Kinabalu climbathon (21km)
1 duathlon Powerman

Total event mileage of 1,296 km in total :)

On the biking front, did 3 biggies but wished I had time for more. Will put more time for biking in 2012.

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride - 145km
LeTua 100 - 100km
King of The Mountain - 100km up Cameron Highland

For 2010, I collected about 34 medals in total. Read the report here. For 2011, I've collected a total of 43 finisher medals (40 for running and 3 for biking).

For event mileage, I ran a total of 736km. I did 1,296km this year. Close to double!

But I am thankful I completed the year and mileage relatively injury free. That is something you should aim for instead of just chasing dreams without a care for your well being, specially your lovable legs. Please take good care of them as you want them to work for you in years to come.

Here's the pictures of me stash!

That's my 2010 stash, all 34 of them. I keep them in this box. The same for the 2011 stash which will go into this box soon. I may decide to 'hang' some of them, particularly my marathons and ultras but can't decide how and where to.

The 43 medals weighing in a healthy 3.4kg. Just had to weigh this. Perhaps I can sell them for scrap metal one fine day.

All my medals for 7km to 21km (non inclusive). I commit to these shorter races much like doing speed work, cause I'm a bum doing speed work week on week :P

All my 4 half marathons for 2011. From left to right, Ipoh Half, PJ Half, Seremban Half, Bareno Half and Taiping Heritage Half.

My pride and joy for 2012. All my 14 full marathon medals! Excuse the Energizer medal which I had 2 :)

2011 also my debut for Thai marathons which I adore heaps! There's nothing to hate about marathons in thai. From the great hospitality, to scenic routes by the beach, to good food and drinks after the race and even a free massage to boot after the race. I started the year with a PB of 4:13 in Khon Kaen and ended the year with another PB of 3:57 in ChiangMai. I really really had a good year with marathons.

3 for my biking collection. From left to right, Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 145km, King of Mountain Cameron Highlands 100km and LeTua 100km ride.

The 2 LARGEST medal in my collection for this year. My Samsung Galaxy S2 phone is there just to give your perspective on the size lah :P. From left to right, Macau Marathon and The Twilight Ultra Challenge 100km.

Oh, I also need to add that there were the not so sweet events for me in 2011. I DNF (Did Not Finish) 2 events. The first was the Tioman Eco Challange which was the hardest trail run I ever did in my life!!!! Read about it here. But I will be back for this event in 2012 with a big vengeance to finish it!

The other event that I DNF was The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) event. A 100km trail around the picturesque base of Mount Kinabalu which was simply breathtaking. This was my own fault really for wearing the wrong shoes. Wore my Vibram Bikilas which was too much for the stone laden path that covers over 70% of the route. Never mind, wait for me TMBT in 2012!

And that's a wrap folks for 2011! Am ecstatic for my achievements, specially for the ultra 100kms. Never thought I'd able to pull that off but certainly if you put your mind to it, and with the right training base, the sky's the limit. Hope you had a good year with your runs too ya.

Happy new year 2012 and may it bring health, wealth and more PBs to you lol :)

My new year's resolution? Climb and go further, stronger and higher!

25th Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon

2011-10-20T08:13:00.000+08:00

I first climbed Mount Kinabalu in May 2009. Back then yours truly wasn't as fit as now and I remembered the journey up took countless hours just waddling up. And when we got to the peak, it was raining dreadfully with strong winds. So no breaking of dawn sighted unfortunately. What's left was the picture above in freezing temperatures.

2 years down the road, I am now ready to attempt running up Kinabalu. This will be the last year for this climbathon and beginning next year, the format has changed to one that's generally akin to trail running. No more running up Kinabalu.

That said, I have 3.5 hours to reach Low's Peak, the highest peak there is and another 3 hours down to finish. It's going to be super tough reading through blog experiences of this but hey, am going to give it my best shot and enjoy the journey! Cheapest way to see Mount Kinabalu for RM30! :D

Later peeps!

Adidas King of The Road 2011

2011-10-05T20:22:00.000+08:00

I'm back! I hope so lol so what better way than to start it off with a short run. The last time I did Adidas KOTR (King of The Road) was in 2009. It was absent in 2010 and then back again in 2011. When I ran this in 2009, it was done in Shah Alam, signed up for the 12km. That was my early days of running and I was shocked the cut off time for 12km stands at 50mins! There I was thinking only a superman can do 12 clicks under 50mins!

So zooming back to 2011, Adidas KOTR came back with a big bang and hand the same run in 5 other countries besides Malaysia (Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Phillipines) with an option of 16.8km or 10km. I opted for the 16.8km being the kiasu kind. When the race kit collection came, I was frantically looking for my registration email and couldn't find it! There I was thinking I may have not signed up for this! Luckily I could retrieve the registration slip on their official website.

Here's the good stuff of this event, and I have to give my 2 thumbs up to Adidas and the organizer for job well done!

Route was NPE, and heavily elevated. If you know and frequent NPE, you know what I am talking about. Loved the run up the elevated highway that was breezy and cooling! Weather that day was cloudy, perfect.
Sufficient water stations to me spaced out ever 3km or so
Best thing was the whole NPE route was blocked off! It was very rare (specially in Malaysia) to have the whole run route blocked off. And I am talking about this NPE highway and having both sides of the road blocked! Means no annoying and impatient motorists honking nor having to breathe in their stinky exhaust fumes. Perfect!
Baggage was good, no qualms about that even after the event. Went very smoothly.
And the amount of participants that turned out was HUGE!

I'll let the pictures below tell the story of that day :)

Before the event where we were flagged off in front of Sunway Pyramid. I liked their running vest that comes in 3 colour combos. Attractive colours indeed. Picture courtesy of Weng.

Frolicking around with Jeff Ooi at the start. He's dressed in some bunny pajamas with a yellow feather duster in hand. And me clad in my usual sarong. Yes, fun was the objective in our minds.

Yeah baby, suck it up and get though all the hard and big inclines. Those in the 16.8km category had to contend with many inclines on the NPE. Those doing 10km had none to deal with! Along the run, as usual I had lots of cheers and stares because I was running with a sarong. We headed towards the direction of Subang Jaya and made a u-turn later. On the way back, we passed Sunway Pyramid again and I saw the 10km participants in the pen waiting to be flagged off. Plenty of cheers and claps for me and I managed to high 5 many of them. Good fun!

Heading towards PJ now and it was fun running through the toll gates. You've driven many times through this toll gate but it's a rare occasion having to run through one ... for free!

Coming back to the finishing line and thanks to Tey for this happy picture of me. It was tough work getting through the many inclines but once you do, you feel absolutely stonking for a job well done. Means - do more hillwork!!! :)

And done at the finishing line with a time of 1:26:53 which I thought wasn't that shabby for me. I've lost track of my PBs and such and it doesn't matter that much to me nowadays. More importantly for me to enjoy the event and savior the moment accomplishing it.

And a picture of me running with my sarong that came out in the Sin Chew Jit Po newspaper! :D

The finishing medal which wasn't that shabby either. Simple yet elegant.

Overall, this was a superb event as well as a challenging route. But I liked the route cause it's different from the usual ones that most run event would use. I do hope there's a repeat next year and for sure you'd see me there again in my sarong!

Pre Songkhla Marathon 2011

2011-08-26T17:00:00.000+08:00

Hey peeps. Yeah I have been plain lazy updating my blogs with my marathon travels. I will promise to restart the fire after the completion of this 12th (I lost count!) marathon here in Songkhla. Posting from here now. There's something about marathons, the beaches and Thailand! Very mystical indeed. Also, this is my 4 Thai marathon this year.

Samila Beach, Songkhla - Heaven indeed

Sundown Ultra Marathon - Reflections

2011-07-27T19:38:00.000+08:00

Ok, this blog has gone dead, sprouted full of cow webs. I am just not in the current state of mind to blog yet. And yes I still owe you plenty of marathons to cover and the weekend breakaways. Ah well, in time.

Just enjoy the interview set forth by Jamie Pang on the recent Sundown Ultramarathon. I should say he is good at crafting the questions for myself, Paul Lee and Doc Pui San. Yeah, go have a read. It may just come in handy for next year's conquest!

Sundown 100 Exploits: Yim Heng Fatt

Pattaya Marathon - Number Double One

2011-07-14T14:25:00.002+08:00

Number 11th full marathon. Somehow the mojo isn't felt yet. Not the excitement that I felt when doing my first few. Perhaps I am still reeling from the tiredness of Sundown 100km. After all, I read somewhere that you need a day for every long km that you've completed in a marathon. In this case a 100 days and that will take me beyond Hari Raya!

The aftermath of Sundown Ultra marathon was very docile. Didn't do much running this week, instead prefering to cycle instead. Pooky was collecting lots of dust prior. Finally did a trip to Bukit Fraser last week and throwing in a mid week ride around Putrajaya this week. Nothing fancy, just to warm up these old legs.

Perhaps the excitement of Pattaya marathon will kick in tomorrow when I board the plane. Or when I touch down in the Land of Smiles. Or when I get a whiff of heavenly tom yam or pad thai. Note to myself, no tom yam the night before the race ya.

Still owe you the chronicles of my Phuket marathon. That will have to wait till I am back.

Let me try to enjoy this tom yam land marathon. Fingers crossed.

XXX

Roll It Babeh

2011-07-13T14:10:00.001+08:00

Let's talk about pain for a while shall we. If you are wondering what that roller-pin look alike thingy is, thats my ITB home made roller. If you like sports and don't know which part of your leg muscles are the ITB, do a quick google. Understand the importance of your ITB and keeping it in check always.

I love my roller. And i love pain too. Yeah sounds sadist I know. It's the left.over insert of plastic wraps. Wraps used to protect your furniture when moving them. It is extremely hard so it suits me well. You can actually buy foam rollers to blend out your ITB but I prefer my home made one.

I recently took it out for a roll on my ITB. Nah, I don't have ITB issues thus far. Count me lucky stars but there's no harm rolling them ITBs once in a while.

Rolled them slowly while putting my body weight on the roller.

Painful. Means me ITB is stiff as as log.

More rolling slowly from my thigh to the knee caps. More pain.

Errmm loved the pain though. Not sure why. Rasa sedap pulok.

So more rolling for the next 10 minutes or so until I nearly yelled out unable to contain the pain.

But it felt pleasureable though lol.

Pain was near the upper thigh part. Still hurts the day after.

But if that is why it takes to keep my ITB in check, bring it on then. Perhaps the same inflicting pain every two weeks or so.

Ok, so have you rolled lately?

Sundown Ultra Marathon - Madness At Its Best

2011-07-02T13:39:00.002+08:00

The pivotal point where dreams are made of ...

Who would ever want to run 100km? Mere mortals would just shrug at that prospect in their lifetime. But not me. After getting a whiff of it in the recent Twilight Ultra Challenge (TUC), this was just too good to give it a miss. Challenge myself is what I constantly strive for. I may fail but at least I know I've given it my best shot (mind you not blindly though). Failure doesn't mean forever, pride does! So right after TUC, I gingerly clicked on the button that says 'Get Me To Hell!'. That was 3 months ago. As for my training regime, well it remains pretty much the same.

Let's have a peak on my mileage for the last 6 months to the run up.

From Jan to May, I've clocked a total of 819km. Not a not really with a monthly average of 163km. That's also because there's the TUC 100km thrown in there. An average of 40km or so per week. Don't get me wrong. Base mileage or LSD is a must no doubt. Just that I don't spend too much of my time pounding the streets anymore like I use to but to concentrate more on my upper body strength, core and cross training. I honestly think that did help me out tremendously for endurance events. Oh plus since January, I've committed myself to a running and completing a marathon a month. Some months two even. That's the only way I know to knock me off my lazy chair.

I got into Singapore late Friday evening and went to my hotel off in the Geylang area. Yeah I am a cheapo when it comes to accommodation. Then again all I wanted was a good night sleep before the big day. Backpackers to me are ok but I prefer a wee bit privacy and tranquility. Shared the room with Rayzeef whom I was amazed that he had the great BIG balls to sign up. Then again, like I've said if you don't try, you just wont know what you're capable of. A quick supper and it was lights out. I had quite a tough time dozing off with butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Has been that way for the last couple of days. The jitters have bestowed upon me. We chatted for a bit about the big day tomorrow and what to expect. Finally I did slumber off.

I think I had quite a good deep sleep. Woke up as usual around 7.30am and got cleaned up. Ray decided he wanted to snooze more and off I went for breakfast at the nearby coffee shop. The fish ball noddle that I had was rather bland, washed down with a cup of Milo. Had a bit of a walk thereafter around the area before getting back to the hotel. Did the necessary preparation including what I would be running with for the first 50km followed by the Special Needs Bag that will be placed at the 50km mark. Not long at 12pm, we checked out and went for lunch at Arab Street. Hajah Maimunah's little restaurant fed us well with mixed rice and a couple of dishes. Nothing too spicy was the order of the day. Don't want to stomach upset this time around. Something that's synonymous with me and marathons constantly lol.

We took a cab to Marina Barrage from there and the ride wasn't a long one. Cabbie didn't quite know where Marina Barrage was. Strange. He kept uttering Marina South though. Eventually we found out it's the same thing/location. Perhaps not many do come here regularly.

The barrage was an odd shaped building. Oval in shape and massive. It's also flanked by a reservoir on the side which looked pretty nice though. It has both a lower and upper deck and the starting/ending line is at the upper deck! Plenty of signage given throughout the area. No dramas at all.

Those red cones you see are the path where we will leave the barrage at the start and enter again at the very end.

A replica of the Marina Barrage made out of recycled plastic bottles. Unique.

A view towards the sea and you can spot the many barges out there. A couple of dry docks can be seen too.

I'd like to call this 'The Long Long Bridge Walk'. This connects the barrage to the other side of the main land (east side). We exit from the barrage via this and again make our way on this long walk/run at the ending. Epic.

The upper deck of the barrage. The stage is in the foreground and the background is actually quite a sight to behold with the many iconic buildings in sight. What can you spot?

Ok, by now you would have guessed that both Ray and I arrived here plenty early! I think we got there around 2.30pm and man, we had tons of time to kill. What more than to psych ourselves up with photo opportunities aka camwhoring lah. It was a bit cloudy that time and I thought there would be a spot of rain. Nah. It was nice and sunny thereafter.

Yes please! I want to be back here on Sunday morning! Standing almighty and proud that I could finish this monster 100km.

Pretty backdrop indeed. We were not the only ones there. Plenty of others that came here for a nice little picnic or for a chance to fly their kites. It was a lovely windy day.

One of the many pretty kites taking on the blue sky. I just laid on my back watching the sky aflutter with the many colourful kites to calm me down.

From the top deck of the barrage looking down. Yup that's the ramp that we would run down from the start and then again run up to the finishing line.

Families came here to fly kites and to basically have lots of fun with mother nature. If you asked me, at this point of time it didn't look like there was a 100km event going on. Just colourful kites flying around, families gathering and having a nice picnic, dotted with children's laughter all around. Nice.

There was still a couple of hours to kill till 6pm so we tried making ourselves comfy at the nearby bench to catch a couple of winks and just to calm the nerves. Things became abuzz again after 4pm where more participants started to turn up. And off we went to get prepared. Showers nozzles were set up nearby that allowed us for one final cool down and gearing up.

Ray and I nearly geared up and ready to rumble the day and night away! Photo courtesy of Ida

Familiar faces were soon seen. From left Frank, myself, Ray and Chin Ann. Just moments away from the start. Soon, we checked in our baggage and our Special Needs Bag which will be transported to the 50km pit stop. Everything went smoothly as ever, nice. I ran just with my Solomon hydration belt that would carry about 600ml of fluid along with my SPI belt to hold my gels/ORS/Nuun tablets/mobile phone.

I didn't run with my GPS watch as it won't last that 16 hours or so. Therefore, I wore my Timex Tap but it still had a mind of its own to auto tap from time to time sigh. So I took these lap times off from the official timekeeper. Uniquely, for every 10km completed, it will automatically post the times onto my FaceBook page for my friends and family to follow my progress.

10km 1:09:33. Pace 6:57
20km 2:11:50. Pace 6:36
30km 3:23:11. Pace 6:46
40km 4:48:54. Pace 7:13
50km 6:27:11. Pace 7:45
60km 8:21:18. Pace 8:21
70km 10:06:59. Pace 8:40
80km 11:42:01. Pace 8:47
90km 13:08:03. Pace 8:45
100km 14:35:04. Pace 8:45

10km 1:09:33. Pace 6:57
The race got started off at precisely 6pm. Was a warm late afternoon with the sun still up high. Slightly windy conditions for the moment but humidity high. My race strategy was to run my own pace at around 7 to 8km/h for the first 50km. And I sliced my targets to more a manageable distance of each 10km. That was my learning from TUC. This is an endurance race so you can't just go bolting off from the start. Well, not unless your name is Ahmad Lamchanak lol. We ran down the spiraling path to the ground floor of the barrage and we made our way out via the bridge I described earlier.

And off we went minutes after the flag off. Thanks to Leon for this photo.

I think overall there were about 800 or 900 participants. This was what I was told. So all of us started to run gingerly and before you know it, someone opened up my sweat glands and I got drenched in no time at all. I remember passing through condos by the lakeside. Many were out walking their doggies in the lovely evening and once in a while giving us a cheer or two. Thereafter our very first pedestrian bridge to climb over to the other side of the road and then into some lovely double storey and semi-d houses. Strange route lol but at least it wasn't that boring. Then into an underpass that was might long before getting into infamous ECP. Pretty much 10km done in 1hour 9mins which was still an ok pace for me.

20km 2:11:50. Pace 6:36

Ahh the very very familiar ECP park. You either love it or hated it. This time though I loved it though. Not sure why but the run was quite refreshing. You have the public out in full force doing their 'thang' and having a merry time. Perhaps that did help distract me for a bit. By now I can memorize what's in ECP having done this route umpteenth times now. Everything was dejavu ala TUC when I came to the East Coast Lagoon stretch. Felt a bit weird though. When we were done with ECP, it was onto the National Sailing Club which did have a couple of inclines to deal with. Also pass by the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal too and then towards the Tanah Merah golf course.

At this point 20km was gone. Pace was easy to moderate and all engines were running smooth as a baby's bottom. Yes it was humid but I made sure I did stop by the water stations at each 10km. They had cold water or 100+, and an array of snacks and tidbits too. Bananas, oranges, chocy bars, hot dogs and what nots. I only took water or 100+ and the bananas and oranges. Ignored the rest as they were a tad heavy for me. Took a gel every hour or so. Completed 20km in 2hours 11mins and pace was just alright.

30km 3:23:11. Pace 6:46
This leg brought us into the dreaded and awfully boring Changi Coast Road. Yeah the same one in Sundown Marathon were it is just parallel to the airport runway. It was bloody long and straight and mighty boring. Well, once in a while if you're lucky you'd be treated with either a plane taking off or landing. Other than that, it's horrendously long stretch to contend with. And if you surive that, you get into yet another park called Changi Beach Park.

Wasn't much drama here but it was pitch dark now. Red beacons were laid out along the route every 20 or 30 meters which were easy to spot. Else it's signs put up to indicate the direction to follow. KM markers were set up every 2km only. Junctions/traffic lights were manned perfectly with no untoward dramas with the motorists. I'd have to say Singapore drivers are a patient lot! Nice. Completed this with no dramas either. Legs were good and cooperative. No cramps at all. Stopped at the water station for a couple of minutes of resting/stretching and rehydrating. Ate a banana and had cool oranges.

40km 4:48:54. Pace 7:13
Right, this is where things began to get a bit tougher for me. Trying to get to the 40km mark began to show signs of fatigue. No thanks to the high humidity and the still of the night. The end point was the Pasir Ris Park. This was the start of what I like to call 'counting the concrete drain covers'. Yup, was running a lot on the side of the street where the drain covers were. At some point I was just counting how many covers there were lol. That's just to distract the tiredness and fatigue away from me. It was running in the concrete jungle after all. Nothing to interesting here along this path that I can remember though. Finally I got into the 40km pit stop. Rested and ate a bit and filled up my bottle. I made it a point to stretch at each 10km which did help. My pace were a bit slower now for this last leg but still alright.

I carried the banana from the start of 30km but didn't eat it along the way lol. It was perhaps just being my companion or rather I just couldn't stomach anything that time.

50km 6:27:11. Pace 7:45
Ok, the pain starts now trying to get to 50. I think the 50 to 70 mark were the toughest for me but once I got through to 70 it was a tad better. Legs were getting heavier but thankfully no signs of cramps yet. How heavy? As if they were made of steel. Come what may, I just had to drag them steel legs through, step by step. In the dead of the night, there were still quite a few runners in front and at the back but nary a word uttered. Each with their own internal battle, trying to ward and fight off the internal demons. All I could hear was the sounds of heavy breathing and the scampering of the shoes against the concrete.

The end game is to make it to the Bedok Reservoir where the big 50km mark is and where we will get to our Special Needs Bag. We were running through the back of some apartments, going though some narrow pathway, through a pedestrian bridge again and back into the open streets.

I can't remember if I caught up with Paul and Paul caught up with me halfway through the 40 to 50km mark. Nevertheless I was glad. Ignore the 52km sign, it was actually at 48km (the reverse side). Paul helped pull me through with minimal walking as these legs of mine were protesting heavily. And the mind was going haywire too. When we got into the Bedok Reservoir, the path was made of stones and pebbles which were kinda hurtful for my vibrams.

What seemed like an eternity but we reached the BIG 50km mark! As we approach the pit stop, my special needs bag were handed promptly to me. Brilliant! Time to restock my gels and ORS onto my SPI belt. Rested for a longer bit where Paul and I reevaluated the big question of how to proceed on. Everything hurt at this point of time. Couldn't stomach the hot dog or anything heavy but I did have a small cup of tomato soup which was heaven sent! Also attacked the bananas and cold oranges, as well as the cold water and 100+.

It's now 6hours 27mins after 50km. Halfway there and another half to go. Sounds simple right? I wish it was. The mind protested not to have any more of the hurt and pain. I just had to swipe that away and move on. Mind over matter now and it's showing who's the real boss here. Else, it's the demise of you. I had a change of my top which was a blessing. No more wet top. Changed my 'tudung' too lol cause it was wet. Was here for about 10mins and I decided to push on. Couldn't find Paul anywhere so I just scoot off by myself. 50 more babeh was ringing in my mind. That's all I cared for at that precise moment. Pace for this last leg was 7:45 which I considered was still very well on target (9 or below would suit me fine).

60km 8:21:18. Pace 8:21
Like I've said before, the 50 to 70 mark was the hardest for me and my target was still to get to the 70 mark within 10 hours (just like what I accomplished in TUC). The return route was just a reverse of the way we came. So now it's making our way back via Tampines to Pasir Ris Park. Oh yeah, that reminds me seeing the huge blue Ikea building along the way here. But there's no time to shop now!

Fresh change of wardrobe does wonders to your mind and soul.

This part of the leg was tougher. Legs were heavier than usual and I had to stop regularly for some quick stretches to keep the cramps at bay. Every time I squat time to stretch, some volunteer on a bike will come by asking if I am ok lol. I just smile at them and signal that I am good. Runners were getting scarce in the dead of the night. After all it is now 2.30am in the morning where the good souls of the world would be nicely tucked into their warm bed. And me? Still waddling in the dead of the night, trying not to get my emotions get the best of me and just soldier on. You can't stop and give up. Should you do, then it's probably game over.

I ditched my MP3 player around the 30km mark cause I got bored of it. Listening to the dead of the night was a better alternative instead. I read somewhere to keep the cramps at bay, one has to breathe deep to ensure we don't max up our VO2. From the start, I kept reminding myself to breath deep. Deep inhale and quick exhale. So far, it worked well without cramps in sight. So back to running the usual route of the back of some apartment, some narrow paths, through a pedestrian bridge and finally into the 60km pit stop. Thank goodness! 8 hours 21 mins now, pace 8:21. Getting slower now.

70km 10:06:59. Pace 8:40
Getting to 70 was touch. Pace was much slower and had quite a few brisk walks. Everything hurt badly now. Your quads and calves were very tight. My shoulders began to ache badly. And I still have 40km to go. Every now and then I would glance at my phone looking at the wonderful messages my friends have left me on FaceBook. That kept me going too as I know I wanted this badly. So long these legs are still attached to this god damn body, I will continue on even if I have to crawl. At this point I brought along sponges from the last station to start wiping me down every now and then. And also to clean my feet as the salt that's formed on my feet has a tendency to cause chafing on my feet using vibrams.

Oh heck at some point I was singing to myself to keep me amused. So if you were running nearby me and heard that awful singing, suck it up! It was a long way and all of us had different ways to tune out from the pain, so to speak. The route were getting a bit familiar now having done it once and each step gets you much closer to the big goal. I ran and walked like a zombie, pre-programmed without fail. With every km marker I see, I would congratulate myself for making this far and that gave me a boost somewhat.

I hated it when I see a marker ending with '2' or '4' but loved the marker when it ended with a '6' or '8' :D. Such were the tricks that I have created to keep me going and going. And before you know it, I have managed to haul my butt to the 70km pit stop! But I was slightly behind now at 10hour 6mins with a pace of 8:40 there was evidently getting slower and slower.

80km 11:42:01. Pace 8:47
After the hydration and refilling of my bottle, with some stretches I was off. Only had bananas and oranges as usual and drank plenty. At this point I had to go to the loo which was indeed a good sign. Mind you it wasn't the big job but just the small one. I kept psyching myself it's only 30 more and you can do it. The END is bloody near!

But oops, it was now onto Changi Beach park and then back into the dreaded Changi Coast Road! Oh no! Once I reached this long long long stretch, it was pure torture! I kept looking for the next 2km marker and I think there was one missing here. It was flat and long, And no matter how much I waddled, it didn't seem to end at all. An eternity it was as if time just stood still and the end just seems to stretch further and further.

I could have kissed the ground when I finally saw the 78km marker! With this great determination I shuffled non stop for the next 2km to the 80km pit stop. In my mind, I was rejoicing cause I only 20 more km to complete! I have been on the roads for close to 12 hours now covering 80km with the last pace at 8:47. Yes, it's getting slower but more importantly I was still able to run or walk keeping to the 9m/km pace.

90km 13:08:03. Pace 8:45
Ahhh ... ECP again and how I love thee ECP! Well for this once I guess haha. I remember giving myself a quick smile cause the end is near. I know without a doubt. If I can keep going on like this, the end is all mine. Daylight was breaking soon. The distraction for me was to look at the campers along the park. At times I could see the adults and children all asleep nicely in a row. Some teenagers were still wide awake chatting about and keeping themselves amused. Once in a while there's the cooling breeze that envelopes you and reminds you just how precious life is and can be.

Somewhere here, a lady stopped me and asked if I needed anything. I said I wanted a cold icy Coke please as I had this craving for a while now. She said, not a problem and one was whisked out promptly for me. She and her team were supporting the runners and I guess they were from a Singapore running club. Good jobs supporting the ultra runners for the whole night! Before I bid thank you and good bye, I was handed a god sent 'asam boi' ice popsicle. The ones I remember having when I was a child running about with not a care in the world. As I sucked on the posicle, the saltiness and sourish taste jolted me wide awake as I continued on my final journey.

Knowing that the end was nearer, I swore I kept at a much consistent pace now without resorting to walking. I did pass quite a number of runners who have now walked more than they could run. Towards the tail end of ECP, the park came alive with many Sunday morning runners taking on the running path as well as cyclists. Many cheered me on with support. Yes, they were strangers to me but when they took a look at my bib, they knew I had battled the whole night pounding the never ending 100km. Words of encouragement such as 'Good job', 'Keep it going', 'The end is near now' left me wringing out a smile as much as I can and tears started to well up in my eyes. Such was the feeling and emotions that enveloped me at those very moments. And it gave me new found strength to continue on strong.

Finally, 90km completed after 13 hours and 8mins with a pace of 8:45. I had been a quite a consistent pace for the last 30km and I was amazed by that reflecting back. This last water station was the best. Everyone urged me on for the final 10. The volunteers were there for the whole night but they were a bunch with never ending high spirits, never know if tiredness at all. I felt euphoric! I felt new found energy from the deepness within me! Where did it come from? I don't know and I don't care. I rest for only a few minutes, and rehydrated well and off I went for my final stretch! I have never felt any happier!

100km 14:35:04. Pace 8:45
It was broad daylight now and I had my sunnies on. First time wearing these babies lol. At around 8am, the sun was already high up and shining bright. I counted down each and every 2km, based on the markers. The first 2km markers at 92km was done in a jiffy and with much gusto. Then it was 94km done. Yes, those are familiar territories I am in including the initial long pedestrian bridge which we had to pass through. And then into the double storey houses and semi-Ds. Yes, it's getting close and I can just feel it.

Very few of us can be seen now. Mostly I was running alone or managing to pass more runners who were just walking. Yup I can now see the so called lake. The barrage should just be up ahead. The marker read 98 but that last 2km was the longest run of my life. It seemed like an eternity before I could even spot the linking bridge to the barrage. Such torture I tell ya! Soon the barrage looked bigger and bigger. I could hear from far the emcee calling out the names of those who have completed, including a familiar name Victor Loh who had just completed!

My heart were pounding faster and faster! This is it I kept telling myself. What I had hoped and wished for is finally here! Emotions were like a washing machine on super speed, going round and round and there's just no words to describe them. Honest.

Thanks Shasha for this brilliant picture. That's me making my way through the bloody long bridge linking to the Marina Barrage. I am coming home!

As I enter the barrage complex, I could hear the claps and cheers all around me. The atmosphere was just out of this world. One final hurdle was to run up the ramp for another 100m to reach the finishing line. I ran strong up the ramp. Whatever tiredness or hurt just melted away there and then.

My defining moment just up the ramp which had a grassy path. Thanks Key Power International for this brilliant capture. Every time I stare at this photo, my emotions goes into turbulence mode and wells up automatically. Nothing is indeed impossible

Another lovely photo by Key Power International. Just moments away from the finishing line.

The winning shot for me. 100km and after 14 hours and 35mins I cross the finishing line with full of triumph and victory! Thanks to Leon You for this wonderful finishing photo. The emotions on my face pretty much sums up the whole journey.

Thanks Leon again for the brilliant capture. When you cross the line, the emcee proudly announces your name and country as well as your timing. And you get to really cross the finishing tape held for you specially. Felt like a king that time.

And immediately, you are presented with the finishing medal as well as a towel wrapped around you. A big boulder was lifted off my shoulders that very moment. That was how I felt that time. The journey has finally completed for me after the blood, sweat and tears over 14 god damn hours.

After that it was chillax time. We were escorted off to a cordoned area where a buffet of food was prepared specially for us ultra runners. I caught up with friends who have finished or arriving at that time. Congratulations went out all around when one by one crossed the all important finishing line.

Needless to say ... my precious hard earned medal! :)

And that my friends, brings to a close of my epic and emotional journey. If you were to ask me the million dollar question as to would I do it again? Yes :). After all I've done it twice now but I will be more selective in the future. I have to say this again, I'm afraid and some may now want to hear this. The original cut off time was 16 hours, and I stuck to my word to finish it within the 16 hours. And I have.

That's my official time in the Sundown Ultramarathon Hall of Fame 2011. Sliced off over 40mins from my PB in TUC. Sundown was much tougher. I'd say at least 30% tougher compared to TUC. It was a tough journey leading to the actual race with all the training preparation. You just can't discount the training part which one will need to commit to.

Let's look at what I consumed over the 100km, for hydration and refueling.
1. 6 gels only. I relied on bananas as much as I could and where I could. Oranges. Took a cup of tomato soup. I think that's about it.
2. ORS sachets about 7 of them (for my bottle)
3. Nuun tables about 7 of them (for my bottle)
4. Cliff Shot Bloks (electrolyte chews) of six pieces throughout the whole duration when needed

That's all. I know it's not much but I can't really eat much after the initial 50km. Having said that, I did not face any cramping throughout the journey. Tense muscles yes, plenty and made sure I do lots of stretching at regular intervals or when the need arises. It helps.

Thanks going out to the running fraternity with the likes of Karen, Kak June, KA, Shine, Frank, Jamie, Zack Yui, Kash, Deo, Syah, Ian, Ray, Juliana, Paul Lee, Pui San, RBUs, Chap Ayam Runners and many many more whom I've not mentioned here. You know who you are! I've learned lots from you guys and always being there and believing in myself. You guys rock!

I'm happy I finished 100km injury free and running just with my vibrams. Not many can or will do that but I have and I'm darn proud of achieving the impossible! Till the next 100km lol!

I Had Sundown and Sunrise for Breakfast!

2011-06-27T07:55:00.000+08:00

Camwhoring at the finishing line! Nice touch where the organizers had a booth where you get this funky Polaroid in many actions for free!

The going was tough, super tough. Twilight Ultra Challenge was easier, much easier because it was endless loops to just contend with. Sundown Ultramarathon was a beast of it's own, all 100km of it. There were pedestrian bridges to get through, some back alley of someone's house, a reservoir with roads lined with stones and pebbles (ouch to my vibram!), long never ending stretches of Changi airport route but for some odd reasons, for the first time I enjoyed running thought ECP! lol.

Never had I had to really test my patience and mental ability to the max. Emotions ran high in the first 50km and even prompted me at times to just throw in the towel. But it was the great friends that I ran along with that made me stay focus in my mission. And I managed to shave 40 mins off my PB this time. Rest now and the flurry details will come soon.

Go Go Ultraman!

2011-06-22T15:25:00.001+08:00

Nicked this off from FB. Posted by one of the many friends giving shout outs to all the Ultramans competing in the Sundown Ultramarathon this Saturday. Lose the sleep. Lose the sanity. It shall be all systems go, no matter what.

And every time I read something and anything that has to do with Sundown Ultramarathon, my heart goes racing like a choo choo train. It is that daunting. Even for me that has completed a 100km before. The past history doesn't always dictate the future. And thus, I must forget about my previous encounter with the one double zero, and treat this with a virgin blank slate. Yes I still consider myself a UMV (Ultra Marathon Virgin) :D

3 more sleepless nights to go...

Of Fame, Xttramile and Larian Koperasi

2011-06-16T20:39:00.001+08:00

Hey peeps! Yeah, I've been long gone and didn't find much time to update my dusty blog. I still owe you my Phuket Marathon experience but I will leave that till later when I find the time. A couple of things that's going to happen this week and weekend. Just to tell you that I'm still alive and bouncing around like a wabbit!

And yay! I got my sarong pic in the newspaper again. This time in The Stars newspaper dated 16 June 2011. This snapshot was the one the New Balance Pacesetter 15km Run held a couple of weeks back. The write even got my name correct! So there you go, running 'differently' can sure garner some attention :)

Secondly, I will be lending my legs to my friend Alex Au-Yong who will be running 100km for a very good cause. It's for the kids at StART Society pledging to raise RM100,000 for the music and dance program. Read more about it here. And since I've lent my legs, please do your bit too in donating what you can ya.

And no, I won't be running the full 100km with Alex, that will be stealing his thunder lol. I am saving my legs for my own 100km demon to defeat the following weekend!

I will start off at the Palace of Justice Putrajaya at 6pm Friday 17 June alongside a bunch of good peeps that will be running alongside Alex. We will make our way to IOI mall clocking 24km.

And then from IOI mall we make our way off to Sunway Pyramid clocking 28km. Huh? IOI mall to Sunway Pyramid is only 4km by foot? :)

And then off to 7-11 Taipan for a total of 34km. And yes I am still running with the group!

Passing through Shell at Persiaran Tujuan (38km) and to Pos Malaysia at Pantai Baru Highway (40km).

And finally making our way to Empire for a total of 43km at which I will fall out of the group. Along the way, there will be new friends joining in as well as opting out. Each can run as much as they want to. But for me, I'll just do my usual marathon distance which will be my last LSD before Sundown 100km next week!

So if you are in your car, or bike or just walking around those routes that I've listed above, please honk! Flash your headlamps! Yell on top of your lungs! Anything and everything to show your support ya! :D But don't lah go bang us ok :P

And on Sunday morning, I'll do my weekly speedwork at this Larian Koperasi. It's only a 7km run so be sure to catch me in my usual garb of sarong there ya!

Eeek! Blimey!

2011-06-10T11:00:00.005+08:00

I've created a monster out of myself. I think reality has just hit me hard of what I did. Too much of TUC (Twilight Ultra Challenge) ain't good for you. Once you've entered the Twilight Zone, it drives you insane. So insane that you crave for more. And here I am subconsciously and right after the TUC, and after many sleepless nights, clicked on this.

Why? I need to know (and confirm) the first time wasn't a fluke .... or was it? Only one way to find out come 25 June 2011. Although the cut off time has been extended another 2 hours to 18 hours (read blah), I am still aiming for the wholesome 16 hours.

How far is 100km? Bloody far when it's on 2 legs. And I am shaking like badly made jelly now. Help!

New Balance Pacesetter 15km Run

2011-06-08T20:55:00.000+08:00

Well, what can I say about this run other than it's well organized, sufficient water stations that served water and gatorade and a new venue this year. Previously it's at the lake gardens rolling around into the double hills and what not hills. Hey, where there's Pacesetters involved, there'd be surely plenty of hills to conquer to. This year, it's a different tune where it's held at Putrajaya. My playground indeed.

I had more up my sleeves though. Been neglecting my LSDs lately and since I freaked out, I've decided to make this Sunday morning my LSD instead. On the menu was a pre 25km completed before this 15km run at 6.30am. No sweat. Done this before. So at precisely 1.30am Sunday morning, my alarm went off. Dragged my sorry ass to the Palace of Justice by about 2.30am and plodded off into the wilderness all alone. The gang (yeah YOU!), that was supposedly turn up by 11pm the night before was no where to be seen. God. Ah well, I told myself the show will just have to go on ... alone.

Off I went in the direction of the Putrajaya International Convention Center (PICC), made the customary hills surrounding it and back to PoJ and onto the Prime Minister's office at the other end of the loop. Got back into PoJ to clock 11km. Nice. Quick pitstop and off for my second round where I suddenly bumped into Khairul Annuar. Seemed he did his LSD from 1am. God. So we set off together in his pace but we detoured into Pullman Hotel/Putrajaya swimming pool area and back into PoJ again. Seems he was hesitant about doing PICC in the dead of the night lol. It was gossip pace, and with that we had gossips. Juicy ones, big ones, question marked ones, the whole lot.

By the time we got back to Poj, he had done 35km whilst I was only at 20km. The crowed picked up at the starting line of the 15km run. Also bumped into Jamie who was also doing his pre LSD. I left Khairul while I plodded onwards to the PM's office to make up the remaining 5km. Back into PoJ and completed my intended 25km in about 2hours 50mins. 30mins to go before the flag off at 6.30am. Pitstop into the nearby toilet. Errm .... I won't say more right?

Then it was the usual hellos and hi to the usual runner friends whilst we got ready for the flag off. Pics galore below.

Minutes before the flag off. Yes it's pitch dark because it's just before 6.30am on a Sunday morning. Generally, most races will start at 7am but this was a special request so that the runners won't get toasted in the sun as early as 7.30am.

Piling up before the starting gantry. There were about 2,000 runners I was told. All very eager to try this new route.

And the gun went off and we went running into the dead of the night or rather morning. I decided to run with my camera this time for the fun of it. But it's hard to take decent pictures and run at the same time.

Dannie and Carrie, the lovely couple, volunteering this time with the water stations. I think I shall volunteer soon. You know, sort of giving back to the running community. A+ for Dannie's water station. Plenty of cups filled with water at all times.

And we headed towards PICC as dawn was just breaking. This was over the bridge and you can see the flying saucer PICC in the middle of the picture. Yes, it was uphill for this bridge.

And around PICC did we go. Yes the hilly bits unfortunately. And yes, it's already morning and the sun is trying to peek out. Gladly, it was rather cloudy for the whole of the morning.

And then off to the Pullman Hotel where the first u-turn awaits us runners. I can't remember what km is this but I guess around km 6 or 7. Organizers should have the km markers. Not every km but perhaps every 2 or 3km for the benefit of runners trying to pace.

And back to the bridge before PICC. It's nice and bright now and more uphill this time around. I was already knackered from the early 25km and was just trying to hold on to the 6min pace as much as I could. Everything in me hurts!

After the bridge, we made a left turn which brought us parallel to the PoJ and the other government buildings. Secretly, I wanted to just walk cause my energy reserve was zero. Forgotten to swallow a gel before this 15km began. Oh well, I plodded through the pain.

And again bumped into Dannie and Carrie's water station. That's Carrie looking sombre lol. But hey, there's Gatorade drinks! I do wish they were super cold though.

And finally a right turn back into the main streets. Rejoice did I cause I guess it was just another 2 or so km to contend with before getting to the finishing line.

Oops. Instead of turning right back to the starting line, we were made to turn left! %&*#&@# mental ... mental, where art thou? No choice but to just plod on me said to meself.

Oh lordy, I can't even see the u-turn in front! I think it was like a good km before we even reach the u-turn (ok I am exaggerating of course!). Well, it seemed like an eternity lah!

Oh joy! The blasted final u-turn finally! Yes, I was dead by now. Honestly. I was running on fumes. Me legs seemed like concrete, so bloody heavy.

Time stood still when trying to end this misery. But I knew the end is near. Only mantra I could think of was to repeat '10 more steps now ...' again, and again.

And YESSSSSSS ... the finishing line finally! I thought this pain I was in would never ever end. That's it! I've completed 40km in total and brings my own LSD to a close.

First 25km in 2.52.03 and the remaining 15km in 1.27.39 for a total of 40km in 4 hours and 20mins. If only I could hold the last 15km timing for a marathon. That would be sweet!

But of course I ran that 15km in my ever trusty sarong :). Thanks Tey for the that picture, just metres away from the finishing line.

The front and back of the unique finisher medal depicting PICC building

Overall good event, no complaints really. Enjoyed it and at 15km, it's nicely placed between a 10km event and a half marathon event. Hey, make sure you join in next year cause I know I will!

Now excuse me whilst I go pack my bathing suit for my 12th marathon this Sunday in .... sunny, beachy Phuket! :)

Of Pacesetter New Balance 15km and LSD

2011-06-04T14:09:00.002+08:00

Another weekend, another run. Then again I really, seriously needed to slot in some good LSD here, somewhat. Specially those long runs at night for the upcoming biggie. Unlike my compatriot Zack Yui, I ain't raking in the mileage week on week. Bring out the shocks, the horrors and what nots and press that dreaded panic button please. I'm up for the biggest task of my life so far and I am freaking out!

Therefore, toss in some creative thinking, I'll be doing my long LSD tonight at PoJ the usual hunting grounds. Beginning from 11+pm till the start of this NB15km the very next morning at 6.30am. If you see me crawling during this NB15km, please please don't ask me to run any faster ok or I'll come after you and give you a good spanking. A pleasant and chirpy 'GoYimter Go' shall suffice ok!

And should you ask what big event is this? I'll keep the suspense for the time being and let you know ... next week! Run safe now and seeya bright and early 6.30am!

Sleep can wait!!!

Sundown Full Marathon 2011

2011-06-02T22:22:00.001+08:00

Right. Where shall I start? Oh yeah, sometimes disaster can strike twice! It was the same event last year where I did my half marathon and had plenty of issues with my right knee. So much so, it left me sidelined for 6 weeks. Well, this year I was more fortunate and did finally manage to finish my 11th marathon, safe and sound. But of course, there's plenty of drama to go with it :)

The bus ride from Changi Expo to the race site was similar to last year. It took over an hour and as we inched closer to ground zero, there was a massive jam. Same like last year. It was already 8pm but the bus was still about 2km away from ground zero. Poor half marathoners had to alight from the bus and ran for their lives to the starting line!

The usual cam-whoring Malaysian style of course. Was a big bunch from Malaysia itself running this event. So much so, sleep doesn't even mean anything anymore. Thanks Tey for the fab picture as usual.

And me playing peek-a-boo behind one of the pillars. Actually I was trying to stretch away, minutes from the starting time of 10pm. Already, I was drenched. It was bloody humid coupled with the still air.

Anyway, we were finally flagged off at 10pm and there we were running the night away. A very long night. There were about 8,000 marathoners and right from the word Go, we were jostling for space to get going. I still wished for the organizers to open the route slightly wider for all of us to run through. Trying to run side by side with another sweaty runners ain't a bit pleasant at all.

Wasn't till about 5km where things started to ease off a bit. The route was a long long one. Flat almost and straight. First 10km was done alongside the Changi runaway. Entertainment for me was seeing the planes take off and landing. Water was served every 2km which was a very nice touch. Although I hated the 100plus which had a hint of ginger in it. Perhaps it was just me foul mouth.

First 10km done in 55mins which was a tad fast. 13km my legs felt heavy, breathing became slightly difficult and my mind just shut off. I had to listen to my body and had to just crawl to a walk. Runners whizzed by me. A rather desolating feeling indeed. Walked and jogged until the 17km where I puked. Could be the red bean bun I had less than 2 hours before starting. Or was it the cheese bun? Hmmm... Anyway, I wasn't any better after letting my guts out. Head was spinning in it's own ding dong world. Then I gulped down so much of water and 100plus cause I was dehydrated.

Walked more till about 21km where the u-turn came. Then Halim from Singapore came alongside me and he was also fighting his own demons. We walked for a long while before my tummy turned on the switch for 'I need a dump now!'. Yes dejavu indeed and here I was thinking for once, I don't need to do an emergency potty poo. Can't see the portable loos anywhere in sight and so the land of Singapore had a bit of my fertile dump :).

And right after the dump, stretched for a bit and booyah. I could resume running. The dizziness, spasms, cramping and what nots just melted away magically. And ran I did non stop until the finishing line! I swear it's the poo regime!!!

And for once, I didn't even look at my watch throughout the whole run cause I knew it would probably be my PW (Personal Worst). Lo and behold, I got to the finishing line in 5 hours 2 mins and 41 secs. Just 3 mins off my personal worst lol.

The humid and night condition made it difficult, not just to me but to most of the runners. Just tells you how ill equipped you are to run this marathon at night. Back to the training board me thinks and will throw in some night runs in preparation for the biggie soon.

My hard fought 11th marathon medal!!!

Anyway, there will be good days, and there will also be not so good ones. Take it as an experience in understanding the shortcomings and improving on them. Here's to no 12th next week! *big gulps*

Sundown Full Marathon 2011

2011-05-27T14:00:00.002+08:00

Sleep can't wait! I love my sleep! Night marathons, something about it that I just can't pin point sometimes. I do know it's tougher running at night compared to the wee hours of the morning but hey, it's still a challenge. Last year, I was here for my half marathon which also signaled a horrid time where I began to have knee issues severely. So severe that it saw me hobbling to the finishing line after km 14. And of course, I was out of action 6 weeks after.

So, how does it feels like running 42.195km at night? I did get a taste of it during the recent Energizer 'Fun' Marathon but that started much earlier. This one starts at 10pm and guarantees you to run past midnight. Unless you have a Kenyan name. And it's back to the familiar East Coast Park (ECP) that's all too familiar during my recent Twilight Ultra Challenge event where I spent the next 15hours going back and forth. I think I can safely now tell you how many trees are lined up there lol.

Nevertheless, this will be a new experience for me. Marathon no 11 this will be and yes, there's more to come in time. So good luck to those doing Sundown and at the same time does running in the Hat Yai marathon! Be safe and more importantly enjoy your run and trip!

Lari Keputeraan Sultan Azlan Shah 2011

2011-05-26T20:35:00.000+08:00

Small town race events, don't you just love them? What I love most about them is the simplicity at stake and the slow motion pace of the town that's almost stands still for you to appreciate. After all, getting stuck in the big cities for umpteenth years makes you less appreciative of what such beautiful towns has to offer. If I were you, I'd list this down on your to-do list for next year. Bring the whole family along too cause there's just plenty to offer in Kuala Kamgsar. Not to mention ... the food of course lol.

This 14km run event (and 7km event also available) was in conjunction with the King's Birthday celebration. Nice. And when it's organized by the Pacesetters Athletic Club, you can doubly sure it's baked to near perfection.

Here are the good stuffs about the organization of this event:

1. It has 3 water stations for the 14km route. More than sufficient. And it has yummy Gatorade! 2 of the stations even had bananas too. Good stuff. Although having said that, I'd wish they pour the Gatorade onto cups instead of handing out the whole can which is such a waste since people like me, would take a couple of gulps and then just discard the rest off.

2. And when it's organized by Pacesetters, rest assured there'd be plenty of hills for you to tackle. No, seriously there were rolling hills, many. I was told the route this year was different from last year. Last year's route were rather flattish to tackle. This year, trust Pacesetters to find routes that has plenty of rolling hills. But it is indeed a good workout no doubt.

3. And of course the whole KL runners came down to support. It was just like any other run event in KL. All those familiar faces seen here, invading the little small town of Kuala Kangsar. And even most of the accommodation here were full to the brim! Good for catch ups once again and the odd gossips no doubt lol. Even those residing from the north came full force for this event.

4. I'd say the route management and control were A class. The police and RELA personnel were out on duty helping us man the junctions for traffic. Then again, this is a small little town where vehicles weren't that many on that sleepy Sunday morning. There were even volunteers on mountain bikes doing the escorts. Nice touch indeed instead of us having to suck in the motorbike's fumes. Hey, I was even escorted for the last km or so lol. They'd prolly think I would suddenly slip and fall tripping on my sarong :)

5. Plenty of water/gatorade after the run and even had light snacks of noddles and kuih muihs (local cakes). Best part is you don't have to jostle with million others just to get a gulp of drink after the race. No event t-shirt but you get a lovely dri fit finisher tee! And coupled with a unique finisher medal in the shape of a 'labu sayong' - the traditional vessel to store water here in Perak which makes the water stored cool at all times.

The route where we ran our butts out for 14km in total. Beginning from Sek Men Clifford into Taman Mawar, into Taman Melor and then crossing the lovely and scenic Kuala Kangsar bridge which by the way was rather misty that morning. Then we made a u-turn further up and back to the bridge again and then into the istana area. This was where the hilly part was. Conquer that and back to town again to the finishing line. I'll give it A+ for the rah rah aka support part where there was 3 ethnic groups performing on kompangs (Malay), drums (Chinese) and then more drums (Indian) which I thought was a lovely touch which helped to sync the rhythmic beats to your running cadence and pump it up faster!

You wouldn't catch me running in anything else but my Vibrams and sarong :). Thanks Leon You for the fab pic.

I got paced somewhere halfway by Rahimi (thanks to FB you eventually find out who that someone was lol). I tried shaking him off but no dice. He stuck to me like glue from thereon all the way, side by side to the finishing line. Was also escorted by the volunteer on the mountain bike to the left. Grand! Felt like a king lol. Thanks to Chuah Sakura for this pic. And Rahimi was in the Men's Open category. That's giving him a run for his money hahaha.

Love this picture the most, and very meaningful. Thanks Sean Wong. Rahimi and I heading to the glorious finishing line after a fast paced 14km. I think most about everyone there was dumb struck seeing me running with the sarong :)

The unique finisher medal that's symbolic of Perak. I finished with a position of 26 which I am happy with. My GPS showed a total of 14.61km with a finishing time of 1hr 14min 02sec.

The Brooks finisher Tee!

That's what I called a fun filled weekend in the sleepy hollow Kuala Kangsar. God willing, I shall be back next year to enjoy the abundant of asam laksa and chendol :)

Juliana's Kind Deed. Bless Her, all 100km of it!

2011-05-25T16:26:00.007+08:00

Juliana Ali is no stranger in the running, biking and swimming world. She has gone the distance and have accomplished loads including multiple triathlons and completing Ironman events. Not for the faint hearted lol. I sometimes have the privilege of bumping into her in shorter run events, and at times spotted with her donning our sarongs. Well, hers of course in batik print no less!

I think this was the Mizuno Wave Run 2010 where I caught up with her running in sarong. Of course back then I wasn't enticed with the mighty sarong yet lol.

She is now being sponsored for June's Sundown 100km and knowing her true good heart, she is doing this for charity no less. Bless her! So how can you help? Well, if you have a big heart please donate to her cause. Every RM50 gets her to go a meter! And all proceeds will go to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund. So let's donate more to ensure she goes through all the 100km (she has to finish! :))!

From the mail that she sent me which has all the details, or hop onto her blog here. Come on! Be part of running virtual with MissJewelz in her maiden 100km! God bless you!

Dear Yim,

I will also be joining the band of runners doing the ultra marathon next month in Singapore. In conjunction to that I will be running at the event for a charity cause which I have initiated, and dedicated for the victims of the devastating Japan tsunami and earthquake. For your info, I am working closely with Malaysian Red Crescent Society raise fund for this very cause.

Would appreciate if you can share this intention with the rest of our running (and non-running) community via your blog, if possible. You can do this by either sharing the link of my Sundown Ultra preview or merely pasting the post on your blog.

To give you an overview of the charity program, kindly read the following :-

Salam and greetings,
Dear friends,

Introduction
I will be running my maiden 100km road event at the Sundown Ultramarathon 2011 in Singapore next month. It will be my longest running event, as I have never done anything above 42.195km in a single day. The last long 'run' event I did was the Sabah Adventure Challenge(SAC) where I ran a total of +/- 70km of trail over 2 days, coming in 4th after Singapore, Hong Kong and France trail runner! The longest walk would be ages ago at the Penang 12hours Walk where I walked nearly 60km. I have been preparing for the Ultra event for nearly 4 month now,intermixed with several other events (SAC and Kenyir Triathlon) and it is merely a month away before I stand at the start line in Marina Barrage, Singapore to run my longest !!

As I go on with my daily life, whether walking or running, I thought it would be more meaningful for me to run the ultra for a cause. For that reason, I am happy to share with you that I am initiating a charity cause dedicated to the Japan tsunami and earthquake victims. And while we have gone through the phase of mourning of this tragedy and expressing our condolences to our brothers and sisters in Japan, you can extend your good intention through this charity cause I am currently organizing called 'To Japan, With Love'. It is never too late to lend a helping hand.

The Idea
The idea is to get donors (that's you!), whether corporate or individuals, to come in as pledger. Each meter pledged is worth RM50. For individuals, you are free to pledge any distance (and amount) that you wish to. All donations are directed to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami fund.

Among the written Benefits : a chance to have your names printed on the official t-shirt along with other sponsors. Names will be mentioned on the event website ! The official T-shirts will be given out to donors of more then RM100, after I complete the ultra marathon. This is due to the tight budget that I am working this charity program on ! 2x Exclusive postcards designed by missjewelz herself for donations below RM100.
Un-written Benefits : Plenty. God Bless !

Why it matters to missjewelz
missJeweLz is the pen name I use when I blog. I realize that something as simple as running can do and make a lot of difference in one's life. Through running I discovered that I do have that will power in realizing something that I wish or want, whether in sports or in life generally (Hey, you do too !). Through running, I have developed my sense of 'self' and 'others'. While there are time where we have to think or 'our' selves, it is that balance between 'self' and 'others' that matters.

Achieving that balance is tricky especially in this century where it is mostly about satisfying others, or the extreme opposite; self-indulgence. Through running I have met, ran and exchanged stories with so many friends. Through running and the sharing of what I do (running and sports la, what else!) I have inspired myself and plentiful of others to keep on going no matter how the difficult the course may be. If there is a will, there is surely a way. I am sure most of you can relate to this.

I do not have any other skills that I can make use of to the benefits of others. A degree in Psychology does not translate to better the lives or many others, yet alone my own. But one thing that you and I may have in common, is that desire to finish that running, triathlon or duathlon distance since we are committed to it, and I don't see why we can't join 'forces' to make a little change in someone else's life. A good change.

I am committing myself to a distance of 100km, and I want to invite to YOU join me to make this run a meaningful one. Do join this cause to aid the affected Japanese victims and help rebuilding their lives. Amen.

The sponsors and partners
1.Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) is my official NGO partner, and my contact person is Ms Suhana, who I am working closely with to ensure that all goes well pertaining to the donations. They have endorsed and authorized this charity program !

2. Powerbar is my official sports nutrition partner.I have collected my sponsored goodies (coming in the form of Powerbar Performance bar, gels and endurance drink) from Totalfield, Powerbar's official distributor . Thank you also to Totalfied for the nice pink drifit Powerbar T !

3. Pacesetters is my official running club partner (Footloose - will definitely have a scribble on it once the run is completed)

4. Sponsors :- made of both corporate companies and individuals. If you think your company is interested to contribute to this cause, do let me know. And apart from that, do hook me up with the corporate comm. department or person-in-charge. Tax exemptions are compliant to all companies which donate to this charity fund ! (Thank you in advance for the help)

How it works
While I am organizing this on a low budget, (sorry, I can't afford any PR companies/agents at the moment), there are no fancy-nancy promos. Just a straight-up relaying of information, and simple procedure of how you can donate, which I have listed below: -

1. Fill in the individual sponsorship form (follow the instructions!), transfer the fund to Malaysian Red Crescent Society's 'MRCS INTERNATIONAL RELIEF FUND' via Maybank Account No – 5144 – 2210 – 2657. SAVE the transaction receipt.

2. Forward a copy of the filled individual sponsorship form AND a copy of the transaction receipt to kilausuria@gmail.com andsuhana@redcrescent.org.my

DONE !

For any inquiries, feel free to reach me, Juliana at kilausuria@gmail.com or this email address. Any updates will be informed via email, blog and also through an upcoming website ! Kindly read through the attachment for more details. Would appreciate this if you can forward this email to your friends. Sharing is caring ! :)

Thank you Yim.God Bless !
JULIANA ALI @ missJeweLz017-3323 451http://missjewelz.wordpress.com

Why Sarong?

2011-05-23T10:42:00.000+08:00

The sarong runner recently spotted in the Larian Keputeraan Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Kangsar. Photo courtesy of Sean Wong, heading to the 14km finishing line. The cutesy children with the pom pom on the left had big smiles seeing the sarong man run past them :)

It's not unusual to get lots of stares of disbelief, giggles and guffaws every time I run with my sarong. To be honest, I'm happy if I can put a smile on a runner's face, a spectator on the sidelines, the uniformed personnel on duty or just the motorist on the road whom I happen to run past. Then my job is done and I am truly satisfied.

Running to me itself is a passion and something I enjoy wholeheartedly. I run because I am happy to do so and the breakout of endorphins in my body brings joys to me. So, I figured I do want to share the joy with others too. The only way I do best is to be quirky and run with my sarong. It has never ever failed to bring a smile to just about anyone I come across.

Whacky and loony? Perhaps. Fun and enjoyable? Definitely :) and I tribute my runs in sarong to the late Ngae Koh Heing whom sadly, I didn't get the opportunity to know better. But he is one very inspirational dude to me in the running world! Don't get me wrong, he was serious about his running but he did it with full of joy and enjoyment. Something which we all should emulate after.

Food for though on this Monday, what do you run for?

Tioman Eco-Challenge 2011 - The Toughest Royal Race

2011-05-19T21:52:00.000+08:00

Yup, you heard me. The toughest race I've ever entered. So tough that I DNF-ed! By the way, DNF means Did Not Finish in marathon speak. Bloody tough that I had to give up when time ran out for me. Not to worry though. I ain't ashamed of not finishing the race. In fact, I'm proud of myself getting that far in the route. Well, it was a smack to my face, a wake up call indeed, telling me that there are big challenges out there and I shouldn't be complacent with what I'm facing at all times. So let's start from the beginning as I take you along for this one tough cookie ride.

The mode from KL to the Mersing town was simple. By Bus. An overnight bus that will take you to the town of Mersing in about 5 hours tops. Cost you only RM30 per way and started the journey off from the new spanking Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, Bandar Tasik Selatan. It is advisable to start the journey at 11.30pm and get to Mersing by 4am. Else the day ride might be considered long with the traffic and all. So a bunch of us, the usual suspects, got onto this bus Thursday night. All very excited indeed with big gleaming smiles all around.

After 5 hours of being tossed from left and right in the bus, no thanks to the driver cornering sharply in the last 2 hours of the ride. Wasn't totally a horrid and wasn't a too pleasant one either. Gets you to the destination, job done. Got our ferry tickets, RM35 each way at the kiosk at the Mersing bus terminal. The distance to the ferry terminal wasn't that far. Probably a 10mins walk from the bus terminal.

That's me at the Mersing Jetty. Not much to see at 5am in the morning and the first ferry doesn't take off till at least 6.30am. Then again, nothing much to see in this small town either. We hung around at the nearby mamak having early breakfast and killing time with small talk.

Some like Eric, decided to take 40 winks at the waiting area of the ferry terminal. Any which way to get some rest cause the going will be tough soon.

And after some waiting, the ferry then came and we boarded happily for a 2 hour ride to Tioman Island. Note, please bring along jackets or blankets cause the air conditioner was set to full blast and at the lowest temperature!

And finally, we reached our jetty called Tekek. The ferry made 2 more stops first at different jetties before reaching ours. Also seen in the same ferry were a few Kenyas, here to make a kill in the event.

The view of the jetty was of course, uninspiring to look at.

But the crystal clear blue waters were a sight to behold! Made me want to strip naked and just jump in :)

Not far from the jetty, we saw these buntings. At least we know we are at the right place :)

About a slow 15mins stroll from the jetty, we got to our resort Swiss Cottage Tioman. This was supposedly the closest to the starting point of the race which was in Berjaya Tioman Resort itself. When we booked earlier, most surrounding accommodation were quickly snapped up.

We had one of these lovely chalets with air conditioning to boot all for RM110 per night. Nice, simple and clean. Also has hot water piped in. Beds were ok but don't go hoping this is anywhere comparable to the Hilton ya.

A quick rest and a change to our bathing suits, we just hopped to the beach 10 steps away :). Lovely clear blue water that was magnificent!

Ok fine! We also had to do some eye exercises of course. What do you expect? We are at the freaking beach for god's sake! :). I can assure you I had sore eyes by the end of the day doing nothing on the beach but with lots of eye exercising....

I was just jubilant lazing the day away on this hammock while doing more eye exercises. I can assure you this is indeed heaven :)

At around 4.30pm, we moved our butts to the Berjaya Tioman Resort for the race kit pickup and briefing.

Quite an adorable place, lined up with dotting wooden chalets all around and set in a very nice picturesque landscape. If you have some RM3++ moolahs to splash a night, why not right?

The registration counter and checking of your details.

No queue at all. You pay the RM50 registration fees there and then and you get your goodie bag consisting of your bib number, a polo tee shirt to wear for dinner/prize presentation on the event day and a couple of coupons.

The stage where briefing will be held at around 5.30pm.

Briefing taking place by Major something. Forgotten his name. The event itself is managed by the army and assisted by the bomba. The whole route is about 30km, about 6km more than last year. Organizer wanted to seriously make this a tough cookie to crack. Cut off time is 7 hours this year, an hour more than the year before. Half of the route is trail bound. There will be littered water stations and participants are advised to be self sufficient for the whole route. We can also drink or get water from the streams that we will be crossing. Very safe to drink. 6 sectors to complete from sector A to sector F, with each sector having a few check points to complete. Once the briefing done, we headed for dinner before retiring for the night.

By 7.30am we were ready. Found out there was quite a big group staying at the same place. An opportunity to have a group photo before we set off again to Berjaya Tioman Resort for the race of our lives starting 8.30am.

And of course, the starting line was very havoc as usual. You will surely bump into someone you do know here. Familiar faces all around including Doc Wan Won, who was here on business but took the opportunity to participate. Hey, once a runner, always a runner!

We were even treated to a spectacle of parachuters falling from the sky. Which I thought was a nice touch since this even is part of the Sultan's birthday celebration.

At precisely 8.30am, the gun went off. It was already hot when we set off for the race of our lives. I started off at a conservative pace as I know trying to finish off a 30km trail ain't an easy task. And after hearing the horror stories of last year where runners got lost because it was claimed the faster runners removed the trail markers and also stories of insufficient water stations and many got dehydrated badly from the start, I came prepared. How? I was running with my 1.5litre hydration backpack. Also in my backpack were sachets of ORS, gels, ribena pastiles (ok i love the sugar rush :P), chocolate bars, some bandages, 2 handphones (ok i am kiasu in case i got lost), sunnies and some money. In case I come across 7-11 in the thick jungle. Yes, I think I was well prepared in case I got lost and having to spend the night in the jungle. Well, that did happen to quite a few runners last year. Anyway, I think my backpack weighed a good 2kg!

Started of running by the golf course. Reminded me a lot like the Genting Trailblazer last year. This was the easy peasy part lah. There were runners with hydration packs, bottles and what nots. There were also some carrying nothing. Something they paid for dearly later. More on this later.

And not long, we were swallowed by the jungle. Note that yellow and black stripped tape? Well those were our markers which we will need to spot along the way. Miss them, and you might just end up getting lost in the thick virgin jungles of Tioman. No joke.

Straight away there were congestion trying to crawl/walk up this hill! We were told there will be hills but the hills from the start were massive to climb. The highest peak we were told were 494m to climb! The first 30mins was already bad trying to get up this hill. My heart was thumping trying to run up this hill. The 2nd danger were the abundant of thorny plants scattered all around. I had plenty lodged in my palms, on my hand and even on my feet. The organizers did clear up the path (just a bit) for us. The rest is what you see, what you get. No fun.

After one hill, there's yet another. Seen in this picture was everyone just trying to walk to the peak. It is that exhausting very early in the game. The hills seemed to go on forever and ever and at that time I wished someone would just put a stake into my heart to end this horrendous misery. Even after 3 hours into the race, I had only covered just 7km!

Those in orange are the volunteers manning the checkpoints. They will take down your bib number for safety purposes as they need to account for everyone getting into the jungle, as well as getting out of it safely. The first water station had only a small bottle of water to each. Those were the only ration they can give. I was thankful I had my hydration backpack with me to provide me with ample water to curb dehydration which was setting in fast from the humid conditions in the jungle.

That was check point A3 after passing A1 and A2, and this was at my 3 hours mark. It is that tough to traverse, no thanks to the thick jungle and plenty of inclines to tackle. Not to mention fending off those thorny plants! I had cuts all over, some deep ones but that pain was the least of my problems. Fending off hydration and keeping the nutrients flowing into my body was my priority.

This was the first stream we came across after crossing CP A3. Used the clear stream to replenish our hydration packs. Water was lovely and cooling to drink. One of the best natural water I've ever drank. This was also where we stumbled across some young participants that came without anything. No bottles, no food, nothing. His face was pale. TK (the friend I was running with now) gave him some gel/food for which he was very grateful. Even at later stages we met more boys that were severely dehydrated not carrying any water with them. Gave them what we could to assist them. Morale of the story, you need to be very self sufficient in such races or you could just die there and then. Help isn't a phone call away. They would need to first find out where you are.

Somewhere before checkpoint B1, we caught up with Doc Wan Won again. He said he was cramping badly and he didn't have food/gels/ORS with him. TK gave him an energy bar while I gave him a sachet of ORS to down in hopes of easing his cramps. We left him and told him to take it easy while we went our way. Later we found out that he DNF-ed not too long after when we left him and severe dehydration which required him to be on drips. Poor fella. And he is an avid marathoner I might add. Yes, it's that tough even to a seasoned runner with plenty of mileage. TK and I were fortunate with no cramps at this point of time. Think it was the proper dehydration and salts replenishment that did they trick.

Yes, I was so happy reaching checkpoint B1 soon that I was kissing the pole lol. A bit of frolicking around to keep our spirits up. Plenty more jungle to conquer I'm afraid.

Finally got to checkpoint B1, no water given here. It seemed like an eternity just reaching this checkpoint. And I still had so many sectors to complete. Oh boy.

The route was littered with many obstacles, including this big boulder where we had to squeeze through. Some big boulders where we had to climb over, or by the sides. At later stages, I had to abseil down a rope for about 20 feet which was really scary! One false move and I would have dropped down like a ragged doll. I figured the safety aspects were not prioritized and many a times, we were dicing with danger clearing such difficult obstacles. So it's not for the faint hearted at all. You need a good strong heart and plenty of confidence to traverse all these obstacles.

And you need good strong legs to jump down that boulder. This is considered the easy bits. Tougher ones came much later.

After what seemed like an eternity traversing hills after hills, we came back out near the beach. And TK and I though that was the last of the god damned hills and it's flat runnable paths from now on till the finishing line.

Just getting into checkpoint B2. Wait a minute, still in sector B? Thank god there was another water point next.This was already 4.5 hours into the race and we're still stuck in sector B, and still have sectors C, D, E and F to complete the race.

Nope, kena bluffed again cause it's back into the god damned jungle!!! And more hills to climb again! #*$(#&#@%@*%%$

I lost interest taking pictures after B2 heading towards B3. I was tired. My mind was tired. My body hurt all over from the bruises and cuts and what nots. 5 hours in reaching here. Do the maths yourself how far I've gone. Not even halfway yet.

At the last checkpoint, we were told there'd be a water station somewhere in front. Forgotten to ask how far so we chanced upon this water source and refilled our hydration packs. We were sorry for the boy in red as he had nothing to eat so far. So we gave him some gel/food cause he was exhausted and pale due to the lack of energy. It's amazing he even got this far! We chatted for a while and he came with his friends on this first try. Not knowing what the route is all about and how tough it was. In plain simple english, he and his friends signed up blindly for this event. TK even told him he could die if he got lost and without food or water lol. Scared him to bits.

I had no energy for photos nor in the mood either on the way to reach checkpoint C1. I had lost TK by now cause he was light headed from the lack of sugar (I found later cause it was weird him asking me to go ahead without him). 5.5hours in and I only had another 1.5hours to reach the finishing line. And I'm not even half way through. Damn it!

After C1, there were another bloody hill that traversed for 4km. I was alone. No one in front and no one at the back. It was a lonely walk to get to the next checkpoint. This was where I had to abseil down a 20 foot drop using a supplied rope. And get this, there was only a flimsy root to support me on this abseil down. Scary. Don't ask me how I got down that but it was quite a drop down should I loose my footing.

After an eternity and perhaps I was also hallucinating a lot, I got to checkpoint C2. Every part of my body hurt badly now and the time now was 6hours 20mins in. I still had to get to the checkpoint C3, the last of the C sector and that my friend, was another 3km hill to traverse. Sigh. And only after completing C3, that would be roughly the half of the 30km completed! There and then, I knew there'd be no way in hell I am going to finish that in the 7 hours cut off time and I humbly decided to DNF. Told the marshals at the checkpoint C2 I was out of this race. Somehow, by just saying that, I felt a big sigh of relief! To DNF is a very hard decision. More so, coming from me who have done over 10 full marathons, TNF Singapore and even completing a 100km run! So what? I am still human lah and nothing to be ashamed of DNF-ing. I got beaten by the jungle and I will gladly admit that. Brings me down to earth and tells me, I ain't invincible and I am still a human :)

There were quite a few at that checkpoint, whom like me, have decided to throw in the towel. We were whisked off in a speeding bomba boat to the nearest jetty. That's me giving a thumbs down for myself and still managing a wry smile :). We waited at the jetty for an hour before being picked up by the bigger ferries that took us back to the Berjaya Tioman Resort.

Ahhh ... just to show you the 'medals' I've collected from the virgin and dense jungle. Thanks a lot jungle!!! Thanks a lot big thorny plants! Thanks a lot for losing my footing and falling on my bum!

The rear of my legs were not spared even lol. I've got cuts every inch of everywhere!

Even on me hands. And it makes good sense to bring gloves the next time around!!!

My elbow with a nasty cut after a bit of falling down trying to get down that bad ass 20 foot drop. Pain? What pain? My mind wasn't even focused on the pain during the run. Pain only set in the day after lol.

One final smiley picture of me waiting for the ferry to come pick us up. Smiling cause the whole ordeal was finally over even though I didn't get to finish it.I got back to my chalet, cleaned up and rested. Everyone was accounted for and got back safely without any issues like last year. Good stuff, safety and security always first.

That night we were treated to a nice dinner for the prize presentation. The winner, a Kenyan finished in just 4 hours 9mins. How? I think he just flew through the woods!!! Insane really. I kinda dig that maroon event polo tee though :)

Well finisher medal, you are not for me to be had this year but I shall be back in 2012. It was bloody tough but you now what? I kinda like the challenge, specially that long trail that snakes up forever and every. Out of 260 participants, only 40 managed to complete within the 7 hours cut off time. How tough can this Tioman Eco-Challenge be? In the words of Ironman finisher Raymond and Michelle whom both also DNF-ed, 'completing and Ironman is easier!' :)

For me, if I have to stack it up in terms of difficulty, Tioman Eco-Challenge 30km makes TNF Duo 100km Singapore a walk in the park and the recent Twilight Ultra Challenge 100km a breezy walk by the beach. Yup, that tough but don't take my word for it. Join me next year and have a go. I guarantee that will be the ride of your life .... :)

Seeya again in Tioman in 2012!

SAS International Eco Challenge 2011

2011-05-11T21:44:00.001+08:00

I'm heading out to Tioman this Thursday evening via the overnight bus and reaching Mersing early Friday day morning. Then a 2 hours ferry before landing at the Tioman island itself. Will be my first time attempting this 30km trail challenge and not quite sure what to expect. There were some real horror stories last year, runners getting lost in the route, insufficient marshals, few or none route markers (some said they were purposely taken out by the fas runners), very few water stations and the list goes on. So much so, quite a few runners got stranded in the middle of no where till late night. Yup, scary indeed. There's not even much information given on their official website too. Mysterious indeed. I loike!

I found out this year's route would be a tad easier. No more having to be a Indiana Jones wannabe cruising through the jungle using vines or ropes and dashing over huge boulders that's as big as your house. We shall see ya cause I'm always game for something totally new. Sucker. Then again, one don't get to walk/run the trails in virgin Tioman every day. So I am anticipating a magical trail no less.

And I will be running with my new Solomon hydration backpack. Treat it as a practice for the upcoming biggie event in June.

And by the way, if you don't hear of any updates in my FB wall by Sunday 14th June, 5pm ..... PLEASE CALL THE POLICE, THE AMBULANCE, THE SWAT TEAM, THE K9 SEARCH & RESCUE TEAM!!!!

Triple Whammy Weekend!

2011-05-09T21:36:00.000+08:00

I swear I have to stop doing too many things, read strenuous things, on the weekend! This old body can't take it for long :). Three big things I did over last weekend.

1. Saturday morning, a meet, greet and a short run with Mike Fong, MD of Energizer. Which incidentally was a last minute invite by Karen, my running partner in crime.

2. Followed by the annual KL Towerthon which I've dutifully participated for the last 3 years.

3. And lastly on a early Sunday morning, hit the roads for a blistering 10km run for Larian Bomba.

Now, that's seriously a lot to digest on a weekend! Oh plus of course I ate like there was no tomorrow. Enjoyed heaps that part!

1. Energizer Malaysia Listens: A run with Mike Foong
Was a last minute invite on Friday. A simple session with Mike Foong, MD of Energizer Malaysia, to sit, chat about the problems that we, the runners faced during the last Energizer Night Race. Well, let's not rehash out what did happen that faithful night. Suffice to say, it was nice for Energizer Malaysia to have this session to listen to us.

Venue was held in Lake Titiwangsa. Never been there before and I had actually planned for a LSD that morning. Since the meet was at 7.30am, I thought I head on there earlier at 6am and do a couple of rounds first. Then later a quick run with Mike for about 5km. Nice plan I thought.

I got there around 6.15am, got geared up and headed for the lake side. Not difficult to follow the lake side and each look is about 3km. Was still a bit dark but it was still ok to run. Did about 4 laps totaling around 12.5km before meeting up with the Energizer entourage.

After the pleasantries, it was off for a round the lake with Mike. I managed only an additional round before calling it quits, completing about 14km that faithful morning. Then it was the start of the sharing sessions which Mike intently listened to our views in general. Ideas were presented and captured nicely too. But the best part for me was the food! Teh tarik, mee goreng and nasi lemak after my run was heaven!

With some of the running peeps. From left, PuehTian Lim, Mike Foong himself, Siew Chee Meng from Malaysia Runners Network, Karen Loh and yours truly. Note the heavenly food on the table! We parted ways at around 9am.

2. KL Towerthon 2010
This year, it's done at night. Years before, it's all executed early morning. Perhaps they organizers thought that will intently draw in the crowd. A total of 3,000 participants too part, from the young, to the old, and even a category for the handicap. Nice.

Event kicked off at 8pm and I was already there on ground zero at 7am. The trick is not to park at the buildings opposite KL tower. Those charge you an exorbitantly 10 bucks per entry! I had that last year so I thought I needed to be a tad cleverer this year. So I parked at Menara Weld which is already nearby to KL tower for a measly 2 bucks! And you can climb in through to KL tower at the side gate that's opened too. Nice.

They had baggage drop off counter and even provided a drink and sandwich while you chomp down waiting for your turn. Then the aerobics session started which was an eye opener me thinks. At precisely 8am, the men's open were flagged off in groups of 300, 15mins apart. Since there were 5 groups for mens open, I had to wait forever and ever. I could even memorize the rules and regulations there were repeated group after group.

It wasn't until 9.15am, the category for men's junior were flagged off, yippee! 800m of dashing up from the base of Menara KL and then gingerly climbing 2,058 to the very top! And off we went! Everyone, including myself was sprinting at those bloody hills! But I think I did quite well reaching the top quite fast. Too which my heart nearly tore out from my chest.

First, get through this escalator to climb up to the start of the stairs which was easy peasily dealt with.

Well, I have to look good running up the escalator right! And then followed by another round of escalator stairs to climb up and then you hit the stairs!

All in all, I think there were roughly 24 floors to climb. You think that's easy? No, it's not. It won't take you long before you huffing and puffing for air! I felt it too but thank goodness the ventilation was quite ok. As I climbed up level by level, remnants of the participants from the men's open were seen resting by the side of the stairs. Grunting, huffing, head laid on their arms, squatting down lifeless. You name it, you see it. It definitely ain't a simple walk up the stairs if you're not prepared for this.

I remember there was at least 2 water stations with 100 plus and plain water. My heartbeat was clearly above 90% most of the time but I didn't give in. It seems the stairs wouldn't end as you go round and round them. Finally, I could hear from above the cheers coming to the finishing line. Ahhh .. finally the finishing line! And it was completed in a time of 21mins and 23secs, shaving more than a minute from last year. Not bad at all for this old geezer.

I finished position 28 out of 198 in my junior veteran category and overall position of 217 out of 1,979 in the men's category! Ok lah got top 10% finishing lol. Just happy getting my finisher medal which they presented at the finishing line, which I thought was a nice finishing touch.

The boring, bland and most ugly (aka cincai) finisher medal I've ever seen! The one the year before was heaps better than this! Cut cost, cut quality!!!

But the horrid part came, similar like last year, congestion getting down the lifts! I thought last year was bad having to wait over 30mins for my turn to get into the lifts. This year, I had to wait over an hour! Few lifts had also broken down, perhaps due to the stress of carrying us up and down. I was directed 2 floors down to get the lifts which was also congested. Walked up again to the main foyer, it was also congested! So I was squashed, pushed at, sweaty, smelly and dripping wet all over waiting anxiously for my turn at the lift. Phew, finally it was my turn. Any later, I swear I would have fainted!

Once on the ground, the gush of fresh air was heavenly! To which I just scrambled back home, reaching around 12am. Showered, ate cause I was hungry and only got to bed by 2am!

3. Larian Bomba
First time taking part in this event. Skipped this last year. Had only about 3 hours of sleep and there I was at Dataran Merdeka at 6.30am in the morning, bleary eyed. Luckily, my legs were fine. No cramps or sore shown. I had in my mind to just run nice and simple, and slow cause I was still tired.

But when the bang went off, so did I!!!! And yes, I ran with my sarong and vibram as usual. Trying to pace the fast runners and again my heart felt like jumping out of my chest. A quick look at my watch showed I was doing a 4.30min pace! Slowed down for a bit cause I know my heart cant take that excitement too long lol.

I think this was running back close to Dataran Merdeka. Ran as I may, I kept to a 5min pace as much as possible without dying! And yes, rest assured there's plenty of big hills to conquer!

And this was close to the finishing line at Dataran Merdeka to which I gave a huge sigh of relief indeed! Thanks to Tey and Chee Meng for the lovely photos as usual!

Now, this is what I called a proper BIG ass medal lol. I finished position 47 out of the 100 for the limited medals in a not too shabby time of 53mins for a over distance 10.74km. Nice event this and I won't hesitate recommending it to you.

There you have it folks, my ultra packed triple whammy weekend. Now I need to rest, shooooo! Till next weekend ya which I promise will be a big exciting event that I'll be doing for the very first time ... outstanding close to the sea ;)

Borneo International Marathon 2011 (BIM) - The Fried & Roasted Chicken Edition

2011-05-05T22:38:00.001+08:00

Yup, as I suspected way before time it was roasting hot. 7am there was like 8am here in KL. 7.30am there was like 9am here and by 8am in KK, it was like 11am in KL!!!! I will gladly give BIM the hottest ever marathon in the whole of Malaysia :). And that taking into consideration I was rather 'fast' in finishing. Let alone those that were a tad slower. If I were them, I would have seriously pengsan-ed!!! (fainted!!!). The only bits I still remember telling myself when I was roasted was - hurry up and run faster to get away from this god damned sun!

Ok let's do a bit of a rewind ya and get to the juicy bits later!

I got into Kota Kinabalu on Saturday around noon. Now, here's a trick to save your RM30 bucks getting a cab from the Kota Kinabalu Airport into town. You just walked to the main road from the airport and hail down one of those vans/buses or the vans/buses will horn at you when they see you plying the main road. And you pay around RM1.50 to get you into town! Well not exactly at your designated hotel but close enough. Haggle a bit with the van/bus and tell them your designation. They can get you close enough to your intended hotel. I still think paying 30 bucks for a taxi ride (for a mere 5km distance) a daylight robbery!!!

Got to the Cititel Express hotel and able to just check in nicely. It's not a bad hotel. Reasonable rate, clean and comfy although a tad small but I couldn't care less as I just needed a place to crash. Rested for a bit and made my way to race kit pickup at the not too far (about a km or 15mins walk) from the hotel.

The Dewan Masyarakat Kota Kinabalu where race kit collection was. Also the same venue for the pasta party later that evening. Last year was the same venue too so it was all too familiar for me to get here.

Wasn't too much of a crowd and met Izuan there. He being a native of Sabah was very nice enough to bring me (and the rest of the KL) gang roving around KK for sights and food of course! Didn't have to wait that long to have my race kits picked up. No fuss really. Sometimes, the old fashioned ways works the best :)

It became like a mini convention where the who's who in running meet up and exchanged pleasantries. It was like I've never left KL! Me pictured with some of the runners including Maniac Mohan all the way from Singapore. Thanks Mohan for this picture! Thereafter, Izuan and I adjourned to the nearby Fook Yuen for some nice food. Whatever you want, you get it at Fook Yuen and they have at least 2 branches in KK alone. Nasi lemak, all sorts of noodles, dim sums, desserts, everything! Fook Yuen became my favourite hang out and makan place thereafter for the next 2 days :D

So for the rest of the day, the activity was .... eating, chatting, eating, chatting and more eating at the Fook Yuen branch nearby to Cititel. It was also an opportunity to catch up with the usual running peeps on the latest gossips and sharing some guffaws of course! Hey, gossiping is our favourite past time besides running ok!

I decided not to attend the pasta party, as is the case for the last 3 years. Not sure how good the pasta was but I gladly settled for a bit of late dinner, where else but at Fook Yuen again lol. In between I also managed to complete a video interview with the main subject of yours truly of course. For what and published when? Well, you've just got to hold on to your horseys for a bit ya.

From 9pm onwards, it was a case of getting your running gears ready, checking your hydration and nutrition preparation, resting and more importantly trying to quash my usual pre-race jitters. Even though this is marathon no 10 for me, I just can't to shake these pre-race jitters off. 10pm came and these damn eyes still won't shut. And I needed to be up by 2am to get ready! 11pm came and I was still wide awake. Doesn't help when the external noises/voices from the corridor creeps in through the door. I only managed to doze off by 12am, and before you know it, the darn alarm rang!

Got ready wearily at 2am. Tried sitting at the throne but no go. Sigh. I knew I was to pay for this later. By 3am we were all ready at the hotel lobby. Every year there was a pick up bus for all but this year, only those registered were allowed to board. Strange, not sure why but after a quick chat with the driver, there was a spat of robbery and hijack lately. Safety first I guess but many were caught unaware that they needed to pre-register. Perhaps they didn't read the email sent out or the updates on the official website.

At the hotel lobby with the other usual suspects, awaiting for the transportation to arrive. We were forced to smile for the camera at 3am ok.

Ahhh the all too familiar Stadium Likas. BIM is the only marathon that I've been back for 3 years running. The first 2 years attempting the half marathon, and this year marks the first for my full marathon here. It was awfully quiet. No music blaring or emcee squawking on the microphone. You can actually hear a pin drop. That is quiet normal, trust me lol. It's the same for the last 3 years now.

I think all in all, the full marathoners only account for approximately 350 runners. Not a high number really. At least there's no crowding and jostling :D. Baggage deposit was easily dealt with. Toilets were the ones at the stadium, made a final pit stop there. And then just the customary hellos to fellow runners and a bit of warm up around the track. Which was nice to run on as it was a bit squishy soft.

Had a bit of time to cam-whore of course. And by chance I finally have the liberty to meet in person Rex from Lite FM! Who also is an avid marathoner. Way to go Rex! Yes, he is a giant literally lol.

Wasn't long before 4am came, and after some speech thingy which I didn't pay attention at all cause I was still stretching and the marathon started! I started at the back of the bunch where I'm most comfortable with and we slowly made our way for half a lap around the track and out the stadium.

I liked the route although there's 2 loops that you'll needed to complete. From the Likas Stadium we head out to the main road and then we make a right turn towards 1 Borneo before making a u-turn back to the starting point. One way gives us about 10km so a full loop will bring us back to the starting point for a rough 21km. This route to 1Borneo was flattish with very small inclines. I was pacing well trying to keep to the 5.30min/km pace. Heading towards the u-turn, there was a sudden small blast and all the street lights went out! It was complete darkness saved for lights from a stationary vehicle. Spooky really and luckily I didn't end up in a ditch or pot hole or step on something sharp. My vibrams don't really give me much protection!

Soon enough the u-turn was sighted and I gladly made the turn. Water stations were placed every 2km or so, fantastic. We were never short of water for the whole route, plus points. After the u-turn, I will then have to pass the other runners on the other side of the rode heading toward the u-turn. Was a good thing where you can really cheer them on and vice versa. At 10km I clocked 56mins, a tad fast but I felt ok. Tragedy struck at km 16 where as usual I needed the toilet lol. Supposed to have a toilet every 4km or so but I saw none. Ah well the bush works wonder. So spent the next few minutes disposing what I needed and off I went after that. There's just something about me and having to make unexpected pit stops. They just unfortunately, go hand in hand with me, no matter where I run lol.

At 21km I clocked in at 1 hour 54mins, still was good timing I thought. At the time I was back at the starting point, it was roughly 22km done. Then it was time to explore the town of KK all the way to Tanjung Aru. At this point, we merged with the half marathoners and 10km runners. Wasn't that bad I thought and still manage to run alongside most of them without much of the usual traffic chaos. I even tried pacing a few of them to sustain my current pace. Everything was a ok and I was confident gunning for a potential new PB.

7am came and as I made my way through KK town, specially the pasar there it was starting to get bright and hot. Around km 30, they handed out GU gels, nice. Even had sponges here that wet and cold. Sun was starting to be very mean to us runners and the heat can be felt all over us. 2 hours 58mins in, I reached the 30km, still on target but have gotten a tad slower. As I made the turn into Tanjung Ara, things sort of went down hill for me. The heat wasn't helping much and I was pacing this veteran guy who wore a PBIM vest that has 4:00 written on the back. I guess he was a 4 hour pacer in the previous PBIM. He was constantly glancing at his watch and I knew he was gunning for sub 4.

The u-turn at Tanjung Ara took an eternity to reach. My legs were getting heavier, breathing heavier. Not a good sign. The u-turn clocked in 32km done with a timing of 3 hours 11mins. Getting too slow to hit sub 4. Legs were heavy and I can feel a twitch here and there. Making my way back into town took the toll with the hot sun on my back. Fried I was. I was still side by side with the sub 4 pacer but not for long.

It was km 38 when I hit the pasar back in the heart of the KK town. Clock showed 3 hours 57mins and I was hobbling and walking at times. Bye bye sub 4! Ah well, I told myself. Not this marathon. And for the first time after many marathons, cramps became my best friends on my calves. They literally came and seized my calves suddenly and I resorted to walking some and plenty of stretches. Last 4km back to the stadium was a long and dreadful affair. In my mind was the heat! The heat! I was melting in the sun but it was't long before the turn back into the stadium and into the track for the last half round and to the finishing line!

I still managed to clock a 4hours 19mins finishing with the bloody heat! 6 mins off my PB. Ah well, this wasn't meant for my sub 4 PB and there will be more marathons soon to try on. What's more important now is to analyse and understand why I had the cramps this time. Could be hydration or nutrition issues, or the sun. Yeah blame it on the sun lol.

Photo by Doc Pui San, making my way back to the KK town passing the lovely Sutera Harbour Resort. Of course I wasn't paying much attention to the scenic view. Just look at the sun glaring off my sunnies! And this was just before 8am in the morning.

In the heart of KK town, passing the markets which had lots of different smells to sample lol. Picture courtesy of Tey who also ran the full marathon lugging his heavy DSLR! You are the man Tey!

Somewhere just after the turn back into the Likas Stadium. Thanks CK for the photo. You can tell from the background how intense the sun was at around 8.15am!

Last half a lap before stepping on the finishing mat! And boy was I a happy chappy finishing it away from the dreaded sun! Photo courtesy of Ashe.

Am also very proud for my 3 colleagues, whom all are FMVs (Full Marathon Virgins) before BIM. Now they are certified marathoners! From left, May Gin (she's not a marathon virgin! In fact this is her 4th or 5th I think), Vince (FMV), Fui Cheng (FMV) and Suet (FMV). Despite the heat and the distance, you guys finished your very first marathon. Thanks to the great training we all had in the past running up to this big day and I hope to see all of you in the marathons to come! I am proud of them, specially getting them into the running fraternity from scratch.

My 3 monkeys for the last 3 consecutive years. From left, first half marathon of my life in BIM 2009, another half marathon in 2010 and finally a full marathon in 2011. Yeah, it's the same design year on year which just some subtle changes.

Overall, was a good experience specially with the heat. Heat is all about managing your mentality getting through it. Good and plenty water stations, even security at intersections and patrolling by riders on mountain biker. Only slight reservation was the water station at the last 5km ran out of water which was later replenished and the running out of the free towel! Other than that, there's nothing much I could fault in organizers except for a well done run overall. Back for a fourth? Only time will tell!

Borneo International Marathon 2011 (BIM) - No 10

2011-04-28T21:31:00.002+08:00

I have good and fond memories running BIM since 2009. So this will be the 3rd year I'm doing BIM. The first 2 years were just half marathons and this was where I ran my first ever half marathon not long after I began running. To be exact a half marathon only after 6 months of running. I guess I was just bored doing short 10km events and wanted a bit more challenge. Then again, I was very very naive clicking on that half marathon and doing a deep dive. Well, the results wasn't all that bad and I managed my first half marathon in a timing of 2hours 16mins. Not too shabby me thinks.

Well here's a little recap of my first BIM half marathon in 2009. Back then, the event was held in October.

This was how it started for the half marathon at an early 5am. Back then, I knew no one in the running fraternity. Just sign up for this event, bought meself a plane tix and just ran, and ran and ran. Note from the running tee, AirAsia was a big sponsor back then.

They were still using this primitive timing chip, very old fashioned one and ancient lol. It's BIG! And when you tie it on your shoe laces, it just hides your shoe! Yeah, that big haha. Plus you will need to return it after the race or else your 10 bucks deposit will be forfeited. And I noticed for this year's timing chip .... it's the same recycled one! Just remember to return them when you're done with your race and get your 10 bucks back. Hey, at least it works :)

Back then in 2009, I had no idea who Tey was but he was there at BIM taking lovely shots. This was the only shot he took of me. Urgghhh ... can't believe that was me in that drab official BIM running vest and baggy pants lol. Not to mention the extra weight that I carried at that time hahahaa. Yes, you will pass that spaceship roundabout you see in the background on Sunday :D

And that was the finishing line upon completing my half marathon. I had good and fond memories of this event. Plenty of water stations, isotonic and icy cold water every 2 or 3 km, even had sponging stations. Route was scenic and flat throughout so it's a good event to gun for your PB or PR. If you're interested in reading the full note in FaceBook, hop on to here. Back then, I haven't started this blog yet. Plus the sun wasn't harsh even at 8am. All that changed in 2010.

In 2010, the organizers decided to move the event to May. Not sure why but this time around, there were very few participants in all categories. Perhaps, everyone were caught unaware of the change in dates. I repeated my half marathon this time around and I think there were not more than 200 participants. From Nov till May, it was just 7 months long, and managed to better my half marathon timing to 1 hour 57 min, to my very delight :D. You can read about my adventures this time around here.

2nd time around was a charm indeed. Still enjoyed it immensely like the first time around and have no complaints whatsoever. Well, except for the harsh sun that's out in full force by as early as 7am! This year, I'm back to give the full marathon a go and let's see if I'm able to set a new PB for no 10! Hey, that would be a bonus. Else I'll just have loads of fun running this scenic route next to the sea, into the colourful Kota Kinabalu town and back again doing half a lap in Stadium Likas before arriving at the finishing line. Will see you peeps at the starting line on Sunday 1 May at 4am now!

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2011

2011-04-27T19:42:00.001+08:00

This was a first time event for me. I've always enjoyed the outdoor. More so, on 2 wheels where you can really feel the sun shining on your face and the soft wind billowing across your cheek. It does bring me back to my childhood days where you just cycle without a care in the world. I got into Manjung late saturday evening. Of course, with plenty of munching along the way. The last time I was here was for my Powerman 2010 debut which was also my first duathlon event. Definitely it was a walk down memory lane.

We held up at the usual Lead View Hotel, a no frills hotel that nice and clean for a good night's sleep. Fast forward to the next morning we got up as early as 5am to get ready for the biggest ride of my life so far. From what I can gather this was a yearly event and this year around 380 participants took part for this event to cover a wholesome 145km! I'd figured at an average of 30km/h, it will take me at least 5 hours to complete the whole journey.

On the menu that faithful day, 145 of the most delicious kilometer Manjung has to offer. Generally flat route with some small inclines at the start.

There are 3 water BIG (and I'll get to the reason why it's big later) water stations scattered along the route. Each being sponsored by a company located there in Manjung.

KM 56, Roti Segar Titi Gantung (ahem .. sponsored by Roti Segar and stopping at Titi Gantung)
KM 94, Pasir Salak Resort (this is actually a nice little resort here by the river)
KM 124, Kilang YTY Batu 10 Lekir (errm they actually make batu only but that's not what they served us lol)

In case you're wondering, the start and end point is at the Stesen Janakuasa Sultan Abdul Azlan Shah, TNB Janamanjung (Jana = Generate, Manjung = name of the town here). Massive generation of electricity done here by way of coal burning. And quite a massive sight to look at!

The actual itinerary of the ride. Everything well crafted out from the start to finish.

Since the hotel was supposed to be just about 4 clicks to the Janamanjung station, we thought it would be a good warm up to just ride there from the hotel. Boy, it was actually 7 clicks and trying hard to ride in the dark lol. But I guess it did warm us up. Part of the station. Doesn't do justice in the photo. It is THAT massive.

So we were early. We hung around, tamed the nerves, pit stop and whatever necessary for us to be ready. Wasn't before long more cyclists turned up and this is where we got the party to a start! All 380 of them!

These were the crazy buggers all the way from KL to cycle 145km in the dreaded and super hot Manjung! From left, TK, ABou, Erni and me. 2 others not in the picture were Bernard and Henry. Thanks Henry for the picture! So we cam-whored for quite a bit while waiting for the flag off. For most of us here, 145km will be a new record :)

So at precisely 7am, after lots of speeches and such, we were let loose. Now, I've always thought this was a race event where at the gun off, you will just cycle on through the route as fast as you can, stop at the water stations to replenish and make your way to the finishing line. Boy, was I dead wrong! Only later did I understand what a 'Fellowship Ride' means. It means that it's a controlled ride for the whole route. We were escorted by the many marshals on big bikes and we had to ride within the group with nary a chance of anyone breaking free into their own speed demon groups. Which was kinda meant no one will be left behind ... last :).

I started off quite horrendously. Not sure why. I was in the doldrums. Lack of energy I think or motivation. It was so bad that I was virtually one of the last at the back of the group! The rest carried on with their speed and when I looked in front, there was just a few cyclists and none at the back! It was BAD! So bad that one of the marshals came and pushed me from behind which I cursed at him!!! Ok, I was slow but it doesn't mean I need a push! Man, I looked like a whimp at that precise moment. Embarrassing if you ask me lol.

Even DNF did hit my mind! Perhaps it was the familiar route where we started off reminiscent of Powerman. Perhaps it was lack of riding or clocking up the mileage. As I was pondering, I popped into my mouth 2 of those Powerbar Energy chews. Well, that certainly did the trick and I was soon powering myself at over 30km/h trying to regroup back. Zoomed past Erni, Zoomed past TK and Abou (which took them by surprise haha) and before you know it, I was in front of the pack! Well, I can't get any further in front as we were to ride behind the leading marshals on bike. So it was a steady and minimum 30k/h riding with the BIG pelaton! It does also help riding in a group to save some energy from drafting.

And wasn't long before we did 56km and ended up at the first water station. This water station had ample space for us to park our bikes, refresh and rehydrate. Sponsored by Roti Segar of course. Now, everyone has to rest and no one is allowed to continue the journey until the marshals says it's time to continue. Now that's what it's meant as a Fellowship Ride.

Bikes were parked anywhere possible and lots of chitty chats going about sharing the experience of the ride so far. The weather was very kind to us, nice, cooling and breezy so far. I'm not sure how long it took us for this first leg cause my GPS decided to go cuckoo. I guess it was an hour and a half at least.

Plenty plenty of food ranging from bananas and buns courtesy of the sponsor. Drinks were aplenty from 100+ to plain water to juices, cold as ice too. Good stuff.

I think we took at least 20mins here before we regrouped to continue the ride. Also seen were a group of bikers doubling back on the route. I guess they were disappointed this wasn't a 'race' where they were let loose on their own way and speed. Oh well. So off we continued on in the big pelaton. And we were doing 35-40km/h thereafter for long periods. Scary thing riding in a big group where everyone is so close together. Safety comes first always but the beauty of riding in a group means you'd use less effort due to drafting ways.

Another 40 odd kilometers and about an hour later, we came to the second water station, Pasir Salak Resort. No untoward incidents so far except for a couple of busted tyres. Needless to say everyone was behaving well with the ride despite the urge to always trying to outdo one another, jostling for pole position in front. Well, I am guilty of that too cause I wanted to test these old legs out hahaha.

Plenty of space to rest the bikes, rest and again catching up on the excitement with your buddies. The loos were very popular here too.

Fret not, again plenty of food and drinks. There were even yummy sandwiches too courtesy of the sponsor, Pasir Salak Resort. Cold 100+, plain water and plenty of juices too. Everyone helped themselves to food and drinks. Good stuff.

Henry, ABou and Bernard with smiles all around. Up to now, I think it was still quite a manageable ride despite already covering 94km and many hours later. Weather wasn't that hot still so everything was in check. But all that was about to change in the next leg.

Stopped for about 30mins before we continued on our journey. The next leg was getting tougher. Sun was up high and the heat were felt by all of us. Despite continuing on with a min 35km/h onwards, it wasn't easy even after fueling up. But the scene was fabulous and breathtaking, We passed through acres of paddy field! Not something you'd seeing in the big cities. They paddy fields rolled on and on forever like it was never ending. Also had an accident here where a mountain bike had a puncture and somehow those immediately riding behind bumped into/over the pour soul. I was about 10 feet behind the fiasco but managed to stop in time and swerved to the right. The mountain bike bore the brunt of it with the rear wheels coming off! But fortunately, we found out later everyone was ok cept for some bruises and small wounds.

We regrouped and continued on after stopping for about 10mins. The ride was tough now. My energy reserve seemed to be depleting fast. Riding as usual with the front pelaton but not before long there was a breakaway. Those fast one kept in front while the rest of us dwindled along slowly. Including me. Legs were terrible jelly to be honest. What can you expect when you've already covered 100km now in over 5 hours. Speed dropped down to 20ish km and I kept as much to that. Sometimes even slower. The heat was my friend with beads of sweat dripping over my chin, one after another.

But I kept trudging. Many would have given up by now. I was just ecstatic when I reached the final water station no matter how slow I was.

Kilang YTY and the final pit stop. Yeah they make batu but who cares since they were kind enough to sponsor us plenty of food and drinks! If you notice at the end there, that's a spray of water curtain from the nearby hydrant! Yes it was HOT now at close to 1pm after covering 124km!

All of us were just glad making it thus far. You can see the gush of water better in this picture. Likely to be doused when we headed off with the last leg to the finishing line.

Haha I can still muster a smile so far. Again, very generous with the food and water. Bananas and pears were god sent! Icy cold 100+, plain water and what nots! Digging into the icy cold and juicy pear was the best thing so far :). I had 3 of them lol

Only the strong ones with a strong mind will continue on. Those whom have thrown in the towel were hauled into the awaiting lorry. And there were plenty of them. It's no joke trying to do a 145km ride. Without sufficient training and mileage logged, you are advised not to even bother participating. That is the brutal truth and a rider's nightmare having to be on that lorry.

Henry and Bernard had just left for the remaining 20km to the finishing line. I waited a while more with TK, awaiting for ABou and Erni to come by the last water station. Mind you, both of them are female and with strong determination to finish the whole ride. Which proudly they did and puts some of the male to shame :)

It was quite a lonesome ride for the last 20km. At times I'll pass a struggling rider, and I can only urge him on. At times, I was overtaken but hey, that's reality. When your legs are tired and feels heavy like lead, you just feel like throwing in the towel. This is also where a strong mental state helps in defying the odds to finish. I was struggling and I will be honest about it.Stride after stride I finally saw the familiar Janamanjung funnel in the distance. The end was near and the heart beats a tad faster.

Just before the turn in to janamanjung, there were 2 sprays of water high above. Heaven. Another couple of turns and there I was at the finishing line! I did it! 145km in 7 hours!

It was hell baby but yeeha! I'm done with it and darn proud of it too! With my hard earned finisher medal grinning ear to ear.

And right at the finishing line was this god sent gush of water from the sky! What else but all of us jumped into it getting soaked with the icy cold water! Tis was the greatest feeling in the world I tell ya :)

And that was mean playing in the artificial rain! So good that I didn't want to leave that spot hahahaaa.

Another finisher medal that will go nicely into my biking collection. Pooky did well for the entire journey and I shall soon reward you with something (something on Pooky but will benefit me instead hahaha).

Just before the prize giving ceremony. As usual, plenty of food and drinks provided at the finishing line. Cendol also got. Air kelapa also got. Nasi briyani also got! Semua ada lah. Suffice to say you won't be starved at the finishing line. Got lucky draw too. All this for 50bucks which includes a biking jersey. Value for money indeed.

Mari mari, ada cendol, ada air kelapa. Segala galanya ada di Janamanjung!

And yes, I was 4 shades darker after the ride but who cares once you've finished the whole bloody ride :)

Didn't hang around too long after that. It was off back to the hotel to shower up and pack up. And then it was time for makanthon all the way back to KL! Enjoyed this fellowship ride. Wasn't the easiest 145km ride but definitely with a bit of training, you'll do well to accomplish it. Nothing to falter on this even or the organization of this event. Safety and security was always the top priority and food/drinks were aplenty. That said, I shall be back again next year with Pooky :).

And good luck to my friends doing the PCC Interstate this weekend! If Janamanjung was tough, I gather this Interstate ride would be at least 3 times tougher and harder! Definitely on my to ride list for 2012. All the best guys and ride safe and well, and don't forget to have loads of fun ya.

Go Away Paparazzi!

2011-04-26T14:22:00.002+08:00

Ahem .. *cough cough*. Yes, kena caught again by the paparazzi unfortunately. But I'm lovin' it indeed haha. I don't have the original copy of this. This was sent to me by my close friend during school days. His sister was the emcee during this Larian KTM which I couldn't recognize after all this year!. Thanks very much Faizal!

That said, this article was published in the local daily called Sinar Harian, dated 25 April 2011. The one you see on your left is a pre-print article sent to me. Anyone who does have a copy of the daily, appreciate if you could scan that particular page for me. Might want to just frame it up :)

There you go folks, running with a kain does indeed make people take notice of you. Certainly not as grand as the royal wedding this weekend but one that makes me grin ear to ear :D.

Another shot at the finishing line, courtesy of the media. You can tell by the look on my face that I had a happy and satisfied run :)

KTM Komuter Run - The Real FUN RUN!

2011-04-23T12:16:00.000+08:00

KTM Building at the break of dawn. Quite pretty if you take a moment out and observe.

RM20 bucks registration. You get a cotton tee, race bib, finisher medal for the first 30 in each category, finisher certificate, lots of milo and fruit juice at hand, even a lucky draw and free shows! What more can you ask for? Like I've said, small runs are the best. They bring out the best in the organizers by keeping things simple yet workable. Now, this is what I call a fun run cause there was plenty of FUN to be had!

Day started as early as 5am for me. Got ready and zoomed down to the KTM building. It's refreshing not to start from the usual Dataran Merdeka. Parking was plenty and not much of a hassle. Best of all, you don't get charged 10 bucks for it hahahaaa.

I would have thought the usual suspects would have concentrated on the Bidor Run on Sunday but hey, plenty of familiar faces there! Love this pic from Tey, the backdrop of the KL Railway Building is rather a magical sight. Almost reminiscent of Rome!

Too bad I didn't have my usual waterproof camera with me. Sister nicked it for a while. So not much pics to show except for those I curi from.

Beginning 7.30am, the men's open, veteran and women's open were flagged off. On time. Not that many runners really, perhaps around 200 or so and off we waddled. The menu was the familiar Bukit Aman area and of course, you won't miss those darn rolling hills somewhere in the middle of the route.

And Tey was on hand taking magnificent shots, thanks Tey! Can always count on you to etch in the memories. And yes, for short runs me usual trademark would be the sarong and vibrams. They both make a good pair hahahaa. Believe me it's tougher running with the sarong but helps to keep the strides short, and faster turnaround of cadence. That's if I've still have some energy left after the pesky hills. Along the way, met more usual suspects that were celebrating Runners Malaysia 5th Anniversary at the nearby lake garden. Gave high 5s to them when passing them.

All in all, there were 2 water station for this 7km route, not too shabby. No pushing, no shoving. Plenty of water to go around. Didn't stop for either though as I was on a roll and didn't want to disrupt the rhythm too much. And before you know it, I was making my way back to the KTM building and finally the finishing line!

And lucky me I was position no 27! Finisher medals only for the first 30 which was quite a bummer. I thought I wouldn't have any chance even in the junior veteran category as they were strong runners in this group.

Returned a not too shabby 33min 27sec for a total of 6.6km. Ok, it was short of the designated 7km but not that horribly short of 2km like in my past event *insert snickering here*. Stucked to pace of 5.04min/km which nearly tore my heart out in the last couple of kms. But like I've said, this was my speedwork for this week - something I always ignore lol.

And there was the familiar green van showing out cups of icy cold Milo. Godsend after my speedwork. No jostling around for this yummy drink, plenty to go around.

No, not 100 plus but they were also serving out F&N Apple fruit juice. Not too bad. And plenty to go around too

After some stretching and just resting me legs. My sarong and vibrams of course attracted curious stares of disbelief :)

There was a stage in front and we huddled around it, waiting gingerly for the luck draw! Told ya 20 buck events are the bestest! Intertwined, we were also entertained by some singing, and more singing ... and more singing.

And it was my lucky day when the emcee called out C2261! Managed to snag lucky draw no 21 which consist of an open ticket to ride the KTM train to any destination! Woohoo! It was rather embarrassing where I had to go up to the stage to receive my prize still in my sarong. I was asked by the emcee do I run with a sarong just now. To which I replied a sheepishly yes lol. And she then asked for my position to which I replied 27. *blushing*

Ah well, it wasn't the grand prize of a LCD TV but I am just ecstatic with this prize. Hat Yai anyone? :D. Overall, great start to my weekend and had plenty of fun with the usual suspects at this event. Definitely an A in my books. Got to now get ready to head off to Majung with Pooky for the ride of my life tomorrow! Yeah, all 140km of it. Later!

Larian Komuter Race Kit

2011-04-22T11:54:00.001+08:00

I think this is the first year KTM is doing this run. Don't recall of it last year. Anyway, like I've blogged before, this would be one of those cheap and no frills run.

But you'd be surprised what they can offer sometimes. Hey its only RM20 bucks but you do get a cotton tee and the bib. Hold on to your kad lapuran as there is a lucky draw after the run! Fewer participants and maybe you might just be ... lucky!

See you there tomorrow in my sarong :)

Energizer Night Race 2011 (ENR) - Closure

2011-04-21T20:08:00.000+08:00

There you have it folks. Energizer will be giving all participants a full refund as well as the deserving goodie bag which includes the finisher medal and finisher tee. Honestly, I don't want my race fees back. Doesn't do me any good and perhaps to many out there. Like what someone suggested in FaceBook, why not just donate the fees to some charitable organization? I am sure they will need it more than we do. There's nothing I want from the goodie bag either. Not even the finisher medal nor the tee. Planning to just give it away to some needy kids. Like what I did with my The North Face 100 finisher medal which I kindly gave to a sickly kid who had leukemia during last year's charitable event. Believe me, he needed it more than I do. Read about it here and here.

This somewhat failed event brought out the good as well as the ugly side in us. We came together as one to ensure justice prevailed. We did. However, there were also the ugly side of runners being extremely greedy grabbing more than what they require (goodie bags, headlamps, etc) and some even proudly and majestically bragged about it in their blogs. Some went the extreme ways demanding more than what they were entitled as 'compensation'. Nothing I can say but shame on you. I hope you do repent for your actions.

Sure, I had my so called 'Personal Best' for my full marathon but it's something I'd rather forget and just move on. It was at least 2km short and therefore it doesn't count. Virtually everyone who did the half marathon had their personal best that very night. Suffice to say, their timing methods got screwed big time. But it doesn't matter anymore. The circus is over.

It was a black blotch in running events for most of us but it didn't kill us. So I do hope you can grow stronger from this experience and continue your quest for this healthy lifestyle. Keep on waddling ya hear.

Upcoming FUN!

2011-04-19T21:01:00.002+08:00

Now that we've moved on, time to look at the FUN that's streaming my way in the next 2 weeks!

Decided to enlist for this 7km, 20 bucks run. Seems like one of those good old fashioned run for a couple of bucks. Happening this Saturday morning. Fine, you know I cannot ever sit still. Can I? And it shall be the return of Sarong Man for this event!

Then at 5pm the same day, am off with a couple of pals (from the Kenyir relay team fame) to Manjung! What's up there?

Time to ride Pooky! Manjung is where we have the annual event of Powerman. So it shall be 140km of delicious riding in the hot hot hot sun on Sunday. Honestly, I've not ridden Pooky for at least 2 weeks now. Just going to enjoy the ride and complete it safely.

Then next weekend, in conjunction with the long weekend of Labour Day, I shall be attempting my 9th marathon in Kota Kinabalu! Having done the half marathon for the last 2 years, I am quite excited with the prospect of completing my first full marathon here. Sure, it's going to be a hot run as early as 7.30am but at least the route is picturesque and full of life!

Insane schedule? Yeah ... most definitely :)

Energizer Night Race 2011 (ENR) - Nightmare On Sepang Street Edition

2011-04-17T18:51:00.000+08:00

Right now, I am in disarray. Here I am thinking to whether blog about this event in detail. If you don't know by now, this much fanfare and much anticipated event crashed and burnt horrendously. Go to Energizer's Night Race FB Page for the lowdowns. And the Energizer boycott page where the truth has been told. I think for most of us runners, we just want to get past the memories and just move on. I did do a PB, but one that's not counted as the distance was greatly short by 2km - which is a lot in running distance. Secondly, I finished the marathon safe and sound despite doing most of the route in complete darkness, save for the bright moon.

I best leave it as is for now and just move on. So much have been said, don't need to regurgitate them out now. Watching patiently in the next few days how this whole fiasco will unfold.

Note: Why such title? Am sure most of us would have watched the series of Freddie Kruger's Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, that was how I (or most of us) felt running that said event. A nightmare that we all just want to forget and move on.

Energizer Night Race 2011

2011-04-15T16:12:00.001+08:00

My first full marathon done in complete darkness. Well, let's just hope it wont be in total darkness. Last year I did the half marathon. This year, I will be playing with the big boys. What's unique about this marathon is that I get to run the actual F1 circuit! 5 loops outside surrounding the circuit which each loop will be about 7km or so and ending with a lap on the F1 tarmac.

Kinda cool and unique but would require mental ability to conquer them loops. Just don't be loopy ok. Made tougher thanks to the warm and humid weather. So please remember to hydrate often enough and have sufficient rest in the last few days leading to the event.

Let's do a flashback for a bit shall we and see where I am in terms of my marathon numbers.

- ENR would be my full marathon number 8

- number 9 if you take into account the unofficial River Jungle Marathon in Sep last year

- number 6 for full marathon

- 3 ultra marathon (anything 50km and above to me counts as an ultra)

All this started from June 2010. 10 months gone, 8 marathons completed. From Jan 2011, I've been trying to keep the record of a marathon a month. So far, it has hold true.

Jan - Khon Khaen marathon, Thailand

Feb - Standard Chartered Hong Kong marathon, Hong Kong

Mar - Twilight Ultra Challenge

Apr - Energizer Night Race

So far, I have got marathons and a ultra ... lined up from May to July. Trying hard to keep up with my tag line this year - a marathon a month, keeps the blues away :). We shall see ...

To all my runner friends, RBUs and acquaintances running ENR this Saturday, regardless of the category, run safe and don't ever forget to have loads of fun!

Kenyir Lake International Triathlon 2011

2011-04-14T22:25:00.000+08:00

My first taste of a triathlon event. Never mind that I wasn't participating in all the 3 disciplines. Enough that I got a whiff of all the triathletes doing their thang and me happily soaking up the environment and experience. When I was asked to be part of the relay team for this Kenyir Triathlon, I jumped at it without any hesitation. It was either I do the biking or running discipline and I settled comfortably with running. This Kenyir triathlon has been touted as 'Malaysia's TOUGHEST Triathlon Race'! Why? More on this later.

The day started on a saturday as early as 5am. It takes about 6 hours or so getting to Lake Kenyir, so ample time is given to ensure we don't reach too late and everything becomes chaotic. I'm the kind that likes to be early for everything, at least a day in advance to give me time for preparation and more importantly to calm the nerves. There were 4 of us hauled up in a bad ass 4WD, travelling together, having the makan-thon of our lives and simply enjoying each other's company. From left to right, Eric who was doing his first triathlon Olympic distance, TK part of my relay team doing the biking discipline and ABou starting of our swim leg.

We got into the sleepy town of Sri Jaya around 8am and that's where we had our breakfast. And we piled it on, bowl after bowl. At least we have a reason to! We wanted to have a taste of the famous pau (bun) here but unfortunately, the shop wasn't opened yet. Oh well. We then continued our journey to Kenyir Lake.

After many hours of playing overtaking with cars, buses and trucks, we got safely into the Lake Kenyir resort at around 12.40pm. You can tell from the skies above that it was getting a tad gloomy for our liking. In this resort, you are not allowed to drive into the resort or your chalets. There's this designated parking lot where you dump your wheels.

Next to the parking lot was this structure, and no that's not the lobby! It's just like a little rest area where it wasn't really manned but they had toilets there. There's a phone there where you use to call for transport. To where?

Where you summon one of these 'makeshift buggies' to ferry you around the resort! You can tell it's a chopped up kancil that's turned into this open air buggy. You travel around the resort in one of these, to the lobby, to your room and the resort is actually perched on hilly terrain.

Yeah, there was 4 dismantled bikes in that 4WD, handy thing indeed. The other bikes were for some other friends making their way here later. Hauled that out, including our luggage and got them into the buggy. Next destination was the lobby.

En-route to the lobby carrying our luggage/bikes/etc. You've just got to hold on a bit tight whilst in the buggy as the ride can be bone jarring at times. But it was kinda super fun riding one of these babies! It goes uphill and then downhill and a couple of mins later, we were at the lobby.

Example of the 130 odd chalets scattered around the resort. For RM190 a night, not too shabby indeed. Most of them fronts the lake so we had quite a magnificent view. All the chalets were full.

Rather large room with a king sized bed in hardwood flooring. Very nice indeed.

Had a super big balcony that overlooks the lake. Very nice indeed. Picture perfect postcard!

Has a super big bathroom that's bigger than my current master bedroom with a walk in wardrobe. Nice.

Rested for a bit and then it's off to the registration and race pack collection back at the lobby area. Still a small crowd cause it's still relatively early.

Everything went into accordance and we got our race kits without much of a fuss. Don't expect high tech timing chips, pretty printed bibs and such. Everything is back to simplicity, old school mind you. I guess sometimes we get too carried away with technology that we forgot about our roots where we came from.

Yeah, memorize all those on the board ya as they come in handy. Timing is everything including the all important briefing later cum carbo loading session. Around 400 participants this year, about a 100 more than last year!

We then decided to drive into K.Terengganu town for a bit of late lunch. Big mistake as it takes forever (about 45mins to an hour depending on traffic) to reach there!We finally settled for nasi campur although we wanted a taste of nasi kerabu ... sigh. Then part 2 of carbo loading came where we adjourned to KFC hehehe. We sure can eat! Then it's off the the bakery for some buns and bread for breakfast tomorrow morning. Back to the resort it is. It has already started to drizzled, sometimes light sometimes heavy. Not good.

Around 8pm, dinner time cum carbo loading. The food was just so so and some complained there wasn't enough to go on! Then the race director, Uncle Chan gave us the briefing. Was my first time being briefed by Uncle Chan. Suffice to say, it was indeed a briefing full of guffaws and laughter :). Enjoyable it was. By 9pm ish, everything was over and we decided to just walk back to our chalet since all the buggies were full. And it was still pouring.

Got back to our chalet and did the necessary in the preparation for the big day tomorrow. Pinning up bibs, laying out your gear to wear, gels, hydration, etc. Those doing the individual Olympic distance has more to contend with. Then it was lights out. Super cold.

12am. It was still raining and at times I could hear the thunder and flashes of lightning outside.

3am. It was still raining, at times mild, at times it poured like there was no tomorrow. Crap.

5am. Time to get up. Quick peer outside, it was raining cats and dogs. It wasn't going to let, this rain. Looks like it's going to be a wet wet wet triathlon.

At 7am, the rain didn't let up. So walked we did in the rain to the starting line. Suffice to say it was quite a distance and by the time we got there, we were all drenched. Bummer.

Swimmers for the relay team and all individual participant had their body marking done in the rain. It was still raining cats and dogs. Cold. Shivering.

Quick group photo. 2 relay team members in there, flanked by 2 individual, first timers. I can't help but being awed by them first timers. I just wondered what goes through their minds at this time, just moments away from starting their long journey through 3 tough disciplines.

I decided to check out the lake, that was the first discipline. Over the PA system, Uncle Chan made an announcement. He said that the start time will be delayed from the earlier 8am and that the bike discipline were to be cancelled! Citing certain route of the biking were flooded as well as a broken down truck obstructing parts of the route! Bummer. I can see that TK's face changed immediately upon hearing this! Come so far and not being able to bike! That's like saying, you can have the cake but you can't eat it! But Uncle Chan promised to provide the updates later.

Since my run leg will be hours later, I took the opportunity to snap some pics here and there. But since it was still raining, most of the shot came out bad. Sigh. Managed to snap this guy. I'm in awe of him competing as an individual! He was fast at the swim and even on the bike! Awesome dude!

A picture of my friends and seasoned triathletes. From left to right, Jaja the super mom, Fairul the cool dude, and Hanchik the mat sempoi (note that broad swimming shoulders!) :). I say seasoned because these are like their millionth triathlon event!

8.30am came and it was still raining! Another announcement came from Uncle Chan, saying that the bike leg will be on as usual! That the flooding has subsided and the broken down truck removed. But he cautioned everyone to be very cautious and SLOW during the biking event. Everyone heeded that sound advice due to the rain (which was not going to ease anytime soon) and in the very end, no casualties reported at all for the biking leg. Good stuff. Picture shows the swimmers getting all ready to begin! Was told the lake was luke warm despite the rain overnight.

And off they went into the lake! All 400 of them splashing off like little white dots on the lake. It's a 1.5km swim and they needed to follow a series of buoy outlined in a triangle. A triangle done means it's 750m done, so all swimmers require 2 full loops to complete the whole 1.5km. The first to be out came in as little as 20mins!

That's where you exit your swim and you run up along the blue carpet to the transition area for your biking leg. Yes, it was still raining! And sometimes raining hard!

Finally Abou emerged from completing her swim discipline and a red band passed to TK to continue his bike leg. I was drenched, he was also drenched. Oh well, just need to be safe on the bike. He's a fast bike and it will take about an hour and a bit for him to come back.

Sorry, wasn't much photos after this as it was pouring harder. After some time, I've decided to just warm up in the rain. Guess I will run in the rain after all. The bike route was torturous. Hills after hills and you start off with a BIG hill which you'd have to climb when coming back. I was told many had to push their bikes up coming back! Now, see why they call this the toughest triathlon in Malaysia? It's only a 40km bike leg but one filled with plenty of hills to eat you alive.

The runners for the respective relay team. Getting warmed up and awaiting their bikers to come back. The guy in yellow, Alam Shah, is a familiar face in run events, super fast. To the right of him is Lee Lee, super fast. Me? Super slow lol. Picture courtesy of Ahmad Bahauddin who came to provide support.

A snap with ABou after her swim leg, together with Lee Lee, also running for her relay team. Note the umbrella!

Finally TK came back safe and sound and it was time for me to action! That's me making a loop through the transition before being smacked by a uphill immediately. I didn't bring my camera as it was raining hard. This year we get to run along the Kenyir damn! Something not done in the previous years and not something the public can go through and look see. Oh, the shades were there not to look cool but to ward off the rain pelting on me eyes lol.

Picture courtesy of Lee Li Lian. Love this shot. This was at the start of the run before being smacked with the big hill. Me chasing Michelle Looi who was doing the individual event.

Suffice to say, the run leg was challenging too with the many many hills. Up and down I went for the whole 10km. As we entered the fringe of the dam, damn (pun intended), it was a sight to behold. Too bad I don't have a photo of it as it was raining hard but it was a great run of about 2km along the damn. Halfway through, I can hear the emcee from afar and I know the end was near enough! Water station were aplenty every 1.5km or so and marshals manning the junctions. Whole road closed for this running event. Nice.

I can see the end now! But not before having to do another big hill, a u-turn and then back to the finishing line. And taadaaaa I crossed the finishing line and were awarded with 3 finisher medals (one each for my relay team). Feel great event though I was in the relay. My run took me 44mins to hold a new PB and we finished the event in a time of 2hours 49mins!

The huge and heavy finisher medal, nice! It was a wet wet wet event but I guess everyone had a great time completing this triathlon event. Many of my friends wrote new PBs too! Although I only did the run leg, I thoroughly loved the experience just being there. Watching and learning from the best there is and providing the cheers and support to my friends competing.

In some ways, I am smitten by the tri bug but still plenty to work on my swims. My weakest discipline so far. But fret not, completing a triathlon is still on my cards in the near future. Slowly ... but surely :). The organizers did a good job with the event, ensuring safety is always number one on their cards. No buts. No ifs. I enjoyed it heaps and I shall be back someday ... *fingers crossed*

Weird Cravings

2011-04-14T15:37:00.002+08:00

Run a full marathon with a kain sarong? Wrapped around my running shorts of course. Hmm ... I've done numerous 10km and even a few half marathons before. Why not kan? For some strange reason that has been on my mind lately. Just wondering do you know of anyone having done that before? All I can is ... super wicked :)

All About ME in 100 Words

2011-04-12T09:03:00.004+08:00

Nearly 2 years of running now and after many many kilometres done (2,062km to be precise), you might still not know who this yimster is lol. Nah, i don't blame you as I am just a little squirrel trying to steal a nut somewhete in this world.

Fret not, my good runner friend, Jamie Pang, did a series of runners profile interview on his blog. Including yours truely. So hop onto this delicious link if you have always wanted to know about my dirty laundry and skeletons hidden in my Ikea closet lol.

Thanks very much Jamie for the write up, profiling and photos!

Advertisement: Next installment will be the terribly exciting report on Kenyir International Triathlon!

I Will Be TRI-ing In Kenyir!!!

2011-04-07T21:11:00.000+08:00

Oh lordy! I just can't believe it! This weekend will be my first triathlon in Kenyir! Our very own Kenyir Lake International Triathlon 2011 will be held this weekend on the 10th April. How cool is that? The bad news is ... I won't be doing the full suit lol. I will be taking part as a relay team. Well, it's still a triathlon right? Here's the low down of this triathlon.

Swim 1.5km in the lake
Bike 40km
Run 10km

Complete the whole lot in the cut off time of 4.5 hours and you get your finishing medal! Fine, I still suck at swimming and that's why I won't be doing the full triathlon this year. Maybe next year perhaps :). Within my mixed team, Ms.Chooi Thing @ Abou will be doing the honours in swimming. My partner in crime TK will do the biking part while yours truly will be doing the final leg of running!

I don't care that I'm not doing the whole suit but at least I will have a ball with this experience as well as rubbing shoulders with the elite. Who knows, I might learn a trick or two ready for my own triathlon next year! Will do a full coverage when I'm there. All I can now is ... I AM DAMN EXCITED!!!

But before I jump for joy, the biking route has many killer hills and the very first bad ass hill greets you as you start the biking journey. Cruel! And I also found out there'd be plenty of hills for the running leg! Here's the course description.

Swim
2 loops. Clean and clear water for the swim course. No current.

Bike
1 loop. The bike course will begin with one climb of 500m, then 2 rolling hills, then there is a steep downhill of 1.2km after turning out the main road. After this, its flat until you reach the turning point. When you return, you will climb the 1.2km steep hill... ;) There is another steep hill as you return to the transition area.

Run
1 loop. The run course begin with 100m hill, then flat for 1km, then the big hill of 600m as you approach the Lake Kenyir Resort. After that, a downhill and 2 uphill as you approach to the main road. Then, 1km of climb up to the dam area. You will be running pass the beautiful scenery of the Kenyir Lake as you reach the finishing line.

Note the BIG fonts I've outlined for the run! And I will only be running from around 11am or so and the scorching sun will be a great fun factor! Expect me to be burnt to a crisp when I finish that 10km. Nevertheless ..... I am still EXCITED! So so so looking forward to the adventurous road trip and the event this weekend! Promise to fill you in when I get back :)

Run With Orang Asli 2011 - Runners Give Back

2011-04-05T20:14:00.001+08:00

This was a magical run. Different from the norm running events you and I have ever participated in. Different because not only could be do a trail run but we also had the opportunity to give back to the Orang Asli. In our daily hype of chasing our Personal Bests, or more finisher medals or the 100th marathons or the 100miles ultra marathon, we tend to forget about the needy ones out there.

Many thanks to the likes of my good running buddies comprising of Karen Loh, Dzul, Irwan, Julie Wong and many many others for making this come true. All proceeds from the registration as well as donations in kind and monies were channeled back to the Orang Asli. We were glad and utmost happy to have them, as they were of us.

The location was at the Bqatu 16, Jalan Gombak lama. This road actually leads you all the way to Genting Sempah, and I do frequent this stretch on Pooky (my road bike lah). Love this stretch where it's all hilly all the way to Genting Sempah and be rewarded with a delicious downhill on the way back. Anyway, I'll leave cycling for another day.

These puppies were glad to have us playing with them. I guess it's not every day you get about 70 odd runners trying these virgin trails. More on that later why it's virgin.

Was just about 7.30am when I got there. That's the starting/finishing banner. Simple, no frills run. Those lovely creation of banners/buntings/book marks were contributed by Fred, Karen's hubby. Many thanks for the effort Fred! They are terribly beautiful to say the least.

There were no bibs given out. Simplest form is to mark it on your body. I chose mine on me arm. For a while, I kinda fantasized this was the body marking for my first triathlon event :).

Volunteers at the registration desk working hard to ensure everyone registered and had their bibs 'etched' on their arms/hands/palms.

Part of the many artwork pieces in the form of a poster done up by Fred. The colour and design certainly befit the them for today.

Even our celebrity fitness trainer/chef/swimmer extraordinaire Ian, came and participated. I haven't seen him for a while now and it's good to catch up once more. Still waiting for your delicious but yet healthy food bro!

The usual suspects turned up to be part of this event, all with big hearts indeed. Including David Ong aka Happy Feet from Singapore that graciously came all the way with some friends.

From left, Dzul, Julie and Karen giving the last minute briefing about the trail run and what to watch out for.

Karen of course, was the one beaming and grinning ear to ear on the success of this event which she has toiled hard for. Including those lovely artwork pieces on display that gives a bit of an history on the orang asli (aborigines) people.

We even had a celebrity runner! And I mean a BIG celebrity. Notice that lady in full black with the purplish back pack? Go have a guess who she is. Hint: big voice!

We were also introduced to our 'marshals'. None other than the orang asli themselves. They know the route very well and they don't need fancy running shoes to run fast! Them yellow boots will do hahahaaa.

Soon, it was flag off time. 3 different groups to flag off, with a gap of a couple of minutes in between. This is to ensure we won't be faced with congestion on the trails later. Incidentally, the last group whom I was with had the most celebs lol. These includes Iron Men, ultra runners and ultra swimmers! Can you spot them?

And finally the last group were let off and off we went into the deep jungle. Not knowing what to expect although we were briefed that it's virgin jungle which the orang asli has helped cleared the path. And also we would be crossing 3 streams! And be prepared for leeching visitors on you!

There were plenty of ups and ups and ups! Just like a real trail run where it will work you to your bone! But it was nice and cooling in the jungle. Path was marked with those red/white strips and a marshal stationed every km or so.

One of the few streams that we would need to cross, about a foot or two high. No, there's no other way but to get your feet wet! The streams were crystal clear and darn cooling to dip in.

This is as close as you'd get to mother nature in its natural state. The hues of green and foliage were to die for.

Plenty of climb to tackle. And sometimes on all fours to really really get up to the top. But hey, I tell you it's great fun! Although I think you might disagree with me on my last statement lol

And then we came back out into the main road. We thought that was the end, or rather nearing the end of the trail as we made our way down hill.

Another lovely bunting poster littered along the trail which you cannot absolutely miss and marvel at.

It wasn't long before we met another marshal, which told us to get back into the jungle trail! So more trails to be had before coming to the finishing line. Yellow boots very da power!

The last bit of the trail ended with a BIG BAD ASS incline that went on forever and ever! The incline was like 60 degrees and was it tough work just to ascend it.

After which another small little stream to cross and we were close to home!

And there it is, the finishing line! A rough total of 8km of trails that we've conquered in about an hour's time. Some opted to even do 2 loops!

We helped ourselves to the delicious lime/lemonade which tasted like heaven along the abundant of watermelon and pears. Courtesy of Chef Azhar! Chef Wan punya protege lah hahahaa.

Yes, this little bugger hitched a ride on my foot to the finishing line. I had 4 of these. This one in the picture I kept it until it was fat, which indicated it was full. At least I can say now, I did give back to mother nature lol.

The orang asli were also very kind to cook us rice in bamboo (just like lemang) as well as various types of fish cooked in bamboo and local vegetables. All which was super delicious!!! Thank you!

Surprisingly, we had this as the special orang asli 'finisher medal'! Hand woven with pandanus leaves by the orang asli themselves. Priceless!

Still couldn't figure out who this celebrity runner is? Well, it's none other than our very own Jaclyn Victor!!! Our first Malaysian Idol winner! Very the rugi if you didn't come and participate in this event and rub shoulders with Jac! Jac did very well to complete the trail run although I knew she was very afraid of the leeches lol. See? We do have singers and runners too weehoo!

We were then also treated with a performance by the orang asli. Shown here is Bah Raman, who plays the flute with his nose, accompanied by the children in the background on bamboo sticks.

A final group shot, the runners as well as the orang asli. The children also participated in the trail run and I think they were the most happiest lot of them all!

I had such great fun with wonderful people at this trail run event and I've learnt quite a bit of the orang asli themselves. And the orang asli have also benefited from the collection of monies, food stuffs, clothes, toys and daily essentials which we have all managed to contribute. All of you have truly big hearts and I thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of the organizing committee. There's no better way for me to spend a wonderful Sunday! If you were there, I think you'd agree with me wholeheartedly!

This isn't the end of charitable events from runners. Stay tuned cause there's something cooking in the pot ... soon!

Twilight Ultra Challenge 2011 - Run Forest Run Edition

2011-03-30T23:20:00.002+08:00

16 hours long, 10km loop, run as much and as long to your hear's contend. Those were the only rules. This wasn't a race to see who came in first and certainly no prizes to accord for that victory. I don't quite recall how or why I signed up for this in Dec last year. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself and see how much I could do in that span of 16 hours. 16 hours my friend, is indeed a very long time. The longest ever I've survived thus far was the 12 hour Melaka walk. Yes, it's all about your mental ability to crack the time. Fighting your inner demons as you go along and fingers crossed that you don't cave in before the time is up.

I got into Singapore on Friday 25th March. I make it a habit to arrive at least a day earlier instead of arriving on the day of the event. This will at least give me some peace of mind and some quality rest. Having said that, I didn't get to bed till past 2am. Too much tossing and turning on a new bed, plus I think it was all the excitement that's slowly but surely building up inside me. So much so, I was already up by 7am and got ready for some good breakfast, which ended up just being roti telur washed down with teh o panas.

12pm came, and it was time to rendezvous with the Malaysia contingent for our final carbo loading lunch. On the menu was yummilicous nasi kandar Singapore style.

A quick snap for the road after a hearty lunch. Was also an opportunity to catch up on each others strategy for the event, the tips and tricks too.

And at about 3pm, we made our way to the nearest taxi stand and grab on to the event site at East Coast Park in 2 taxis.

10mins later, we were at the race site! Was still early so we made our way to the registration tent and got our race kits. All in all, there were approximately 200 participants with roughly 30 coming from Malaysia. Everything was organized and we got our race kits easily and quickly.

The list of all the Twilight Ultra Challenge (TUC) participants if you're interested to know, along with their bib numbers. Spot no 30 please!

Plenty of time thereafter for cam-whoring to seal in the memories before the start of the goliath task at hand. Hammer was one of the major sponsors for TUC.

The waterproof bibs all nicely laid out which does make a pretty picture. Don't you think?

Having a walkabout and a look see around, the sea is just behind us. Fairly near to the sea. The day was cloudy but humidity was high.

It was a pretty sight indeed. The greens, the palm tress and even littered with tents. Yes, they allow you to camp here and even start a BBQ with the pits provided. Very thoughtful indeed.

I decided to just bum around and take some pictures here and there. That will sort of help ease the anxiety that I have and perhaps take my mind off it for a while.

Huh? They handed me this to have my urine in it. Dope test? Nah, it's for the organizer's to sample your hydration level before the race. They also took our weigh before and after the event.

And before you could say Abracadabra, the crowd started to build more. More and more runners began to stream in and the noise level went up significantly. It's like a little convention where all runners get together, exchange the hellos and how are you doing remarks, and a bit of catching up conversation going on.

The sample of the Hammer Gel that was given out. Not too bad really. Kinda watery and easy to digest and quite tasty too.

So we all got ready for the race. Don our favorite running outfit, running shoes and prepared the necessary hydration and refueling requirements before the start of the race. Doc Pui San decided that she wanted to run wrapped in our Malaysian flag.

Shine on the other hand wanted to do it the kamikaze way ... cowabunga dude!

Perhaps Julie just wanted to run in her sarong. Similar to what I sometimes do in shorter runs. You think she did run in her sarong?

Khairul on the other decided to be naughty with his Naught G drink. I call it the drink of 'stupendous performance all night long' lol. Don't bother asking me what that means cause it's our own little private joke.

Otromen Zaki and Superman Ray. The only tag team for this event. Now, don't let those looks fool ya. They can sure make mean mileages out of nothing! Incidentally, Otromen Zaki will also be running for the upcoming Sundown 100 (the prestigious 100km event) and treating this TUC event as part of his training stint.

On the contrary, this TUC event isn't about speed. More like having the endurance to sustain that oh so painful 16 hours in total.

Love this picture! The Malaysian contingent. Braving our buns from our home country to partake in this super long event! Picture courtesy of David Ong @ Happy Feet from Singapore.

And after a quick briefing by the Ben Swee, the Race Director, we were off on our Twilight journey!

Let me first explain about this 10km loop first. We start in the middle of the loop (Event Site marked in yellow). We make our way to the left for a 2.5km distance before making a u-turn back to the starting line. This will total up 5km. We then continue to the right side for another 2.5km (for a total of 7.5km) before doing a u-turn back to the starting line for the much needed 10km total.

I love this arrangement for many reasons. It's easier to break up my distances into smaller chunks of 2.5km instead of a big 10km loop. Mentally, it's softens the pressure built up in my mind. Plus, at the starting line, we have also left our special needs bag (mine contains gels, hydration tablets, bandages, bottle of water, change of clothes, etc) which can be easily retrieved at the completion of every 5km. Water, hydration drinks, bananas and water melons were also provided here. So, all in all, it's a neat one stop center for most about everything except the shower and the kitchen sink (and a massage parlour!).

First 10km
The first 10km were a relaxed run to heat up my internal engine. None of those super duper fast pace nonsense. If I were to treat this at a 10km race pace, I would have been flat out quickly. I needed to last the next 16 hours so the game plan was to pace decently as much throughout the hours.

This is towards the left side of the loop. We are running by the sea side so the views were quite nice and serene. We weren't the only runners at East Cost Park (ECP) that 5pm. There were also the public that came to jog, bike, walk, waddle, walk their dogs or just plain spending time with their family. Needless to say, it can be quite a bit of a congestion on the foot path.

From L to R, Jamie, superman Ray and Otorman Zack. All smiles seen here. We were just like a bunch of happy joggers spending some time at the ECP park. Fresh, we were. But then again, the evening is still young.

Ironman Hannes and the lady in purple on the right is Grace, his wife, running alongside him. I'm in awe of Hannes as he pushed himself in his wheelchair all night long to complete 135km. Simply a fantastic feat!

Then there were seafood restaurants on the left! Needless to say, there were plenty of temptations that night! I could just have stopped and made my way to one of the seafood restaurant and order meself some delicious sweet and sour crabs! lol

There! That's one of the seafood found on the route which we had to pass numerous times! Not for the weakened stomach lol

And then we had some sort of a lake where jet skiing activities were going on. Uniquely, you don't see a speed boat pulling the skier but some sort of mechanical contraption in the air that does the pulling! First time ever seeing this and remarkably it does work just as well as being tugged by a speed boat.

And not before long, we have reached the u-turn, signifying that we've completed 2.5km. This is also a water station where one can hydrate as well. A quick u-turn and we are making our way back to the starting point for another 2.5km

KM no 3 quickly passes by as we head back to the starting point

Added attraction of seeing doggies being walked by their owner. This one in particular even had shoes on!

Plenty of picnickers at the park. At least there's something to see that's not static during the run. Else it'd be horrifyingly boring I tell you!

I skipped a photo of getting back to the starting line for the total of 5km. This is running to the right side now at km 6

The right side is not as interesting as the left. There are only campers and picnickers on this side. But as a consolation we are still running by the sea.

And then we come to the 2.5k u-turn for a total of 7.5km. Also a water station here where one can rehydrate well. A quick u-turn and then it's back to the starting line

Honestly a boring side. Km no 9 finally. Just another km and we're back at the starting line, and having completed a full loop of 10km.

Yup, that's the starting point and a full 10km loop done. I stopped for a couple of mins here to get my hydration bottle which I ran with for the remaining of the 16 hours. Lap no 1 completed in 1 hour 12 mins. Not too fast of a pace.

KM 11 to KM 50

Yeah, me clowning around on the 2nd loop. Still early days and can still afford a laugh or two! Picture courtesy of zany Mohan!

My real target was just to complete 70km. Pretty much matches the old record of 71km done by walking in last year's 12 hour Melaka walk. Anything above would be a bonus indeed. For sure, it will be a tall order to get anything beyond 70km as I've never really trained for long distances so far. Since January, I have had 2 marathons, one in Jan (Khon Kaen marathon) and the other in Feb (Putrajaya Twilight marathon covering 44km). That's it. Even my longest LSD were just 30km achieved just about 2 weeks before TUC. To me, running with pressure will always yield the best results.

I ditched my camera when I started my 2nd loop. Only had my bottle in my hand which I took a couple of swigs each km done. It was just after 6pm and the evening was still young. As I made my 2nd loop, you will pass all the runners one way or the other. Plenty of encouragement given and received as I ran. That helped to keep the spirits sky high.

2nd loop completed in about 1 hour 15 mins. Still more or less around the comfortable pace. Legs still feels fresh and body very able to continue one. After each loop, I would stop for about 5mins (sometimes 10) to hydrate and stretch my calves and quads. It does help. Total time now 2 hours 27 mins.

3rd loop began at the very same pace. The crowd seemed to be heavier now. After all its close to dinner time and may people were seen making their way to the restaurants and stalls that I described earlier. And the sweet and delicious aroma permeating in the air? Absolutely disgusting (not) lol. But that's temptation to us runners. Somewhere near the restaurants, I had the most excruciating stomach ache. Uh-oh .... I couldn't hold it any longer and thank goodness for the toilets near the restaurants. A good 5 mins spent and I don't think I need to tell you the rest of the story of what happened lol. Thanks to the earlier spicy nasi kandar lunch! There's something about toilets and marathons that I just can't seem to shake off. Obviously some trend there me thinks :)

3rd loop completed in 1 hour 9 mins, for a total of 3 hours 36 mins on the road. Wow .. it's a tad faster, thanks to the toilet pit stop hahahaaa. This time I took a longer break at the starting line, to hydrate, stretch and rest for a bit. There were some already just sitting by the sidelines. At the starting line pit stop, I make sure I down a banana and a couple of watermelon slices. I didn't want to rely too much on the gel that I brought. Also I make sure I finish my bottle of drink after every loop and then began to prepare the next batch of drink in my bottle consisting of a packet of ORS and a Nuun tablet.

4th loop began with Karen by my side. Yakked a bit with her, or rather gossip, and we ran almost together till the 2.5km u-turn. She said she was already hungry and invited me to stop at 45km (back at the starting line) and go have some REAL dinner. I wasn't that hungry and hunger wasn't on my mind at all. So I just quipped yes. After the u-turn, I told her I am going to speed up a bit. She hated me cause I speed up quite a lot lol. Once I got back to km 45 (starting line), I didn't stop and continued running! Sorry Karen for lying lol. Truth is, I was in the groove and my legs and body felt good. Just didn't want to throw this opportunity away and regret later. So I continued running. Mind you, I've completed a marathon distance by now.

Finished the u-turn and got back to the starting line again to complete 50km. The 4th loop took 1 hour 24 mins for a total of 5 hours and 1 min. To which I thought wasn't that bad trying to keep to 10km/h pace. Same drill, hydrated, mixed a fresh batch of hydration for my water bottle, had bananas and watermelons and off I went for no 6!

That's Doc trying to say that I am crazy trying to go the distance lol. I think this was somewhere around the 4th or 5th loop. Just taking a quick rest after the loop.

KM 60 - 70
It's already 10pm now. ECP was getting sparse. Most would have gone home saved for those camping and BBQ-ing still. Even the TUC runners seemed to have dwindled in numbers. Maybe most would have been contended with 40km or 50km in their pocket. I wasn't. I started the 6th loop still strong and I was still running without any walks so far.

The Ipod Nano that I had already ran out of juice. But I loved the company of Class 95 FM where they play retro tunes that I've not heard for the last 20 years or so. And that really fueled me through the dark and lonely night. The 6th loop, I was still running well. Please don't ask me why I can still run. I just can. No cramps at out and I attribute that to the periodic stretching and correct hydration/refueling after each loop. I am sure there were runners still wondering where I still have the energy to continuously run lol.

Loop no 6th completed, also means I've clocked 60km! Took me 1 hour and 45 mins. A bit slower now as you can. That can be expected after one has covered 60km. 8 hours and 19 mins on the clock and time is past 1am.

Running in the dead of the night. A really lonely run indeed. But my spirits still up and that matters most.

Back at the starting line, most runners have bailed out. Some can been seen sleeping, some just resting and some just sitting around and chatting. Rather demoralizing for me. Paid no attention to that and prepared to continue with loop no 7.

Not many runners now on the loop. Perhaps a dozen or two. It's the same faces that you passed over and over again. Still gave my thumbs up and encouragement when we pass each other. That's trying to keep the spirits up. Started loop no 7. This was the deciding loop whether I would continue on after this. The same question kept playing in my mind through out the 10km loop. The loop was eerie running along most of the path. Some path were unlit so I had to be doubly careful I don't kick a stone or fall down with my virbrams.

I don't have an answer to whether continue or not. Legs are tired and so is my mind. Eyes are heavy too, sleepy and head getting heavier by the minute. When I got back to the starting line, I've completed 70km. That loop took 1 hour 29 mins for a total of 9 hours 49 mins. It's now 2.49am. I decide to rest longer this time while doing quick calculations.

Everything on my body spells tiredness. Look at that face! Tells you the whole story of the agony and the pain I am suffering now.

KM 80 - 100
70km completed in less than 10 hours. Which means I still have 6 hours to complete 30km to reach 100km. Even if I walked the last 30km at 5km/h, I should still be able to complete 100km within 16 hours. Do I do it? Do I want to continue the suffering for the next 6 hours? Is it worth it? Those were the questions going round and round in my mind. The devil in me said, just give up and go rest or sleep. Why subject yourself to such atrociousness? The angel in me said, don't you want to find out if you're capable to go the century mark? Will you regret it later not finding out or at least trying? Yeah, like Doc said earlier, I am certified loony now lol.

In the end, the angel in me won. I am not a quitter and have never been. I fight to the very end as long as these fat legs of mine can carry me. With a big heave of LET'S GO, I was off for my 8th loop! Ironically, legs still did not exhibit any signs of cramps. Sure, they were a bit tight and heavy but that's expected I guess. Made sure I stretched a bit longer now. Strategy is run where I can and complemented by short bursts of brisk walking. I don't know how I pulled through, but I was finally done with the 8th loop. Took me 1 hour 46 mins, for a total of 11 hours 35 mins. Still good timing was what I though of.

If I can keep the same pace (with allowances for a tad slower), I should be able to pull the last 2 loops. Loop no 9 was tough. Everything was super heavy now. I walked quite a bit for this loop and the feeling to just stop was overwhelming. Despite the odds, I tried to keep a sane mind, putting one leg in front of another. It's 5am now and not long from now, daylight will break. A lonely lonely loop. Zack was still continuing his run. Kash was here earlier running alongside Zack. Sorry Kash, didn't have the chance to stop and chat much but thanks for the presence which was a real morale boost!

As I passed Zack, I could only muster words of encouragement. I know he was tired, he looks tired. So were I but like zombies in the night, we kept on going relentlessly. I could have kissed the ground when I finally finished the 9th loop. Took me 1 hour 56 mins, close to 2 hours just to complete that loop. Total time in the event stands at 13 hours and 31 mins. Which means I had 2.5 hours to complete the last loop to make the century mark. Definitely doable I told meself!

With that small boost for me. I started my final loop after a bit of rest/stretching and refueling. Daylight has just broke cause it's now close to 7am. ECP began to be crowded again with joggers, bikers, walkers, tai-chi-ers and what nots. A burst of life began! Somehow I was glad I had company after pretty much walking alone :). The first 2.5km completed for the u-turn. That shot a boost in me as I made the returning 2.5km back to the starting line. Shuffled did I and upon reaching the 5km mark, I was overwhelmed with tears. I could hear Karen and the rest cheering me on to keep going for my final 5km. That itself, gave me a second wind guys, thanks! Somehow, I was able to dig deep and began running again to the 2.5km u-turn and I felt good. Got to the u-turn and plenty of claps and cheers from the volunteers there!

The surge of energy suddenly got let loose like a broken main pipe as I made the u-turn. 2.5km more and by golly, I would have made the 100km! That itself gave me the strength to continue running albeit slowly. And suddenly in broad daylight, there it was. The familiar Hammer masts billowing in the wind! I know the end is near! And finally I crossed the finishing line triumphantly!!! That's it. After 15 hours and 15 mins, I have run/walked for 100km!

And that's me at the finishing line after completing 100km! The joy in my face is indescribable. Thanks Tey for this shot! Who could have imagined this not so thin, nor lean or slender me could have finished 100km in less than 16 hours, weehooo!

Yes folks, proof of my timing! Thanks again Tey for the picture will I shall remember for a long time to come!

Yes F I N I S H!!! Still couldn't sink in with me to this very day that I did really finish that full 100km!

Me faithful vibrams. Sure it was mostly path made out of concrete and interlocking bricks but my vibrams and I survived the torture. Notice the right of the foot I had a tissue stuck at the back. For some strange reasons, I had blisters there which never happened before. Painful it was and since it was my last loop I just picked up and old tissue and stuck it there lol. Hey, one has to improvise! Also note the whitish stuff on my left ankle. Those are real salt formed. It was so much I could literally scoop it up by the spoonful :)

One for the road! A big pat on the back of everyone for completing the challenge no matter the distance. Many thanks to Ben Swee for the excellent organization of this event. I can't really find fault at all. The volunteer were first class, mainly students that clapped and cheered at me whenever I was at each u-turn station or back at the starting line, no matter it was 3am in the morning. Heck, some of them were seen doing home work whilst volunteering lol. I even gave one of them a lesson on kinetic energy. I told him that kinetic energy cannot be destroyed but it's able to change form to another source of energy lol.

The big bad ass Conqueror medal that it's called. Super big, super heavy

The Asics Conqueror (termed that instead of a finisher) tee

I truly amazed myself at this ultra marathon. An accidental 100km ultra marathon if you will. Given the crappy training before, I am over the moon that I've managed to pull the 100 mark safely and injury free. To all my TUC friends, thanks very much for the support. Particularly to that someone who gave me the extra push not to give up on the last 2 laps. If there's TUC 2012, I will surely be there!

Footnote: Running 100km ultra marathons can be addictive! No, seriously. Now I am itching for more ... if only ....

Accidental Ultra Marathoner!

2011-03-27T19:59:00.001+08:00

16 hours of the Twilight Ultra Challenge just concluded this morning. Little did I know I would be going the distance literally lol. I entered this event without a set objective. If I can at least match my furthest distance so far, the 71km walk done in last years Melaka 12 hour walk event, then I would have been contended.

Then again, we humans are a funny lot. Always challenging the boundaries to get to the next level. And that exactly was what happened to me in TUC. Pushed harder and further, I went to complete 100km in 15 hours and 15 mins. Well within the cut off time of 16 hours.

I am in awe and still pinching myself if this was a dream. Full report later. To all RBUs, you've done well becoming an ultra marathoner. To my running pals, good job and great to run with each of you. Now go rest and celebrate your achievement :)

Energizer Night Race 2011 (ENR) Race Kit Collection

2011-03-25T15:35:00.001+08:00

Here's what you can expect with the collection process and what you'd be getting in the race kit. Wasn't many people there for collection, just a handful and I was in and out in like 5 mins with no queuing. The whole process is ummm ... kind weird. Read on to find out why :)

First you head to eCurve. Honestly, I've not been there before but if you must know, it's just the building next to the Curve in Mutiara Damansara. I expect it to be a wee bit crowded over the weekend and a odd location for race kit collection.

You head into the concourse area and that's where the action is. Looks sparse today. Just don't wait till the last minute to collect.

And yes, you see it right. No need to adjust your eyes or specs or contact lens, you need to take a number! First time I've seen a numbering system for race kit collection lol. Really reminds me of banks and government agencies.

I kid you not! You do need to take a number and it's separated by race category, ie 10km, half and full. Meaning certain counters will only work on a specific category.

And you wait for your number to be flashed on the board and when it does, it will tell you which counter to head to. So you get to the counter, hand them your registration details (or the postcard that you've gotten) and they will get your race kit.

For all full and half marathoners, please don't forget to collect your FREE Powerbar Gel outside the eCurve building (where the 5.5km collection counters are).

And then you head to the Customer Service counter to have your chip scanned. To test if it's working. You don't want to find out at race day it isn't working!

And toss your chip over the scanner, and your details should flash up as the first line on top of the screen. Check that through if they are correct. If they aren't, here's your chance to lodge a complaint to sort that out.

And you can of course spend some time to camwhore in front of this huge promo billboard.

And you get the following items in your race kit. Clockwise from top, your bib number, FILA running vest, disposable timing chip and lastly, your Energizer headlamp (with batteries of course). I now have 3 of those headlamps!

Closer look into the Energizer headlamp. It's the same as last year's headlamp :)

The front and rear of the FILA running vest. Note, its actually light grey in colour flanked by 2 pieces of white stripes at the sides. And it's a tad heavy if you ask me.

Don't forget to collect your free Powerbar gel just outside the eCurve building.

And if you happen to purchase Energizer products worth RM100, you'll get this free limited edition Energizer Photographer vest that will guarantee you access to the exclusive Sepang International Circuit paddock roof top for some brilliant photography of the night race! How cool is that right? Well, that's if you're not running lah lol.

There you go. Enjoy your race kit collection and hopefully it will be a painless affair :)

Time To Enter the Twilight Zone

2011-03-25T10:00:00.006+08:00

*smacks forehead* ... ah well it's here already. Back when I clicked on the button here, I wasn't too sure what I was thinking about. Not sure now either. Too late. What's left now is just to ... do it I guess. This ultra challenge will be spanking new in my books of going the distance (and time). 16 hours of pure adrenaline. Whether you run, walk or crawl, that's entirely up to you. Whether you want to sleep in between, go to McD, Burger King or 7 Eleven for supper, that's entirely up to you. Heck, you can even go back to your hotel/hostel and snooze and then come back fresh after a couple of hours to continue on. You do your own planning, nice. Say, anyone up for a midnight movie?

The venue is of course East Coast Park in Singapore. Part of the route which I ran for last year's Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. Definitely not too much liking of the hard concrete pathway but hey, mind over matter I keep telling myself. A loop of 10km and it's all up to you how many of these babies you fancy completing. Starts at 5pm Saturday 26 March and ends at 9am Sunday 27 March. I hope I am transported into the real twilight zone after a couple of loops (venus does sound good now though).

What's my target? Tough answer. The longest distance I've ever covered in the past was 71km, and that was by walking non stop for 12 hours at last year's 12 Hour Melaka Walk event. And that was in a 1km loop. Insane indeed! So I'll try to match at least the 71km distance. Anything above will of course be a bonus. Let's hope these jelly legs don't give up too easily.

There's about 15 Malaysians taking part, no more lonely nights for all of us including the rest of the 200 odd participants. It will be the longest night of my life thus far and I'm both excited and yet terrified just thinking about those 960mins :). My 2 MP3 player will be my companion for the duration of the event. And perhaps, quick FB updates hourly like what I did during the 12 hour Melaka Walk lol. At least I had company back then, even if it was from the virtual world.

Here's shout outs going out to all participants of this Twilight Ultra Challenge. Run/walk/crawl safe and injury free and please don't forget to have fun!

Skinny dipping anyone? We are just inches away from the sea!

Khon Kaen Finisher Certificate

2011-03-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

Nice. The cert came is less than 2 months from the race date. Very efficient indeed. Cert is decked out in gold them, including my finishing photo on a nice glossy photo paper. That's not all! To the right is a magazine which they've also sent out that includes all the finishing results not just for full marathoners, but also for half marathons, and the 10ks! Impressive indeed and makes for a good memento. Well, I like it heaps.

I will likely go back for the 9th installment as this was where I did my marathon PB so far. Simple event, very low key and non commercial, lovely cooling weather and fabulous views on the route including temples, paddy fields and rolling greens. And not forgetting the whole town that came out as early as 6am to cheer us on, kids giving us high 5s, food and even drinks!

Run With Orang Asli 2011

2011-03-23T20:47:00.001+08:00

Love the outdoors? Love trail runs? Love to try something new, as in a pretty much virgin route? Now you can do so all of the above as well as being charitable at the same time. This Run with Orang Asli event is mooted by some good running friends namely, Karen Loh, Julie Wong, Azhar, Dzul and Irwan Anuar (of the Putrajaya Twilight fame).

Scheduled on the 3 Apr, it will definitely be an experience of a lifetime running in the cool jungle, even fancy a dip in the cold stream/river and best of all mingle with the orang asli and hear of their plights. They are the Temuan tribe and they require a lot of help in various departments to get them going. Things from food stuffs and even daily items that they require. Please read the details in Julie's blog entry found here. Do note also this is a non commercial event and a very low note one too. Therefore, it is only limited to the first 100 participants to sign up a the Marathon Shop link.

And should you decide not to run with the orang asli, you can still do your part by donations of the food stuff, or daily essentials or cash in kind. You may contact me directly (yimster@gmail.com) or Julie (jwbiznet@hotmail.com) to hand over the contributions. Come on! Have a heart in learning more about the orang asli, have some fun and charitable at the same time!

KEC Unity Run 2011

2011-03-22T22:07:00.000+08:00

I'd better get this in before it becomes stale again. Going to just make it sweet and simple and not be overly long winded with the report. This is one of the nice and short runs, without much of frills. Basically just haul your ass there on the event morning and run! Only cost you RM30 to register and you get the following goodies.

You get even t-shirt which comes in some sort of a quick dry material. Not bad at all. Also a bib and a couple of coupons for food after the event. Not too bad for 30 bucks.

And 20mins before the start of the event at 7.30am, we had the customary senamrobiks. Yeah, we heaved and puffed to the instructor in front of the stage but sadly, she had loads of technical problems with the music. But, she still put on a good show despite the shortcomings. If you ask me? Errr cheesy comes to mind :)

Plus minus 7.30am the gun went off and we started the event. I think there's roughly 300 participants or so. Then again, there's at least another 2 event on the same day. The start venue was just beside the Klang Executive Club in Klang of course.

So we started running to the main road just beside the Jusco Bukit Raja. Distance was a total of 7km, supposedly.

And we ran around Klang. Don't ask me what road this is. Me no no good with Klang's roads mind you. Traffic was well manned by the police and RELA personnel.

I think there were 2 water stations, serving just plain water which I didn't stop for any. Too lazy to break my pace.

And not long, we were back again at the KEC start venue. We had to do a u-turn in front before being able to head back to the finish line on the right hand side of the picture.

Yup, that's the u-turn and I was told some runners cheated on this. Tsk tsk tsk. What is there to cheat lah unless you are aiming for podium finishing. Cheaters of course, can't be winners! We all know that right.

And you get the above finishing medal for completing the run. Not too shabby. Finished the run in 31mins. Although it wasn't really 7km, my GPS measured it as just 6.1km. Ah well, I'll considered this as recovery run having done a 30km LSD the night before at the Palace of Justice. Trying to keep the 5min/km pace nearly tore my heart out! They had Milo (yummy) and 100 plus made available after the run and also some curry puff which you can redeem with the given coupon in the race kit.

Meet Eric Tan. He came up to me after the event and said hello. Very nice of you. He's also a keen reader of this blog. Hence I had better dust the cow webs off and start posting lol. Keep on running Eric for a better and healthier lifestyle.

And if you're were wondering, yeah I ran with my kain sarong. Making it a habit for short runs. The longest run in sarong so far was the Bareno Half Marathon (which I've yet to blog about lol). So yeah, it was super fun running in the sarong. Was it easy? Nah, it wasn't but I did make everyone take note of me running in that! Picture courtesy of QQ Snap.

But of course, after a good and run, you're rewarded with a plate of splendid nasi lemak! Had this at Chong Kok, famous in Klang. Queued forever just to get this!

So there you go. To sum it up, a nice short running event. Finisher medals for everyone and not that costly for RM30. To be honest, there's quite a number of running events in Klang coming up. If you haven't done Klang before, perhaps it's time to do so!

KL Tower Night Towerthon Challenge 2011

2011-03-16T09:30:00.001+08:00

This annual event is back. This year however, there's a bit of a twist instead where it' held at night! The years before it was always on a Sunday morning. This time around, it's on a Saturday night.

Race Day: Saturday, 7 May 2011
Start: 8.00pm
Finisher Medals: For everyone that completes this challenge.

Early bird registration is now on until the 27th March 2011 at RM25. Thereafter, it's at RM35 for individual registration.

I had fun running or rather climbing the 2,000 odd steps. Starts off with a one km run from the base of the tower and then continued on with the stairs! Read about my adventures here last year.

Here's the registration forms. You can register at Menara Kuala Lumpur or at Muzium Telekom. Sorry, no online registration available.

Aku Malas!

2011-03-15T20:41:00.000+08:00

Yeah that pretty sums up my kemalasan (laziness) to blog. So much has had happened since February and the last I've left from my Khon Kaen adventure. I've grown fat (I did!), got buzy with work and a new role (read more work and same pay) and words stopped oozing out from my keyboard. Needed a breather I suppose and I know I owe you readers my misadventures in the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon as well as Pooky now having a little brother. Oh and the upcoming Twilight Ultra Marathon in Singapore next weekend!

I promise I'll get to the juicy bits .... soon. Now, that's probably a lie again from me lol but I'll try. Missed me?

8th Khon Kaen Marathon

2011-01-29T13:34:00.002+08:00

Khon Kaen is a city nestled north east of Bangkok in the Khon Kaen province itself. Other than agriculture, Khon Kaen prides itself with it's AIMS certified marathon yearly. This year, the 8th installment took place and I decided to just check out what Thailand has to offer in terms of marathon runs.

The 8th Khon Kaen International Marathon runners enjoyed another great success as more than 50,000 athletes from 40 nations took part. One of Thailand’s largest marathons and now in its eighth year, the 2010 event took place on 23 January, 2011 in Khon Kaen.

Khon Kaen people and KKU jointly hosted the greatest run, which was divided into two groups: overall competition and specific aging category also to win the winning prizes worth more than 2,000,000 baht. The opening/ releasing ceremony was held for all 4 competition categories. Overall competition judges by finish time alone, while specific aging categories judge by net time taken.

The 42.195 -kilometer marathon began at 4.15 am and was followed by the half marathon (21.100 kilometers) at 5.25 am, and later the mini marathon (11.550 kilometers) at 6.00 am. The last category was the 4 .5 kilometer ‘fun run’ for health, which was started at 8.00 am.

Kiproo Lilan Kennedy from Kenya was the winner of the men’s marathon with a record time of 2 hours 16 minutes and 44 seconds. He was awarded 200,000 baht and a trophy from HM the King.

His Kenyan compatriot Fridah Jepkite Lodepa Too was the winner of the women’s marathon with a record time of 2:40:50, also earning her 200,000 baht and a trophy from HM the King.

Kipchumba A Kiprop from Kenya won the men’s half marathon in 1:05:10 and received a trophy from HM the Queen to go with his 50,000 baht prize money, while Dorcus Chesang also from Kenya won the women’s half marathon with a time of 1:14:10. She also received a trophy from HM the Queen along with the sum of 50,000 baht.

The most popular category was the mini marathon. Hillary Kimutai from Kenya won the men’s category while Thailand’s Krisana Terntuen, won the women’s category. Mr. Kimutai came home in a time of 35:55 and Ms. Krisana finished in 43:57. Both were handed 20,000 baht and a trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chaklri Siridhorn.

Check out http://www.khonkaenmarathon.com for the full list of winners and recorded times.

Meanwhile, Mr. Aphisit Rujikiartkamjorn, the chairman of the organizing committee stated that the competition saw good cooperation and sponsorship from many organizations and enjoyed great success. He thanked the people of Khon Kaen for their first-rate hospitality and support, promoting the city’s image as the northeast’s marathon venue. The next Khon Kaen International Marathon is scheduled to take place on 29 January 2012.

The Khon Kaen International Marathon is a renowned sporting event in which athletes can appreciate beautiful scenery along the route and enjoy the warm hospitality of local people. The spectators and volunteers that come out in support of the race hand out water along the circuit while cheering the athletes on. The marathon also has a mobile medical team on standby, as well as physiotherapy services.

The local food fair is another attraction that creates a fun and lively atmosphere in Khon Kaen on race day. The Tourism Authority of Thailand provides free tours around the city for visitors.

http://www.news.kku.ac.th/eng/news/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=506

The excerpt above taken from the official website. It turned out only 3 Malaysians took part in the full marathon :)

I took a flight from KL into Bangkok and then decided to bring the adventure side out of me by taking a bus from Bangkok to Khon Kaen, a bus ride that took about 6 hours. After researching on the internet (thank goodness for the internet!), my best bet was to take a premium bus from a bus company called Nakonchai Air. Sadly, their website is only in Thai which didn't help at all. Nakonchai has it's own bus terminal about a km from the Mochit Bus terminal (this terminal serves the north routes of Thailand). Took the 9pm AirAsia flight and got into Bangkok around 10.30pm (Bangkok is an hour behind Malaysia). Hopped on a bus to the Nakonchai Bus Terminal, queued and asked the lady who spoke some English about the next bus to Khon Kaen. Full was what she said. Oh well, I did say this bus was extremely popular. Best to be able to book your schedule via someone who speaks/reads Thai would have been a better option.

So I went back to the Mochit Bus Terminal and went to another bus company called Chan Tour - also recommended by travelers. Luck was with me and secured a seat on the 11.30pm, paying roughly RM55 for it. Waited at the terminal and my bus came around 11.45pm, hopped on and got comfy for the rest of the ride.

Yes, that was me enjoying the on board computer games. It has your very own LCD screen with on demand movies. But all the movies were dubbed in Thai. It has good reclining seats, blankets were also given with some snacks and a bottle of water. All that's left was for me to get into siesta land. Overall, it wasn't that bad save for the once in a while stinky smell from the nearby bathroom. Reminder to self not to choose a seat too close to the loo.

6 hours later, we got into Khon Kaen. Don't be fooled. Khon Kaen isn't your usual Phuket or Bangkok or Krabi kind of a city. It's more of a laid back place where things just snail pass by and people stop to smell the roses growing by the roadside. Ok fine, I didn't quite find any roses by the roadside though but you get what I mean.

Chareonthani Hotel was where we stayed. No frills hotel but more importantly clean and nice with friendly hotel staff. Luckily they had a room for us at 7am which we checked in and cleaned up and a bit of a rest on the comfy bed. It's smacked right in the heart of Khon Kaen so close to eateries and amenities.

It was then off for some breakfast and roaming around town. Loved the local market with the colours and where life truly comes alive. Then it was off to the race kit pickup on what else but a tuk tuk! When in Thailand, you've got to travel on these babies. Free natural aircond and 360 degrees of view unobstructed. The best way to see Thailand.

The Golden Jubilee Convention hall where the rack kit pick up was. Probably the biggest structure in the campus itself. The tuk tuk driver had quite a hard time finding this place and he didn't speak a splatter of english. Had to stop a couple of times to get directions from the locals.

An aerial view of the Golden Jubilee Convention center taken from the official Khon Kaen marathon website. Behind it is the starting and ending point of the full marathon.

It was pain free with the race kit pickup. My details were all in their computer system and the goodie bag was given. You get the carry bag, a Mizuno yellow running vest, bib, a water bottle, a tube of deep heat rub and a to be returned champion chip for the timing system. Hung around for a bit more on the sprawling grounds. Apparently there's also a free tour in the afternoon on Saturday and again on Sunday after the race. They will take you to some of the local sights such as the museum and other places of interest for free. Neat.

The ladies in yellow is specially for McIjam's eye since he is so into marathon babes around the world. That pretty lass in the last picture is Ayeee (or something sounding similar). She majors in English and thus spoke good english and helped us with the direction for the free shuttle back to the hotel and on race day.

A quick look around the start/finish area and the gantry isn't up yet lol. But I guess the Thai people are working round the clock to get the finishing touches in place. A gigantic Mizuno wave running shoe. Lastly, picturing myself coming through the finishing line to psych meself up somewhat. Hopefully not hobbling of course lol.

The rest of the day were spent on food. More food and more. Oddly enough, Khon Kaen takes after its Vietnamese roots more. You get noddles aplenty here and very seldom I see Tom Yam Kung on the menu. But that said I did find the yummy tom yam and had that for dinner. Despite knowing I will suffer the next day lol. Who cares, tummy comes first!

Race day came. Marathon starts at 4.15am. I thought it would be rather chilly but I think the temperature was just around 23 - 25 degrees which was just nice to me. Got up, ate a bun and milo for breakfast and got ready. Supposed to have a bus shuttle from the organizers to ferry us to the starting line. Waited and waited, nothing showed up. Another 2 Malaysians staying at the same hotel showed up, along with a few Thai runners. 45mins to start time and no shuttle yet, horrors. Then a songtew turned up (songtew if I spelt it correctly is like a local mini bus) and we just got on it thinking that was the shuttle. Turned out it the mini bus was actually summoned by one of the Thai runners lol. Nevermind, we paid like RM2 bucks for the ride and the Thais were very accomodating.

We reached the starting point with just 30mins to go. Panic struck me. I needed at least an hour always before any race to prepared and get ready. Uh oh, perut sakit (tummy ache). Rushed to the nearest men's toilet and it was a mile long with the queue. Since I'm such a pro already being able to 'go' just about anywhere, a secluded bush was my target. Never leave home without your wet wipes peeps.

Done, got into my gear, fastened on my bib belt and SPI belt with my gels and hydration. Shod on my vibrams and MP3 player and I was ready. Time to stash the bag. Uh oh, nobody understood English when I asked where the baggage counter was. Had to point to my bag and did the 'put the bag down' action before someone actually understood. Bag stashed at the baggage counter. Time for a quick 5 mins job. Air was cooling and breezy, nice. Then a quick stretching of all the core muscles before I hurdled into the starting kandang (pen).

Decided to do a bit more of the calf stretches cause I felt it was tight and the emcee was blabbing something in Thai which I couldn't care less and all of a sudden PARRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP went the horn! Horrors really as I was still stretching, picked myself up and off I ran! Only had around 800 runners so things were really relaxed with the initial run. Sorry, didn't want to carry my trusty camera with me so not much pictures unfortunately.

The first stretch was around the university heading out to the main highway and into town. The part was mostly done in darkness with the street lights helping to illuminate. Certain stretches they had trucks using their headlights to become street lights. Water was available every 2.5km too, nice cold icy water. Run was good, pacing was good and sweat began to ooze from my body but the cooling weather did help bring down my core temperature.

What I loved throughout the run was the rah rah party. They line the streets with their drums and what nots and yelling at their top of their voice to cheer us up. Some groups even had a karaoke machine and plenty of singing! There were a few blue furry mascots too! Very happening indeed. Completed the first 10km in 55mins, nice. Probably a new PB for this 10km and thanks to the cooling weather.

My hydration and energy plan were still the same. I carry a small bottle filled with a water, a Nuun tablet and a sachet of ORS refilled every hour. Stop at alternate water stations and 2 quick gulps of water. Every 45min to the hour, a packet of Gu gel. So far that plan had worked well for me in the last 2 marathons without cramps bothering me. There were also 3 stations with fruits, bananas, watermelon and some other fruits that I couldn't make out. I had at least a banana each time. Start learning to munch, swallow, run and drink at the same time lol.

I loved this part where we passed a group of extremely noisy supporters with banging drums, karaoke on full blast, plenty of high 5s and then turning into this wat (temple) and we actually ran around the temple grounds! Nice touch indeed. Not sure which temple this was but quite a huge one.

1hour 23mins and into my 15km. I was actually doing a 5.30min/km pacing which I thought was fantastic giving the cold conditions. Uh oh, at km 16 disaster struck again. I had another tummy ache which I absolutely cannot keep in! I had a bottle of water with me (phew) so I ducked into some fencing of some houses, looked around and did me job lol. It is something about me and going potty in marathons that's sort of a good luck charm :D

2 hours and 21km done. Still good timing I though and the 2nd half of the route was out of town into the wide open roads. This was where the sun is peeking out from the yonder opening up to plenty of paddy fields. That's what I love about Thai marathons, the very back to basic foundations. The best part for me is the eager children lining up the route, giving high 5s to you. Priceless looks on their faces that just made my heart melt with warmth. I think the Khon Kaen residents takes lots of pride in their annual marathon.

The other thing I noticed is that there's plenty of uncles running in this marathon. I don't mean those 40s, but those 50s and above! And don't let them fool you cause they run very strong with just their shorts, running vests and no brand running shoes. Calf boosters what? Compression tights what? Nah, they don't need those things to aid them in their runs. Just lots of hard work, blood and sweet will do thanks. Gel? What's that? They only carry bananas with them! I have great admiration for them indeed.

A few of the Thai runners kept pointing to my vibrams and speaking to me in Thai lol. I didn't know how to respond really but just smiled and they gave their thumbs up. They might be thinking this silly chap running in those weird looking shoes. This part of the route was long and flat as we were running on their 'highway'. Not like our highways though. Theirs to me are like trunk roads that we have - in that kind of a quality. 2 lanes each side and I love how the authorities close off the whole of the left side for us runners. The police personnel who manned the whole route/junctions/etc were top notch. Even cheered us whilst doing their job and giving me high 5s! In the name of pride, they are at their best. I can only respond with a big smile and my hands cupped together flat and doing a slight bow of my head to acknowledge them.

I made km 30 at 2 hours and 55 mins which was still on target for a sub 4.15 completion. Secretly inside, I was gunning for a sub 4 but the last 12km was the hardest felt. And .. the last 12km is where the elevation began! Guess they saved the best for last :(. They weren't terrible inclines, gradual ones but the come one after another. My pace slowed down and my legs began stiffing up. Along the way, volunteers were seen handing out something white. I slowed down and took one cube. It was a sugar cube and I sucked on it lol. Not for long though before I spat it out. Sugar I suppose can help replenish energy being sweet and all but too much for me.

Got to km 35 at 3 hours 27 mins and my pace had slowed down. Still not complaining though. Very few runners in front and at the back of me. Aim is just to reach the finishing line. It was then finishing up the highway and turning back into the university where another huge incline greeted me! At least I had the students lined up left and right cheering me as I made it up the incline miserably. Still had 3km to go in the university compound to the finishing line. Best part is here with plenty of students cheering, blowing whistles, banging on drums, singing and what nots. Good was also the 10,000 10km-ers and fun walkers were no where to be seen. Most likely most of them had finished their walk, thanks to the superb timing of events or was it that they walk/run faster than our counterpart ..... :). That said, Thais are a lot healthier peeps compared to us Malaysians!

At km 40 with 3hours and 57 mins on the clock. Nope, ain't going to make my sub 4 but still happy within the sub 4.15 mark. The cheering got louder as I inch closer to the finishing line! And I think the emcee did announce my bib number at the finishing line but it was all in Thai lol. I think it was cause I can make out a few digit of my bib in Thai. Returned the timing chip and I got me gold finishing medal in an official time of 4hours 13mins 28secs putting me in 239 placing overall and 31st position in my category.

The hard earned gold finisher medal :D. And yes, it's plenty heavy

The atmosphere after the run. There were even food served for half and full marathoners. Porridge, rice with eggs, fried chicken and fruits. The food area is cordoned off for participants only. Nice touch and yummy food after a hard race.

Who needs pretty tables to display your wares? The floor is as good as it gets here in Thailand.

The official mascot I suppose. Let's see this mascot do a full marathon in that garb lol

The finishing line where every marathoner loves to see and be greeted at the very end. The cut off time was 7 hours and no they didn't remove the gantry until it was well after 7 hours lol

All smile after completing my 4th marathon and a new PB albeit a small one. More importantly is how I enjoyed this marathon tremendously. Since the humidity here is only about 60%, I had plenty of salt on my body after the race.

Free leg massage after the run. Just what I needed to untangle the knots in my legs. Most are volunteers whom themselves are students of the university. There was even one who spoke fluent malay :)

Now, that's what I call a fully equipped bad ass ambulance. Makes our look pale in comparison.

A sea of yellow runners enveloping the campus. This I guess is from the 10km and fun runners. I read somewhere there was at least 10 thousand of them. Luckily they finished earlier due to the perfect scheduling. Else I'd have a wrath again bumping into them on my way to the finishing line lol

Another aerial view of the yellow runners out in full force. Pictures sources from the official Khon Kaen website. I think they had a helicopter on that day taking pictures. Nice.

This is inspirational to me. He is at least 60 years old (from his bib) and he completed the full marathon in 7hours and 34mins and he was the last runner in the full marathon. If you're still a couch potato, shame on you.

There you have it folks. Loved this Thai marathon for it's back to basics, no frills and the simplicity of the marathon. Best of all, the warmth and kindness given by the Thais to us runners were a real blessing. It reminded me of my humble beginnings and how not to loose sight of who we are in this world. I will most definitely do more Thai marathons this year. In fact I've already have another 2 scheduled for the year.

If you'd like to experience this Khon Kaen marathon, mark your calendars for 29th January 2012. I might just do this again next year.

My Own Designer Furry Sandals

2011-01-27T08:00:00.003+08:00

What a find indeed here in Tom Yam land. Me own furry sandals that has me surname etched on it. Priceless indeed. Now, where's me royalty in all this? Another reason why I just adore running, eating and shopping in good old Thailand. Now, should I wear these for me next marathon?

Sawadeekarp Running in Thailand

2011-01-25T09:17:00.000+08:00

The 8th Khon Kaen marathon held on the 23th January 2011 just recently completed. And I am still reeling in the after effects of the marathon with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) on me legs. That's what you get for not doing proper trainings for any marathon. That said, I'm still basking in the food fiesta here in Bangkok and will be back to life tomorrow. In summary, loved the marathon in cooling weather. Despite not being prepared well, I still managed a PB lol. How? You got me there. Enjoy some pictures for the moment and the details will ensue later.

4 more weeks to another marathon!!! Oh lordy!

Dreams Come Crashing Down

2011-01-21T13:04:00.001+08:00

Well, I did type it was a dream right? And all of us are entitled to being the dreamy kind, aiming for the things high up in the sky. I did dream of doing a marathon a month for 2011. Right now sitting here, having my Subway sandwich, I am just not too sure suddenly.

Start of the year wasn't a kind one. Have taken on a new role at work. Truth is, not something I would like to do. Might mean more time spent there than doing the things I love most. Also means I've not being doing much on the weekends, missing LSD or biking calls from the peeps. Suddenly, doing nothing on a weekend to recuperate a tough week doesn't sound all that bad. Hmm.

Anyway, my first marathon for the year is here. Like it or not, everything was planned months ago. Be a waste not to at least go for a holiday. DNS could happen you know but I will leave that decision on Sunday morning. Khon Kaen (north east of Bangkok), here I come whether you like or not. The trip there will be an adventure, plane to Bangkok and followed by a 7 hour bus ride. And of course my first international marathon. Singapore doesn't count!

Will try to share the adventure once I'm there. A new PB? Nah, finishing the marathon will already make me a happy chappy for now. Stay tuned for me adventures lol.