Island Marathon







 

The inaugural Island Ocean Marathon was my 10th marathon. Held at the Resorts World Langkawi (formerly Awana Porto Malai) on 21 April 2013 this non-competitive event offered no prizes and attracted 997 participants. Needless to say there were no African entrants. 

 

The route started from the hotel, followed up with a short sandy beach run, headed towards the airport and thereafter it took an easterly direction to the coast for a hilly return. I lost count on how many hills I had to overcome. The special treats runners received were a refreshing coconut drink at the 29th km, ice cream 200 metres before the finish line and an ice cold Red Bull can at the finish line.

 

 

Finisher Tee

Cert, Bib, Medal

               



This is really a 'fun run' marathon with no cut off time or time limit. And I saw some participants (6 of them) holding the organisers word or promise when they were still walking slowly back to the finish line at 1.15pm i.e. an elapsed time of 8 hrs 45 min. This is one marathon the beginners can join without worrying of not qualifying.

Ultraman no, Ultra Marathoner yes

On 25 June 2011, saw a new milestone in my running chronicle when I became an ultra runner with the happening of Sundown Ultra Marathon 2011. After 8 marathons, I guess it's about time to give it a try. In its fourth year, this time it’s slightly different because the distance had been increased to 100 km ( previous years 84 km ). Held at a new venue, the Marina Barrage, about 1000 participants took the challenge. The course started at the venue, headed to the East Coast Park, onto Changi Coast Road, passing through Changi Beach Park, Pasir Ris Park, Tampines area and ended at Bedok Reservoir, the 50 km mark. From here it was a U-turn back to Marina Barrage.

The race started at 6 pm Saturday evening and with every 10 km, there was a pitstop for runners to refuel, eat, rest, refresh, use the loo. There were 100 Plus and Ice Mountain water, snacks like bread, buns, muffins, sandwiches, biscuits, cut orange slices, bananas, potato chips and an abundance of other foodstuff. After an hour and 11 minutes, I reached my first pitstop. Had my fill, did my stretching and 5 minutes later, I’m on my way again. At the 18^th km, it started to drizzle. Wow this had me worried for a while. Lucky for all, when I reached the second pitstop, the rain stopped. Same routine here, stretching, snacking and drinking. Another 5 minutes break here. But after 30 km, I just couldn’t eat anymore. So I hit on the 100 Plus and power gel only. When I reached the 42 km mark, I noted it was exactly 6 hrs.

At the 50^th km pitstop, soup and hotdogs were also available. So much food but I was not hungry. Food don’t taste good when you’re running a 100 km race. The breaks were now longer than 5 minutes, as long as 15 minutes. At this point, I started the walk-run routine as my legs were getting weary. Through the rest of the run, I only snacked on raisins and power gels that I had pocketed earlier. Some kind supporters offered me a chocolate bar and a very refreshing coke. It didn’t matter how much I drank, there was never really a need to go to the loo. But I went anyway just to feel more comfortable.

This is really the longest and most gruelling run in my life. I can’t remember everything that happened along the way. After 60 km the runners were getting very scattered because their numbers were greatly reduced. I wasn’t sleepy but I had to focus my mind on other jovial matters in order to forget about the boredom, the pain in my legs and the fatigue. And when daybreak came, I was on the 84 km mark. A very slow run led me into a slow walk for the last 4 km. My feet were getting heavier with each step. With only 200 meters to go, I forced myself to run again just to finish the race in glamorous style, clocking in at 15 hours 41 minutes ( placed 78th ). My rewards – a finisher medal, T-shirt and towel.

There was also a sunny buffet waiting for all finishers but unfortunately I did not have any appetite at all. This is one buffet I will never forget because I only took one banana from the wide selection available. And I mentioned 'sunny' because you really have to eat the buffet in the hot sun. That’s right – no shelter not even an umbrella was provided.

This is the most expensive event I’ve ever participated. Entrance fees were S$165.00. I probably won’t be taking part again. Not because of the cost but I wouldn’t want to go through that kind of ordeal again.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

The Team ( l - r ) : Ron, Cat, Sam, Wei Mei & Man

Many of us have our 'to do' list and I'm no exception. On 23 April 2011, I have the great satisfaction to strike out item number 3 on my list which is Climb Mount Kinabalu.

On 22 April, the five of us started our climb from the Mesilau trail at 9.50am after a short briefing by our guide cum porter, Nizam. This trail is more scenic than the Timpohon side but 2 km longer. It was gentle jungle trekking and then it rained and our raincoats came in handy. Climbing with raincoats can cause quite an impediment as I kept stepping on it. Before long, the sides got shredded and torn. The rain poured heavily until pathways looked like cascades. My shoes and socks were totally drenched. With a little bit of luck, it stopped when I reached the intersection of the Timpohon trail. From there on it was another 2 km of uphill. Without much difficulties, I finally reached the Laban Rata Resthouse at 3.55pm. This is where we stayed to regain our strength for the second part of the climb.

The White Rope

The Laban Rata Resthouse is a dormitory type of accommodation. The worst drawback was the absence of hot water. To avoid falling ill since I've been walking in the rain, I forced myself to wash my hair in 20 degree C weather. Our team occupied a 6-bed (3 double decker) room. If you're thinking of losing some weight doing the climb, you can't be more wrong. The resthouse serves 3 buffet meals for climbers namely dinner ( 4.30pm to 7pm ), supper ( 2am to 3am ) and breakfast ( 7.30am to 10.30am ). Menu for all meals vary slightly. There were chicken, beef, lamb, burgers, spaghetti, fried mee hoon, fried rice, vegetables, fried eggs, one type of soup, sweet dessert, toast bread, coffee, tea, juice and water. In addition there were 2 packed lunches which climbers carry with them, one each during ascent and descent. Bedtime was early at around 8pm. At 1am, we were up, 2am supper, 2.40am briefing and at 2.50am, was the start of the climb to the peak, the tougher part.

It was dark and the cold was between 9-10 degree C. We had our headlamps on. We passed many wooden stairs and bridges. Then came the toughest part of the climb. We had to hoist ourselves up a steep rock surface using the available dangling rope. Shortly after this obstacle, the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint came into view. From here on, we only climbed on rock surfaces following the white rope all the way to the top. As we go higher, our breathing got heavier. Just as I thought I still have a long way to go, the summit came into my view. It was 5.30am and I had reached Low's Peak (4095.2m). I waited till 6am for the sun to appear. To my disappointment the beauty of sunrise had been marred by some clouds. After snapping photos and really taking in the views, we made our descent.

Descent was much easier on the heart but very hurting on the legs and knees. Almost all climbers used the walking stick which reduced the impact on the knees. Now that everything is bright and clear, I can see the extraordinary scenery, that of a mountain, something that I've never really seen this close before. I returned to Laban Rata Resthouse around 9.10am and already the buffet breakfast needed lots of replenishment. With a short rest, our team checked out and started downhill at 10.35am. All guests have to check out by 10.30am or there will a RM100 per hour charge. The journey down was fairly smooth until we reached the Ibah shelter, 1.4 km away from the Timpohon Gate when the rain fell on heavy again. This is oddly the raining season in April. With raincoats on again, we plodded along the water soaked and flooded paths of the remaining distance and came out at Timpohon Gate with a feeling of great satisfaction, personal achievement and relief that the worst is over.

Peak Views

To sum up my climb, these are the times taken by me :

Mesilau to Laban Rata - 6 hrs 5 mins
Laban Rata to Summit - 2 hrs 40 mins
Summit to Laban Rata - 2 hrs 30 mins
Laban Rata to Timpohon - 4 hrs 30 mins

The Must-Have Photo

GENTING TRAILBLAZER - CROSS COUNTRY 2010

A last minute contest sponsored by Oriental Daily News enabled me to participate in the inaugural Cross Country event of the Genting Trailblazer 2010 held at Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Resort on 30 October 2010. This race is actually an extension of the Adventure category which is in its 5th edition. In comparison this was a lot easier than the Adventure race in the absence of the obstacle course.

Being a first timer in this sort of event, I was very unsure of what to expect. So I opted for the 6km category. During the briefing, we were told not to take or leave anything except our footprints in the jungle. Wearing gloves also help but I didn't bring any. Shoes with good traction will be an added advantage.

Venue : Football field 300 metres from Awana
Contestants : Approx. 331 in 6 categories

The route started very ordinarily on flat land passing through the Awana Resort and onto a driving range. I had to avoid stepping on golf balls. From thereon into the jungle trek. As it had rained the previous night, the ground was soft, soggy and slippery. It led me into places that I've never treaded on in the highlands. I had to climb over or crawl under fallen tree trunks, jump over puddles and jungle drains. After a kilometre or so, the course went uphill and uphill until my speed was reduced to a slow climb. On the top was the one and only water station. The only suitable spot to set up one but a little late for this was the 5th kilometre already. Unbeknownst to me, the worst was yet to come. In the last kilometre was a very steep hill in the open. I'd say the gradient was about 45 degrees (if I'm not mistaken). This was the final hurdle followed by a very steep descent. The last 150 metres were just flat, so I sprinted to a 19th placing finish with a time of 49 minutes 10 seconds.

I collected my thick paperboard finisher medal (that's right, it's not metal or pewter) and help myself to a light buffet breakfast of fried mee, garlic bread, cakes, hardboiled eggs and bananas.

This event with an entrance fee of RM98 must be the highest in the country. And no certificate was awarded.

Here I would like to salute my running mate Catherine for achieving her greatest victory so far, first runner up in the women veteran category.

Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2010

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon on 4th July 2010 was the 32nd edition of the biggest marathon in Australia. The marathon actually took place on a 21 km route stretching from Runaway Bay in the north to Burleigh Heads in the south, some 11 km from the airport. The name 'Airport' probably refers to the sponsorship. It is a winter sports event under temperatures between 10 to 17 degrees.

The main venue is Southport next to the Aquatic Centre. The full marathon led south to Surfers Paradise, onto Broadbeach and thereon, a U turn at Burleigh Heights, doubled back to the venue area, and headed northwards to Runaway Bay for another U turn back to the event venue for the finish. The route is almost totally flat passing by scenic beaches, condos, hotels and residential places. There were about six or more musical groups set up all along the 42 km course providing entertainment to relieve the fatigue and monotony of the long run. Young toddlers were at the side of the streets with outstretched hands giving low fives to runners. Amid the cheers and applause of spectators, I can hear my name being called out numerous times. This was happening because runners' names were printed on their bibs. This is one of the special feature of this event. The windiest and coolest part occurred at the final two kilometres. On finishing the marathon, something that I've never experienced before happened. My vest and clothes were completely dry.

The next morning another amazing thing happened. All the names of finishers and qualifiers of all the categories with our placing, gun & net time and category placing were published in a special 64 page supplement in the Gold Coast Bulletin. All 21,508 of us.

There were 5023 entrants for the full marathon and according to the reports, 496 did not finish or complete within the 6 hrs 30 min time limit. Despite cutting down 20 minutes from my PB of 4 hrs 37 min, still I only managed to be placed 2701, i.e. bottom 41%. In view of this, I must say that the standard here is very high compared to where I came from.

The marathon was very well organized. This was the first time it was held over Saturday and Sunday. For next year's event, the organisers are planning a week long carnival. Everything was so perfect especially the left luggage which saw absolutely no queue.

This is a very expensive marathon for Malaysians costing about RM390 for registration fees and with that exorbitant price, you don't even get an event running vest. The T-shirt size stated in the registration is for the finisher T-shirt. Since no running vest was provided, there was totally no uniformity at all, making it a very colourful cross section of runners on that event day. This is actually a good idea. From my experience, I find that usually participants do not like to wear the same vest like everybody else. So it will be a great waste too to supply them. Another thing - finishers' certificate has to be downloaded from the website and printed on your own.

I'd like to go again next year in the first weekend of July 2011 but I don't think I want to spend that much on something or some place that I've done or been before. For those who really want to do a PB, then this is the place for it. The cool weather, flat terrain and the competition will be enough for you to achieve that.

Shabu Shabu The In Thing Now

Shabu shabu - the word that is so popular now in the world of food. With more and more of these eateries mushrooming in the city, one such place that will surely catch the attention of the romantics is I Love U Shabu Shabu. Located next to the New Wing IOI Mall in Puchong, this is a two shoplot joint which charges RM28.80 nett per pax on weekends and RM26.80 nett on weekdays.

Shabu shabu is Japanese steamboat and their specialty is food on conveyor belt with individual cooking pot. There are usually more than 100 items of food available including ice cream and desserts.

So lovebirds out there, if you don't know where to take your partner to on Valentine's Day, this could be just the place. However other than the name of the place, there is nothing romantic about it.

ENERGIZER NIGHT RACE 2010

ENERGIZER NIGHT RACE @ CYBERJAYA

Lately Malaysian sports took a novelty turn into what is termed - Night Races. None of that F1 or Mat Rempit stuff. It is actually running. The second inaugural night marathon, Energizer Night Race held at Cyberjaya on 27 March was a smashing success with 5000 or so participants in 15 categories of 42km, 21km and 10km distances. (The first event was the Putrajaya Night Marathon held on the 6th Feb.) The special thing about the Energizer run was the head lamp given to runners to wear for the race. However the response to this new accessory was lacking as most runners especially the marathoners would rather not have to add on to their burden of wearing one. Anyway their starting time of 6.00 pm was really too early for the lamp anyway. The night of the run also coincide with Earth Hour which ran from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.

The venue selected was very suitable for this inaugural event since Cyberjaya does not have traffic problems. Can you imagine the massive traffic congestion it would have caused in the city centre on a Saturday night if it was held in KL. Kudos to Pacesetters for another well organised event.