Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 - Report

Kuching FM runners

Many of my friends thought I would be running the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Yours truly never considered running it on the original date as I wasn't sure I could meet the 6-hour cut off time. However after running well at the Spring Live Active Run 21km I began to believe I could run even faster. This was confirmed at Borneo International Marathon when I PB. So yes, I did think about joining the KL Marathon. There was even a moment when my cursor hovered over the email to officially buy a bib.  At the end of the day I decided not to run it.  Know I disappointed some of my friends.  Especially the person who tirelessly looked for a bib for me and even till the last official day of bib buying didn't give up.  Hope he realises that I am still going to run a couple more runs this year, and two of them are FMs.  This old body of mine can only take so much running.  Next year everything will revolve around the Kuching Marathon set for early August. I will run it. Know many of my friends will run it too. Am hoping that many others will run it also.

Reuben and Mohan

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Reuben and Uncle Oliver

A light moment before the run

Reuben finishing in style

After the run

Kuching runners with their Finisher t-shirts

SCKLM swag

Philip Chua and his son Marcus

This time around a whole group of runners from Kuching went.  The bulk of them from the Hornbill Pacesetters Running Club.  Kept in touch with them through texting and they sent low resolution pics.  I worried about some of their injuries and also their times.  Our fastest runner was in supreme form again.  I know I will be running with three of them again in my next FM, and hopefully they will wait for me for pics. We all knew the Kenyans would be taking the top spots again. This was on the same day that Wilson Kipsang set a world record of 2 hours 3 minutes 23 seconds at the Berlin Marathon.  He shaved 15 seconds off the previous record of 2:03:38, set two years ago in Berlin by his countryman Patrick Makaui. In Kl it was defending champion Kennedy Kiprro Lilan, who clocked a time of 2:19:01, who clinched victory, ahead of compatriot Chelimo Luka Kipkemoi and Kosgei Robert, who finished second and third respectively in 2:19:35 and 2:19:50.  Fabian Osmond Daimon, from Sabah, took the honours amongst the local runners. All told 33,630 runners from 48 countries participated.

World Heart Day 2013 - Report

World Heart Day

Walk A Mile

Kuching, Sarawak

While many of my friends were running Standard Chartered KL Marathon I was in Kuching participating in the World Heart Day Walk-A-Mile event. It meant I had to be at the State Library grounds by 5.30am to register.  Trust me it is hard to wake up just to walk 1.6km. The motivation was just not there. I did manage to force myself to go and was parked by 5.45am. Two kindly ladies helped with my registration and I chose a yellow t-shirt. They also gave me a lucky draw stub and a food coupon and a heart-shaped balloon. Since I was early, yes the rest of the crowd would only start trickling in after 6am, I wondered the library grounds and took pics.  The Nescafe van was the most popular at that time and am guilty of taking two paper cups full.  In my defence the cups are small, much smaller than the Milo ones, which would only open later.  It's nice to see that the queue for the Milo was much longer than for the Nescafe.  Later when the coffee was finished they served milk.  No guesses on how short that queue was.  The longest queue was for the Nestle cereal.  

Lets get to the objective of this event - "Take the road to a healthy heart." We runners do that all the time. The day before I had run long.  Now I was prepared to walk short. The event was graced by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife, Puan Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib.  Pehin Sri is also Sarawak Heart Foundation (SHF) Chairman.  We learned that 26,000 cardiovascular disease cases were reported in the state last year, and about 18,000 patients were given outpatient treatment.  In fact heart disease continues to rise with 24,000 cases reported in the first eight months of this year! The disease is the nation's number one killer and is the second leading cause of deaths in the state.  What's more two of every three patients who die from heart disease are men.  These are alarming statistics.  It's through charity events like World Heart Day that the public can become more aware of cardiovascular disease and how to avoid them.  

Life style change plays a big part in avoiding heart disease. That means physical activities like exercise can play a major part in preventing cardiovascular disease.  So it was nice to see over 700 people participate in the Walk-A-Mile. Many brought their kids with them, and school children could be seen almost everywhere. The aerobics sessions were well received.  There were 48 lucky draw hampers.  Unfortunately in took awhile for the announcers to find a winner.  There was a big possibility that many of the participants had rushed over to the Jom Heboh road show nearby.  What was also nice to see were the long queues for the free health screening for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose level.  There were also equally long queue for the 500ml bottle of water and butter bun.  The fact that I didn't breakfast before I came over meant that I ate and drank whatever was available too.  There was a fashion show and games. All told everyone had lots of fun.

Kindly ladies helped me register

The more balloons the better

Me sandwiched by old friends

Milo time!

More coffee?

Busman leading the aerobic session

The Chief Minister and wife doing aerobics

Everyone doing aerobics

At the start of the walk

Scenic library grounds

The participants walking

A young participant

The short slow walk

Blood pressure screening

Selling items for charity

Long queue for breakfast cereal

Milk does a body good?

Tireless volunteers handing out water and buns

Lucky draw numbers being announced

First lucky draw winner

Puan Sri Ragad and a friend

Cholesterol test

Glucose test

BMI test

Fashion show participants before...

Busman and me

Miss Lulu (right) and a fashion show participant

Fashion show participants after

Miss Lulu 

Yoga Retreat - Borneo Highlands Resort

Yoga Retreat

Cocooned in a lush jungle and snuggled within the hills 1,000 meters above the sea level. Sitting, meditating, breathing on the mountain plateau, on the Penrissen Range amongst the world‘s oldest and second largest rainforest.

 

Information & Pricing:

Date: 2^nd-3^rd November 2013 (Is a Saturday – Sunday!)

Room Package @ RM290 per person (Room + Food + Foothill Transfers)

·           Deluxe Room (twin-sharing basis)

·           Price included 1 Buffet Breakfast, 2 Buffet Lunch, and 1 Buffet Dinner

·           Price included foothill transfers

Optional transportation from Kuching to/from Borneo Highland (two-ways) is charged separately at RM60/person.

Yoga Program is chargeable at RM150/person for 4 classes. We encouraged you to sign up as soon to pay as early bird price, which is RM120! (Early bird price applicable to payment before 30^th September 2013)

Trekking (Optional):
1. Kalimatan Border Looking Point - Duration: 1 Hours to 1.5 Hours - Charges: RM10.00 Nett per adult & RM 5.00 Nett per child
2. Rainforest Jungle Trail (Kalimantan Border) - Duration: 1.5 Hours to 2 Hours - Charges: RM55.00 Nett per adult & RM27.50 Nett per child
3. Highlands Rainforest Tour - Duration: 2 Hours to 2.5 Hours - Charges: RM40.00 Nett per Adult & RM20.00 Nett per child

Class Content:

Day 1 – 2^nd November 2013 (Saturday)

9am                       Meet up at meeting point for

    bus transfer to Borneo Highlands Resort

12nn                     Estimated arrival at Borneo Highland

    Free for Buffet Lunch and visiting

2pm                      Ready for check in and relaxing time

4pm-515pm        Yoga 1 – POWER YOGA

630pm                  Buffet Dinner

8pm-915pm           Yoga 2 – YIN YOGA & MEDITATION

Day 2 – 3^rd  November 2013 (Sunday)

6am-7am             Yoga  3 – PRANAYAMA & GENTLE YOGA

715am-830am    Yoga  4 – ROCKET YOGA

830am                  Buffet Breakfast

10am                    Jungle Trekking (Optional program)

12nn                     Check out from Borneo Highland Resort

                              Buffet Lunch

2pm                      Departure from Borneo Highland Resort

Registration form: 

Contact: sze.yogastudio@yahoo.com

 Instructors:

Yikru

 

 

Yikru starts her yoga practice since schooling time in England. After years of practice in England and Singapore, in 2009, she been awarded 375 hours International Yoga Certificate and to be a qualified Yoga Instructor. She continued her yoga journey by practicing, teaching, keep learning and attending to various workshops. To her, Yoga not only brings you the physical healthy body but also a positive and energised YOU.  

Sze Sze

 

 Found yoga in year 2001, fall in love and seriously into yoga in year 2005, certified as yoga teacher in year 2009 and found her own SZE yoga studio. Been teaching, going through trainings & workshops by well known yoga master in Yin Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Rocket Yoga etc. Believe that yoga is for everyone and willing to share everything she knows about YOGA