Borneo International Marathon 2013 (Part 1)

 

5th May, 4th May and 25th August

Managing the Impossible

TWO 42kms in TWO weeks?

Yours truly is one of those chaps who firmly believes that impossible is nothing.  Yes I know, the mirror does not lie.  My age is slowly showing.  The whites in my hair a slowing winning.  My fat is always on display.  After Island Ocean Marathon I was ready to tackle what for me was a monumental task: two full marathons in two weeks.  Had prepared for the occasion by taking things easy in Langkawi.  There was a point in the run that I was so tempted to go for a sub-7 hour finish, but then I said to myself I needed to save my legs of Kota Kinabalu, and that's what I did, though I did finish faster than I had anticipated.  A couple of my gym buddies had run last year's Borneo International Marathon.  Having seen the medal, and later the race top gracing a couple of running bodies at the inaugural Spring Live Active Run, I wanted some of that.  Will forever remember the joy of holding last year's Penang Bridge International Marathon medal in my hands...

Sabah's very own proboscis monkey on the medal

Medals are always such a teaser. The nicer they look the more I want.  This year's BIM medal reminds me a bit of the Boston Marathon's one, especially in the colour scheme.  Thanks to my age I have to run at least 4.5 hours in a sanctioned race to enter the lottery to run there.  I know it is a pipe dream.  So you can imagine my joy at seeing such a beautiful medal for BIM.  My rule of thumb in running races is simple: If the cut off time is manageable I will go for the longest run available.  So there was no question that I would be running 42km.  In fact the IOM had been an after-thought, more so because I wanted to run at the River Jungle Marathon, and the fact that if I ran both marathons I would complete the two-halves of the medal.  For those who want to drool I have included an artist rendition of it below.  Trust me, the real one looks really great.  You can see it in my previous blog entry.  

Island Ocean Marathon medal (on top) combined with 

River Jungle Marathon medal (below)

Of course some people, including yours truly had liked the previous rendition of the medals for The Marathon Series, but in retrospect, a medal is a medal, and this one looks just as good.  However I am secretly hoping that next year we get the yin and yang one...  Lets get back to BIM, shall we?  Running two full marathon in two weeks was sheer madness on my part.  However deep inside I knew I could do what it takes to hit the finishing line at BIM in under 6.5 hours, even if I had to trail the cutest 2XU clad compression tights the whole way...  There has to be a lot of self-believe on my part, and my tank was definitely over-flowing.  Having not been to Sabah since I was a little boy I was excited at the prospect of seeing how much Kota Kinabalu had changed.  So my run was registered, my flights were booked, and so too were my hotel rooms.  Many of us from Kuching would be going.  I wouldn't be running alone...

 

Clash of dates

Unfortunately for all concerned, the Thirteenth General Election would fall on 5th May.  That meant the Borneo International Marathon would clash with it.  We all know which is bigger and more important.  So we all prepared for the inevitable bad news that was to follow... 

"Dear Runners,

In view of the Malaysia Polling Date which coincides with our race date, we are at the moment in discussion with the authorities. Our present proposal is to start the race earlier so we will finish in time for polling. However, the final decision depends on the authorities. Meantime, we are trying our best to ensure that BIM goes on as planned, we'll keep you posted on the updates.

Best Regards,
Race Director"

Sufficed to say I was very upset.  Maybe not as upset as those who I knew were preparing to run their first full marathon.  Everyone knows that the 42km at BIM would be relatively flat.  How hilly can the coastal area be, right?  I am smiling as I wrote that because knowing what I know now, I won't assume anything of any running route until I have traversed it.  

42km race route for BIM

Running by the ocean is always a thrill.  From the race route I could see that I would be seeing lots of water.  That was such a bonus on any run for me.  Alas in didn't look like my dream was possible this year thanks to BIM clashing with GE13.  So there I was leaving it in all in the hands of the running gods...  Two days later we received this post...

"You get screwed which ever way you turn!

That was the comment from a colleague when he heard the news.
The Borneo International Marathon was planned 1 year ago and the date was Sunday 5th May 2013. We were overwhelmed by the response at the close of registration. Planning was smooth and preparations were all on time. We were looking forward to an enjoyable and an outstanding race.

There are 365 days in a year. The chances of a particular day selected would be 0.27%. ………and it was announced on 10th April 2013 that 5th May 2013 would be the polling day of the 13th Malaysian General Election!!!

The Committee had an Emergency meeting till the early hours on 10th April and then presented our plan to the authorities on 11th April at 9.00am.

The authorities would give us their decision on 12th April.

The options facing us were bleak and any decision would have its undesired consequences.

The facts were:
1. Police personnel would not be available for road closure.
2. Certain roads would be closed from 4am.
3. People want to vote.
4. What about the 2000 participants flying in?
5. The Marathon cannot be held from original planned 3am to 10am.

Our choices:
1. Postpone the Marathon. This would mean booked flights cancelled and another date which may not be suitable for all.
2. Carry on the Marathon but at another starting time.

We decided option number 2.
The whole event will start earlier by 5 ½ hours.
1. The Full Marathon will start on 4th May 2013 at 9.30pm.
We believe most of the runners who planned to come would be in Kota Kinabalu by the evening. So this time will not be an inconvenience.

The schools 10km race will start at the same time. There are not that many participants in this category and will not disturb the Full Marathon runners.
This is in consideration that school children will finish their race by 11.30pm and will not be a worry to their parents.

2. The Half Marathon will start at 12.00am.

3. The 10 km race will start at 12.30am.

This means the whole event will finish by 4.00am when the last of the Marathoners return.
For those in Sabah, it will give you 13hrs to get home to vote. For those from Peninsula Malaysia, we hope you will be able to return home to vote.
We understand how disappointing it is for those who have bought air tickets and want to vote and cannot make it to BIM2013. We will give you a free entry to BIM2014 for the category you have paid and registered for. Send us a scanned copy of your air ticket and your name will be added.
This is the decision of the Committee taking into account our capability, the logistics and situation. We know we cannot satisfy everybody but this is the best of a bad situation.
Please try to understand our decision and for those who can't make it this year, we hope to see you at BIM2014 on 4th May next year.
Finally, our greatest sincere thanks go to DBKK (Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu) and the Police for their understanding, cooperation and help in making this event possible."

Talk about a reason to celebrate! Since I would definitely be arriving in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday to collect my race-pack this was a race I could run a day earlier...  

 

A night marathon?

The 9.30pm gun time meant that this would be a night marathon.  I had never run a night marathon.  Running two 5km races in the night doesn't count.  It's kind of like me running to the 7-Eleven and then back, not that I have ever felt the need to do so at night.  Friends were quick to tell me that performance level drops as much as 30% at night.  Well thanks a lot guys!  Here I am with less than stellar shuffling speed and you heap even more bad news on me.    To get ready for my run there was next to nothing I could do since my legs were still in recovery from IOM and I had frozen my gym membership.  Very smart move Yahya! So I just walked a lot.  Then later in the week following IOM I got my legs massaged by a real professional, and yes, it hurt like hell.  No way was anyone touching my toes.  The plan was to have another leg massage a day before BIM.  Alas that never happened...

Our mobile phones are wonderful things.  They beep and vibrate all the time with sometimes trivial and sometimes life changing messages.  There I was enjoying dinner with MBF when I got the news that nearly made me want to cry.

"BIM2013 POSTPONED

My Dear Friends,

It is with great regret and sadness that I write this letter.

We received a letter from the Police (copy below) advising us to postpone the Borneo International Marathon.

We will advise you on the next date of the Borneo International Marathon which will be held in 2013. All entries will be deferred till then.

The Committee understands your disappointment and we feel exactly the same way too. The stress, the hard work, and the time we have had to put in has resulted in tears and heart wrenching reflections of our volunteers, supporters and Committee. We have tried our best against all odds.

Finally, I would like to thank all our supporters, sponsors, the Police, Ministry of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Tourism and Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu for all their help and encouragement.

Meantime, participants who have registered may still collect their race pack at 6th floor, Suria Sabah Shopping Mall on 2nd to 4th May between 10am to 6pm. For more updates, please check our Facebook page and the website at www.borneomarathon.com

Thank you.
Race Director"

  

For all non-Malay readers,  

"Title: Borneo International Marathon 2013 on the 4th May 2013


With all due respect, I am referring to Your Excellence Datuk's letter, Serial DBKK. 100-4/10 dated 11th April 2013 on the said matter.
 
2. It is to inform that I, as the Chief Police of Kota Kinabalu district advised that the said event, Borneo International Marathon 2013 which is scheduled on 4th May to be postponed to a later date.
 
3. This Office apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

Thank you."

So what were we to do? We could vent our anger at the organisers, or at the police, or at the Election Commission.  I chose to do none of the above.  This sort of thing does happen in races.  I had to accept that fact.  After all the BIM racing committee had done their very best to get the race changed from 5th May to 4th May.  At the end of the day they still had to comply with the authorities, and I wholeheartedly understand the situation.  To at fuel to the fire, 700 detonators and explosive items had recently been stolen (Read: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/05/01/700-detonators-explosive-items-stolen/)  To be sure nobody wanted a re-occurrence of the Boston Marathon tragedy.  I would rather run safe, then not at all.  Yes I know many fellow runners voiced their gripes.  Everyone is entitled to do so.

To go or not to go...

Tell someone who has booked flights and hotel stay for a couple of days to let it all burn...  Yes I was depressed. Had wanted to run so badly. Was in two minds till the day before my flight, and packing was a last moment adventure.  Best to be prepared, so my running shoes were packed.  There was news that some runners would run all of the runs on the same night.  There was no way I was going to run 42km.  I will never run the whole distance of any race just for fun.  At my age I feel that I need to save my legs.  There was a possibility that BIM would be run after the election, so nobody knew whether the race would be in late May, or even June.  There was a chance though that I would try one of the shorter routes.  Since I had only packed my Skerchers, I was not going to go far, and 10km was it as far as I was concerned.

Kota Kinabalu here I come!

Rack Pack collection

The flight to Kota Kinabalu was uneventful.  The pilot impressed me with his landing skills.  Only a small group of us came.  Thanks to our friend Jason Ku, a Sabah native, we had a ride to our hotel, and later to Suria Sabah to pick up our race pack.  I must say I was impressed at the number of people there.  Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and resigned to the fact that the race was postponed and would be run at a later date.  There were even booths displaying running products.  Even though there was a nice voucher in my race pack, it wasn't redeemable in Sabah.  To think I had collected two of them so far.  Does it mean I may be forced to purchase more race compression products or even a new brand of running shoes? We shall see when the time comes.  There was only one small incident of an unruly runner picking up his race pack, but it was all noise from the foreigner, and he quickly hightailed it when he was informed that security had been called.

I won't bore you with my adventures in Sabah.  Suffice to say everything was in walking distance.  Kota Kinabalu is that small! All of us had enough leg to walk all over town.  And yes other friends from Kuching were going to run the BIM race route.  They form part of the oRun Utans - a group of runners who just like to run, and they do so for the joy of it, week in and week out.  Most of them were FM virgins, and BIM would be when they were deflowered.  So I can understand the need for them to run the 42km route.  Besides all of them were much younger than me.  Two of them met me at 1Borneo.  That's like the biggest shopping mall on the island of Borneo.  It was kind of weird, but also very nice to be recognised by people I had never met in real life before.  Just because I am part of the oRun Utans, does not mean I run with them.  In reality I prefer to run alone, mainly because I run slow.

Race top and running bib

Likas Sports Complex

Big burger time!

At sea...

Triathlon training?

Just to underline the point

My favourite run pose

Yummilicious Yee Fung laksa

Hopefully the pics will give you an idea of what I had been up to. Got lots of sun. Got burned big time for it too.  Ate a lot too. Even tried some of the local delicacies.  Sabahan really like their chillies, which is a good thing for me.  

What the future holds...

"My dear Friends,

At last, the elections are over, the nation has settled down and we have finished with the Race Committee meeting on deciding the date of BIM2013. We have met up with the authorities, permission has been granted and the stadium booked.

The date for BIM2013 is on 25 August 2013, starting at 3.00 am with the Full Marathon, followed by Half Marathon at 5.00 am and then 10Km run at 6.15 am.

We are very sorry for the postponement but when the Police advised us to postpone it, we had no choice. It would have been wrong to ignore it. Once again, we are very sorry for the disappointment and inconvenience but it was completely out of our hands.

Our responsibility is to our Runners and not the event. Believe me, the whole Organizing Committee, Volunteers, Sponsors and Officials were equally disappointed. Money had already been spent on rentals, staff and timing systems. We would have liked nothing better than to have carried on. It was such an anti-climax for us, made worse by not having a climax!

We will not let this hold us back. We are determined and our spirits are restored to make BIM2013 on 25 August 2013 an enjoyable and successful race.

We wish you the very best and look forward to seeing you.

GOD WILLING.

Best wishes,
Race director"

TWO 42kms in ONE week?

Know for a fact there were mixed reaction to the news of the race finally being held on 25th August.  A lot of money had already been burned up because of the deferment and then the postponement.   So I don't blame any runner for losing the mood to run BIM this year.  What's for certain is that having already registered to run River Jungle Marathon on 1st September, I am facing the worst kind of dilemma... TWO full marathons in ONE week! Am thankful for the support shown by fellow runners.  They must think I am a running machine fueled to the brim by Energizer batteries.  I assure you I am not! There is only one way I can do both - run one to meet the cut off time and run the other slow.  Am talking turbo-snail slow okay? So if and when it happens don't look at my times and say I am getting worse.  Just the fact that I can finish both races will be a feat onto itself.  It will also be the best birthday present I can give to myself, since two days after BIM, I turn half a century...

My time in Kota Kinabalu was a blast, thanks to my friends, new and old.  I cannot thank Jason Ku and his gorgeous wife enough, for taking time out to chauffeur us about, and also to feed us at places we would never have thought of going.  Thank you also to Bernard Ng for doing like-wise.  You guys truly helped make this trip worthwhile for us.  The runner in me is so hoping that Jason will take up the challenge to run BIM next year with us.  Our friend Mark Abel wants to run BIM then too.  Am hoping you guys can start at 10km. It's not going to be that hard of a run route, and the cut off time is very fair.  Am also issuing a challenge to my friend Hendrick Foh to join them.  It's time the 10km virgins have some fun too! We FM runners lost ours a long time ago. Big thanks and lots of kudos go out to the people behind BIM.  They were wonderful throughout.  Many did come out to do the unofficial night marathon on 4th May.  From what I heard they had a great time.  To be repeated.  For real. Next time.

 

Island Ocean Marathon 2013

Third race of 2013

 

 

Langkawi here I come...

 

Looking for another challenge

In Kuching there aren't many long runs. We usually have 5km and 10km races. The biggest events are the Spring Live Active Run (16th June) and Half Marathon at Bukit Aup in Sibu (12th May).  So those who are looking for more challenges will have to look beyond the boarders of Sarawak. The Island Ocean Marathon did not catch my eye at first. What caught my eye was the River Jungle Marathon held last year at Batu 16 in Hulu Langat. Having read many a positive review on the run I was really interested in joining it. Then The Marathon Shop announced the Island Ocean Marathon, to be held on 21st April, as part of it's The Volkswagen Marathon Series.  Since it was a given that I wanted to join RJM, I thought why not give IOM a go, because I had never been to Langkawi before.  None of my gang wanted to join me, concentrating instead on preparing for the Borneo International Marathon (5th May, but later changed to 4th May  because of election day).

My race route, courtesy of TMS

Island Ocean Marathon was advertised as a boutique marathon for first timers.  There would be no time chip and thus no cut off time.  What impressed me the most about at last year's RJM was that they waited for the last runner who I believe finished in 9 hours 38 minutes! Plus they gave each runner fresh coconut and ice potong.  Never in my life had I heard of a marathon giving such treats to runners! Time didn't matter to me as I had already run the Penang Bridge International Marathon and knew what I was capable of.  What I wanted to do was use IOM as a kind of training run before I ran BIM. Yes, I signed up for the full marathon there too, and would have to run it two weeks later.  Lucky for me it would be run at night.  So I was prepared to run a slower race, telling myself 7.5 hours would be more than adequate.  If I went too fast there was a worry in me that my old legs couldn't recover in time for Sabah.

 

Resorts World Langkawi here I come!

Awakened at 4am on Saturday to get ready for my flight to Langkawi.  Had to catch the 7.20am Airbus 320-200 and wanted to make sure all my gear was with me.  Was traveling light, with only one hand luggage that weighed exactly 7kg.  Yes, I weighed it.  That's the Virgo attention to detail in me. The ground staff at the airport were a relaxed bunch and did not weigh my bag.  The flight was uneventful, with the usual horrendous landing.  The pilot proudly announcing we were 20 minutes early.  Pray tell how that happened with an airline notorious for flight delays? Was really hungry since I only munched on three oatmeal cookies for breakfast. Ate a curry puff from my favourite stall facing the exit of the arrival area at LCCT.  Now you know which airline am talking about! As the clocked ticked down for my noon flight I decided to indulge in a McD breakfast burger.  Added an apple pie. I do have a big tummy to feed...

Waiting for boarding I saw many a stranger wearing finisher t-shirts and knew they were going to run at IOM too.  Yours truly chose not to bring any of his finishers, and I did the right thing too, considering what I saw on display.  Anytime I see 100 printed on a t-shirt I know I am in the presence of monster runners! It would only get more impressive at the hotel, but I wasn't to know that yet.   Chatted up a storm with the guy sitting next to me on the plane.  He was a season runner, having run numerous marathons before, and like me, he was looking forward to the first IOM.  Didn't bug the lady on the other side as she seemed to need her shut eye time.  The landing was pretty scary but we arrived safely.  Found out the ride to Resorts World Langkawi would cost RM22. Luckily managed to hook up with a couple going there so saved some bucks.  The lady was a talker so we got on well.  She had run 50km at TMBT (The Most Beautiful Thing) and I was suitably impressed by her finisher t-shirt.

Mohan and me, pic courtesy of the maniac himself

Mohan and Farah Fasu (back) and June Malik and me

Resorts World Langkawi was the official venue sponsor hotel of the race.  I know I should say run, but I just like the sound of race.  Guess who I met when I walked into the lobby? It was the marathon maniac himself, Mohandas Kandiah, better known as Marathon Mohan.  We were friends on Facebook, and I already knew he had just run over 200 marathons! My room had a superb view of the ocean.  It was sheer joy in being able to lie down and take a short nap before the carbo loading buffet at 5.30pm.  Being a people person, I hate eating alone, and as luck would have it, there was Mohan again. That man can talk! Me thinks he can out talk anyone in the room. Between chomping on the buffet spread before us, he imparted some words of wisdom to a newbie runner like me. It's good to know what drives someone like him to run week after week.  This man has run in races that others only dream about, and he is only three years older than me! To think he failed his physical as a young man.  Wasn't able to meet Oliver Ker, another running machine, because he checked in later and I needed my sleep.

Carbo loading buffet

Powering up... 

 

Breakfast!

 

Set my alarm for 2am! We were to have an early breakfast. Ended up going down at 2.30am as needed to put on my early morning face. Thankfully I did manage to breakfast alone. Mohan was moving from table to table taking pictures, and got me good.  Didn't overdo the meal.  Ate what I deem as just enough to keep me fueled for the morning.  Then it was upstairs again to prepare my weapons for the challenge up ahead.  For the first time I would be running with four water bottles of 200ml each.  In them I put my special formula made up of hydration salts.  Also stored four energy gels on me, as I knew two would be given at the stations, and I normally take one every 7km.  Unlike Brooks Half Marathon, I had come prepared.  Went down just before 4am.  Did my stretches.  Listened to James Wong, the man behind this dream marathon, and we observed a minutes silence for the those who lost their lives and limbs at Boston.  In fact many of us wore an extra bib to remember them.

We kicked of the run at 4.30am sharp with an air horn blast and a fireworks display.  Now that's what am talking about! Admittedly the route was dark.  The going was relatively easy though.  The fun part was when we detoured to run at Pantai Cenang at the 3.5km mark for about a kilometer.  Many jokingly said we would all be ultra runners because of the extra distance.  Some would clock their Garmins' in at 43.4km!  No matter what, to me I was running a full marathon.   We were close to 1,000 strong.  The largest contingent coming from Singapore with around 300.  There were runners from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Europe.  Some wearing their running club vests proudly, while others chose to wuse their favourite running tops from previous races.  Some even wore their finisher t-shirts.  I just wore one of my training tops as I felt it would give me more protection from the sun.  Besides I was running with a new cap, a new set of calf compressions, and new socks.

How far can you go?

 

Running in the dark

Darkness enveloped us in the early going.  Thankfully the safety cars stopped and shone their lights where it mattered the most. Yes, we were warned about the darkness, and it was recommended that we wore headlamps, but not many did so.  The rest of the time we were running by the light of stars and nearby buildings.  It was not as bad as it sounded because our eyes adjusted.  The road condition was not very good after we left the airport area so we just had to run carefully.  I was on the lookout for buffaloes though, but ended up avoiding running over a kitten.   There was a really dark U-turn at around km12.  We could now see the runners coming towards us.  I know it can be a discouraging sight for them, but there was still a long way to go.  Felt the need to pee. Found a suitably sheltered spot.  That was one of the main complaints of the marathon - the lack of toilet facilities along the race routes.  For guys it isn't a problem in darkness, but for the ladies it's a different story...

Was very happy with my pace, what I called my turbocharged snail power.  Hit 21km at just under three hours.  Knew I was going good.  Would stick to my plan.  Unknown to me the route would keep me to it too.  Did try to take pics but the flash on my camera wasn't strong enough.  Made a habit of taking pics at the 5km markers.  At least at the end of the day it would show me how I looked like with each passing marker.  Lets just say I had a good laugh at the many faces I made.  Worse was to come when I discovered that Langkawi was actually very hilly even at the southern tip of Tanjung Malai.  It may look like we were running far, but the island is huge, compared to say Singapore.  If I had to run loops I would go nuts very quickly indeed.  Hard to imagine only last year I started running in races.  Here I was knowing I could do what it takes to complete the distance.  The feeling was really good.

Here comes the sun...

When you run slow you know what to expect... We saw the rising sun and it got hotter and hotter as we progressed.  Was always so thankful to reach a water station.  It was so well stocked with isotonic drinks.  Runners could choose between Revive, Gatorade and water.  There are hardly runs nowadays that give you such choices.  The gels came as advertised.  Having never used GU before I was apprehensive at first, but it went down well with a big gulp of water.  Kept the gel I would get at km32.  It always comes in handy to have extra gels.  In fact I would have two gels with me at the finishing line since I wasn't pushing myself.  Most of the way it was all about the heat.  The sponges helped but I didn't overdo it as I was wearing headphones.  My sweat was more than enough to mess things up.  How I wished I had used some sunblock.  There was a part of me that wanted to look more like a Kenyan or as things stand now, an Ethiopian.

A moo moo posed for me

Saw my blogger friend Hafiz Aizat whiz by.  Managed to take a blurry pic of him with those cute cat-like ears he was wearing.  Trust him to always run in style.  From km20 onwards the route was a challenge.  That's when the hills came into play to slow me down.  Plus the condition of the roads worsened a bit.  Those who put in lots of road runs should know what to expect.  Saw many a squished critter, some I could identify, others looked like something from another planet.  It came to the point where I was walking up the hills and running down them.  Met a fellow runner who was on his maiden marathon.  He hailed from Trengganu.  We chatted along the way.  His father had planned to run BIM but had cancelled because he wanted to vote.  Ahmad Hafiz would later slow down as he had issues with his legs.  I know he made it.  Hopefully his experience was a good one.  Am sure I will see him in many more races in the future.

Ahmad Hafiz on his maiden 42.195km

Will it ever end?

There were no sound of music in them hills.  It was pure slog work.  How does one brighten one's already sunburned day? Well all it took was to reach the water station at km29.  There was where we were all served with chilled coconuts.  Oh my goodness! Coconut water tasted so good.  I wish my tummy could take more.  Read somewhere that a lady drank three! Some people even spooned out the fleshy bits.  What a treat! This was even better than the banana two kilometers earlier, which was much bigger than the beauty I ate at PBIM.  At this point applied lots of Deep Heating Rub on my legs.  As I was wearing calf compression for the first time I didn't bother to peel it down.  Instead I did get that part sprayed by the uber helpful safety car people.  To think sixty were doing it for their friends and family running in the race, and all they got was a Brooks t-shirt and RM50. Way to go guys! In fact the support crew was 300-strong.  That ratio is simply unheard of nowadays!

A fellow runner quenching his thirst on coconut water

Farah called me by name and rushed to me with sponges

When will it ever end? My blisters began to bug me really bad after km32.  What do I blame this time? My shoes were well worn.  My new socks? My 96kg? It was at that point in time that I couldn't care anymore.  The island teased me with views of the ocean and tormented me with even more hills.  James had said that would be an ultra marathon at Langkawi, the date is yet to be finalised, but this one would be a real race, with it culminating at the top of a mountain.  Being a stranger to the island I would never know what I was up against.  However in retrospect that is a good thing.  If I had known how many hills I had to face, I may have chickened out.  That's when I envied those who ran in groups.  They would wait for their gang near the top.  Nothing beats that kind of support.  People were starting to pay the price with cramps and pains.  The pace slowed down completely.  Only a few brave ones challenged the hills.

Cola power!

 

  Wearing Julbo sunglasses

With all four of my hydration bottles on empty I flagged down a safety car and was given the bottle of water I asked for.  Sipped slowly on those precious 500ml.  The final straight was really that. Nearly a long never ending line.  Could see lots of homestays and roadside cafes.  Later came the resorts.  Shops selling eats and bikes for rent.  After running alone for hours, seeing the hive of activity and all those vehicles wasn't a pleasant sight.  The roads seem narrower.  More than ever I had to watch my step.  All I wanted to do was finish. I had long since past my PBIM personal best, so there was no question that I was going to speed up.  Some runners went past me and urge me on, but I just told them I had nothing left in my legs.  Having come this far unscathed, I wasn't about to injure myself.  Then at the final water station at km40 another surprise awaited me.  They were giving us cola.  I gulped down the isotonic drink only to have a sweet lady hand me cola.  Don't be greedy Yahya, said I to myself, so I just took one small paper cup.  It turned out another hotel housing the runners had set up their own station.  Thanks guys! Truly needed that caffeine boost.

Hafiz Aizat with dessert in hand at km42

On I went with the kms being eaten up ever so slowly.  The runners who had finished before me urged me on, while others on their final spurt raced past me.  I passed two runners with slight foot injuries.  Then there was that guy with the most horrible sounding cough.  Luckily he had a friend with him.  The more IOM banners I saw the more excited I was at the prospect of finishing the marathon.  Then went I reached the gate of the resort, lo and behold, people were serving ice cream and buffalo milk yogurt! Took the yogurt and ate it greedily.  There was still 195 meters to go.  The supporters urged me on.  So I summoned up a slow run to the finish line.  The lady there put the medal around my neck and someone gave me a can of imported Red Bull.  It was so nice not having to queue.  Found the nearest chair while waiting for them to search for my goody bag.  Got my finisher in the right size, which is always nice.

Mohan and a fresh smelling me

All Rasid Shariff and me

Lim Kian Huat and me (pic taken on Saturday)

My tired legs took me to the makanathon section.  It was more Gatorade for me.  Attacked the nasi lemak.  After that had several slices of deliciously sweet and chilled watermelon.  Quickly went back to my room.  Had to pack as need to catch my 3.20pm flight back to KL.  Showered and then made some strong coffee while I ate the packet of nasi lemak I had brought up with me.  With bag in tow I went looking for the others two hours later.  That's when I found Mohan again.  Sadly I again missed out of meeting Oliver, who had finished while I was upstairs.  Also missed out on meeting YK Foo for the first time.  That's the problem with running marathons at different speeds.  I did meet up with the amazing Lim Kian Huat, who had just ran the Boston Marathon.  He did 3:33:46, which is simply incredible considering his left knee gave way at km30.  He had to walk and jog the last 7km.  Even in a small marathon like this the big guns come.  It was such a thrill to hook up with them!

The Aftermath...

 

The journey home

Managed to hitch a ride with another talkative lady to the airport.  Runners like to talk a lot.  Maybe we do so to make up for all the silence during our runs.  Who knows.  I was happy.  I set out to do what I had planned at the beginning of the race.  Though I had planned to run IOM in 7.5 hours, I hit the finishing line at 7:05:40.  I didn't feel that I pushed myself.  If those pesky hills were taken away and there was less heat and I didn't have to run another 42.195km two weeks later, am sure I could have bettered my PBIM time.  Yup! It does sound like am making excuses for myself.  However one lady did mention that IOM was tougher than the Bali Marathon! Now that sounds scary I know.  As things stand, I had survived my longest run of the year yet.  My legs hadn't let me down. Of course I didn't push myself.  They may call this a boutique run.  There will be those who scoff at a race with no official winner or cut off time.  However this run gave many runners the first taste of what running a full marathon is all about.

The fact that the last runner finished at 11 hours 40 minutes and the organisers waited for her, with the safety car pacing her the whole way, should tell anyone all they need to know about this race. I so look forward to meeting her at the River Jungle Marathon on 1st September.  We are now friends on Facebook and I hope to follow her progress.  My flight was delayed.  No surprises there.  Ditto the landing in foul weather.  At LCCT had a Big Mac.  They were weighing carry-on luggage.  Mine was 8kg! So I put my shoes and t-shirt in a tote bag.  It reduced the bag weight to 6.2kg.  I was good to go! The lady never even gave me a second glance.  Bet she could guess my weight too! When I learned my flight to Kuching would be delayed I downed two Dunkin' Donuts and more caffeine.  There was no way I was going to fall asleep till I got home.  The rain came the moment we were in our seats.  Never a good sign.  A very bumpy ride home.  The only consolation was that the landing was super smooth.  I want that pilot again!

My reward...

Back view of my medal and finisher t-shirt

"Why does that man wear a t-shirt that says finisher 42.195km pa?"  Those are words I never want to hear a child ask his parent, or a wife ask her hubby.  It's the answer I dread.  Not many people outside the running fraternity know what those numbers stand for.  Just like only us runners know that any run over 42.195km is an ultra marathon.   To all my fellow full marathoners: wear your finisher t-shirts with pride.  You earned it! Not everyone can do what you have just done.  This is only the beginning of more adventures to come.  Who knows, we might meet in another race in the not to distant future.  I am old, so I might not remember all your names.  Don't be shy.  Come up to me.  I am always happy to make new friends.  The Island Ocean Marathon was a revelation for me in how a small group of people could organise a highly successful marathon.  We in Malaysia need more of such races.  We in Sarawak need even more! Races for people who just like to run.

Kudos to James Wong and all his crew.  I made friends with some of them.  The memories I bring home with me are precious.  This is one marathon I highly recommend to first time runners.  Don't aim too high at first.  Start slow.  Avoid those runs with a 6 hour cut off time.  In trying to meet that time you might injure yourself and notch up a DNF.  Work towards your goal with easier runs.  That's what runs like The Volkswagen Marathon Series are for.  Here there is no shame in finishing last.  We all know your name.  We all are proud of you.  We all also hope to see you back in another marathon when you are ready to meet the challenge.  Running is a journey that never ends.  For many of us it is our happy place.  That is why we keep on running in such big circles.  Seeing all those IOM finisher t-shirts at the airport made me smile.  One thousand of you are wearing them now.  Come next year who will be back for more blisters and sunburn?

Brooks Half Marathon 2013

 

Second race of 2013

Elusive Bib

Firstly, I have been to Bukit Jalil before to watch my beloved Liverpool FC play,  so getting there was never a problem from Bukit Bintang.  Just hopped on the monorail to Hang Tuah and then take the LRT to the stadium from there.  The problem was in finding that elusive race pack.  We went around and nobody seemed to know where the place was.  Apparently others were in the same predicament as us.  Got a lift from Kwan, and after a couple of attempts we realised it was at the front of the stadium.  Nice way for us out of towners to warm up our legs for the run.  We had no problem getting the bib, race top and timing chip after locating the tents.

 Orange power!

Before the run...

Did what I said I wouldn't... Walked. A lot. Spent nearly the whole day out. A huge chunk of it was at KLCC.  Did tapau a beef sandwich for supper. Lessons learned from my PBIM race was to have something to eat at least two hours before my run.  So I got oatmeal bars with apricot bits in them and coated with chocolated.  I know it sounds decadent but the calories were actually around a hundred, so I ate three! Took my vitamins and glucosamine for the knees, always do the latter for any long run, since I used to have knee problems not too many years ago.  My main worry was that I was going into the run at 97kg, which was five kilograms higher than PBIM.  However my training regime had been good. Had run 14km, albeit on the dreaded treadmill, in 99:38, and this was a day after Colour Rush. That was more than enough to convince me I had it in me to complete 21km.  For the Penang run I had trained too hard.

Caught a taxi to Bukit Jalil.  Cost me 20 bucks.  The guy had been to Kuching a couple of times so we had a fun time chatting.  Was trying my hardest to drop my Sarawak Malay style of talking, but failed miserably.  Brought a change of clothing in my baggy just in case it rained.  It didn't.  Better be safe then sorry.  Also had Gatorade on standby just in case.  Wasn't running with a bottle this time as I thought could survive on the water stations alone.  The atmosphere was very relaxed.  Queues to the toilet were really long even though approximately 12,000 people participated in the event.  Of which 5,000 were running the half marathon.  Compared to Penang the whole area looked rather empty.  Yours truly started well back in the crowd.  In fact I didn't even hear the gun go off.  There would be a five minute differential in my stopwatch time.  The fact is I need a better watch then the throwaway Casio I was using.

During the run...

 Half an hour before start

What I noticed from the get-go was that many of the runners were unprepared for a long run.  A half marathon isn't something one decides to run on a whim and a prayer.  We do actually have to train for it.  Youngsters may have an advantage in doing 5km and 10km runs, but 21km is not a joke.  Saw runners with leg problems inside km2! One poor soul was even retching at the side of the road.  That wasn't a good sign of things to come.  In fact the bus stops were where the injured congregated.  Some were lucky to have friends with them.  Even saw a runner with skin scrapped off from his arms.  Yet he kept on running.  Now that's the spirit.  Also runners were walking earlier.  This I blame on the long inclines.  One seemed to go on for a whole kilometer.  The distance markers were deceptive at best.  Went by my pace instead of the kilometer markers.  Apparently this was the same problem as last year.

Since the 21km started at 5.30am I was expecting darkness.  However I wasn't expecting total darkness.  This happened when we ran under flyovers.  It happened a lot too.  It was so dark that I had trouble seeing manhole covers and several times those speed bumps in the housing areas caught my feet by surprise.  Drivers in KL are a most impatient bunch.  They were honking their horns at smaller intersections.  For the biggers ones they behaved since the cops manned those.  There were stretches where we had to run at the side of the highway and the orange safety cones were sufficient, but many a runner would stray beyond them, and this was extremely dangerous.  While I like seeing couples run together, this at time can be daunting, as it is hard for people to pass them.  The walkers should keep to the side well away from those who actually want to run.  A couple of times in the early stages over-enthusiastic runners brushed past me.

The water stations had ample supply.  I also chose the ones at the end to avoid all the jostling.  Even got to drink some 100 Plus once along the way, which was most welcome, since the energy gel at km10 never materialised.  If I had known about that earlier I would have packed two, one for each 7km, but alas I just ended up drinking more water, which is never a good thing for me.  If I am going to run Brooks again I will run with at least two 200ml water bottles filled with re-hydration fluid.  Then the need to gulp down water at each stop is lessened.   Luckily for me my legs held up.  My pace was really slow no thanks to the inclines.  Where I had to walk I walked.  My 10km time was 88 minutes, which was very poor, but part of me was expecting it, and so I didn't push myself.  Knew there were many more runs to conquer this year, and my goal was to finish the race.  Unfortunately for many pacing was an unknown word.

 My reward for finishing...

Sadly in my euphoria to finish I forgot to stop my watch.  Thanks to the efficient timing system I found out I ran the distance in an official 3:03:13. My net time was 2:57:23. There was 500ml of water waiting for the finishers.  Gulped down the Gatorade that my MBF gave me instead.  She had run the 10km in 1:21:04 and finished just before me.  Went to collect my gold cup and finisher t-shirt.  Would later have a good laugh when one of the female bloggers called it fugly. Am partial to bright colours so the orange was a nice change from the midnight blue of PBIM.  Would wear it when I went exploring at Bukit Bintang again.  Suffice to say it was near impossible to queue for all the goodies post-race.  The 100 Plus and Milo lines were so long! Heard there were a lot of goodies served, but chose instead to go off quickly and find my own in town.  Since I still had so much gas left in my running tank that was not a problem.

Nasa Zaidul and I flank Wong Keet Wah and Dinah Law, 

friends who ran their first 10km race

Post run...

My MBF was the first to tell me that she saw someone being resuscitated around km1 of the 10km race. It appears that the individual had suffered a heart attack.  We would later learn that the runner had passed away. This was indeed very sad news to hear. Reading other blogs I learned that the deceased was 50-years-old and he was planning to run a full marathon towards the end of the year.  Be forewarned, distance running is not for the faint of heart.  It is best to have a full physical and special attention paid to the heart, if anyone plans to run.  Just because you look fit and feel fit doesn't mean you are.  Look at me! I am over-weight, but I know now my heart can take a lot of punishment, yet I still don't push myself beyond my limits.  Pace yourself is my best advice.  Know what your body is capable of.  Let the younger runners do their thing.  You are there to finish the race.  So am I too for that matter.  We all want to finish the race standing upright.  My condolences go out to the gentleman's family.

I am a strong believer in hydration.  Water is not enough.  If you feel thirsty then it is already too late.  Make sure you re-hydrate as much as you can.  Of course that doesn't mean over-doing it until you are bloated with water.  It is hard to run on a tummy full of water.  Just take sips when you need it.  If you feel thirsty long before the next water station, then it is best to bring your own water bottle.  I find that small capacity bottles work best for me.  Two 200ml bottles for 21km should work just fine.  Fill them with re-hydration fluid.  This is very important for those who don't like drinking 100 Plus.  If you plan to run 42km then go for four 200ml bottles.  The capacity and number of bottles of course depends on the individual.  Do though train with them long before using them on an actual run.

Always remember to bring a spare race top.  This is especially for out of towners.  For the Brooks Half Marathon it is best to bring brightly coloured race tops with reflectors.  Thankfully Brooks did provide one that I was comfortable wearing.  Just had to remember to put a dollop of Vaseline on my sensitive nips.  What  I did discover from the Asics people was the right shoe for me.  Will get a pair and train in them hopefully for my next run.  Those into running bigger 'international' marathons should remember that this half marathon is small in stature even though the turnout was really large.  So expect some shortcomings.  Things sort of even itself out in the end.  Just be prepared for the shock of seeing so many first timers attempting to run 21km and give the speedsters a wide berth.  The probability of seeing them again in the latter half of the race is very high.

Will I run Brooks again? The answer is a resounding yes! It can be used as a training run.  The long inclines make for a good workout on the legs.  Knowing what I know now I will use the inclines on the treadmills and also the elliptical cross-trainer more for such runs.  The stair-master thingy at the gym was never my thing and I don't plan to do a Towerthon in the near future, so I keep away from it.  Pain is not the runners' friend. If you feel pain don't try to block it out.  Yes over time your pain threshold will improve.  However do not ignore pain.  It's your body's way of telling you something is wrong.  Listen to it and do what must be done to alleviate it.  Yes we all want to run and keep on running.  At the end of the day it's about how well we know our body and how well we maintain it for future runs.  Here's me hoping to meet you guys again on another run. Run safe always!

Wondering what I should try next...

Colour Rush

First race of 2013

Charity run for children's cancer...

For sure I was starved for real road races, but than who isn't, that likes to run.  Having gone bald for cancer during the SCCS (Sarawak Children's Cancer Society) fundraising drive last year, it was a no brainer that I would support them for the Colour Rush run.  It was held  in conjunction with the International Childhood Cancer Day 2013. Why did they call it Colour Rush? Well the Colour comes in the form of edible powder, representing our hope, faith, and strength for these children.  The 5km run  used the exact route as the two night runs of last year.  I don't know about you, but just the idea of throwing coloured powder at each other was enough to get me all excited. They didn't even have to tell it was going to be a fun-filled, memorable, and meaningful experience.   I knew I was going to have a good time! Sadly the run was held on a Saturday morning (23rd February). Thus many of my friends could not join. The reason being the next day was Chap Goh Meh

Me going bald for Children's Cancer

Yours truly was not taking the run as a serious endeavour.   Was going to get into the spirit of it all.  In fact even though Saturday was the day for my long run, I would later go to the gym to do a treadmill run.  You see I am in training for another much longer run, 21km to be precise, to be held in very early March.  My biggest victory was in persuading my friend Hendrick Foh to join the Colour Rush.  Hendrick suffered a heart attack only days before my PBIM run last year.  The meanie that I was I used to cajole him to walk faster on the treadmill all the time.  It was not for me to know that he was doing his best with the (unbeknownst to him) faulty heart valve he had.  Suffice to say I thought of his well-being during my Penang run.  The fact that he was successfully operated on before I ran my first marathon was the best news any friend could hear.  Hendrick has since gone through a complete lifestyle transformation. He now walks almost all the time.

My mobile phone has been flooded with stats from his walks.  Hendrick has gotten better with each kilometer.  To the point where I persuaded him to join Colour Rush.  Yes it did take some doing, but he ultimately submitted the entry form.  Me and my BFF even walked the entire route with him, with all our gizmos in hand to prove that it was not a difficult route, even if there were two challenging bits.  Our gizmos told us it was actually 4.84km, but who is counting, right? The time was a respectable 62:27. Hendrick was as exalted as we were seeing him complete it.  Just had to persuade him not to overdo it.  Did tell him to rest on the two days before the race.  He was going to walk it, and we would walk alongside him, but all the same, we wanted his legs to be fresh for the event.  I confess this was part of my master plan to get him into even more races in  the future.  So my fingers were crossed that he would do himself proud.

Colour Rush run t-shirt

When I picked up my race kit the first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a race bib. So this is really a fun run. Am glad. The big plus was the t-shirt was comfortable to wear, very similar in feel to the last night run I participated in.  As nice as the t-shirt was, I wouldn't want to use it during a serious run as it would heat me up really fast. However as things stand it's always nice to start the year with a run t-shirt I would actually like to wear and not keep in the cupboard next to my other nightmare run t-shirt collection. Last year the three t-shirts that I prized the most were: my Penang Bridge International Marathon 42km finisher, my Go Bald 4.0, and my Borneo Highlands Nature Challenge.  I wonder what my top three choices will be this year.  Those charity run t-shirts will always hold a place close to my heart. Yes I run for the joy of it but if me doing so helps bring joy to others too, then I am truly happy.

Let the fun begin...

 

 All nice and clean before the colour bombing (Reuben Su in centre)

 Some people started early... Wilhelmina Bungan and Nasa Zaidul (hat)

Minutes away from the run (Hendrick with Agatha, flanked by Nasa and me)

Purple hair amid the wristbands - mine!

Hendrick (running) getting into the groove

Fat Old Man Running

Hendrick and Nasa on the final stretch

After the run (To my left: Babara Chieu, Ryan Tay and Mike Cheng -
the most coloured of the bunch)

Nice day for a fun run.  No rain heavy clouds nearby. The SCCS volunteers handed out plastic bags filled with coloured powdered. It didn’t take long for the runners to colour  their friends with it. Face painting, hair dying and palm impressions were the order of the morning. In fact we were all supposed to bomb each other with colour in unison.  However the eager crowd started the powder flying first.  The rest of us joined in.  Some were more coloured then others thanks to the over-enthusiasm of the runners.  Others preferred to stay on the sidelines and watched.  The air was filled with powder and soon the whole  area was a sea of colours.  Purple being the most predominant and it would later be the hardest of the colours to wash off.  Pity those with multi-coloured hair.

Next time wear a cap or a hat.  The bigger the better.  We all started off behind the pack.  We kept pace with Hendrick.  The run route was marked by colour too thanks to those who could never get enough of bombing their friends.  It was nice to see so many happy multi-coloured faces.  Makes me wonder what the drivers who passed us thought.  From pristine white to almost unrecognisable was how it ended.  Hendrick took to his walk in fine spirits.  His wife did egg him on.  This was all done good naturedly.  He even tried his hand at running.  Some of the gang did run.  They finished well ahead of us.  The fat old man in me was saving myself for the gym that same afternoon.  That would be my last serious training session before my first half marathon of the year next week. However 54:24 was a big improvement for Hendrick from his first taste of the race route. Keep it up buddy!

All told Hendrick had a great time.  So did all those who joined.  Am always happy to see fellow gym members (Ryan Tay, Babara Chieu and Mike Cheng) and serious runners join charity events such as this.  There were so many familiar faces.  It was like a reunion.  Hi, hello, see you at the next run, sort of thing.  Some were friends on Facebook, others were just people we recognised from previous runs.  The support was tremendous.  I think I heard the announcer say around 1,200 people participated.  The youngest runner was a 6-year-old and the oldest was a 65-year-old.  All told the first ten finishers in the men’s and women’s categories got medals.  The veterans were just happy to have joined such an event.  Who knows the overwhelming response might see more such charity runs in the future. 

Right now the only other run I heard of taking place in the near future in Kuching is the High Heel Race on 7^th April, in conjunction with International Woman’s Day.  All I know is I cannot run in heels.  Firstly, those shoes have to be big enough to fit my size eleven feet.  However I am positive some of my guy friends at the gym would give it a go if there was a category for men in heels! We are indeed a crazy bunch. For those who think a 5km run is tough, just look at Hendrick.  He walked the route on the most part.  Not once did he complain of any discomfort.  His wife was always nearby and so were I and my MBF.  At the end of the run it was hard to say who was more elated.  This is I am positive the first of many milestones for Hendrick.  He now knows he can do it.  The next run won’t be as terrifying.  The way he was talking, there will be many more to come.  We be happy participants.   Thanks SCCS for a great time!