Press Release : 1300 Participants at TKC Walk-a-Run Carnival

Putrajaya, 15th February 2015 – Malay Girls College (MGC), now known as Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC) Old Girls Association organized a fun-filled, family event on Sunday, February 15th 2015 from 7am at Kompleks Sukan Air, Presinct 6, Putrajaya.

The Wife to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berbahagia Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, a TKC alumni herself, graced the event as the patron of the TKC Walk-a-Run Carnival alongside the Youth and Sports Minister, Yang Berhormat Encik Khairy Jamaluddin.

The carnival aims to raise RM 2,000,000 in stages for the benefit of athletic and sports development facilities in the newly relocated school in Bandar Enstek, Nilai. The first stage of the fundraising aim to raise RM 500,000 towards the #TKCfieldproject.

The Carnival’s main attraction is a 5km run or walk, with participants encouraged to be dressed to the nines! There are also other activities at the carnival site, including a Bouncy Castle for the children, and aerobics, zumba, poco-poco and insanity fitness for the adults.

YAB Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah danced the poco-poco alongside YB Khairy, she then cheered on from the sidelines while YB Khairy went one-on-one with Encik Mohd Farid Isham (nicknamed Cat) for the KJ Challenge, where Encik Cat beat YB Khairy 3-2 and won an iPad Air. All donations from the KJ Challenge go towards the #TKCfieldproject.

The VVIPs were accompanied by the MGC/TKC OGA committee throughout the event; Tan Sri Datuk Dr Rafiah Salim, President MGC/TKC OGA, Pn Mariam Tun Sulaiman, Deputy President MGC/TKC OGA, Datuk Hafsah Hashim, Vice President Agama & Education MGC/TKC OGA, and Datin Norhizan Ibrahim Vice President Social & Welfare MGC/TKC OGA. The Race Director for the MGC/TKC Walk-a-Run Carnival is Pn Nik Lini Hayati Nik Kazim (Pn Lini Kazim), who is also the current Best Malaysian Female Triathlete at Ironman Langkawi 2014.

From MGC in Bukit Damansara to TKC in Bukit Merbah and now the new school in Bandar Enstek, the college has been both a school and a home for many bright young ladies who then went forth to become prominent figures in various fields both locally and internationally. TKC prides itself in being excellent academically, there are also potential athletes among the girls that require proper athletic and sports facilities to train in and it is through this carnival that the MGC / TKC OGA hopes to raise adequate funds. The new school has yet to have a Sports Day since moving to Bandar Enstek in 2012. The MGC/TKC OGA hopes that this fundraiser will be a success to ensure a return of Sports Day to the TKC school grounds.

The main supporter for the event includes UEM with the co-organisers Perbadanan Putrajaya and MGC/TKC OGA. A full list of winners and sponsors are provided below:

Fastest Male (Open)

1. David Mutai

2. Paul Kimani

3. Edan Syah

Fastest Malaysian

1. Edan Syah

2. Vadiveloo

3. Riki

Fastest Female (Open)

1. Dorcas Jebotif Tarus

2. Loh Chooi Fern

3. Mayumi

Fastest Team (Open)

1. Pacemakers Malaysia

2. Spartan

3. ACAC Team 1

Fastest TKC Girls

1. Alyssa Sofea Ahmad Zaharil (Form 3)

2. Nur Alyssa Nadia (Form 4)

3. Nur Fauzana Munawar (Form 4)

Best Costume (Individual)

1. Amelia Ang Peck Har (dressed as a Butterfly)

2. Abmin (dressed as an Egyptian)

3. Aleximon (dressed as a student)

Best Costume (Team)

1. Flintstone

2. Spartan

3. Legion

Most “Likes” Received for Selfie

1. Elisakamarul (30 likes)

2. Mieraazhar (12 likes)

3. Merlin_mahajud (10 likes)

Most “Likes” Received for Wefie

1. Shaxu_8 #Merantau9600 (23 likes)

2. tcerfudgy #hotmama (9 likes)

3. nadihilafs #snowwhite&7dwarfs (8 likes)

Sponsors List:

Organized by: MGC/TKC OGA

Supported by: Perbadanan Putrajaya

Sponsors:

UEM

SME Bank

Allianz

SME Corp

Boustead

Dutch Lady

PLUS

Agro Bank

PNB

Bouncetopia

DRIVE

Lifeline ID

Running Malaysia

Dinastia Jati

Moola

Doof

QSR

Tesco

Athlete’s Circle

Ecoride

Insanity Fitness

Milo

Northport

Hyrax Oil

Tenaga

System Consultancy

JCorp

FiberG

The official Facebook account for the event is:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/TKC-Walk-a-Run-Carnival/

The official website for the event is: http://tkccarnival.wix.com/tkcwalkaruncarnival

The official instagram account for the event is: @tkccarnival

Full set of photos taken by me can be found here : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.637174499744751.1073741937.215755491886656&type=1

Standard Chartered KL Marathon Thanks Loyal Runners - Vox Pop Video

Kena "interrogation"

And here it is. Remember a few weeks back I did mentioned about an "interview" I was going to do with a few of my running buddies. Well, here it is!

The Zainal Family - Zaini, Raimie & Marlina (Lina's Backyard Fame)

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon people has a special video done to thank all loyal runners; like me and you. Thanks to the SCKLM team for organizing and it was indeed a great experience. I was unusually nervous when I did the interview (hence I figured why my part was heavily edited. :P) but it was great to be in the company of friends.

So here is a special video HOT out of the oven. Enjoy!

Race Experience Rantings : Sundown Singapore 2014

There I was standing and waiting at the Singapore F1 pits near the Singapore Flyer with my buddies. It was hot and humid. I was already sweating buckets even before race started. In fact, I was already losing too much fluid the day before when we arrived for Sundown Singapore!

6 hours before the race started, I was already trying to keep my “cool”; both mentally and physically. My short nap in my air condition room wasn’t helping much and I flushed down on fluids regularly. I woke up to find Colin chilling at the lounge area of where we were staying; just in time for the others to join us for a small pre-race snacks and banter. Later, we bid good luck and send off our friends who were racing the 10K race.

Photo courtesy of Leen.

Standing at the start pits with thousands of other marathoners; conquering the night and roads of Singapore is astonishing and exciting. But that night we had the humid weather to accompany us. I was told much later it was about 35 degrees. That’s like standing under the hot afternoon sun! Trying my best to keep upbeat and calm while the live entertainment was going on. I slowly made my way closer to the start line; losing both Ying Hui and Thian Hui who were doing a faster pace. I lost the others way before we entered the paddocks! I saw the 4:30 pacers at a corner and made sure I passed them; telling myself that I wouldn’t want to see them throughout the race.

It has been 12 weeks of constant and dedicated training with ACAC (Athlete’s Circle Athletic Club). I was just fresh from my HM PB at 2XU SG back in late February and I almost immediately started the programme with fresh determination that I would surpass my FM PB. The target was to achieve my Sub 4:30. A few days before, Coach Edan briefed me through a race pace according to my current performance and well being. I thought he was completely nuts when he told me I could sustain at a much faster pace than I originally initiated. I told him I’ll do my best and if I couldn’t do it, at least I tried.

Random thoughts raced through my mind when I waited for the countdown. I quickly looked back at the pacers again, turned to front and said a prayer. I prayed that for whatever it may come, my feet will continue to bring me forward to the finishing.

The race started on time; 11:30PM sharp.

Deep breathes in and off I went. It was difficult to keep at my strategy pace as majority of the runners kept pushing forward fast. I removed the music from my ears to hear my surroundings. I haven’t put them back on since. My senses went on overdrive.

In less than a click, the 4:30 pacers passed me!

Bollocks! What the hell is happening?!

I kept thinking this is extremely bizarre for them to push out so soon into the race. I glanced at my watch and looked at my pace. “Stay calm. Don’t burst out so soon”, I told myself.

The first part of the race was at Nicoll Highway and has a very straight, flat road.  I slowly overtook and slipped through as many runners as possible. The plan was great until we were forced to stop a couple of times at junctions along Stadium Boulevard and Stadium Walk for traffic. Some of drivers cursed at us and some of the runners retaliated with words and “bodily gestures”. I was annoyed but I didn't want to let my emotions to get the best of me. I let off a huge loud huff as I went along.

10K – Jolene had advised me earlier on to at least sustain a strong first 10K and let the rest take over; which I managed to do. I managed to hit my timing right on the dot, My race strategy was followed according to plan despite a bumpy start. And then.....

The crazy mental part of ECP. Looks ridiculously long than anticipated.

12K – 33K something/whatever la -  The dreaded ECP stretch. The most feared route for any marathons or races held at Singapore. Infamous for its concrete paths, over smooth tar roads and occasional narrow paths. Couldn’t blame the organizers but there really isn’t much road in Singapore to race a marathon fully on road alone. For some strange reason, lights would go off randomly along the route and I tripped and stumbled a few times with other runners. It also happened along the dark, uneven roads before entering ECP. It was disheartening that I couldn’t regain my momentum but I was determined to soldier on.

Somewhere along the 15K, I knew I was behind time but determined to hold on to my strategy given by Coach Edan. Nutrition wise, at least. The humidity was no help and the sounds of waves from the beach couldn’t put a smile on face. There was just no wind and air was stiff. I started feeling dizzy and drenched myself in every water station possible.

Then the heavens opened as I passed just right after the half way point. I couldn’t be more grateful as the cool rain poured over me and I picked up the pace. However, I feared the same situation 2 years back when it rained continuously for almost 3 hours and I cramped up badly. But alas, the rain was short lived and it radiated heat from the ground.

“Great......Just great!” I whispered sarcastically to myself.

I felt like every inch of my pour soul has been sucked out of my body and I was forced to occasionally walk. I could feel my shoes heating up and pain started to inch through the soles of my feet.

My mind was playing tricks and I kept “threatening” myself not to hit the wall. I was extremely tempted to jump right in front of an ambulance that was coming towards me but the thought of looking like a suicidal lunatic retracted my decision.  I didn't know why I had thoughts of doing that. VERY unlikely of me.

“Hey dude. You've trained so hard. The countless hours, the early mornings and late night runs. Don’t give up. It’s a waste if you just give in now”. Thoughts started to pour out.

OR there was the occasional crude thoughts like. “Oi Bugger! Giving up so easily because of heat? You’ve been through this before. Run all you can, walk if you need, crawl if you must. Stopping and not finishing is not an option!”

At this point, I was somewhere close to 30K. I glanced at my watch and told myself a Sub-5 seemed achievable at this rate and point. Go for it!

And off I went.

33K – to the finishing (or so I thought) – I couldn’t be happier when I left ECP park and landed my feet on the more common roads of Singapore. I screamed out at the top of my lungs “Good Bye ECP and Good Riddance!” The others runners around me glared at me like a crazy man but I couldn’t had cared less. I’m just glad that I have another 9K to go.

Despite feeling tired, I still felt fine thought I was running much slower that I needed to. My shoes and socks were still wet and I suspected a few of my toe nails were about to come off. It made even harder to push on when I came across a few familiar faces on the road and they were struggling too. I couldn’t believe at the sight. These were the people who usually would have finished the race by now and here they; as we try to take over each other from time to time.

Happy can jump around after a FM.
Photo courtesy of Leen.

Back on the ECP Highway, things got interesting. I’ve been warned before about a certain stretch with an elevation “that seems to never end”. It’s probably about the only high elevation throughout the whole race but its one tough cookie to swallow. None of the runners around were running up that stretch including myself. Not a single one. And mentally calculated there were at less about a 100 of us. I tried to jog a bit but gravity seems to pull you back a bit more.  

The boys!
Photo courtesy of Leen.

 By the time I’m done, passed Marina Bay and in we went to finish off the remaining 3K. My mood was picking. The marker doesn’t seem to jive right with my watch and I’ve already overheard a few of the runners I’m running with saying the same. It didn’t matter as I pushed on. And then when my watch hit the 41K mark and I still felt that I was far away, I knew this was a race that was going to be over distanced. The question is how much more?

Then my watch clicked at 42K; just below 5 hours (barely at 4:56) but I told myself “Good Job, Andrew. No PB this time but its one heck of a run despite the tough conditions”. It’s true that I couldn’t be much more proud. I thought I wouldn't have survived the entire race well.

By the time I crossed the finishing line, it was 5:04 (nett). I didn’t cry like I used too but I stood in silence for a while near the barricades. I closed my eyes and absorbed the feeling that was coming to me. I said “Thank you” and walked myself to the welfare tent. And soon much later after that, I meet up with the rest of the guys who had earlier finished their respective races or awaiting the others who had yet to return.

The AC Team! Post-Race.
Photo courtesy of Leen.

Conclusion (Post race) - Many had asked me whether I was disappointed at the race? Whether I was sad that I didn’t achieve my PB? Was I angry at the conditions and etc. The answer is NO.

I have no regrets what so ever doing this race despite knowing my fears of ECP route or whatever that came in my way. There are days when you win some and you lose some and I’ve try to learn from the good and bad from both.

Photo courtesy of Leen.

 Achieving a personal best is a bonus and testament of your hard work. But that doesn’t mean not achieving it is any much less of a credit. I’ve learned a lot from this one race alone. We may come prepared in many ways physically but the will and determination plays a big role as well. I’ve just over shot my PB by just a mere 23 minutes and I can still proudly say that this is still my 2^nd fastest Full Marathon. I take that as an achievement too! To add on, this is the first time I’ve never cramped for a Full Marathon! Looks like the nutrition plan worked.

I quote from one of my sports heroine, 4-time World Ironman Champion - Chrissie Wellington.

“Seize every opportunity you have, embrace every moment. Make a mark, for all the right reasons”

 A great big thank you to my buddies at ACTraining for being there for all of us in Sundown Singapore and Coach Edan and Jolene for guiding us through this crazy 12 weeks.

All in all, I would say that Sundown Singapore 2014 was awesome despite the humidity. Will I be back again you say? You bet I will. 

PS:/ By the way, another Sundown series to go. Sundown Johor, here I come!

Race Report : King of Bukit Larut 2014 (KOBL)

"The Hills are alive...... with the sound of music....."

Que in Julie Andrews to sing this when you start the race of King of Bukit Larut.

Well, it was more like "The Hills are alive...with the sound of us screaming". 

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the exciting and challenging "King of Bukit Larut 2014" race report. Or affectionately known as KOBL. I like to pronounce it as "Kor-Bleu". Makes it so French sounding with an international flair.

The boutique race is organized by the PACat Adventure Team and attracted more than 200 runners; both locally and internationally. The race is held at Bukit Larut, Taiping; also known by many as Maxwell Hill. The route is pretty straightforward. One road up; same road down. BUT the surprise is the unforgiving steep elevation that would make even the most seasoned runner cry. 

At first I didn't have any intention to join any race in April since I was going to do both my "Grade A" race on both Xterra Malaysia and Sundown Singapore in May. But then I thought perhaps this was a good tapering long run just before Xterra and I could use a bit of "altitude" training along the way. 

Saturday.

Goofing around at REPC

I arrived Taiping late afternoon after being delayed by house chores. The Taiping rain (heavy one too) greeted me with open arms as I made my way to the race pack collection at the foothills of Bukit Larut. Arman was making sure all the things were in order; seeing him running around in the rain. Suzie, Marlina and Zaini were helping out with the race pack distribution. There was a skeleton crew working around but efficiently enough to get by. 

Semua muka lapar!

Hung around for awhile before heading back to meet Man and Lina for early dinner. We soon head out to the famous Taiping Bomba Yong Tau Foo as per suggested by Razman. It was exellent! Mind you, I didn't even know this place existed. Called Marlina and Zaini as well since they were staying close by. 

We then head back to our hotel at Villa Sentosa (I call it paradise!) for an early rest. Soon our running buddy, Hui and his colleague joined us for the night after driving down from Penang. 

Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Vivien Tay

All of us woke up very early as we wanted to be at the race site around 6am. The scene was not as happening as in many major races but was uniquely intimate as we met regular and new friends before race started. We all started our warm up with our mouths! Talk about regulating our oxygen intake. Time flies as we were having fun and soon we had a quick race briefing at 7:15am. We even had to sing our national anthem before we started the race which I thought was a nice touch. 

View of waterstation 1 & 6

The race started at 7:30am sharp as promised. My strategy was simple. Power walk up (maybe throw in a few runs at lower elevations) and run all the way down non-stop. I came fully prepared; perhaps way over. Some asked why I was geared as if I was heading for an Ultra. I came fully loaded with my Nathan Vaporcloud Hydration bag, filled up the 2L water bladder, filled up snacks and gels AND unnecessarily added on my new pairs of Black Diamond Distance FL Z-Poles, an all-weather jacket and extra food. Actually I was also testing/simulating out the weight in preparation for TMBT as well. One thing for sure, I was VERY happy that I had my trekking poles with me when scaling Maxwell.

The "dashyat" altitude of Bukit Larut. 

Suzie at Waterstation 3&4

An early group of runners sped off quite early. I stayed on with my race strategy and soon enough I pretty much caught up with most of them later. The Power Walk strategy worked well as I concentrated on my breathing. My HR was regulating between Zone 3 & 4; which was great given at such conditions. Upon reaching at U-turn point, it took a good 01:51 to do so.  The elevation tracked at this point was 1,078.9m above sea level. 

Alas, almost to the top.

At this point, I quickly packed both my poles into my hydration bag, took the check point ribbon and sped downhill. 

The U-turn point. A moment of happiness for many.

Kena tangkap gambar by Azmi when zooming down the hill. 

Running downhill was a breeze but did it cautiously as the road was very slippery. This is where my trail running techniques came into play as I had to zig zag uncoming runners and maneuver around sharp corners. It was exhilarating! I only stopped briefly at the last water station just to pour water over my head (engine sudah panas) and continued to speed down all the way to the finishing line. It took exactly 62 minutes to come all the way down. One of runners whom I met at much later after the race said he tried catching me but apparently he said I looked like I've just turned on my "turbo boost" and left him in the dust! Goodness, was I that fast? Paiseh, paiseh....

Arman (Sweeper) spotted at Marker 13. He is going to kick butt on anyone he manages to overtake.

As we crossed the finishing line, we were given a goodie bag with a finisher medal. But the big kick is the Nasi Lemak and the famous Ansari Cendol! That was a huge reward that is worth having after such a race. Needless to say, I was satisfied and happy.

The finishing shot zooming down the finishing line.
Photo courtesy of Mohd Azfar.

Verdict:

All in all, it was an excellent boutique race. Albeit a small crowd, it was good enough to make it special and memorable for everyone. Great race and hope to see an even better one next year!

All hail to Kings (and Queens) of Bukit Larut!

PS: No one insaf, right?

Jolly gembira. Made me break into a dance. Cha Cham borrrr....!
Photo courtesy of Mohd Azfar.

Pros:

- Excellent organization and made it very memorable for everyone. Well done!

- An excellent event for those who hasn't had much experience conquering hills. A good intro of what Skyrunning is all about.

- Sufficient water stations and placed at crucial, strategic spots. 

- Nice event T-shirt (though this was a last minute bonus to runners) and finisher medal.

The KOBL finisher medal.

- Road markers marked well (though would had preferred larger and visible)

- An excellent team of friendly volunteers that never fails to put a smile on our face. Especially we look like we are about to pengsan climbing that hill.

- Arman as sweeper. Who else to motivate and smack you in the butt if you are slow. ;)

- Glorious Taiping food at the finishing. Ansari Cendol, Nasi Lemak, Fruits, water & 100 Plus. Loads and loads of it.

Cons:

- Really takde. But really there is one, perhaps in the future could actually do the entire route all the way to the actual peak (additional 6km from U-turn point).

- Someone mentioned Nasi Vanggey at the finishing. I think perhaps a little OTT but why not! ;)

My personal set of photos taken can be viewed at this link. 

Yes, Viking agrees!
Photo courtesy of Mohd. Azfar.

Quick Cooking : Homemade Basil Pesto (ala my own version)

The finished product. Spinach Fettuccine tossed in basil pesto with poached egg and chicken. 

Wow. I can't remember the last time I blog about my cooking.

Well, I've been having "mental cooking blocks" for the last few months. Just couldn't get inspired.

So just the other day I was at Ben's Supermarket and I saw a pack of Thai Sweet Basil Leaves that I decided to make homemade basil pesto for my pasta dressing. And just like that, I grabbed a few key ingredients, went home and started whacking the pesto out; even though it was very late at night.

Basil pesto is usually used as a sauce/dressing for pastas and a great vegetarian dish for vegans and for the health conscious. I've made this pesto before but I've changed a few ingredients to make it my own. One of the ingredients is Tahini but it's incredibly pricey here; so I used a bit of sesame oil instead and added walnuts for more chunky, creamy texture.


So basically, here are ingredients I used for my own version of Basil Pesto.

Do take note, that I don't exactly measure my ingredients as I go by feel most of the time.

1. 100mg Fresh Thai Sweet Basil Leaves (Any variant of basil will do. Thai has a bit more of an aroma kick)
2. Few cloves of garlic (About a good 5-7)
3. A handful of toasted pine nuts
4. A handful of walnuts (or more if you prefer a more creamy texture)
5. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (accordingly)
6. Sesame Oil (alternative to tahini. About 1-2 table spoons)
7. Dash of grated cheese (optional)
8. Salt & Pepper to taste




Making this dish is practically easy and you just need a food processor. I use a manual hand-wind food processor as I have a bit more control over the texture consistency of the pesto.

Make sure your basil leaves are washed, cleaned and spin-dried with minimal water residue.

Next up, blend up the garlic, walnuts and toasted pine nuts first until you get .......

to a somewhat chunky mix like so.

Then add on the basil leaves into the mix with the sesame oil and olive oil and blend. Gradually add the leaves and olive oil periodically after every spin.

The result would be something like this. You can go "creamier" by adding in the cheese, more walnuts and oilve oil to get a semi smooth texture of the pesto which I did. I always prefer to have a bit more bite to my pasta dressing.

The result would be something more golden in colour compared to the very green pesto you see in the supermarkets. Once done, keep the pesto refrigerated and it would last no more than a week. 

As you can see, I used my pesto to go with my favourite Spinach Fettuccine and topped it over with a poached egg and chicken. An excellent healthy choice for those "lazy" to cook like me or just couldn't find time to whip out something too grandeur. 

And now, this blogger is now attempting to venture into some baking. That is if he still has the "balls" to take out the oven that is still sitting inside the box!

MWM 2014 Get Together Session & Running Clinic with Katherine Switzer

The lovely Power Women of MWM.
Mentor Trainers Sweeney Chong, Lini "Iron Mama" Kasim, Sheela, Lorna Wong together with Katherine Switzer and Race Director of MWM, Karen Loh.

Ladies.... it's back!

Yes, Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM) is coming back next year. Locked in your dates for 16th March 2014!

To get things started, MWM will be organizing a series of upcoming running clinics for registered participants. This year's theme is DREAM, BELIEVE, BECOME. A mentoring system and 16 week program is introduced to help the lovely participants be physically and mentally prepared heading towards the event.

Last Sunday, we were invited to it's first running clinic and we weren't disappointed. Me, of course "special guest" lar..... :P

Even Katherine Switzer specially flew in to Malaysia just to meet us again!

For those of you who missed it, here are the recorded highlights and talks given by our lovely ladies on that day.

Race Director of MWM, Karen Loh giving her introductory speech. Goofy, light-hearted and hilarious. Then pops out Katherine, who just ran to the venue cause she got lost earlier. Bless her!

Next up was Katherine Switzer with her inspiring story of the year she ran Boston and what happened on that day lead to many great things for women; not only just in running and sports but also the empowerment and enrichment of life for women in general.



A thank you note to YB Elizabeth Wong and her hilarious yet bold comment to beat KJ in the race if he runs. That's the spirit! Also a thank you note to Avon Malaysia with a note from Elaine Aisyah (Senior Manager Avon) and also to Noorul Ashikin (GM Selangor Tourism).



Last but not least, the mentors are introduced. Namely Sweeney Chong, Lini "Iron Mama" Kasim, Sheela & Lorna Wong. Son't play play. They run faster than I do in a race! I salute them.



After all the talk was done, participants are lead to a warm up by Mentor Lorna and a short 5K run around the park. As for the remaining of us, we stayed around trying to grab as much pictures and advices from other mentors and Katherine.

Warm up session with Mentor Lorna.

Of course, I must have a shot with the legend herself

A group photo with all the ladies. Well, at least the ones who stayed till the end.

Not forgetting the gentlemen too. 

For more photos taken by yours truly, click here.

Registration is still open and for those who signed up for Full Marathon; they will receive a one of a kind Finisher Running Skirt! (Pacers included). Head here for registration and info. 

And now as for me, I'm still hobbling around with an idea of pacing someone. Anyone keen? ;)

Salomon S-Lab Kuala Selangor Jamboree Trail Run 2013 : Race Report

Salomon S-Lab Kuala Selangor Trail Run 2013 Finisher medal.

I was in the zone. I was on a constant pace throughout the first 5km. We’ve already hit at least some of the roads and now we are pounding the trails at Taman Rimba Kuala Selangor.

All the penned up energy not used from last week’s SCKLM was seemingly put into here.

Despite nursing a 2^nd bout of flu attacks, sore throat and a sprained ankle; I pushed on and didn’t break my stride. I was determined to finish strong on this one.

Khay Ann passed me almost about the 5km point. A quick hi and he sped off. I didn’t see many Men Veteran passed me; so I had a gut feeling he is going to be at least the Top 10.

I tried to keep at his pace for a while and sped up.

I glanced at my watch; almost 30 minutes. I sneakingly smiled. I used to reserve such speeds for speed 5k on roads but never on trails. I thought maybe it was because of the flat terrains of the trails. I kept cool and tried not to speed too much as I need the energy to conquer the 2^nd part of the route; which is to scale up Bukit Melawati.

Then all my plans went out through the window...

The point Khay Ann turned back and and told me to gostan.

A few of the lead runners were turning back at some point. Not suspecting anything at first but I don’t recall a sharp U-turn at any part of the route. Then a few minutes later, Khay Ann emerged and he quickly directed me to turn back.

“U-Turn back!”. He hollered.

“Wrong Route!”

The gut wrenching feeling of uneasiness sunk in. I wasn’t sure of what to do.

I turned back and saw Yvonne trailing behind me. I wasn’t surprised since Yvonne is a fast female runner and usually gets at least Top 20.

We both looked at each other looking confused.

“What the heck just happened?” We both asked each other.

We started to turn back to run but we knew we lost our momentum. The runners behind us got the news and started to turn back. It created a clog and soon I was on that dreadful “run-walk” thing which I hated.

Damn.

So that is the story of the now infamous “wrong route” incident among the hundreds of runners who was accidently lead into.

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I know there are many who are unsatisfied with the organization of the event and the shortcomings of the organzisers. I was too. But that being said, I had to keep my composure and treat this like any of my weekend runs in the end. I like to run; like many others and seeing my friends running with me is always my greatest joy and pleasure. We all made an effort to get to the start point early in the morning, go through that bloody run and finish the race. In the end, it’s the spirit of sportsmanship that counts.

I’ve arrive at Kuala Selangor the day before with a few of my running buddies. We treated this as our weekend running break. Besides, we wanted to savour the culinary delights of the local cuisines. This was supposed to be my tapering run after SCKLM but since it was postponed; this was going to be my speed trail.

However when I surveyed about the event, I realised a few things. Firstly, this Salomon event has no relations to the yearly Salomon X-Trail organized by Pacesetters Malaysia. Secondly; new organizers. I was mentally preparing myself if there were any shortcomings. I brought my hydration belt just in case there weren’t enough water at the waterstations.

We surveyed the route the night before (minus Taman Rimba) and found out that it was a pretty straight forward route. The challenge was the stairs leading up to Bukit Melawati. I know it’s going to be a challenge and I’ve made a plan to utilize the trail path on the side of the stairs to skip the crowd.

We went back to our hotel after our dinner and survey so that we could charge up for the next morning.

The GCAM Group. Despite not being at GC on the day itself. :P

We were early. Race site is filling up with runners bit by bit. Met up with so many running buddies from many running groups. Finally the GCAM group arrived. We were all excited as we trained at the FRIM trails the week before. I wished I had trained more trails with them earlier on. I seriously miss all the grittiness and the savage beauty of Mother Nature.

The start point.

Julie, our emcee of the day soon called out to all the runners to be at the start line. We were supposed to be gunned off at 7.15am but was delayed by 5 minutes. The Men started first, followed by Women and finally Veterans; every 5 minutes intervals.

I paced slowly the first 500m but steadily increased my pace as I went on. I was on fire!

Entering the trails of Taman Alam Kuala Selangor. 

The trails were pretty flat but a good challenge for those new to trail running.

First CP. Already messy as everything wasn't ready.

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The "human traffic" after we U-Turned.

 Momentum broke. Hangus! I was silently cursing.

I was hollering at runners to make way as I ran pass through them. Yvonne was following closely behind me. We still couldn’t believe that we were sent to the wrong route.

Did we miss the signage? Was there a marshal?

Our pace got even slower as the clog up got heavier; but not until it was a standstill.

We reached the point where we were supposed to turn right instead of left.

The "mistake point". Where the heck are the markers and marshals?

 We guessed correctly. No signage and not even a sight of a marshal giving directions.

Now all we see are the slower runners right in front of us. I feel so geram!

Yvonne, Foo and myself. Not giving up, we went on.

Me and Yvonne concluded that this is not going to be speed run anymore but we did console ourselves to carry on and treat this like any of our weekend free runs. A few quick pictures with Foo whom we bumped along the way and I sped off.

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The stairs heading towards Bukit Melawati

Here I am at the stairs climbing up Bukit Melawati. As expected; the clog up. I overheard a few of the runners contemplating to skip the Bukit Melawati part and just go back to the start point. That means bypassing the marshal and skip at least 2-3km. Less than a few seconds later, a huge group of them were gone. I rolled my eyes and carried on without giving a 2^nd look. I loathe the idea of “short cuts” and cheating. I carried on by climbing on the trail path alongside the stairs where majority of the runners avoided. It was tough but at least it put a little sense of “trail” into it.

Since time wasn't the issue now; camwhoring and enjoying the view at the top of Bukit Melwati.

The elevation up the hill was pretty gradual and easy. Not long after, I reached the top to a beautiful scenic view of Kuala Selangor. There I met the BWC group; Gabriel, Adrian and Sean. A few camwhoring shots and I sped down the hill and straight to the finishing line.

Not of course without a few monkey shots of the “residents of Bukit Melawati”.

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Congratulating Khay Ann.

Emcee of the day, the ever lovely Julie Wong.

Who will win? Finally it was Wai Yee who won "Best Dressed".

Khay Ann receiving his prize.
4th position of Men's Veteran Category.

The finishing line is near! I could feel it.

The bomba team was spraying water at us. It was a welcoming sight and it was cooling to a hot, humid day.

Closing to the finishing arch, I was met with a short queue; no longer than 30m.

WTH..... can’t I just past that finishing line? I made a mental estimation that I crossed the line and stopped my watch. I slowly trailed the queue to get my goodie bag. From a far, I saw some volunteers only started to pack the goodie bags. I could only watch in disbelief.

I kept quiet, took my medal, bag, food and walked on to meet up the GCAM gang at the sidelines. We were bitching about the race but still kept light-hearted about it. We took the extra kms as bonus training. Khay Ann who has returned earlier has secured the Men Veteran 4^th position! Adding to the fact that he went through the wrong route too. Amazing!

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The conclusion:

There are really loads I wanna say but I would love to keep to the positive notes.  Yes, the organizers had their shortcomings and many have shared their displeasure all over Facebook. So let’s keep this constructive and hopefully that many will be able to squeeze some joy out of this disorganized event.

1.       Yes, most of us did the wrong route but that actually did measure up to about 11-15km depending where the runners did the U-turn. So it means the original route was under distanced; which was about 8.9-9km (for those using GPS).

The route that I took. 

2.       A real good route of a mix of trail and road (including the wrong path). Flat terrains and a good throw in of Bukit Melawati. If done properly, it would have been a fantastic running route. Not forgetting the great scenery too!

3.       Way too many loop holes & shortcuts. But this is due volunteers and manpower shortage. But a true real runner would know better than to “cheat” and take short cuts.

4.       Water station was pretty alright but very close to being a mishap if some of the runners didn’t step in and help out.

5.       The whole event would have been a great success if done properly. Having both Salomon Trail series (S-Lab and X-Trail) events is a great addition to the running events in Malaysia. Unfortunately it wasn’t so. IF ever this event were to be done again next year, it has to come back with a HUGE bang and gain the trust of runners again.

Anyways, I still had a great time despite all the fiasco. We all live to fight another day.

So chill my friends. Let’s just all emphasise of what’s to come next time round. :)