The North Face Race Report Part 2 : Deo

Deo Part 2 of his TNF race in Thailand. Admin apologizes for the tardiness. We been busy and has been involved with the Garmin Running Clinic. Intake 1 has been great and we have completed session 2 (of 3). Deo was on site to offer advice and to share his experience with his recent races (this being one of them) and the just completed Tokyo Marathon (report soon). Meanwhile, Enjoy Part 2 of the TNF report.

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The North Face 100 Thailand - the race report (part 2 of 2)

Let's continue where I left in the first of two parts of my TNF100 Thailand 2015 story...

I kept running wherever I could in the last 10km before going back to Simalin Resort for the halfway checkpoint break. Along the way since KM25, I had been thinking on how would I run the course again, for the second loop of 50km. Everytime that thought came to mind, I quickly brushed it off not to dwell too much into it. Let's take a kilometer by kilometer and let's think about second loop when I actually doing it later. The single trail section with about 5km to go was my favorite. I am not sure whether it was the same trail as last year because I think that section was a lot easier this time around. I kept moving, quite strongly, never missed a beat until we arrived at the end of trail section where we had to cross a big sort of sandy 'drain', when we have to jump about 3-feet down and get up again on the bank and get on the final stretch of the road section. I was running like I was doing just the 50km race and in the last 5km or so, I passed many 25km and 50km runners. While running back to Simalin Resort, I was expecting to see front 100km runners going out from the resort for their second loop but there wasn't any. So, I thought maybe they've gone earlier or they're taking their time hanging around the CP. After some 2.5km running on the tarmac, the halfway CP was within sight. I was asked to cross the timing chip and quickly I took a seat while the volunteer looked for my dropbag and handed over to me. I arrived at the 50km CP in around 6 hours and 35 minutes, a bit off from my planned 6 hours. Never mind, I told myself. Timing is not so much a factor for me anymore. It was all about finishing it with the best timing I could. 

It was around 11.30am when I arrived at the CP. With the sun was high up since the past one or one and a half hour, the day was getting hotter and the temperature was rising but most importantly, it was close to lunch hour! Luckily I wasn't feeling hungry as I didn't pack any food inside my dropbag. All I had during the halfway point were those served there - watermelon, bananas, drinks and canned Nescafe that I brought along. I wasn't sure how long to go until my stomach will protest of not getting in solid foods but based on previous three TNF100 Thailand races, I would not have problems of hunger. I took my time to change my top, get rid of unnecessary stuffs and just keep them in the dropbag like my camera, my sunnies, Hammer perpetuem solids that I didn't consume at all in the first loop as well as Hammer Endurolyte Fizz as I only used two tablets to refill my water. For the second loop, I would rely on the cold plain water and the energy drink provided at the water stations. While sitting down on a chair, I tried to take off my shoes and socks, and suddenly the cramp attacked me on my calves. I quickly straighten my legs to stretch it and slowly the cramp eased off. It was quite a tough process to take off the socks, afraid cramps would attack again but I had no choice as I had to clean up my foot from all the small stones that got inside the socks. Not long before I left for my second half of the race, Eijoy arrived. I was glad to see him in a still strong condition. I asked him to sit down under the shade to cool down, before I took off. I was hoping to see Ezam on my way out but it didn't happen as I had to detour to get back into the trail section again. 

Taking a break, trying to cool down the body temperature down before heading out for my second loop of 50km.
The same loop all over again. Only that it was bright, sunny day this time around. I could finally see what we went through six to seven hours ago when it was still dark. The early elevation that slowed everyone down at the beginning actually wasn't difficult at all, it was just the darkness that caused everyone to move cautiously, I think so. I ran at a slower pace at the beginning of the second loop but consistently so that I could last as long as I could. Uphills were the place for the legs to rest by walking up. Cramps were kept at bay although at times, they tried to launch their attacks. I brave enough. My pace was decent and consistent until ]I got to the foot of the 'Lord of the Rings Hill'. It was crazy this time, I thought. And I wonder if the Hill got taller, longer and steeper over the hours that it felt forever to reach the top. I was all alone climbing up to the peak this time and as the legs are getting tiring, they've been kicking rocks here and there and whenever a sudden aggressive movement (like kicking a rock) happened, the cramps would attack. Lots of times during the section, I cursed.... to everything, to the extent that I was thinking that this would be my last TNF100 Thailand if it remains in Khao Yai. My pace gone really badly with the LOTR Hill. Descending from the LOTR Hill wasn't easier either. It was dry and slippery and I had to be cautious not to slip anywhere along the section and tumble down the cliff, unattended. No other runners were at sight either in front or at the back. 

After all the curses and the LOTR Hill nightmares, I reached back at the sandy rolling elevation and I wondered if the uphill was actually that steep during the first loop? My hope to continue running consistently was gone up in smoke as I got smoked with the elevation. Then I saw a small shop at the side of the road. At first, I thought that I wanted to buy some cold drinks, maybe a can of Coke but at the same time, I don't want to waste more time, to dig up for the money I brought along way down in my hydration bag and sit down and drink. But at the end, I stopped at the shop, bought myself a can of Coke, sat down at the bench outside the shop, clean up the debris inside my socks, finished off the can of cold Coke slowly and continued my journey after a 10-minute break or so. It was a deserved break, I think. One lady runner from China passed me when I took my break. She was quite elderly but strong! We kept trading places throughout the remaining of the race and she eventually finished four places and eight minutes behind me. I tried to run after the break but suddenly I felt uneasy, I wanted to burp (from the gas of Coke) but I just couldn't burp! I never had this problem before and I thought it was a mistake that I consumed Coke, although I've done it before. After three attempts to burp, I finally managed to get a long burp and really felt relieved. 

I arrive back at CP2 at KM70. The volunteers are still there but less busy now as they did not have to serve large group of runners. But one really good thing about the water stations and checkpoints, they never ran out of cold water and the energy drinks for drinking as well as watermelon and bananas and most importantly they never short of ice supplies. And you could take as much ice as you want, put them in your hydration bladder/bottle, or put them inside your cap or buff (that was what I did), the volunteers never restricted you from not doing that. I checked with Ezam and Eijoy whether ice was still available when they reached respective checkpoints, and they said yes, plenty of them. This is one area I should really credit the organizer! After a brief stop at CP2, I realized that I had another 30km to go. And my watch indicated that I had about 4 hours and 40 minutes from 15 hours finish. That equals to doing an average of one and a half hour for every 10km distance, and that equals to 9:00-minute/km pace. I was holding to that target from that point onwards. Great thing about doing the same loop is that you practically knows what is coming. I broke down the last 30km into three sections of 10km each. And I knew section of KM70-80 would be run-able, followed by the second section of KM80-90 that would be the toughest of all, and the final section of KM90-finish would be hard at the beginning before I could make a home run in the last 5km. With that in mind, I ran/move as fast as I could in the KM70-80 section so that the spare time can be used to cover up the anticipated slower section of KM80-90.

That strategy worked very well for me. Time now has become my main motivator and push factor. I kept monitoring my pace closely so that the average pace would not drop to slower than 9:00 minutes. I was confident enough that I could finish the race within 15 hours and that at times made me smile and pushed me harder. The cramp 'virus' were still around, they never went away. Moving uphill was harder this time, not just because of the elevation but the cramp 'virus' liked to attack when I was going uphill, which was quite strange. Maybe because I tried to save time but taking a longer stride while walking uphill and the 'virus' seems like to attack when I overstride. As expected the KM80-90 section was the slowest of the final 30km but I had enough time saved during the KM70-80 section to cover up this slow section and I knew I can run all out in the final 5km of the race to save even more time. I got back to the main road, the CP4 at KM90 with great relief. There, I took out my headlight as it started to get darker. Last year, I was still doing the loop somewhere in KM85 that I had to pull out my headlight to use. So, I was a little faster this year. With 10km to go, nothing (literally) could stop me from finishing my 9th 100km ultramarathon. I moved confidently and strongly along the short tarmac section before I got back into the trail section. 

Trail section was done in a jiffy as they were not much of uphills, mostly flat trail section. But I had to be careful not to trip or kick on anything as it was pitch dark except for the light from my headlight. I could see the Chinese lady once a while when I slowed down as she was trying to catch up with me. She is another motivator to keep me going strongly too! And while my mind was busy calculating the expected finish time, without realizing it, I arrived back at the road section which means that I have to deal with a short, not-too-hard uphill section right until the temple junction before going into the final trail section of the race. The end was so near, I ran when I could, minimizing my walks. I still took walk breaks in between but they were really short. I ran strong, I think stronger than in the first loop and was quite actually surprised with that. I wasn't sure if I had not used my energy to the fullest earlier and saved them too much for the final push. I wondered if I ran a little faster in the first loop, would my timing be better. But that doesn't matter much as my target at that point onwards were the 15-hour finish. And with all of those playing in mind, I arrived back at my favorite single trail section and ran quite hard inside it. I managed to overtake two other 100km runners who happened to be Foo and another runner from Malaysia. Cross that big 'drain' to cap off the end of trail section and I ran all the way to the finish line like there will be no tomorrow. On the final 2.5km road section, I overtook another runner from New Zealand and we congratulated each other for our soon-to-be crowning of 100km finisher title. I urged him to run with me but asked me to go ahead instead. There were still 50km runner on the course whom I overtook as well. 

the proud moment - crossing the finish line of my 9th 100km ultramarathon
[photo by Refill Marathon] And the sight of Simalin Resort came into the view of my teary eyes (not!) and the people having their meals and drinks at the stalls along the roadside, were clapping and cheering for me. What and honor! There were some people waiting and congratulated runners as we entered the resort compound for the final 50km run towards the finish line. And as I crossed the timing chip ahead of the finish line, I could hear the announcers announcing my name as another proud finisher of 100km race and both hands raised up in the air! showered with the victory feeling and satisfaction. One of the proudest moment! 14 hours, 35 minutes and 40 seconds was my official finish time. That timing puts me in the 18th place overall and 14th place in the male category, coincide with my bib number 14! I was later promoted to 13th place overall after they organizer made some adjustments to the final results due to complaints and discrepancies. That also puts me as the 2nd finisher among all Malaysian, behind the unknown Yap Chin Choy, who I was told later that he's a Singaporean-based Malaysian. I was handed out the finisher t-shirt and the better-looking finisher medals but those two finisher goodies meant nothing much as compared to the finish and how I've raced this tough TNF100 Thailand! Ezam and Eijoy came back few hours later and I was so glad to see them again after losing them from sight some 10 hours ago or so. And this time, when I saw them, they were already crowned as TNF100 Thailand 100km finisher! Well done to both of you, Ezam and Eijoy!


Eijoy and Ezam at the proudest moment of their running career, I guess, after finishing the grueling race. Well done boys!

That ends my TNF100 Thailand 2015 story. It was still a great feeling to finish another 100km race, no matter whether it was your first one or the zilliont-time finish! Would I return for my 5th TNF100 Thailand? Time will tell...

Detailed splits of my race, according to the official timing chip provider.

For my race details at Garmin Connect, click here.
For official result of the 100km solo category, click here.

The North Face 100 Thailand Race Report Part 1 : Deo

"The North Face 100 Thailand" by Deo. Enough said, where do I sign up? The second part of the report will be ready soon. Meanwhile, enjoy Part Suffering 1.

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The North Face 100 Thailand Race Report Part 1 : Deo

Wow! As much as I was and am excited to write (type) this report, it is quite difficult to put it down so that this report would not be the same like my previous three TNF100 Thailand reports. I will try, will try to make it sounds different than the previous three editions and I will try to make you wanna do and sign up for the race next year!

TNF100 Thailand 2015 was the 4th ever edition of the race, having the first edition in a different place in (Amphawa) before the race was moved to Khao Yai in the second edition until today. It was also my 4th TNF100 Thailand, haven't missed a beat of the race. It was also my 9th 100km ultramarathon since my first one in 2012 which I did in Amphawa. So, TNF100 Thailand is my anniversary 100km ultramarathon, I would like to see it that way. As the unofficial results show and what I have recorded with my Garmin, I finished the race in 14 hours 35 minutes and 40 seconds. It was the best timing I ever had of all the four TNF100 Thailand editions. Although it was not much faster than the 14:36'06" I did in 2013, the 2013 route was a lot easier than this year, one section that was not in the 2013 edition was the hilly climb or I called it 'The Lord of the Rings Hill' that goes up to maximum elevation of almost 600 meters. My timing this year, however, was more than 40 minutes faster than what I did last year on a similar (about 90-95%) route. The marked difference between this year's and last year's race was the weather. It was all hot and bright and dry and energy-sapping, oven-like weather from 9am to 5pm last year (read my report here but this year, the weather was almost perfect - raining the night before the race, temperature in the teens at the start, the sun came out during the normal hours around noon for about 3 hours, and even when the sun was bright up in the sky, it remained windy throughout the race before it got cold again after sunset. I can saya that although I'm hearing some runners complaining about the hot weather in Khao Yai this year, I think they were a lot lucky with the weather this year! Just to recap, the inaugural edition in 2012 remains the easiest of all with relatively flat route all the way.

Actually, I had a slight ambition to run this race under 14 hours. I even told my traveling buddies, Ezam and Eijoy, that I would be really happy if I can do 13:59'59" but it didn't turn out as planned. As early as at around KM10 that I knew it was not achievable as I could not go any faster early on for some reasons. But in ultramarathon, the race is too long to finish that a lot of things can happen during the race that could hamper your plan or goal.

The official race course map for this year's race with minimal changes to last year's. I believe the 'Lord of the Rings Hills will be a mainstay of the race, as long as the race remains in Khao Yai.

 

However easy the race sounds to you, it was not spared from drama, of course...

Preparation-wise. I admit that I didn't prepare as hard as how I prepared for Penang 100. After Osaka Marathon in October last year, my training mileage took a dip, especially in November when I just recorded 170km before I realized that I need to pick it up again for this race. December mileage went up again to 301km despite the holiday and off-season for most runners. I continued with high mileage in January, clocking about 250km heading into the race. While I think the two-month mileage was sufficient for me to finish the race, I failed to do any 50km training run (which I'd always do before any of my 100km race) in the two months. The longest training runs I did was a marathon distance at the Cyberjaya Marathon in December and the two-loop of Padang Merbuk to Hartamas and back that was almost 40km long. And that kept me worried. I got really nervous when Ezam acknowledged my lack of training when he compared to how I trained for Penang 100. In the end, the experience and familiarity of the race, especially the weather and route, had helped me even with the little lack of preparation. I also didn't pack my stuff until the very night before my early morning flight. Without the checklist that I would've normally prepared, I thought I've packed everything I need but at the end, I realized I left the country without perskindol cool/hot spray that helped me to last throughout last year's race or perskindol cool gel that I had used a lot (and helped me a lot, too) during Penang 100. And I didn't bother to look for them in Bangkok, just praying that I would be ok without them.




Waiting for the big tuk-tuk to depart from Pakchong town to our resort in Khao Yai. It was a nervous journey altogether with the daredevil van driver from Bangkok and the slow-mo driver from Pakchong to Khao Yai as we were running late for the race briefing.
[photo by Ezamizudin] This year, I traveled to Bangkok alone but met a group of runners from Melaka at the airport and we boarded the same flight. I sat next to a newly-found friend, Paul Lee, in the flight and we talked about the race a bit (it was his first time doing TNF100). At one point, he mentioned that he read from a blog about the race, the accommodation, etc. without realizing that I am actually the author of the blog that he read and was quite stunned when I told him that. Ezam and Eijoy, who flew earlier, waited for me at the Don Mueng Airport before we went for some window shopping at the Siam Paragon area, had lunch and went to the Victory Monument to board the public van to Khao Yai. As usual, it was a long drive to Khao Yai, about 200km to the north of Bangkok, on a busy highway. We would not arrive earlier if the van driver was not a daredevil like the one we had, zigzagging around the vehicles on the highway and flying on the fast lane *sigh!* The van stopped at Pakchong town and as this was my first time taking public transport, I didn't know that it would take another almost one hour (including waiting time) via a large tuk-tuk from Pakchong town to Khao Yai. The tuk-tuk stopped in front of the Khao Yai Garden Lodge, where the three of us stayed. We met two other Malaysians, Foo and his lady friend (sorry forgot her name; but both of them finished the 100km race very strongly!) in the tuk-tuk and later traveled to Simalin Resort for the race briefing and race pack collection.

The race briefing that was held outdoor this year. The briefing was held outdoor this year, which I think is a more suitable, and the sight of the start/finish venue and gantry relived my memories (and the agonies) from last year's race. It was all too familiar and it felt like it was just a day before that I went through the hard time finishing the race and was really relieved to be able to cross the finish line in more than 15 hours but was a little heartbreaking knowing many friends did not finish the race, being victims to the torturous weather. Ezam was the most excited, expressing his disbelief to be able to be at the 'TNF100' race site and to compete in the race the next day. I was happy to have the two chaps together, to see the expression and the anticipation from a fresh perspective. Pictures taken, race pack collected and we arrived back at our resort when it was already dark. Dinner followed suit, then shopping for race essentials at the 7-Eleven next door where I met Emil Soderlund again. The funny part was that I did not remember his name but remembered him as 'the guy who wore the blue UTMB t-shirt last year' and he acknowledged that lol! He finished in fourth place this year. Next, in the room, prep all the gears and attire before lights off. It was a very short deep sleep for me before waking up again around 3am. The resort was kind enough to pack sandwiches for us as breakfast and I just had that before the race.

At the race site while waiting to be called to the start line. I wasn't feeling too excited for the race but more nervous as so many questions were playing in the mind, top up to the drama early in the morning before leaving the resort, all those...
[photo by Ezamizudin] The drama begun even before we headed to the race site. I left the room confidently and boarded the tuk-tuk to the race venue at Simalin Resort. When we were about to leave the resort, I realized that my hydration bag was without the two water bottles! Damn it I had to rush back to the room and there they were next to the sofa. A good adrenaline rush to kick start my day on a cold morning, I guess. Last year, I forgotten to bring along my cap to the race and raced all the way with just buff to shed my head from the notorious sun. In the tuk-tuk met a group of Singaporean who also happened to read this blog. Luckily it was dark in the tuk-tuk, otherwise everyone could see how blush my face was! Arrived not long after that at Simalin Resort and the venue was still quiet and calm with about one hour to go to the flag-off. Runners started to flock the race site from time to time, as I was sitting at the empty race expo tent quietly looking at all the happenings - people taking photos around, exchanging well wishes, some were doing their stretching and warm-ups and, all too familiar! About 15 minutes from the flag-off, we headed into the start area after checks on our phones and headlights. I stayed at the middle of the pack of the 100km and 50km runners while trying to keep calm. Although it was already my fourth TNF100 Thailand, I still feel nervous, not knowing how the day would turn out to be, whether my training was enough to carry me through the race, whether my body could cooperate with me, all those questions. Some speeches were made, a blessing by the monks, countdown and off we went at 5am sharp. The temperature shown on the race clock was around 17-degree Celcius and it was quite chilling that morning.

We think we're ready so let's go! With Ezam and Eijoy, my traveling buddies this year.
[photo by Pongsak Sarapukdee] It was a cautious start but after about 50 meters from the start line, before we headed into the sealed road, I tripped on something, and fell on my face, kissing the ground. I was shocked, my head spinning as Ezam tried to get me up on my feet. My palm were covered with sand, I could taste sand on my lips and both my knees hurt. As I heard, some people asking "are you ok?", I asked Ezam whether my lips were bleeding? Luckily it was not but both my knees were quite badly bruised and bleeding while my palms were in pain with some pinhole scars from the contact with the ground. Although I was in shock from the fall, I still managed to ensure that I did not drop any of the mandatory items, the water bottles and the headlight. Ezam was there at my side, kind enough to wait for me, and kept me in check. And I was just lucky that i didn't get stampeded by the charging runners who started behind me. After ensuring that all are in place, I continued running side-by-side with Ezam but I had the thought in my mind about "DNF". I was not sure how the bruises on the knees (and maybe the shaken head) from the fall would affect my race as there will be another 15 hours or so that I had to endure. But I told myself to keep going and see how long I would last in the race. Not long after it got stabilized again, I had to move to the roadside to pee and told Ezam to go ahead and I would try to catch up with him later. It was a long pee, strangely, although I've peed twice since arrived at the race site that morning and many runners overtook me during my pee-stop.

Going downhill as we exited the LOTR Hills. Ezam (in blue t-shirt) was seen here leading me going downhill.
[official photo of TNF100 Thailand] I continued my run and not long after the pee-stop, we got into the trail section where I could overtake some of the runners again but I could not continue doing so as we moved into a slightly-uphill, single trail section when runners in front of me either slowed down or walked. I had to keep calm and be patience as there will be more opportunities to overtake them later. It was a slightly different route from last year until we got to the CP1 at around KM7 where we had to move into a trail section, do a loop inside and headed out on the same route. I could only catch up with Ezam as we headed into the loop-section and everything seems ok for me by then, although I could still fell the pain from the bruises, I could still run at a decent pace. Ran into the loop with Ezam but lost him somewhere. As we headed out from the loop, we cross-path with oncoming runners but I could hardly recognize anybody as it was dark and the glare from the headlights weren't helping either. Right after CP1, like last year, where we headed into the uphill, single trail section all the way up to the peak of the 'Lord of the Rings Hill'. It was still dark and along the way to the peak, the day started to break. For the first timers here, it was an awesome sight but for me, all I cared was to finish this climb. It was a slow hike up and it was quite congested with runners moving on single file cautiously not to trip or fall off the cliff. The grass there seems to have grown taller, as tall as I am and some were thorny that I got scratches on my arms and calves as souvenirs. At times when those grass slapped my knees and touched the bruises points on my two knees, it felt so painful that I wanted to scream really loud. It was quite a torturous section for me. Moving downhill wasn't easier either as I couldn't set my own pace, afraid of bumping/crashing into runners in front of me who moved a little slowly downhill. By that time, Ezam caught up with me, as we headed into the open brown-sandy (or dusty) route, that surely will change the color of your shoes. It was a rolling section and I lost Ezam and never seen him again until the finish line some 15 hours later.

I was practically alone from there onward, nothing unusual for me, carefully moving myself with a sustainable pace, not to aggressively take on the uphill while going downhill in a defensive run mode (not too fast and not over-striding), taking quick but ample stops at each water stations to drink up one or two cups of iced water and the flavored energy drinks. At the same time and throughout the race, I ensured that I was disciplined enough to consume a pack of Hammer gel, two caps of Hammer electrolytes and two caps of Hammer Anti Fatigue Caps for every 10km. It worked well for me especially with the Hammer gel, when I got a feel of energy boost after every pack consumed that lasted for between 2-4km. However, for the Endurolytes, I wasn't sure why I still got cramp signs coming as early as 40km into the race despite the consumptions and consistent consumption of water throughout the race. After a while after the race, I think the cramps were due to the lack of water intake in the week before the race, especially on Friday the traveling day. On top of that, I was still taking coffee in office (as works are piling up) during the week prior to the race as normally I would quit taking caffeinated drinks a week before a race. Yes, as mentioned I had to deal with the cramps since KM40 of the race. It came attacking behind of my left then right thigh, and then attacking the front, then my calves. And how I dealt with them, to ignore them, stretched once a while, and not to over-stride especially going downhill. The cramps were notorious this time they even attacked when I slowly walking up the uphill sections.

Running alone during an ultramarathon has never been a problem to me, I have been trained in such way since my very first 100km ultramarathon, also in TNF100 Thailand, back in 2012. I believe this photo was taken with less than 10km from the halfway point of KM50 back in Simalin Resort.
[photo by www.shutterrunning.com]
So from the point I lost Ezam, the route went from tarmac into sandy, open trails, bushy, rocky (that I many times accidentally kicked those rocks followed by cramp-pinching moment duh!), forever rolling uphill and downhill sections, that you couldn't afford to get a loooonnggg flat or downhill section to run but instead, once you managed to run at a nice pace, you'll have uphill section to deal with not long after that. KM20 to KM40 was the same like last year, with a minor turns, probably, in one of those trail loops that we need to go through. I caught up with Eijoy around KM30 and it was nice to have someone to talk to again (although most of the times, it was drop dead silence between us). Running with Eijoy was kind of mix between bless and stress. It was stressful when he followed me close from behind that I could hear his foot steps - one of his foot step equals to two (or maybe three) of mine and it was a blessing as it caused me to move on a faster cadence to cope with his long strides (of his long legs). As much as I wished Eijoy could accompany me at least until we were back to Simalin Resort (KM50), I lost him somehow at CP4 (KM40) and I was alone again for the last 10km of the first loop.

This entry has gone too long, I guess. So, let's have the rest of the story in the next one. Stay tuned!

The North Face Hong Kong Race Report : Roy Yeow

"Did-Not-Finish" or DNF happens in races. You may be a good runner, have many races finish under your name, all it takes is one turn of event and your race changes. We have seen it many times, experienced it ourselves - but it takes a lot of courage to call it a day and learn from it. Team athlete Roy Yeow went through this in the TNF Hong Kong race, and this is his story. 

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The TNF Hong Kong Race Report, sort of.

Being away from trail running for most of the 2nd half of 2014 to focus on Ironman Langkawi, makes me look forward to this race. With elevation of over 6000 meters, and a cutoff of 27 hrs, it is one of the toughest race in Hong Kong. Having done Vibram HK 100 and TransLantau 100 this year, the thought completing another 100KM in HK is encouraging. However, having heard of the horror story from 2013 where it was pouring cats and dogs, I was cautious of this race and was checking out the weather forecast daily weeks prior to this race.

Bib collection with David Wong from Singapore. 

This will not be the regular race report, as this is probably not a report as I DNF this race. Here's how it goes:

Opting to stay in the city instead of the hostel at the starting point, I arrived at the starting point with plenty of time to spare. With the cold weather, it was a challenge to keep warm. Starting close to the front helps to clear some traffic as the road narrows into single file trail about 800 meters into the race.

However, immediately I can sense that this race will not be my race as the feeling of tiredness 1KM into the race is not normal. The game plan at this point suddenly changed and troubleshooting of what is the condition of the body was working over time. As I continue on, the clumsiness of my steps up the first hill was obvious. With limbs that are not as balanced as regular runners, the immediate step at this point of time is to focus and ensure I get to the next checkpoint in one piece.

Even though I still managed to move at the planned pace, the clumsiness and tiredness lingered on. The troubleshooting so far came to a very simple conclusion - I am not ready and capable to complete this 100KM race. Unlike many runners that runs to fan their ego to the world, the simple acceptance of own condition allows for a simple decision, I will dropped off the race. Knowing there are more torturing hills, the thought of putting myself in danger going through the tougher hills in front is not a wise idea. After all, what is a race when there are more important things in life (and I am not even referring to Facebook updates btw).

With Dr. Wong along the route. Photo courtesy of Dr. Wong Fook Seong and Tan Kim Lai

There are still one issue though. I have left my walking pole at checkpoint 4 which is still a overwhelming 30KM away. Having went through the possibility on the plate, I decided to just walk to that point. The rest of the journey was not without any actions but to spare all from the details, I managed to reach checkpoint 4 with about 2 hrs to spare to cut off.

Met fellow Malaysian there and as he has lost his walking pole at that checkpoint, I offered mine to allow him to move on. What a joy when you stepped back and knows you enabled others to achieve their goal. This is far more meaningful things in life rather than idolising oneself to the world.

Beuatiful landscape

As more Malaysian passed by, I wish them the best and waited for another friend that I know is struggling behind. Again, stepping back and helped others when they are in trouble is as joyful as completing own race. Since this race has an unique feature of allowing 100KM runners to downgrade to 50KM at this point, it was an option for me to get back to the finishing line and get my stuffs. Having said that, a DNF is a DNF, even though I completed the 50KM within the cutoff time and was given an official time and medal. I came to this race with an intention to run 100KM, so anything less than completing a 100KM is a DNF. Yup, not happy to DNF obviously but learning to accept it as it is will allows us to run without the stress and just enjoy the day - race or training.

What I've learnt from this DNF.

This blog entry is all about how to be positive when things are not going the way you want it to be. Looking at the positive in life when other things are not going smoothly. Failure to complete a race does not makes us a failure, failure to accept things as it is is a failure. Challenges like this is what makes running and life interesting. This race has shown many sides of humans - ugly and beautiful included - but guess positivity only comes when you look at the bright  and the good side. 

Penang 100 Race Report (Part Three) : Deo Azrul

The final instalment of the Penang 100 race. When they say "climb", they really meant "crawl". Bukit Bendera Epic Ascent! Thanks Deo for sharing the trilogy of your Penang 100 race, we felt inspired (and tired) just reading. 
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Penang 100 Race Report (Part Three - Final!)

Finally, here is the final part of my ultra marathon journey in the recent Penang 100. You may read the previous part of the story here...

First 50km was done just under six hours and I got out from CP4 at 6:05, after a 15-minute break. It was around 3.10am, thank goodness that I didn't feel sleepy (yet), something that had kept me worried about this race. Maybe because I had Khairul as company. But, I'm all on my own from this point onward, after 'dumping' Khairul who took a longer break at CP4 (he told me he took 40 minutes of break and I wonder what did he actually do during that very long break...). However, I didn't 'dump' him without having some assurance that he would finish this race. Looking at his condition at CP4, no signs of cramps or blisters forming, still looking fresh and (I believe) still has lots of energy to spare, all hydration and gears plans went as planned and under control, I was confident that he would cross the finish line of his maiden 100km race. He looked comfortable with the race so far although we went quite hard in the first 50km - doing that distance under six hours. And what made me more confident to leave Khairul was the fact that we would have the luxury of time to complete the race - 12 hours spare before the cut off time. So on average, we need to cover 10km in two hours (something that is really, really doable) and still have two more spare hours as buffer. As for me, I had a stretch target of completing the race under 15 hours which means that I would have nine more hours to cover the second 50km of the race or equivalent to 1 hour and 45 minutes for every 10km on average. It sounds really doable too but I have to bear in mind that I couldn't take that luxury of time lightly as I have to deal with two more uphill sections - first, the 3.5km, 200m+ max elevation, Category 3 elevated road from Kg. Sungai Pinang to Teluk Bahang and secondly the dreaded 5km, 746m+ max elevation, Category 5 climb to the peak of Penang Hill (or Bukit Bendera). 
Right after I exited CP4, the climb over Lebuhraya Gelugor towards Teluk Bahang awaited me. Not to waste any energy unnecessarily, I walked all the way along the 3.5km climb. There few a couple of other runners overtook me at flatter sections of the climb and as much as I wanted to run too (talk about being kiasu not wanting people to overtake), I told myself to be patience as there will be downhill section where I could run. Nevertheless, I kept a close monitoring to my pace and continue doing brisk walking and that helped me to maintain my pace to under 10 minutes per km during the 3.5km uphill section. The stretch was winding and dark, only lighted up by our headlamps and the occasional vehicles that roam passed us along the route. I had two other competitors trailing behind me, a guy and the other one was a lady from Singapore who is the eventual 3rd place winner in women category. If not for the two who kept me on my toes and kept me moving consistently, I would take my sweet time during the uphill section. It felt like forever to reach the top and I had at times fooled by those flatter sections which I thought were the starts of the downhill section but they were not. Instead, further climbs followed. I had to check the elevation profile on my watch to see whether I was there yet or not. Finally, it was near the Tropical Fruit Farm that the downhill section awaited me. And I ran flawlessly going downhill, 6 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometer. Cool 4am breeze accompanied me as I passed the Teluk Bahang Dam that was quite a sight to behold (what else can you see at that hours? :p) 

Arriving at CP5, feeling a little sleepy as it was already 5am.
[photo by ET Tey]

I was back to running on flat road not long after the Dam, and it was damn hard all over again to run continuously on flat surface. Resorted to walk break strategy again until I reached CP5 around KM63 at Dewan MPPP, Teluk Bahang. It was almost eight hours into the race which means I only covered about 13km in the past two hours. I saw quite a number of runners taking a longer break there, some were lying on their backs, some just sat there and had coffee - maybe to help them to keep awake. I had my routine stop, doing the routine stuffs and without waiting much longer, I exited the checkpoint and headed out from the Balik Pulau area towards town. But when I thought it was not too far from the town, I was wrong! I forgot about Batu Ferringhi stretch, blame me on my unfamiliarity with Penang geographical profile although I had been to this area few times in the past. It was really boring passing through Batu Ferringhi at that hours, with everything - shops, hotels - they were all still closed. I started to get sleepy too at this juncture as it was already 5am+. The route was not as flat as what was shown on elevation profile, it was rolling which I chose to walk at almost all uphill sections. After the uneventful and boring section of Batu Ferringhi (it was supposed to be a happening route if the race was done on daytime or early evening), I reached CP6 at KM73 in 9 hours and 25 minutes. It was there when two 50km runners, whom I think were the top two finishers in the category, dropped by at the water station and they stopped very briefedly.

Between CP6 and CP7 at Gurney Drive roundabout, which we finally got me out from Balik Pulau area towards the city center, I bumped into many other Penang runners doing the morning runs on the opposite direction. They were running from city towards Batu Ferringhi. And many of them cheered for me, given their shout outs and even a simple thumb up which kept my spirit high. It was just about eight kilometers between the two checkpoints that took me pass Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong. It was daylight again and the roads started to get busy on that Sunday morning. It was mostly flat but I had a strong urge to walk more and longer that I run. The Singaporean lady was still behind me but still within my sight. Anytime that I walked, she would close the gap with me. And I noticed that she was trying really hard to overtake me since CP4 and she even stopped very briefedly at the following checkpoints and got out ahead of me eventhough she arrived later than me. As much as (I think) she wanted to overtake me, I was in no mood to let that happen either (I take this as a healthy competition to keep me going haha...). 

Cooling off myself with iced sponge at CP7 before going for the monster climb up the Penang Hill

I was also thankful that at the flat stretch near Seri Tanjung Pinang (where I saw many runners and cyclist doing the run/ride there), I was approached by a stranger on a bicycle who rode next to me, slowing down his speed to match my slow pace. The Malay guy (Fauzi, if I can recall correctly), is someone who is in his 60s (but doesn't look like one and got me shocked when he told me that) paced me along the route right until I reached CP7. Although it was less than two kilometers, that helped me a lot that it kept me running all the way (and distanced myself further from the Singaporean lady :p). He asked me about this race, about running ultra marathons and in exchange, I asked him about Penang Hill, how is it like? He assured me that I would be fine and won't die climbing up the Hill which gave me a really peace of mind. He bade adieu to me as I reached CP7 (KM81+) as I took time to sit down on a chair before continuing my run to Penang Hill. The volunteers at CP7 cheered when I arrived and they applauded me for coming this far into the race. Shannon Ong, whom I met earlier at CP4, was there and he told me that even the first runner has not came back (from Penang Hill) to that checkpoint again. I couldn't believe that as it was already 10 hours and 30 minutes into the race with some 4km to go (from CP7 to finish line) and they hadn't seen the potential winner yet. So, I told myself that Penang Hill must be really nasty but when you have reached this point into the race, there were not much reasons to stop or turning back. With four and a half hours to go before my targeted 15 hours was up to cover Penang Hill and the last 4km to the finish line, I was really optimistic to finish the race.

I had never given any attention on the exact location of Penang Hill and even until that checkpoint, I still had no clue where it was? I thought it was not too far off from CP7 but I wrong, again! as we need to run for another 3km+ passing Youth Park before arriving at the foot or the entrance of Penang Hill. Saw the first runner of the 100km category going on home run not far from the entrance of Penang Hill. Five kilometers journey to the top started counting right at the entrance gate. I couldn't believe what I saw when I stood at the entrance - it was steep right from the beginning. As I tried to get use to the steep climb and getting my heart rate stabilized, I could not move more than... maybe 10-15 steps before I had to pause and take few deep breaths before continuing again. I passed and got passed by many other hikers along the climb. Few of them knew about the race and what was I doing there but they still shook their heads when I told them that I had been on my feet for the past 85km or so since 9pm yesterday, and was deprived of sleep. There were no sight of runners in front or behind me. So, some of the hikers walked by my side just to keep me company and keep me 'entertained' while I kept asking them whether it was still far away from the top (although there were distance markers clearly placed at the road side every 100m lol!). I also asked how long it would take to reach the top and I got different answers which wasn't helping me at all. 

This is really a bad ass, heartbreaker hill...

After only some 3km+ into the climb, then only I saw the second runner going down and I reckoned, that will be around 15-20 minutes behind the first place runner. Not long after that, the rest follow suit. I tried to count (partly to move my mind away from the mentally challenging climb) how many runners were already going back to the finish line (and ahead of me) but I lost count somewhere after 15th runner or so. Some of them were flying going downhill while there was one person said to me "panjat pun sakit, turun lagi sakit!" (it was even painful going downhill than the already-painful climb uphill). I could only smile to that remark as it was still quite a long way to go to the top for me. I knew I was moving really slowly, nothing could motivate me to move faster, the Singaporean lady wasn't in sight either, so I was just holding on to my 15-hour finishing target to keep going. Very slowly but surely, I reached the top of Penang Hill where there was this small pavilion flooded with public doing various activities. It was my first time there but I couldn't really enjoying the view of Penang as I was in hurry to go downhill to finish this race as soon as possible. CP8 was placed some 400m away from the pavilion which I had no idea why it was located there when the water and aid station was located at the pavilion? It was a waste of 800m to and fro the checkpoint, and that added up additional mileage (although small) to the already over-distance race. I reached the checkpoint in around 12 hours and 40 minutes and when I checked my position with the volunteer there, I saw my race number in 22nd position, which I thought was not bad at all since I managed to maintain that 20-ish position since CP2. 

Didn't stop long at the top of Penang Hill but it was enough for me to enjoy the coconut provided by the race organizer.

So, at the pavilion I refilled my water bottles again and had the juicy coconut to freshen up my throat. It was just too bad that the water station lacked of ice. Done with all those, it was the start of a steep 5km downhill section, before another 3km to CP7 at Gurney Drive roundabout again and the final 6km to the finish line in Esplanade. I think I had not much problems going downhill except that I felt some pain on the tips of my toes and was really scared that some of my toe nails would peel off, which I had never experienced before. Many times, I had to pause my run downhill, when I came across many familiar faces who were making their ways uphill. Nothing better that I could offer except some words of encouragement to keep their already-dampened spirit soar. Some asked me "how far/long to go..." which I could not lie and had to tell the truth that it would take quite some time to reach the top of Penang Hill but I assured them that they still have ample time to meet the race cut-off time of 18 hours. Met one runner after another on my way down, some of them were overtaken by me early in the race, but there was no sight of Khairul. It had me worried! The last thing I wanted to hear was that he DNF-ed and if he did, I would regret all my life for 'dumping' him at CP4. As I was about 2km from the main entrance, I tried to put up a smile on my face to other runners and kept encouraging them, my heart was beating furiously as Khairul hadn't 'appear' yet. But as I passed one bend, I saw the small statue moving uphill slowly and it was Khairul! I was relieved! I shouted his name, running towards him and as soon as he saw me, he laid on his butt, in the middle of the road. Such a drama! He didn't look that tired so I asked him what took him so long to reach at this point but I can't remember what his answer was. I told him what to expect from the climb and assured him that he was still very much in the race, well within the 18-hour cut-off and I asked him to take it easily so that he would make it to the finish line. We parted our ways and not long after that I reached the main entrance to Penang Hill and it was another just 9km or so to the finish line.

Going downhill in a brisk.
[photo by Yap Yue Teong]

I was so relieved to finally see Khairul again, knowing he was still 'alive' in the race...

I was back at CP7 in almost 14 hours and it was just some 6km or so with one hour before my target time of 15 hours. I remember one volunteer at CP7 said to me, "Good to have you back!" and it was one of the nicest thing to hear, knowing that I've conquered my fear of Penang Hill. It was a quick stop at CP7, refilling with just what I needed for the rest of the race. But it wasn't easy running the home run when the sun was already up in the sky (it was around 11am). I bumped into few 50km runners who were walking towards the finish line. I noticed some of them had problems walking - one appeared to be suffering from cramps while another was walking barefoot maybe due to blisters. I couldn't imagine how long have they been suffering and at the same time I was really thankful that my race has been all well - without problems such as cramps or blisters but just a little chaffing near the groin area. I walked more than I ran knowing the end is near and since I had ample time. But as I entered Lebuh Farquhar (where there is Penang Museum and Art Gallery), I braved myself to run all the way to the finish line (talk about finishing strong) and along the way I passed few more runners, one in the 100km category and the other three or four from the 50km category. It was not an easy ending altogether as we had to make a round around Fort Cornwallis and Esplanade Park before arriving at the finish line in front of the Penang Municipal Town Hall. That was easily 1km. Approaching the red carpet finish line, I heard people there (runners who arrived earlier, some people from general public and the volunteers) clapping as I inched closer to the finish line. Hands raised up, I completed the race in 14 hours, 46 minutes and 53 seconds (official time) in 20th position overall (18th Men). It was really satisfying and feeling accomplished after completing my eighth 100km race and although it wasn't the hardest race I've ever done, it was still hard in certain ways. 

Nothing beats the feeling of crossing the finish line of your race...
[photo by ET Tey]

Khairul came back about 2 hours and 15 minutes behind me but was well ahead of many other seasoned ultra marathoners and he accomplished his maiden 100km finish in a hard race where many had succumbed to the challenge. Well done buddy! and thank you for the training we had together and for the great pace in the first 50km.
From the official statistics released by the organizer, out of the total 227 who registered for the 100km challenge, only 86 finished and that is a lowly 37.8%. It proved how tough the race was or how not prepared the runners were, depends on how you interpret it. Overall, it was a very organized race - volunteers were great, friendly, helpful, hardworking; water/aid stations were superb and had all the necessary and useful stuffs - light foods, plenty of ice, bananas, instant noodles (although I didn't consume any), coffee, dates and lots of analgesic cream; great route - not all that easy but it was maybe once-in-a-lifetime experience to cover Penang Island on foot!; and the finisher's buckle was one-of-a-kind and maybe the first of such in ultra marathon events in this country. It was my personal highly-recommended event to all runners out there! and that shall wrap up my Penang 100km Challenge race report :-)

For full results of the 100km category, click here.
For my race details on Garmin Connect, click here.

Penang 100 Race Report (Part Two) : Deo Azrul

Sweating yet? This is Part 2 of Deo's Report. An Ultra Run deserves an Ultra Report. What say you?
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Penang 100 Race Report (Part Two)

This is the second from three parts of my ultra marathon journey in the recent Penang 100. I thought I just want to keep it in two parts but I got carried away and it turned out to be a long entry just for the first 50km of the race, so there'll be part three :p 

You may read the first part of the story here... 
As mentioned earlier, everyone (I think) was in joyful mood when the race was flagged off. But still there were signs of nervousness shown on the face of some of the competitors. I was also nervous but at the same time was eager to take on the race and cover each kilometer of it as fast as possible. The start of the race was easy for me and I felt great. The night was a little cooling except the early part of the race when it was really humid from the carbon monoxide gas emitted from the vehicles when we maneuvered our ways out from the city. We ran from Esplanade towards Queensbay Mall via a busy streets of Georgetown into Lebuhraya Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, the familiar route for previous Penang Bridge Marathon. Luckily we didn’t have to run on the elevated highway with rolling elevation. Instead, we went on the walk- and bicycle-path that also runs underneath Penang Bridge. So it was all flat for this first section. At the beginning, while I was tempted to run ahead of the crowded pack of runners, I was still mindful with Khairul. I don't want to run too fast and lose him from sight at the very early stage of the race and at the same time I can't move too slow as I knew this will bored him as he was already a faster runner. At the beginning I had to lookout where he was and slowed down a little to wait for him to catch up but it was not for long as he got into his rhythm soon enough to run side by side with me at our comfortable pace. And most of the time, it was him running in front of me which I had to caution him to slow down a little as it was still a long journey to go and we were still on track with our target. We arrived at CP1 (KM12.8) near the Queensbay Mall in around 1 hour and 20 minutes, 5 minutes ahead of our target. While many runners were seen making a really fast stop at CP1 (and some didn’t even stop), I took my time to refill my hydration bottle, and study the pace target for the next section. Then, we took off, continuing with our pace from the first section.

Early in the race when we went on the walker/biker path that runs underneath Penang Bridge. Khairul was pacing me strongly.

The second section of the race took us from Queensbay Mall to Bayan Lepas via Batu Maung. Right after Queensbay Mall was the sea-side road in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Area, which was the first section of the previous Penang Bridge Marathon route. We overtook quite a number of runners (mix of 84km and 100km runners) along this stretch and soon found out that there were hardly many people in front and at the back of us. I told myself, we couldn't be among the front runners as we hadn't overtook the likes of Seow Kong, Ewegene Tan, Munintaran, Aliakbar and some others. I also wondered how many runners actually started the race as it shouldn't be this lonely early into the race. Anyway, it was not too lonely in the end as I still have Khairul (although we hardly talk to each other) and we occasionally exchanged places with a group of three or four runners around us. While I kept ensuring that we keep our pace to the intended timing, I got confused with where I was that time. For example, I thought we had passed the airport long time ago but later, we arrived again at the side of the airport runway fence. I thought we had passed Bayan Lepas much earlier, only to realize that we were still in Bayan Lepas, before gradually moved into Batu Maung and Damar Laut area. I was a lot in disorientation mode of my location and whereabout. The only clear to me was how long I was from the next water station, the intended ETA at the water station and my current timing, which was still within target. CP2 at around KM25 arrived in 2 hours and 42 minutes, giving us an 8-minute buffer. We took a little longer break here as it was not crowded with runners when we arrived. We got the attention from the volunteers who personally asked us what we would like to have and help us with refilling our hydration bottles and more. I was also glad that we had already covered one-fourth of the race, which I think we ran quite hard (to ultra marathon standard) at 6:43-minute pace on average.
Third section of the race, from Kampung Bukit in Bayan Lepas to Kampung Genting (in the Sg Nipah/Balik Pulau area) via Teluk Kumbar, was around some small towns and housing area. It was still alright, there were still people out on the streets doing their chores so that kept me awake and alive! We were still running strongly until we arrived at the elevated Lebuhraya Gelugor. Prior to the race, when I looked at the elevation profile, this hilly route didn't look that difficult to deal with. It is just 135m maximum elevation. But, when you've actually ran this route and have been running for 30km or so, running up this 135m elevated highway was like running up Mount Kinabalu to me. So, I told Khairul to run if he could but I would stick to just walk the uphill section. We got few runners overtook us during the uphill but I don't give a damn. All in my mind was to ensure that I don't waste a lot of my energy during this uphill section. After about three kilometers going uphill, it was time to run downhill and we did that briskly and recovered the lost time during the uphill section earlier. Soon after the downhill run, we arrived at the CP3 around KM35 at SK Genting, a bigger CP with all the facilities a school can offer (especially toilets) are in one place. We arrived at the CP3 in about 3 hours and 55 minutes, 5 minutes off than what we targeted. I knew I underestimated the Lebuhraya Gelugor climb when I planned for our target. 

Sleep-running? Naaahhh... just enjoying the night breeze...
[photo by Orange Photography]

As in other checkpoints, there were many essentials being served/prepared at each checkpoint. I turned out to have a routine things to do at every checkpoint (except for the mid-way CP of KM50), where I would first refill my hydration bottles with plain water in one bottle and with Endurolyte Fizz mixed with water in the other bottle, then I would either consume a banana or two pieces of dates, and finally I would apply a slab of Perskindol gel (hot) onto my legs which was really helpful to re-start my runs after each break at checkpoints. It kind of injected fresh energy to my leg muscles which would last for the next four to five kilometers, which was good enough as it was already halfway to the next checkpoint. I checked the runners check-in sheet from one of the volunteers and found out that Khairul and I were in the 20-ish positions (including 84km runners) so I thought that was something to cheer about (and to work hard on, in order to keep to that position!). We got out of CP3 without me realizing it was also the start venue for 50km runners. I got to know from some of the 84km and 100km runners who arrived later at CP3 that the place got a little crowded with 50km runners flocking the place where their race will start at 3am. 
The fourth section of the race was the most bored, dreaded section with dead straight, dead long and dead flat stretch. It got really boring and hard to run when it came to flat route. Not even a hump or some small inclines at the beginning of this section that we could gain some momentum to keep us going. It was all up to the legs to do the job. We had to resort to walk-break strategy and I got a little frustrated at this point. However, I was still thankful that it was still dark when we ran this stretch. If this stretch was done on daylight, it will very mentally challenging. Khairul was still looking strong but he needs to train how to walk faster as he often trailed behind when we walked but caught up with me when we started running again. Not long after we passed this long stretch and two Muslim cemetery sites, I noticed Khairul became restless following my slower pace so I told him to go ahead but don't lose too much energy. I told him to wait for me at CP5/KM50 but if it took me too long to arrive there, I asked him to just continue his race without me. Like an eager puppy been unleashed, he sped off and soon he was gone from my sight. Again, I didn't know where I was but from the Garmin Connect I checked later, we ran somewhere that passed Kampung Perlis, Kampung Sungai Burung, Kampung Bagan Air Hitam, Kampung Permatang Pasir, Kampung Sungai Rusa, and Kampung Sungai Pinang. Slightly under 50km, I arrived at CP4 in 5 hours and 50 minutes. It was almost 3am.

At CP5 (half way, drop bag check point), I was geared up and ready to go for the second half of the race.
[photo by Orange Photography]

I was greeted by Shannon Ong when I entered CP4 located at another school compound. Khairul has already arrived but had some bad luck as the volunteers couldn't locate his drop bag. He looks a little frustrated while kept looking for his bag. Fortunately he found it shortly after browsing each bag there and they couldn't locate it earlier as the number tag inside the plastic bag provided has flipped face down and the volunteers couldn't identify the bag actually belongs to which race number. Maybe the organizer could provide a sticker-type baggage tag or the hard card-type which you attach to a string and tie it around the baggage, for clear visibility. By the time Khairul found his bag, I was already in the middle of what I was supposed/planned to do at CP5 - recharging my Garmin watch, my phone, my headlamp, refilling my hydration, refilling my Hammer nutritions, bathe a little to cool off my head and my body, change my top, stuffing all the daylight/morning gear into my hydration vest for later usage. I told Khairul that I would get out of this place very soon as I wanted to keep this break to just 15 minutes. I ate a little of the foods served there - a bowl of delicious, hot porridge, bananas and had a cup of coffee, which I knew would be able to keep me full until around noon. Jason Tan was also there volunteering at CP4. He was very helpful and attentive to what I needed until I had to tell him few times to not worry about me and I could get whatever I want by myself. When I was about to take off, I gave some advice to Khairul. I told him to keep going, don't go too fast and watch his pace carefully. I told him there was still a lot of time and if he could catch up with me, we'll see each other again. He looks clueless like something in his head telling "Oh no! I'm all on my own now..." but deep inside me, I knew he would finish it off as he had not just survived the first 50km but he did it very well and strongly, stronger than many other seasoned ultra marathoners that night.

50km done, 50km to go with two bad ass hills to deal with, and I was all alone... 


to be continued...