My Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2017 [FM] (by Lingderella)

Yes! I am back to Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon again this year. But this time running 42km, the full marathon category whereas last year I ran the 21km half marathon. Now I really look forward to running overseas for new routes and new experiences ?

Once registration opens for SCKLM, I registered immediately as a past participant though none of my friends seems keen to run SCKLM. Even if they are not keen to run, I can still register and travel to Kuala Lumpur by myself right? I’m like a “baby”, I have never travelled anywhere 100km or more away from home alone ? And thought ok, I can finally try travelling alone this time!

But who knows that a few months later, I get to know Willis and taadaa, I got a boyfriend! ? I didn’t tell him about me going to SCKLM as we were just together for like less than a week. But during a dinner with friends in that just few days into our new relationship, July brought it up about me going alone to SCKLM alone and Willis asked if he can come with me and of course I loved the idea that he could come with me! The next day he asked me which airline tickets I’ve bought and immediately bought air tickets to come with me and I thought wow, he’s really so sweet! ? I thought that registration for SCKLM had already closed but somehow, Willis still manage to register for a full marathon slot even at March this year under foreign participants though I thought registration was closed just merely days after registration opened. And so this is our first overseas trip together and I’m looking forward for more to come! ?

I guess after my SCHKM this February a few months back, I have no motivation to do SCKLM. I have also gotten sick just weeks before SCKLM and didn’t really train for it. And worst. Friday just few days before SCKLM I feel heatiness and thoat is pain. Or just simply I’m finding excuses, I was just busying dating my boyfriend so I didn’t really train for SCKLM ?

Worst thing happened. During work on Friday I started to feel sore throat and then start coughing on Saturday. Thought that I will just aim to complete this time round before the cut off time of 7 hours is good enough since we never train for it and I thought that doing a Marathon once in a life time is good enough as I striked off one item from my bucket list but I’ve actually been striking on it a few times already ? This is my 4th marathon. And every time, days before the a 42km I’m always cursing myself. Who am I kidding? 42km is crazy! I’m crazy! Then it’s ok, there’s many crazy people out there doing the 42km too! ?

Willis and I took a flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and we head to collect our racepack at KLCC. It’s quite a misleading and a troublesome location as Hall 6 is outside the building of KLCC like a temporary set up. No matter what it is still out of the way to collect the racepack for us as there is no delivery of racepack overseas Racepack collection is fast and of course it’s a must to look for our names on the board of all full marathon runners!

When I wake up for the marathon, I thought hoseh liao! My throat is painful and burning. But still I wanted to run and Willis assures me that if I want to stop anytime we can just Did Not Finish or Did Not Show but I thought that I’m still alright. Flag off is at Dataran Merdeka on the dot after Malaysia’s National Anthem. I really like the pacers balloons as they are really huge and easy to spot for people who who wants to follow the pacers as the pacer’s balloons in Singapore are always small till can’t be seen.

This is seriously not a good run for me at all. It’s the toughest run I ever did because my body condition bad as I’m sick and I didn’t have a good sleep. It’s Hotel 1915, please don’t choose to stay there as it’s super noisy and I was literally up the whole night without sleep.

After about 15 or 16km into the run we start to walk thought we walked a lot after that, I think we were still quite fast as before 2hr 40mins we completed a half marathon distance already but I mentally can’t take it anymore. Willis is really dear, he takes care of me and I kept doing the mental calculation how many km more I must run in order to walk the rest of the distance between the cut off time. We run, walk, run, walk and whenever we are walking we are walking hand in hand which a few runners did commented: The most romantic couple in this run ?

For the first few hydration points, the water and Lucozade at the hydration points is not cold at all. I was wishing that we would pass by some shops that would sell iced cold water but it’s impossible as the most of time we were just running on the expressway and no shops in sight. However at some hydrations in the end I’m happy like a toad because of the cold water and Lucozade. There’s 2 shower points spraying water and there’s many hydration which provide wet sponge and I put them on my throat and back. It’s really shiok! My survival item is axe oil. Every few km I apply them on my next, under my nose and temple until almost the whole face already ? And I used up almost half the small bottle of axe oil which is really spicy but really it kept me awake and going.

The route is really sloppy with many upslopes but not to forget when there is upslopes there will be down. But only the downslopes is shiok ? As like more than 90% of the time we were running on the expressway, the lanes are huge like 4 or 5 lanes. Basically it’s nice to run at any country with huge land as running in Singapore if there’s more runners you are really squeezing, rubbing shoulders with other runners already. It’s nice to see many friends from Singapore and Malaysia along the way ?

As the sun rises, it’s actually not really hot but tolerable to run and walk in but the vehicles on the road is getting more and the air is getting really bad with all the exhaust fumes in the air. And it pours at the last few km. I thought hoseh liao, immune system will be weak after a 42km and since I’m already sick I am sure it will get worse ?

At the 30km mark, wristbands were given to the full marathon runners though I have no idea what is that for. Maybe it is to make sure that only runners who does not took short cuts and run the full distance will get the finisher items?

Thought it’s finally the last km or so I’m really mentally drained. I stopped a few times and sit down beside the road and I just don’t want to move anymore. I’ve let the 6.30 pacers passed us already and it’s going to be the 7 hours pacers soon. I was swearing and cursing in my heart that no more 42km for me. But who am I kidding? I was sick. Though not really sick enough to be bed ridden but I’m a crazy runner who will run if I can. Just a note to take care of the body before a run and not to get sick. As I’m typing, I’m already looking forward to my next overseas 42.195km ? But anymore SCKLM for me? Maybe not in the recent years ?

Finally it’s few hundred metres before the finishing line. There’s many people cheering for the runners. It’s just few hundred metres to the finishing line but I just can’t run. Though at the last few km Willis said that he wants to piggy back me to the finishing line but I decline as he’s also tired himself already though he assured that he is still very fine maybe if I lose some kgs it’s still ok ?

It’s the hardest medal earned and it’s the longest time ever I’ve spent in a single run/walk. And I seriously only took just one photo after the run which is not usual as I will usually take dozens of photos ? See my super shag face: in

It’s a day after the run. Legs is not chui but I tio flu and fever and cough worsened. Need to rest and recover soon as I’ve got The Performance Series coming already this weekend! ?