It’s a constant struggle between these two isn’t it? While a popular saying goes “20% exercise, 80% diet”, don’t we look at ourselves and wonder why our bodies don’t seem to have changed even when we feel we have been eating healthy and staying away from carbs, deep-fried and sweet stuff? Then again, there are those who exercise so much and yet don’t seem to lose any weight at all.
Diet More Important?
Dieticians and nutritionists have made it very clear that how we look on the outside is directly affected by what we consume. If we want to look slim and svelte, we need to stay away from as much carbs, sugar and fat laden food as much as we can and consume more fruits, vegetables and lean meat.
If you have noticed, there are several shops that sell weight-loss programmes that concentrate on the food to be consumed. These shops claim that just by consuming their special diet food, you will be able to see results even without exercise. These diet products are usually very low in carbs, with little to no fats or oil. While the taste may not be as palatable as your nasi lemak, it seems to serve its purpose of helping one lose weight.
Exercise More Important?
But without exercise, how can the body toughen up and be fit and strong right? While some may say that exercise is not necessary or it is only suitable for those who wish to develop muscles (not true!), including some form of cardio or jogging into your diet regime can help you to get rid of those excess pounds even faster and easier.
Although it is true that you can still lose weight without exercise, you may end up having flabby spots around your body that can only be tightened through exercise.
So Is One More Important Than The Other?
In conclusion, you need both to look and feel your best. Dieting alone may cause you to look tired and worn, even though it does get the job done. With the inclusion of exercise, you will not only look healthier, but also attain your weight and fitness goals in lightning speed. A good combination of diet and exercise will always get you the results you want fast!
The GPS watch has evolved much in these couple of years. The players have dramatically stepped up their game to provide us end-users with a greater product. If you’re in to health and fitness these days, it’s time to get yourself an upgrade! Here’s 5 things you can expect from a GPS watch these days!
#1 Heart Rate Straps No more
These days, the wrist HR monitor is the way to go. It’s less of a hassle and much more convenient. Everything is in one! Let’s be honest, no-one really likes chest straps. As if there aren’t enough potential items to give you chaffing. Many GPS watches now offer wrist-based heart rate monitoring through optical light sensors on the back of the watch.
#2 Sensors – Here, There Everywhere
These days, we want to track everything. We track how far we’ve run, how fast we’ve run, how our heart responded to the run, how fast our legs move during our run – in short the more information the better. Lucky for us, technology is keeping up with our wants. Now, watches can include a barometer, altimeter, compass and even thermometer. You never know some people may want to compare how much better they perform at 32 degree as compared to 38? Watches can even track stride length and cadence. Wow right?
#3 Shapes, Sizes, Colours And Battery Life
GPS watches now come in all shapes, sizes and colours. GPS watches are keeping up with the fashion trend these days – with interchangeable bands and fashionable bezels. You can have a different colour with a different outfit. The watches these days are also shrinking in size and weight. Everything is becoming less bulky! Gone are the days of big bulky watches! The perfect example – the old generation of the Suunto Ambit 2 versus the new Spartan Ultra – the new Spartan Ultra is so much sleeker, so much more sophisticated!
#4 Come Stalk Me? – Keep Me Safe
For safety purposes, people you’ve invited to view your activities can live track you during your run. For instance, if you’re using a Garmin watch, your friends and family would be able to track you during your run. Perhaps you’re doing a late night run? – they would be able to know exactly where you are throughout your run! Kinda cool no?
#5 Phone Notifications
Photo Credits: Garmin
GPS watches are also acting as smart watches these days. You are able to read messages, receive Instagram new comments, get updated regarding a new Strava like, read Facebook messages – you will be forever connected, even during your run!
Second edition this, and a slight amendment to last year’s course due to roadworks
Distance : 4 km (2.6km trail, 1.4km road) loop (vs 5 km loop 2016)
Format : Complete as many loops as you wish on foot within 7am till 7pm*
I did well last year, unexpectedly finishing 5th, completing 16 Loops (80K)
Also, this was just under 3 weeks since Monster Ultra 200K Singapore, coupled with other issues, i never came close after 5 loops to be in the game
Flashback : Craze 2016 100 Miles, i’d DNF due to injury after 142 KM due to left ankle ligament strains, which was followed by a series of other injuries in the 2 months thereafter; right ankle ligament strain, left posterior calcaneal spur, and then what i suspect a right inferior calcaneal spur cos i started having mildly sharp pains (the kind associated with plantar fasciitis) when i awoke in the mornings (there’s been since a calcium deposit of the posterior calcaneal spur kind on the back of my right heel too though it hasn’t resulted in the kind of inflammation pains that i’ve had 3x to date with the left one)
The heel spurs do affect me during my runs. I’m constantly reminded of these injuries by the pain emanating from the heel pads
Date : 20th May 2017, Saturday Start Time : 7:00 AM Cut Off Time : 7:00 PM Venue : MacRitchie Reservoir
Pre-Race :
Woke up to my alarm at 5 am, and thought i’d made a mistake in the setup. Was about to go back to sleep when i suddenly realized – Garang Warrior Ultra !
Breakfast : 3” of baguette with butter, and a cup of coffee
Shared a cab with Choon Han & wife Jennifer (prearranged late last night)
Arrived onsite at 6:30 am, collected bib, final preparations, photos with friends
Loop x (cumulative distance) : Lap h:mm:ss (Trail : mm:ss; Road : mm:ss); Nett : hh:mm:ss; Time of Day : h:mm am/pm
Loop 1 (4K) : Lap : 25:25 (Trail : 16:59; Road : 08:26); Nett : 00:25:25; 7:25 am
Started off and running for some time with EuGene, and Jeremy Lee in the trails segment
Jeremy had decided to drop back by the time we got onto Lornie Rd
Also running In the company of Ee Meng, Muk Tuck Sang, Mervyn Chew
Skipped the water station at Lornie, and later at the Start/Finish area as well
Weather : cloudy but humid
Loop 2 (8K) : Lap : 24:11 (Trail : 15:58; Road : 08:12); Nett : 00:49:36; 7:49 am
Headed out with EuGene, but i decided to drop off his pace midway in through the 2.6km trails section
Weather / climate – no change
Stopped for first drink of water along Lornie Rd, popped my first salt tablet
later isotonic at main area
This loop was to be my fastest of the day : 24 mins 11 secs
MR @ 7:29 AM … start of loop 2in the trails, 2nd loop … Photo Credits : Umar
Loop 3 (12K) : Lap : 25:42 (Trail : 17:54; Road : 07:47); Nett : 01:15:18; 8:15 am
Running solo, leapfrogging with Mervyn (over the next few loops too)
Perspiring more due to the high humidity
Faster runners EuGene, & Taz (Tay Yong Wei) already out on their next loop. As we passed each other at the service road close to the zigzag bridge, EuGene informed me that he would take a break at the end of his 5th loop
3 loops done, i had my first cup of Coke
This year’s Finisher Tee & Medal (needs separate purchase, add-on item) Image borrowed from Jeremy Lee’s Facebook
Loop 4 (16K) : Lap : 26:40 (Trail : 18:28; Road : 08:11); Nett : 01:41:58; 8:41 am
Solo. still running
Lornie Road – drink plus my 2nd salt tablet
End of 4th loop, got my UD soft flask out from my drop bag
4th loop, seen here with Kelvin Ng … Photo Credits : Umar
Loop 5 (20K) : Lap : 30:50 (Trail : 22:08; Road : 08:42); Nett : 02:12:48; 9:12 am
The high humidity was starting to take a toll on me. Losing focus and making me sleepy (although i had almost 5 hours sleep last night). This was to go on until i finally relented and decided to take a power nap in the later stages of the race
Skipped the Lornie Rd water stop since i was now carrying my water bottle in the back of my running Naked band
Probably the first time in this race my left heel starting to hurt (kinda used to it)
It would be an on/off issue throughout the day
End of #5, 2 mins rest and before i headed out again
Start of #5, 8:49 AM
Loop 6 (24K) : Lap : 34:23 (Trail : 22:57; Road : 11:24); Nett : 02:47:11; 9:47 am
Power walking and running now, but definitely more walking than all the loops before
Refilled my bottle, and helping myself to the Coke and sliced watermelons
start of #6, Time : 9:15 amCheckPoint Spot, race timings
Loop 7 (28K) : Lap : 49:15 (Trail : 37:33; Road : 11:41); Nett : 03:36:26; 10:36 am
Headed out with Jeremy Lee
We walked more than we ran, sharing our Monster Ultra experience
Lornie – 3rd salt tablet (and eventually to be my final of the day)
Completed this loop and realized that i’d missed out on the Longans the few loops before
End of Loop 7 with Jeremy Lee … Photo Credits : Umar
Loop 8 (32K) : Lap : 44:54 (Trail : 32:48; Road : 12:07); Nett : 04:21:20; 11:21 am
Clouds starting to disperse. Temperature on the rise
We headed out together again. Jeremy was taking it easy, this being his first Garang having forced to miss last year’s already registered race due to work commitments (travels). He was set on doing the minimal 13 loops (52K) required for “Very Garang” classification of this event
Furthermore, this was his first long run since injuring his tendon midway thru Monster 200K but still gritting and fighting the pain (without painkillers) to finish joint 1st in that event just 3 weeks ago (i’m also against the consumption of painkillers to enable one to continue with the race)
I tried talking him into doing more, staying on until close to 7pm
Continued our run-walk routine
My right heel pad started to hurt (again, nothing new)
Longans, Coke, Watermelons at the end of the loop, followed by a quick pee break
Loop 9 (36K) : Lap : 43:49 (Trail : 32:30; Road : 11:18); Nett : 05:05:09; 12:05 pm
3rd consecutive loop with Jeremy. We run > walk this loop, but by the end of this loop i needed a longer recovery time than Jeremy
Jeremy hastened me to set off from the rest area, instead i urged him to go on out with Daniel Ong first at the end of this loop (my 9th, his 8th)
Said i would catch up after a couple of mins rest
chilling after #9 with Jeremy and PB Supporter Lily. Photo Credits : Umar
Loop 10 (40K) : Lap : 37:16 (Trail : 27:42; Road : 09:33); Nett : 05:42:25; 12:42 pm
Weather’s really hot now !
Headed out solo, and was running in an attempt to catch up to Daniel & Jeremy. I never saw Jeremy until along Lornie Rd. He was at the far end, running
I noticed that my hands had swelled. I’ve had this before so wasn’t alarmed.
Just a sign that perhaps i’ve had too much to drink
I passed Jeremy as he was going out on his next round
My fastest loop since #6
Also noticed that i was not sweating even after racing hard back to the end
Rested for more than 10 mins before i finally headed out again
start of #11, 12:57 PM ! Really hot now !!!
Loop 11 (44K) : Lap : 45:08 (Trail : 33:49; Road : 11:18); Nett : 06:27:33; 1:27 pm
We had been at the mercy of the sun for some time, and it was only getting hotter
I found myself losing my drive to run yet again, and noted that the swelling on both hands had not subsided
Later midway thru, i realized i wasn’t perspiring anymore, which had me kinda perplexed and more importantly, worried
with Fuse “The Shark” Lee (using this race as training for his 4 Deserts Race) Time : 2:03 pm
Loop 12 (48K) : Lap : 38:32 (Trail : 25:07; Road : 13:24); Nett : 07:06:05; 2:06 pm
Solo. run-walk. Stopped drinking. Starting to worry somewhat. Hyponatremia ?
At the end of this 12th loop, a cup of Longans (my last of the day), and a cup of Coke
Jian Hong had returned back to MR all changed (he was here this morning just before flag off. I’d joked then what was he doing here, cos that would mean no chance of me having my favourite desserts from Chong Pang Market). He’d brought the comfort food i’d so craved for
Helped myself to a bowl of Tao Huay (Bean Curd)
Daniel Ong was having ½ a bowl of Grass Jelly (Chin Chow). He offered me the other half which I saved for later
Pee break (in retrospect then i remembered it was dark coloured)
And headed out on my 13th loop afterwards
Joseph Wong, along Lornie Road during my 13th Loop … 2:43 pm
Loop 13 (52K) : Lap : 47:15 (Trail : 35:26; Road : 11:48); Nett : 07:53:20; 2:53 pm
Walking and sharing my trepidation about my inability to perspire since a few loops back with Joesph Wong
Midway thru Lornie, i decided to run to see if i could retrigger my perspiration
Hardly broke a sweat, which was worrying
decided to take a 20-min power nap. Unable to catch any sustained period of sleep, constantly awaken by my surroundings and myself. But all’s not wasted as I awoke feeling slightly better
Consumed the ½ bowl grass jelly
meantime, EuGene & Uncle Neo had just completed another loop
on my way out on #14 … Wai Thing with pacer Mary (with visor) Time : 3:20 pm
Loop 14 (56K) : Lap : 1:10:04 (Trail : 52:49; Road : 17:15); Nett : 09:03:24; 4:03 pm
EuGene & Uncle Neo asked me to join them this loop. They headed out first … I went after and eventually found them
Messed up my # of loops completed, my watch distance was off … thought i was on Loop 16
EuGene was 13 going on 14th, and Uncle Neo 10 going on 11th
Shortly after EuGene rediscovered his second wind and left the two of us; walking (midway thru I thought perhaps this was #15)
Spoke about our Monster 2017, and thanking him again for sharing his support van
Lornie – got ice to cool myself
Completed the loop, and was shocked that i got it all wrong ! i’d only completed 14 ! Thought i’m done for the day (60K)
I was seriously contemplating stopping for the day given the worrying condition I was in, that said I was starting to perspire a little now
Loop 15 (60K) : Lap : 56:25 (Trail : 39:48; Road : 16:36); Nett : 09:59:349; 4:59 pm
Again EuGene and Uncle Neo urged me to join them to walk this final loop (they both decided this was going to be their last)
Seeing volunteer CS Lim & Steven MooMoo tagging along, i relented and headed out for my own final lap
Jeremy was just heading back to complete his 14th loop (wasn’t aware he was still out running about beyond his 12 loops target). He was completing #14. I urged him to join us (once he’s ready). We were all do our last loop together
He joined not long after
EuGene, Jeremy & I broke into a slow run
On the final stretch, Uncle Neo, CS, Steven had caught up and was running alongside us
The trio of EuGene, Jeremy & I crossed The Finish Line as one, just as we did back at SCMS 2016
15 Loops, 60 KM … with 2 hours to spare
It’s a wrap !
Final Laps for us all … Photo Credits : Ming Ham
It’s A Wrap ! (with EuGene & Jeremy) Photo Credits : Ming Ham
Done & Dusted ! Each of us completing 15 Loops, 60KM
Post-Race
Rested, showered, and enjoyed the drama of the fight for podium finishing unfold between not just the Men, but the Ladies too
Prize presentations, final group shot … dinner with Steven’s Runningkakis at Hougang, before catching a cab home (swelling on hands not fully subsided by the time i went to bed)
Was back to normal by the next morning …. Over next few days trying to determine what was the cause of my lack of perspiration when i felt that i had been overdrinking Was a few days later when thinking back and remembering the colour of my pee that i came to realize so fearful i was of overdrinking that could lead to hyponatremia, that i’d completely overlooked the possibility of the complete opposite, that i was indeed dehydrated ! And that explains why i could not sweat despite running hard and not breaking sweat !
Men’s Champ : Yong … 22x 88k this year, last year’s runner-up 90K
Women’s Champ, Overall 2nd : Thricey … 21x 84k
Race Summary :
Good event, seems easier on paper to hit your number of loops … until you are actually there doing it. Loops are great for mental fortitude, and camaraderie ! You won’t feel alone, or left trailing as in conventional races
On a personal note, i find this year’s 4KM loop tougher than the previous 5KM one
Though lesser slopes, plus a chunk of the Lornie Road segment avoided, it is though more mentally challenging, a number’s game as a fellow participant puts it
And not discounting the temptations of more resting stops between loops, and more drinking breaks
And still a great event. Personally i didn’t do as well as i’d hope but still grateful i could even participate in light of all the injuries i’ve had since Sep last year
Will be back for 3rd edition, May 2018
Time : 6:45 pm
Thanks :
Ben Swee, Phil Tan (Running Guild), Yee Hua,
CS Lim, Theresa Leong, Yeo Kim Song, Amanda Oh, Tan Hong Chew, Jennifer Ng, and the rest of the volunteers
Albert Ow, Umar, Ming Ham (volunteer photographers)
Lily Bimmo (Support, drinks, etc)
Jian Hong (Support, Tao Huay, Chin Chow)
I am back with my second episode and final lap of my runDisney journey in 2016.
As I have mentioned in my TinkerBell post on my personal blog, I will be doing a Half Marathon in Paris in order to get the Castle to Chateau Medal. So this is my journey to obtain this special medal.
Somewhere in late 2015, Casper (Boon Hee), my husband actually won a pair of return tickets to Paris through a lucky draw. You read it correctly, we won ticket to America and we won tickets to Paris in 2015. 2015 is our lucky year indeed, 2016 is a blessed year for us too.
So we registered ourselves for the First ever Disneyland Paris Half Marathon in 2016. For the registration part and cost of race, I will not mention as this is a race review blogpost and that is about pre-race so if you are interested in the drama like it being sold out in 12hrs, please visit my blog.
Without further ado, I will proceed to the Day 3 of my trip which is 22nd September 2016, my 24th Birthday!
Celebrating my birthday at a Restaurant in Disneyland Paris with a Mickey Mouse Cake
EXPO (22nd-Sep-2016)
So after my Birthday Lunch Celebration in Disneyland Paris, we proceed to the Expo @ Disney Event Arena at roughly 2.30pm or so. The expo starts at 3pm and I believe I am very early!
But this is what happened! The queue was crazy, it’s never ending and there is a queue inside the Arena too. These photos are taken outside the Arena. At this point of time, it’s 30mins till the Expo starts.
So I made a decision to go back to the parks and come back later. Because I have already bought my park tickets and it makes no sense to queue here for hours and let my Park Tickets go to waste.
I am back at 6.30pm, the Expo closes at 8pm tonight and hence I have 1.5hrs to settle everything including shopping and I need to go back to Disneyland Paris by 8pm to have my tax refund done. In America, there is no Tax Refund for California hence we do not need to do this step but in Paris, we are entitled to Tax Refund and based on my spending, we can get quite abit amount back! Which means? More shopping!
Basically there is no queue at all! Collecting the bibs are a breeze. Same as what we had experience in America.
Proceed over to the Photopass booth to have my Mandatory Photo taken. My Bib and I.
Then I hopped over to the Cashier to make payment for the Photopass Card. Which cost €40. It consist of the Park photos and the Race Photos for the next few days including today. So if you are staying in Disneyland Paris for the next couple of days, it’s worth it.
Photos received is much lesser compared to America as Disneyland Paris does not have Park Photographers hence Park Photos mainly come from the Rides we took and not every Ride has Photo taking.
You can buy the Pass afterwards like after the Run and you can preview the photo first however, it will cost €50 instead. For my case, I would rather pay €40 to get it first.
Collecting the Event Running T-shirt, same as America, they did not issue the running tee together with the bib. But luckily there is no queue to collect the T-shirt so it doesn’t bother me that much.
Afterwhich, we headed over to get our Castle to Chateau status verified. The verification was a breeze, they will do a search on your First or Last Name on your Passport or ID then they will issue a wristband for you to wear. With the wristband, you can collect the additional medal after the run.
*What is Castle to Chateau?*
If you do a America race and a Paris race in the same Calendar year, you get an additional Medal call the Castle to Chateau. Chateau means Castle in French.
I did Tinkerbell in May 2016 and I am doing Paris now in Sep 2016 hence I am entitled to this. Tell me I am a lucky girl who have won tickets to this 2 places in the same Calendar year!
Next is my favourite segment, Merchandise shopping!
For runDisney France, the merchandise available is not a lot in quantity which means by the time I arrived, many stuff were sold out already. There is also not as much variety as compared to America, no headbands, no jackets hence Casper saved a lot because of this reason.
Went we are about to leave the Expo and head back to the Parks for Tax Refund, I was called out by Heather. She recognised me from afar and asked if I am Gerlyn. She is the only person I met at the expo this time. I guess I was more popular at Tinkerbell Expo instead.
Before I left, I went over to the runDisney booth to take a photo with the medals I will be collecting in a few days time. But I made a terrible mistake by not walking inside the booth and see what’s the fuss about.
It should be a Singaporean attitude that whenever we see people queuing, we will join the queue right? But I did not on that day and they were giving out Souvenir Badges for Castle to Chateau runners only. By showing them your wristband, you will be able to get the badge.
I missed it….
The next couple of days I will be away and only back on the day of the race and by then, this booth would have been closed.
But luckily, my Best Friend Brenda is going tomorrow and so she got one for me and herself. Casper did not get it but it doesn’t really matter to him because he is glad Brenda got one for me. Because I was really upset that I missed out on this and I am thankful that Brenda is here to save the day!
Before we left, we prepaid for Medal Engraving Services! As you guys know, the cool thing about runDisney is that they can get your Medals engraved!
But this time round is €20 instead of $20 USD. Sadly it’s by the same vendor but well, “dollar to dollar” I guess, they have to cover their airfares too.
Brenda decided to bring her medals back to America and get them engrave it there for $20 USD. But I am not from America and I presume the postage will cost way more than the price difference hence, we will just get it done here.
But this time round, only my medals will be engraved and Casper will not be engraving his to save some monies.
Lastly, we proceed back to the Park’s City Hall to get our Tax Refund done. Glad that it’s a fuss-free procedure with the help of nice and friendly Cast Members.
RACE DAY (25th-Sep-2016)
This is what happened at 2.41am midnight. I woke up and looked at my watch and saw the time being 9.25am. So I hurried and wake Casper up thinking the Race have already started at 7am and we are still in Lala Land.
Then we check out of the window, it’s dark and then we knew that it’s not 9.25am which my watch was telling me but it’s showing 9.25 (the date) September 25th. 9/25 to be exact!
Oh my gosh! This is the problem with jet-lag. You don’t sleep well and you hallucinate all things possible that can go wrong.
Wore my wristband at 5.37am and we shall head over to Disneyland Paris now!
Our OOTD (outfit of the day) we were Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in America and we are Nick & Judy in Paris! The temperature was 13 degree Celsius and as compare to Tinkerbell, it should be warmer but we flagged off late hence we almost became a popsicle!
We were thankful that we met a friendly couple who showed us the way to the metro. We stay in the same hotel and we stepped out at the same time so I asked if we can follow them to the metro and they agreed.
We bought the Metro tickets for €1.90 per pax and it’s only 1 station away. Pretty steep for the cost of transport in Paris but even you travel 10 stations away, it will still be €1.90. But obviously I would not wanna travel 10 stations away to make my money worthwhile and miss my stop instead!
The train are filled with fellow runners and many of them were from America because I can tell from their accent and their Castle to Chateau wristband!
Because it was so cold and I forget to bring tissue, there is a friendly lady who gave me some tissue to rub my nose. Kindness around the world.
Once we arrived, we need to go through Security Clearance checkpoint 1. This is to check if anyone brought selfie-sticks or any other prohibited items.
The map of the race course today!
Our Corral is C and within Corral C, there is a few wave hence we set off quite late.
Unfortunately, we were told that backpack or hydration bag is not allowed at the security checkpoint 2. Due to security reason and we need to have them checked in.
This is not a very good news for us, as we were carrying multiple mobile devices like our WiFi, my handphone and my camera. Hence our wallet and other stuff like passport and Casper’s mobile phone needs to be checked in otherwise we will run with our hands full.
What a coincidence to have met Paul & Amandine. Paul is a great fan of my adventure videos in Paris.
Next up it is all about waiting for the Race to start.
However the race was delayed for no reason and we almost froze into a popsicle!
The race was supposed to start at 7am sharp however the first wave of Corral A went off at 7.20am. Eventually as the last wave of Corral C, we flagged off at 8.08am but we are not the worst, because we still have friends in Corral D and they too have waves.
Finally we are near the start line. At this point of time it looks like it’s about to rain too. I heard it drizzle for those in Corral D, so lucky us. We flagged off just in time to avoid the rain.
Mandatory Castle Shot. We took a selfie using our Casio FR100.
Welfare for the race are not too bad. We are given Apple and Cereal Bar for treats. Water point were sufficient.
Local school band and cheerleading team came to cheer the runners!
I really loved all the fancy backdrop for the Kilometer Marker done by runDisney France team. It’s amazing, cute and special and I had such a fun time posing and taking so many photos.
The final 21km marker is a runDisney graffiti banner. As we know Paris are famous for Graffiti on the wall, so they included this element and also they did not forget the Earffel Tower and Castle.
We finished! We crossed the line!
Minnie Mouse greeted me with a High-5!
Volunteers were giving out the medals and hanging it for me. The medals are super heavy so the load she is carrying is no joking matter.
We proceed over to the Castle to Chateau tentage and immediately we are identified and given the blings!
A photo with the Finisher Backdrop! I was hoping for a Castle to Chateau backdrop too but unfortunately no. But this will also do the job!
MEDAL PRIDE! Did you catch the Tinkerbell on the hot air balloon? It’s a sign, because of Tinkerbell I got my Castle to Chateau.
After the race, I proceed to the park to meet all my friends. I am truly blessed to know them. I had a fun and enjoyable time with them at the park and playing rides too.
I love Disneyland Paris. It made my dream came true. I did it again. Never knew I could run this far or even travel this far to run. When in the past 2.4km NAPFA test is a chore for me.
Paris have been kind to me, everyone and everything that happened here will always have a special place in my heart. I am thankful for this trip. Without winning the tickets, it’s impossible for us to make our way to Paris. Paris was never on my bucket list, I never dreamt of coming to Paris let alone to do a run. I did not even know Paris have a Disneyland.
If I planned a trip overseas it will be Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan. Europe, Paris, France, America have never ever crossed my mind. Not that I don’t want to visit them but I can’t afford to.
They just seem so out of reach.
But I did 2 YOLO (You Only Live Once) trip in 2016, we win some and we lose some. No regrets for it because we stepped out of our comfort zone, tried driving the opposite way, went to a place which English is not their native language.
I kinda regret not continue my French Class in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Who knew I will have a chance to go France!!!! But I came back knowing a little more French than I went there.
MERCI!
Not sure the focus of the photo is my Amazing Castle to Chateau medal or my nails or actually the Arc de Triomphe?
My Half Marathon Certificate.
My Castle to Chateau Certificate.
I really love the Certificate, it look so pretty.
Expo + Race Review
Same suggestion as I gave during the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. runDisney should simplify the whole process, we should be able to collect t-shirt, Bib and verification of Castle to Chateau status together and also the souvenir button to be given to us during or right after the verification. Although their purpose is for us to visit their booth but at least they could tell me to visit the booth for the souvenir button / badge.
During the race day, the flag off was delayed by an hour from 7am to 8am for us! Many were freezing but they did not give any emergency blanket like in the US. They do not allow us to carry hydration bag and we can’t bring wallet and handphone if we have no pockets and we need to hold them on our hand which is a hassle. I felt that they should allow us to carry our backpacks because we already went through the security check and we have been cleared.
The running route is awesome, scenery is nice, weather is good and there is lots of characters in the park. But I will say to avoid characters if you are at the verge of being swept, trust me when I say they do sweep. runDisney is a friendly race for beginner but there is a reason why they gave the time limit as they need to reopen the road and open the parks in time for visitors.
There are plenty of Toilet and water point were sufficient.
Runners were given treats like apple and energy bar and is enough to go around.
There is street performance by local school such as cheerleading and band which gives runner high morale.
Medal engraving is very expensive. It should be same price as in USD since they are the same vendor.
This pretty much sums up my experience for the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon!
Let me know on Facebook “Ger’z World” if you like my writing or you think there is room for improvement. I am very much open to suggestion.
Till then we shall run again!
#GerzKeepRunning
For grandmother story and all the little details of the entire 8 days Paris trip, click here!
The journey to my virgin overseas race began on 27 January 2017 when I successfully secured a place to run Airbnb Brooklyn Half 2017. Brooklyn Half, part of the New York Road Runners Five-Borough Series, is known to be the largest half-marathon in the USA, with 27,440 finishers on 20 May 2017. What’s more, all spots were taken up in just 2 hours this year! Yes, it is that popular in the States! (So, you can imagine my exhilaration when I got a spot to run!)
Expecting the unexpected, I only finalised my itinerary – flights and accommodation – about 2 months ahead of the race. But life, as it is, decided to fuel my race anxiety when my initial Airbnb host had to cancel her offer only a few days before my flight to New York City!
A blessing in disguise as it turned out – I managed to find a wonderful Airbnb host and an accessible location that was just a stone’s throw away from Brooklyn Half’s start point that was near Brooklyn Museum.
Before the race
I landed in NYC on 18 May late night, settled down in my new ‘home’, and headed off to collect my race kit the following day at the race pre-party.
Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party took place over 3 days (17-19 May) at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It reminded me of something similar put up by Sundown Marathon organizer this year, though the Brooklyn Half pre-party seemed more organized and neat with race kit collection, sponsors’ booths, merchandise sale, and running clinic talks all housed in a single big well-ventilated marquee.
An interesting note – anyone could buy the finisher tee even before the race took place!
Expert’s tips on running the raceBrooklyn Half finisher tee, just another merchandise
On race day
My race anxiety (and probably jet lag too) allowed me no more than 3 hours of sleep before the big day. After a quick breakfast of rice cakes and rice milk, I walked to the start point, about 2 hours ahead of my designated wave-off time at 0745. Runners were put in 2 major waves and many corrals (sub-waves) with an interval of 2-5 minutes per wave/corral. Before we could drop off our belongings and enter our corrals, we had to go through strict bag/security check (much like the ones in airports).
After much deliberation, I surrendered to the ever biting wind and kept my jacket with me for the race. The weather was most unpredictable with my first day in NYC being unbearably warm and the next day, i.e. race day, being unbelievably chilly.
Before the first wave was flagged off, the national anthem was sung, something new to me. Then, in an orderly yet swift manner, each corral was waved off as designated.
The half-marathon route began in Brooklyn Museum and looped briefly around Prospect Park before stretching endlessly on the straight long road, Ocean Parkway, to Coney Island. The route was basically flat with occasions of slight elevation in the Prospect Park loop. Hydration stations were aplenty, with one every 2-3 kilometres there were lined with abundant water and electrolyte drinks (which provided me with plenty chances to take much needed hydration breaks in seconds).
Runners in their respective corralsImpressive holding areas and lines of mobile looAirbnb Brooklyn Half 2017 Course
What motivated me most were both the fearless fellow runners who would just pound on the roads relentlessly and the crowds (be they family members, friends or just strangers) lining the streets ready to cheer us on with placards, pom-poms, a song or a dance. Racing in the US is more than a personal affair – it is a family-bonding event, an atmosphere so lacking in Singapore.
I started out strong and fast (maybe a tad too fast) and struggled near the end, with a cramp and loose jacket about 200 metres away from the finishing point! By the time I managed to regain my composure to finish it all, I missed my goal of sub-2. The consolation was – it turned out to be my PB.
After the race
Much like the races in Singapore, upon reaching the finishing line at Coney Island, runners were handed their medals. The main difference is the Brooklyn Half finishers got to collect a bag of recovery goodies – water, food, etc. There was a lot going on at the MCU Park in Coney Island – more food, beer, entertainment, but being exhausted, hungry and sweaty, I decided to join the others who were making their way to the subway.
My recovery bag and medal!
The trend in US is not for a runner to parade around in a finisher tee, but to don one’s hard-earned medal right after the race. No wonder the medal is much bigger and more intricately designed!
Takeaway
Airbnb Brooklyn Half is a race I’d highly recommend to anyone, especially beginners keen on running a long-distance race in the US. Here are a few things to highlight:
The good:
Accessible location – Brooklyn, a borough right next to Manhattan so one can do some sightseeing before or after the race
Efficient and well-organized REPC – very little waiting time and swift processing
Great logistics – uncountable mobile toilets and many hydration stations before, during and after the race
Amazing spectators/ crowds – never short of words of encouragement/ motivation
Encouraging and helpful volunteers – all so ready to assist at REPC and hydration points
Updated results – both unofficial and official detailed results (including ranking by gender, age, and overall) were readily available online.
The could-be-better:
Unpredictable weather – okay, this is hard to get anyone to get prepared, but maybe reminders/tips could be given ahead (I wasn’t the only one almost frozen by the biting wind; only hot-weather tips were given in print).
Limited photos – only limited event photos were available. No photos of individual runners were taken or provided.
No accommodation tips – aside from Airbnb being the title sponsor, there was no mention of recommended accommodation; this could be due to the fact that the event was largely meant for the locals, in particular, those living in or near New York. I suppose international participants were not the target group. (And in the months of May/June, getting accommodation in NYC can be a chore as it’s like peak season, so be early to book!)
Pricey entry – at US$100, participant received a nice technical/race tee, a large beautifully designed medal (for finisher), a recovery goodie bag, and wonderful logistics/ support.
To know more about Airbnb Brooklyn Half, visit http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/2017/airbnb-brooklyn-half
Nike does it again! Nike just can’t help make running cool. Nike has built a LED Running Track situated in Manila, Philippines. The track is shaped like the bottom of Nike’s popular, most innovative Lunarepic Flyknit shoe, and it covers 200 meters, half the distance of a standard metric oval.
Run Against Yourself
The lit track gives runners the opportunity to truly run against themselves in a virtual run setting. How it works – you log an initial lap time, attach the sensor to your shoe, and the sensor is what your Avatar paces against. Chase your Avatar! The avatar grows in height as you run faster with each lap, and up to 30 people can run on the track at a time.
These 2 ladies need no introduction with great starts to their running season this year! Both considered to be veterans – Mary being 35 and Edna being 38, they really are giving the younger generation a run for their money. They really show us that old is gold!
Edna Kiplagat – Boston Marathon 2017 Champion
Photo Credits: Boston Herald
Edna obliterated her competition with a monster surge in Boston! She totally destroyed her competition. She ran a 3 minute/km split on heartbreak hill, to which her competition could not give a response. I mean running a 3 minute/km split is already amazing, to do it on the infamous heartbreak hill is even more amazing! She ran so well that towards the ending you couldn’t catch her competition in the same frame as her. She ran the 4th fastest time on this course.
Mary Keitany – New World Record
Photo Credits: IAAF
Mary Keitany broke Paula Radcliffe’s long standing World Record running a 2:17:01 in the Virgin London Marathon 2017! She took off, leaving all her competitors behind – running the first half in a blazing 1:06:54 and held on to finish with a new World Record! She was running solo! It’s hard to run solo – but she did, and she did it so well! It was such an impressive run from Mary!
Both women have a history with the Big Apple! Keitany is a 3 time defending New York City Marathon champion whereas Kiplagat won her marathon debut in the Big Apple back in 2010. Both have also won the Mini-Marathon (10km) in the past.
We look forward to a great showdown between these two empowering females!
Occasionally signing up for overseas races just to get out of the island for a weekend runcation, I was browsing through the list of upcoming regional races, hoping to sign myself up for 1 or 2. There were two races that stood out for me and they are Garmin Blue Run 2017 Half Marathon and Supersports 10 Mile International Run 2017 (both will be held in Bangkok this June). While the former interests me more (but Rama 8 bridge is so far from where I am putting up), I settled for the latter – mainly for its interesting and oh-so-convenient start and endpoint (Central World, formerly known as World Trade Center). The various categories available are the 10 milers aka 16.0934 km (blue bib), 5 milers (red bib) and the fun run 2.5 milers (yellow bib).
Race pack collection was swift, with different counters designated for bib, race singlet and freebies collection. I’m also happy to see a system set up to test and acknowledge your timing chip for its correctness. Prior to entering the hall, two mannequins are well showcasing the apparel and the medal that will be awarded to all finishers for all 3 race categories. I know I can take a closer look and I did, and I felt the cold, hard medal!! LOL!
It took me approximately 10 minutes or even less to complete my REPC, and of course here’s my #flatlay uploaded to my IG account as soon as I got back to my hotel! These are basically what I’ll be wearing the next morning.
I’ve grown out of the habit of carrying things (phone, hydration bag etc.) while I run these days so there weren’t any on-the-go photos I can share. Here’s an official photo by Supersports Thailand shortly after flag off for my category – some participants were going free and easy! 🙂 I wasn’t sure if the 10 miler category were sent off in one or multiple waves though.
A whole night of thunderstorm sent everyone nervous and uptight spamming the official event page with “Is it still raining?” I can totally understand the “trauma” 🙂 Bangkok is not small and some participants had to travel quite a distance into city. I guess the weather eventually took a sympathy for everyone when we were all flagged off at no delay (including me who got into the kingdom on Saturday and leaving the next day right after the race LOL)!
The flag off was absolutely on time at 0500 am local time sharp, and the race sent us off running roads that will take us through The Royal Bangkok Sports Club, Lumphini Park (famous for running/jogging any time of the day!), Sukhumvit, Sheraton Hotel, Terminal 21 Shopping Mall before leading us back to where we were flagged off, which is Central World.
There was ample hydration along the entire race with drink stations at every 1.5 – 2 km which is a lot and what I am grateful for. 2 thumbs up for the availability of cold cold Lucozade!
Road markers were placed fairly accurate except when I am approaching the marker that says “1 Mile to Go”.. that’s when I realized I should have studied my Math and conversions harder ha ha ha! I couldn’t figure out how much more exactly but I guess it’s like 1.3 or 1.6? I don’t know 🙂
Despite the wet and not-too-slippery road, the runner’s spirit in us were at all time high. The post-race village livened up as the sky turns brighter and happy, smiley faces posing for photos to be taken with families and friends. And here’s the crowd and my finishing shot 🙂 Another plus – race results were also available immediately at runlah.com as soon as we cross the finishing timing mat:)
Thank you Supersports for a great event! I’ll be more than likely to return in 2018!
Global Running Day is a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running. Participation is easy—just pledge to take part in some type of running activity on June 7, 2017. It can be a solo lap around the block, a long run with friends, or even a game of tag with your kids. The key is to share your passion for the sport and inspire others to get moving.
Million Kid Run
The Global Running Day is a day of fun and fitness for people of all walks and ages. But additionally, it is about the Million Kid Run – which seeks to get a million young participants to be a part of this World Wide Initiative. This is about making fitness fun and inspiring kids to embrace running as a way to get healthy and fit.
So anyone want to share with us why you are running? What inspires you? We want to hear your story!
Harriette Thompson made history today by becoming the Oldest Woman to complete a Half Marathon in the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon. The 94 year old completed the 13.1 mile distance in 3 hours and 42 minutes. This will be the 2nd World Record Harriette has set. Back in 2015, Harriette ran the marathon distance – becoming the Oldest woman to have run a Full Marathon at the age of 92.
2 Time Cancer Survivor
I suppose I’m a legacy, at least that’s what they said!
Over the years, Harriette has raised over $115,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. This year itself, her efforts has raised $15,000 for the disease. Thompson said, “It’s amazing to me that people are making such a deal about this. At age 94, I guess they don’t expect you to be able to do much, but I’m really thrilled that I can help Leukemia and Lymphoma.” – that admirable spirit!
In both times she set her record, she completed the run with her son Benny by her side. It’s always nice to see such massive support from family! Harriette’s name is going to go down in history. She is down to earth, and she is a believer – that it is never to late to start something. Mind you, she started running when she was 76.
I signed up for this race held in Muar, Johor because I thought it would be quite refreshing to run at places outside Singapore and also to experience running in countryside. Muar is in the state of Johor but quite a distance away. Driving would take about 2.5 – 3 hours to reach.
The racepack collection venue was also the race village and it was located in a Primary school. The setup was very minimal and there was no road sign or race banner found in the vicinity so we had some problem finding the place at first. They should have placed some signboards or banners at the roadside or outside the school for people to locate them easily.
Though they named it Camel Muar Run, there were no camels. I have no idea why they named it so. The race has got 2 categories: 10KM (Fun Run) and 22.195KM.
Race date: 4th June 2017 (Sunday)
Flag Off Time: 5:30AM (22.195KM)
The running bib has country flag printed on it and timing chip was attached behind. I like the idea of having country flag printed on it, it looks nice. However, some participants had wrong flag printed on their bibs. Indonesian participant had India flag printed on the bib and British participant had Germany flag printed instead. This was a mistake which would upset the participants and should be avoided. The running singlets have distance printed on the back but finisher tees have none. This was the first time I encountered finisher t-shirts have no distance printed.
Running Singlet and Bib
Flag off started on time at 5:30AM and before that we did some warm up exercises led by the pacers on stage.
My expectation for this run was to run mostly off road at a countryside, however, we were running on road most of the time and only about 3 – 4KM off road. There were many cows eating grass and lots of cow dung on the way too. This was the only fun part. I could not stand smelling the unpleasant smell coming from the roadside drains for the entire run. There was no fresh air at all. It was a smelly race for me this time and I didn’t quite enjoy it. 🙁
I wore headlight as per instructed but only a small part of the route was dark so headlight was not really necessary especially for a slow runner like myself. Hydration stations were sufficient but the 100 Plus and water served were not cold. I only drank one cup of cold water at the last water point and the rest of the drinks that I took were really only normal temperature. Quite disappointed.
Staff/volunteers were nice and friendly people and encouraging too. Distance markers were quite small and not very prominent. We were given a small piece of paper at the finishing line to collect our medal and finisher tee. But I did not know where to collect them. I went to queue up at the only queue I saw thinking it could be the medal and finisher tee queue but it was actually for food. So I took the cold watermelon and papaya. Very refreshing! They had cakes, bananas, almond jellies, etc too. I had to ask around to find out where to collect the medal. It was in a room further away opposite the food table.
The colour of the finisher t-shirts was horrible. Bright green + red. It’s the worst colour combination and I will never have the courage to wear it.
Finisher T-shirt with no distance
The medal design was also not pretty. Maybe they should avoid the colouring and just make it bronze, silver or gold metal colour.
Finisher medal
The entire race village only had one stall selling Garmin watches.
I could see that there were more Singapore runners than the locals. Saw about 2 Caucasians. Singapore runners mostly came from Safra running clubs. They were very prominent with Safra running club singlets. Some thought the race was organised by Safra. They were very supportive. 🙂
Running Map (Muar)
We were given a drawstring bag together with the finisher tee and the drawstring bag printed Camel Muar Run 2020. Why?
It has been some time since I last wrote. Had been preoccupied with mundane living and life’s tasks amongst other things like trying to recover fully from the spine and tailbone injuries I had. Still, I had managed to complete a number of races that I had signed up for much earlier. And slightly more than a week ago, with the Transcending Yourself theme, I thought it was high time I pick up on my literary outlet.
National Geographic Earth Day Run
Hydration Belt/Bottle & Tee
Credit : Running Shots
Credit : Run Society
After the Sundown and 2XU compression half marathon, the next two races in April had the same theme – conservation of environment. A cause which I also felt strongly about and support. National Geographic Earth Day (NGED) Run (10 km) was on 23rd Apr and the Eco Run (formerly called run 350) half marathon was the following week. What was unique about the NGED event was that there was no finisher medal. Instead a running belt with BPA-free water bottles and a NGED Run NETS FlashPay Card were part of the race pack. As I hate to run carrying extra stuff I just went for that race barehanded. So I didn’t take any hydration along the scenic route at Gardens By the Bay. I prefer morning races but this was an afternoon run at 4 pm, a time in Singapore which meant running under the hot sun still if it wasn’t raining. It wasn’t raining that day. So my satisfaction factor for that was still a high 3.5 out of 5. I appreciate having that belt for the day when I do embark on an ultra or perhaps another full marathon.
Eco Run (formerly Run 350)
Runners names engraved
Healthy Food
Eco Run was an annual affair for me now these days – my third in as many years of running. Appreciate the farm mart theme on race pack day and you get to have a few freebies if you have the time to look. Unique factor was the big Eco Run Grand Stand Characters and you could find each runner’s name engraved on one of the characters. The race pack itself was fairly generous in my opinion. I chose to get the finisher medal. Otherwise you could go without and be a zero waste runner who would get the special edition water bottle amongst other stuff. Race started from F1 Pit and luckily it didn’t require one to go up the Marina Barrage slope. A half marathon done and the logistics were pretty good overall so this gets an 4 out of 5 from me.
Star Wars Race
Credit : Run Society
Credit : Run Society
Credit : Run Society
Dark Side Medal
And then a week after (6th May), it was another 10 km, Star Wars Race, a first in Singapore, 40th anniversary of Star Wars. What was unique was that you could choose to run for the dark side or light, (it is your destiny!) and get your respective race pack and finisher medal. What was spectacular was the sendoff at the start point. You get to enjoy the fireworks at close quarters. Probably those in wave 1 may not enjoy it as much. But later waves like mine, we could view the whole display before we set off. The starting time was for 7 pm so that avoided us getting the setting sun. It was also a fantastic turnout for Star Wars fans as a significant portion did run in Star Wars outfit. If you enjoy dressing up and still have fun in a run then this was the race for you. So a more leisurely race as the crowd was more into the fun although there were still elite racers still. Took place at the Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay and the gardens were all lighted up for the Star Wars extravaganza. Would give a 4 out of 5 but it’s relatively more pricey than the other 10 km races but you would probably still love it if you are a Star Wars Fan and happen to be a runner.
Standard Chartered KL Marathon (Virtual, organized by 42race)
Virtual 10 km route
The route
Along the Park itself
Free Bandana !
The medal
The medal
Two weeks later, I completed the virtual race with 42race. I thought it was pretty good value for money. I couldn’t go to KL for the Stanchart race as I couldn’t afford it. $9.90 gets me a finisher medal that was ‘fairly’ close to the actual one and I could have a name engraved on the medal for free and a bandana if I was one of the first few. Ran 10 km at a much slower pace by now as my back and tailbone pain refused to leave me in peace amongst other issues. Definitely a high score but this is a virtual race in a different category from the usual. No queues and I got the medal within the first 3 days after the race. So that makes it the 24th 10 km race I had done. Rate it 3.8 out of 5.
PCCW Global Charity Run
The PCCW GC Run Medal
Credit : Runcapture – Rare for me to catch up with Pacers
3 days later on 24th May, a weekday, I ran PCCW Global Charity 5 km. I ran this in memory of my dad who passed away exactly 6 years ago, quite suddenly. Also my third annual event with the group and I appreciate that this year the full proceeds ($50,000) were donated to Make-A-Wish Singapore, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experiences with hope, strength and joy. Another 4 out of 5 rating for the logistics, high quality and efficiency and another great cause to support in my opinion. Having said that, this is on a relatively smaller scale race with about 1000 participants. Still a nice crowd with it being on a working weekday. Donation starts from $30 / $35 depending on if you were an early bird. Participants could contribute more. Venue once again at Gardens by the Bay but at Silver Leaf, a spot which was a bit tricky to locate for those not too familiar or a topo- king, like myself. This makes it the 7th 5 km race I had completed so far.
Performance Series II Race 1 (Stadium Riverside Walk)
Merlion Side
The Medal
Quality Tee
Credit : JustRunLah – Thumbs Up
A few days later on the weekend, I went for the first race of Performance Series II (Transcend Yourself). Ran the whole series last year free with courtesy of Justrunlah (JRL). This year, I decided to continue to support the series but wanted to pay for it this round but had a fantastic discount package with the blessings of JRL. Thank you, JRL. The race pack collection was as usual for me which means that I had to queue for about half an hour. I didn’t find this a hassle since this was in a familiar venue at City Square Mall and expected high numbers anyway. Turned out close to 5000 participants for both 10 km and 21.1 km races. This year I decided to take on the half marathon for a change from last year’s. What was unique was that if you signed up for the bundle package, you get to have the TPS Medal Hanger. Logistics was well planned and I have another good run from the Stadium Riverside Walk. Probably could have done without the Marina Barrage gradient. Abundant hydration from Lucozade Sports. What was truly impressive was the real time release of run results online. A first for races, at least for those I attended so far. Another point worth mentioning was also the high quality of the Compressport running singlet and finisher tees. This makes it also the 10th half marathon race I completed. Rate it 4.5 out of 5.
And though this would be the last race for May and perhaps for some time to come before I run another race, I learnt a lot through the recovery process from my spine fracture. The struggles are real especially if you also don’t have the talents in the first place, but what’s important is not to give up. Running gives me the space, the time and opportunity to get away from the routine or vagaries of life to live the moment and yet enjoy the freedom of personal peace as I move. I will continue to run but for now, stay away from races as I hope to recover more fully from the troubling spine and tailbone pain that continues to bug me so far.
I leave you with this quote from Mahatma Gandhi (or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s? depending on where you came across the quote) “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through your hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Keep transcending yourself in whatever worth pursuing. Never give up. Till the next time, run safe and run happy.
This was the 2nd consecutive year I took part in the Camel Muar Run, though it was named Camel Muar Cross Country last year with a slightly longer distance of 24.195km as compared to this year’s 22.195km.
After a longer than usual bus journey due to the customary jam at the customs, we only managed to arrive in Muar around 1.30pm.
Race pack collection at SJKC Chung Hwa Ketiga, a local primary school, was smooth just like it was last year at the event site. The literally old school feel was at abundance there. Kind of like the schools here back in the 70s.
Class Photoevent tee and race bib. always like to see our flag on bibs
Race day
With the flag off for 22.195km due at 0530hrs, we duly arrived at the event site at 0500hrs. Did my bag deposit (which was smooth as well), before I went and mingle with the runners there. Actually, if one did not know better, one might think this was a Singapore event instead of one held in Malaysia with the horde of Singapore runners there. We have runners from every Safra attending and even F1 runners took part.
Just like last year, even though head lamps and blinker lights were listed as mandatory, there were no checks on this and majority of the runners did not come equip with them. As I mentioned last year, if there were no plans to check these, why list them as mandatory? Perhaps ‘recommended‘ would be more appropriate? I still brought along mine as I remembered we should be entering vegetation after the 10km mark and it might be dark there with daybreak unlikely to have taken place by then.
Mass warm up
After a mass warm up routine lead by the pacers, we moved on to the Start line to be ready for the flag off and at 0530, off we went.
Right before flag
Though it was only 0530hrs, the route which started off on the main roads were brightly lighted. After about 5km or so, the runner congestion started to ease with runners getting over the ‘Start line anxiety’ and settled into their own pace.
The CPs were well staffed and drinks were aplenty. There were chilled water and isotonic with volunteers standing by the roads readily to hand us the cups. There were even Coke at one of the CPs!
Volunteers were all decked out in pink
After about 10km, I realized the route had been modified rather drastically as I kept seeing ongoing roads and there was a U-turn which was not there last year. There was to be no run into the vegetation this year. It was a pure road run now with less than 5km of gravel dirt paths which translated to zero interactions with the greens. Also, though there were still a few horses and cows along the dirt paths, their number were now much lesser than the previous year.
After hitting the main road again, there was approximately 3km to go. Seeing the familiar route which was the same route last year leading to the finishing point, I picked up speed a little and completed the run back into the school.
Post Race
Upon crossing the finishing line, I was handed a piece of paper for finisher item collection. So I picked them (finisher medal, finisher tee, goodie bag containing a box of pastry, chrysanthemum and a packet of tea leaves) up at the bag deposit area and joined my friends who had completed the run. That was when I noticed another significant change from previous year; the snack buffet was not there. Last year we had 2 lines of snacks laid out in the buffet dishes for runners to enjoy post run. Understand from some friends who did a few editions the buffet had always been around. Until this year. There were still fruits, breads, beancurd and durian biscuit (1 per runner) available but runners who did previous editions somehow felt something was missing. Last year Muar’s reknowned Otah were given to runners but sad to see that even that was gone.
Goodie bag from the futureFinishing site
After thoughts
The run itself was well organized. There were no shortage of volunteers or hydration at all the CPs. Road marshals were stationed at all crossings runners will encounter. Pre and post race administrations were well managed. Even the misprint (?) of the year on the finisher goodie bag was okay and not a big deal with some joking that we did a 3 years duration run; started running in 2017 and completed in 2020.
However, for some of us who did this run before, the lack of running in vegetation hence turning this into a pure road run, the missing food spread at the finishing point somehow made this run feel, incomplete.
Toughness: Easy
Support Crew: Excellent
Organisation: Good
Should you do it: Even without the running in greens, for those who want to experience running in a laid back countryside environment, away from the hustle and bustle of Singapore, that would have to be a yes
Ticked off the bucket list of things to do before I die.
I finally ran my first Full Marathon last Sunday (21/05/2017) at the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2017. Being my first FM, my target was to complete it under 5 hours. Was I being too ambitious? Maybe. I actually completed 42KM in 5:08:36, not bad for a virgin FM-er eh? However, my GPS watch tracked 43.17KM in 5:06:56. According to my friend, our GPS watch is slightly inaccurate as some parts of the course are not tracked by the GPS.
I was supposed to have 2 others running kakis to run FM with me this year but they missed the registration date. Slots were sold out so quickly this year! Despite me reminding them to sign up every now and then, they still missed it ?. We were past participants for the previous year so we had the opportunity to pre-register before the slots opened.
Anyway, went to collect my racepack on Thursday afternoon at KLCC, supposedly less people since it’s the first day for collection and it was in the afternoon.
Wall of name for FM participants only. OMG look at that guy, collected so many race packs
Last year the racepack collection was at another place and the wall of names were indoor. I looked for my name but failed, only to find out later it was for Full Marathon participants only. I only took part in the HM the previous year. so that kind of motivated me to take part in the FM, I want to see my name on the board!
There! Look! My name!
Did some last minute shopping at the expo, bought some gels and also signed up for another HM at the 2XU booth. They were giving out free singlets to the first 1000 runners who signed up on the spot. Come on, how can we resist free stuffs? #kiasu #bestmarketingstrategy
Went home, unpacked the racepack (contained the usual freebies: GP batteries, Salonpas sticker, SCKLM towel, bib, and jersey) and got everything ready by the bedside.
My running gear
Had korean dinner, avoided anything spicy and settled with some glass noodles. Large serving, plain and satisfying. Discovered “carbo loading” while training last year and started it beginning of the week. Had extra rice almost every meal and lots of protein from fish and chicken meat. #eattorun
Tried to sleep very hard at 10pm but failed, kept tossing around; butterflies in the stomach; couldn’t stop thinking of the articles, tips and advises on running. It felt like I was sitting for an exam the next day!
Woke up at 1am to have “breakfast” – two slices,combs bananas, some bread and white offee.
Tried to release a big one but only did a number 1.
Selfie before leaving the house to catch the train
Took the LRT to Masjid Jamek. Complementary ride courtesy of SCKLM. Was lucky since the station I boarded the LRT at was one of the chosen stations to ferry SCKLM participants to race venue, happens to be just behind my house (O thank you Running God!).
Scene at race venue – Dataran Merdeka
Man Mountain Man Sea
After 45 minutes and multiple stops, finally reached the station. Followed the crowd to the race venue. Went straight to baggage drop as it was half hour away from flag off. Annoyed to see such a long line, waited at least 20 minutes until bag was safely deposited, which means I have only 10 minutes to warm up and get to the starting pen.
Tried pinning my energy gels(2 packs) onto my jersey/pants but failed, pin was too small and fragile, held them in my palms instead.
Stereo was blasting boom boom pow by Black Eyed Peas to keep the runners pumped up; announcer initiated the 10 seconds countdown, and soon we were off!
I kept calm, started with a 7:30 pace. At times intimidated by faster runners who kept taking over me.
I was used to hearing music on my runs but this time since I wanted to savour every moment of a FM, I ditched my earphones and phone. I was focused on my run. (Truth is my BT earphones’ batteries can’t last for 2.5 hours and I didn’t want to carry extra stuff with me during the run and hence ditched it)
KM8, as we passed by a hotel, a pretty lady passed by(supposedly just finished work) and one of the runners started cat calling and we all laughed.
KM13, one runner tripped and fell. He quickly got up without any assistance and everybody started cheering and applauded.
KM18, plasters on my nipples started to come off and since I was wearing a size bigger(L was larger than I thought), this point onwards the jersey kept rubbing against my nipples. Oh so gonna feel it later…
KM21, completed half marathon in 2:30 + hours. Another 21KM to go…
KM23, one female runner started clucking like a rooster. It was 6:50am and probably it was her bodies’ internal alarm clock telling her it’s time to wake up. Everybody just stared at her and thought she was out of her mind.
KM30, we passed an arch with the words “run for a reason” and we were given these green colour wristbands with that tagline. Probably to separate runners who did actually pass the 30KM mark from those who did not.
They say you will usually hit the wall at this point. It was my first time running more than 21KM at this point and I was glad I did not meet the wall. Even if I did, I’m sure I’m able to climb over it. #viperchallenge
KM34, killer stretch at Jalan Tijani/Tuanku. I remember the street name because the houses mansions along this street are huge! The housing compound was huge and the houses was almost 3, 4, 5 stories high!
Not to forget the slopes on this road too, longest and steepest slope. Didn’t stop running but just slowed down a little and pushed really hard.
Can’t remember which part onwards but they started giving out these orange flavoured energy gel and I must say it was sooooooooo tasty! Read from the articles that we should never mix different running gels but it was the last 7KM or so and decided to just wing it.
KM39, legs started feeling really pain, lucky no cramps but hamstrings were definitely feeling uncomfortable. If I pushed any harder, confirm will cramp.
Along the way I only stopped at water stations to drink and never stopped mid-run. I consumed the water / isotonic drink, threw the cups into the bin, chilled for 5 seconds, and off I went!
KM41, only 1km left and was struggling. Kept on pushing and weaved pass runners from the other categories. Was panting hard and my hands were doing this cycling motion, somehow helped me to continue pushing. THIS WAS THE LONGEST 1KM OF MY LIFE!
500m…
400m…
300m…
200m…
100m…
Finally, I have completed 42KM.
Tried to smile and pose for the cameras at the finishing line knowing my face will still turn out like S**T.
As soon as I crossed the finishing line, I felt a sense of accomplishment, I have conquered the world. Not to mention the pain I felt in my legs, I couldn’t walk properly and was limping. People were asking me whether I was okay and whether I wanted a massage. I told them I was fine, I just needed to walk it off. #macamyestapibukan #egotoobig
Also, it started raining after that. Thank you Rain God for letting me cross the finishing line before finally pouring.
Collected my finisher medal, shirt and goodies. Walked really slowly under the rain to baggage claim area. Waited in the long and never-ending line for almost half hour before managing to collect baggage. I hope the organisers can improve this, baggage claim was such a hassle!
Saw that I had 7 missed calls from my friends, they took part in the 10KM category and were waiting for me. Met up with them near the iconic flag pole at Dataran Merdeka. Took some pictures and then we went for breakfast at Chee Chiong Gai (Petaling Street China Town).
Me, Mervyn, Grace
42KM finisher – King Gene
I will be preparing for my next FM in November for the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2017. In between, I have also taken part in all 3 of The Performance Series Malaysia runs(21KM of course) and will tell you about it soon. Until then, happy running!
(Crossing the timing belt at Camel Muar Run finishing line ? Photo Credits: Wan Marshall Datuk)
It’s as if the whole running popolulation of Singapore came to Muar and run. Guess many Singapore runners wanted to try something new and experience running at difference place already. Camel Muar run is literally like a Singapore run already as many runners who participated are Singaporean ? Anywhere I go such as to shopping or to eat, I can easily identify these prideful runners with their running finisher tees ?
This is a countryside fun run in Muar of Malaysia and there is 2 categories, the 10km and 22km. I participated in the 22km category. I was still telling myself it’s funny as there’s no Camel but why it’s called Camel Muar Run? ?
Traveling with No Frills from Singapore at a minimal fee for transportation and accommodation. Traveling together with many other fellow runners from Singapore via a luxury coach on Saturday morning. There is two pick up locations from the coach and just nice one of the pick up location is at Khatib, just 10 minutes walk from home so it’s super convenient for me ?
Race entitlements includes race singlet and finisher tee which I like because it’s striking in colour and it’s my first such striking yellow race singlet ever ? Also there’s race bib, timing chips and e-certificate for the participants and includes finisher tee and medals of course if you finished the run. Well, recently for the SCKLM, many runner’s is unhappy that they could not get the medals and finisher tees because they could not meet the cut off time. All I can say is try harder next time to earn it, what for wanting the medals and finisher tees of the runs that you didn’t complete? It’s just items with no monetary value at all ?
Was caught in the traffic jam at the Woodlands immigration checkpoint and the Malaysia customs. Expected to have jams already as it’s weekend and it’s school holidays some more ?
So once we reached Muar, we went directly to collect the race pack in a primary school then check in at a boutique hotel then went to walk around to explore and found some very nice street wall arts
Entry fee for the run is cheap because of the conversion rate for those of us who come from Singapore. Though we have to pay for accommodation and transport which I don’t mind as I treat this as a runcation ?
The flag off time for the 22km category is at 5.30am and at first I worried of feeding mosquitoes because I’m yummy for the mosquitoes but seems like ok, there’s no mosquitoes feasting on me like at a free buffet luckily ?
There’s many hydration points along the way for the 22km runners. But some of the drinks are not cold just from a glance as there’s no water vapour on the cups and I asked the volunteers for cold drinks ? There’s water and 100 Plus at the hydration points and some hydration points even offered Coke. At one of the hydration point, I took ice pack! ? Although I dunno whether the ice pack is for runners to eat the ice cubes or to apply the ice pack but I take it as the use is to apply as ice pack ? Though it’s not that hot and the sun is not out yet while I run but I find the ice pack really super shiok lah! ?
I love the route as it’s something new and special for me to run in a countryside/kampung. But mostly we run on the road side but it’s quite dark before sunrise. Though I have no problem with my eye sight but can’t really see clearly as the street lights are quite far away. Head lamps are advised for faster runners but I’m slow so no head lamps is ok, but as we were running on roads and since it’s not sealed off, it’s better if we have brought blinker with us for our own safety so we can be seen.
I have so much to see while running. Not much tall building and was enjoying the nature, seeing coconut trees is just so de stressing. Cows is roaming around freely and running with plantations by the road side but so think I dunno what I’m looking at, my friends saw horses and I didn’t see ?
There’s just a small parts of the route I really hold my breathe when I run pass a farm rearing ducks ? Luckily weather is kind to us as there is no rain previously if not we will need to run through some parts of the route with cow dungs and I will don’t know what tragedy would happen to my running shoes ?
Once we finish the run, we were given a slip to collect our finisher medal and shirt but I went wrongly to the queue to collect the food instead. There’s much food prepared for the runners such as pastries, bread and many types of fruits readily prepared. There’s desserts such as pudding and jelly and also soya bean drink and bean curd. It’s one of the most better welfare run for the runners I had attended before. And the race pack and entitlements is good ? I love our race bibs especially because we have the flag of the country we are representing in printed on the race bib ?
Overall, this two day one night short runcation is fun and enjoyable and if there’s anymore runs like this with people who organises and settles all the transport and hotel at a minimal fee I don’t mind to go ? If there’s like Pulau Redang run, Pulau Tioman run, Pulau Langkawi run I don’t mind a 4 days 3 night trip too ?
Mok Ying Ren is accompanied by Team Manager for Singapore Athletics Association (SAA), Jason Lawrence // Photo credit: ONEathlete
Mok Ying Ren finishes as Top Asian in Half-marathon held in Christchurch, New Zealand. Given a cold Sunday morning at about 7 degrees and some slight drizzle, Mok finished with a timing of 1:11:34. He also finished 10th overall. The feat was a good hard stroke, despite the demands of his medical profession, towards the lead up to SEA Games that will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2017.
The ASB Christchurch Marathon is held in conjunction with the annual Queen’s Birthday Weekend event . The event moved back to the central city in 2015, after rebuilding from its 2011 earthquake. The event was held at 8am local time (4am Singapore Time). Official results are available HERE.
“It always feel good to run in Chirstchurch, where I won my first international marathon in 2011.
Competition is always good with the top kiwi runners in the mix. For me, my objective was to put in a hard effort in the build up towards the SEA Games in 2 months time and it turned out well. I had wanted it to be faster but it was still an overall a good run for me.
The first 10km went well while I ran with a group of 5 kiwi runners but I could feel the fatigue from my marathon training creeping in after the half way mark. I managed to finish strong over the second half while running most of it alone. The conditions were challenging as it was cold and rainy making footing at some areas difficult.
I’m looking forward to putting in another 2 months of hard training to prepare for the SEA Games. The support from sponsors, colleagues, and supporters have been very helpful to focus on the training itself”
Mok is a Double SEA Games Gold Medallist and is managed by ONEathlete. He will be participating in his third SEA Games, later this year.
Mok currently holds the half-marathon national record of 1:07:08 ran in January 2016 in Arizona, USA.
Adapted with permission from Press Release by ONEathlete (4 June 2017)
Photo Credits: Garmin
Photo Credits: IAAF
