Sabah Adventure Challenge 2015 : Open For Registration

Sabah Adventure Challenge or better known as SAC is open for registration. I've raced this 3 times (once adventure/team and twice solo-paktorlogy with wifey) in 2011, 2013 and 2014. My races report is in this blog (check under "Adventure Races" Here).

My take on this?

If you can take off during Good Friday weekend (April 3rd to 5th, but expect to travel there on April 1st of 2nd), this is one race you should consider at least once in your racing life. 

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Official SAC Announcement

Photos from past SAC races between 2012 to 2014 from SAC Facebook page. 

The Adventure Challenge team are proud to announce that registrations for Sabah Adventure Challenge 2015 open later today from the 15th-25th August 2014 with early bird rates available only for this period of time for the 100km ultra trail marathon (solo) & 120km multi-sport category (duo).

Sabah Adventure Challenge is Asia's oldest established multi-day adventure race which sees a limited number of runners competing over a 3 day period on the Easter holiday weekend (3rd April-5th April 2015) from dawn to dusk (and in some cases into the night for those who are at the back of the pack) with camping and gourmet food at the campsite as well as an opportunity for competitors to mingle and mix with fellow competitors over a 3 day period...making it a truly special event and race experience with a mere 200 runners and multi-sport adventurers accepted into the event each year.

Early Bird Rates:

Ultra Trail Marathon (SOLO) RM500 per person which includes gourmet style meals x 3 days (D/B/D/B/D/B/L), transfers from Kota Kinabalu to the START line and back to Kota Kinabalu after the event, official 2nd skin event tee and 2nd skin finisher's tee, official finisher's medal and camping fee's at the race venue for 3 days.

Multi Sport Category (DUO) RM1000 per team which includes logistics support for your mountain bikes and gear, gourmet style meals x 3 days (D/B/D/B/D/B/L), transfers from Kota Kinabalu to the START line and back to Kota Kinabalu after the event, official 2nd skin event tee and 2nd skin finisher's tee, official finisher's medal and camping fee's at the race venue for 3 days.

Being the oldest boutique race in this country, you have the opportunity to sign up now with the early bird rates being available:

Submit your details to us:

NAME:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
CATEGORY CHOSEN: (MULTISPORT OR ULTRA TRAIL MARATHON CATEGORY)
GENDER:

Email us at info@sabahadventurechallenge.com to register and we will email you the confirmation email for your participation as well as our bank details so you can confirm your slot in SAC 2015.

Once again early bird rates close on the 25th August 2015 standard entry fee rates will apply there after.

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Allan Lee : People Giving Fund Raising for Less Fortunate Kids

This just in from my friend Allan Lee. He is raising funds (approx RM10K) for a home for kids in PJ. How he is doing is by running a 330km mountain race which he term as his toughest challenge in his life (and I thought him completing the 2013 Ultra Trail du Month Blanc UTMB was the highlight).

Allan is inspiring. He has completed long distance triathlon (Ironman) and long distance running (Ultra marathons). He was one of the participant of Running more than 2000km around Malaysia.

In support of Allan Lee and his noble cause, I am sharing his personal mission here and would encourage you to contribute or just pay a visit to his charity mission here.

Allan (left) with Seow Kong (another Ultra Legend from Malaysia) at UTMB 2013 with Jalur Gemilang. Photo from Seow Kong's Facebook. Thank you sir.

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About Allan Lee

Allan Lee Kian Hwee, or better known to the running community as Allan Lee, is one of the respectable and experienced ultra marathoners in the country. He is one of the founders for Malaysian Ultra Runners Association (MURA) and was instrumental (founder and organiser) and ran the successful organization of the inaugural Tour de Malaysia Run. He also organized the TiTi100 event in February 2014. He has completed in a lot of races but the most notable one is the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 2013 where he completed the 168km mountain race in 37 hours and 44 minutes.


About PKKCTM

Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah have been running a home for our children since 1992 and have come this far solely through the generosity of kind hearted organisations and individuals. The Pusat houses 130 children, with various disabilities; physical, mental and severely handicapped, apart from providing for disabled children, the Pusat also has around 25 ‘normal’ children from broken, abused or single-parent backgrounds.

They are committed to provide a stable family home and school for children who are abused, neglected, orphaned, troubled, poor and this from dysfunctional families. Being in a safe, clean and happy environment will ensure that the children develop and have an outstanding quality of life.

About Tor Des Géants

Tor des Géants is an endurance trail race which takes place in Aosta Valley, Italy, running along its spectacular paths at the foot of the highest Four-Thousanders in the Alps and through the Gran Paradiso Natural Park and the Mont Avic Regional Park. It is not competitive and provides for prizes for all participants who will carry out the path. The start and the finish are in Courmayeur. The total length of the race is 330 km which must be completed with a maximum time of 150 hours. There are 43 refreshment point in which the runners can eat, sleep and, if they need, medical care. There are also 7 life base, which are bigger than refreshment point and are placed about every 50 km.

Because of its difficulty, many athletes do not complete the trail. Around 1200 volunteers are used to organize the competition. Due to the difference between the highest point and the lowest point, climatic conditions can be a difficult obstacle. As they travel, the competitors can find all weather conditions such as sun, rain, wind and even snow. During the tour, the runners cross 34 municipalities, 25 mountain passes over 2000 metres, 30 alpine lakes and 2 natural parks. The minimum altitude is 300 m and the highest is 3300 m. The total elevation gain is about 24000 m

The 2013 edition was marked by the death of the Chinese runner, Yang Yuan. During a descent, he fell to the ground and he hit his head against the rocks.

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Skechers GoRunUltra Review Part 2

Trail setup. 4mm.

My Part 1 review of the Skechers GoRunUltra was about the shoe going from Door-To-Trail and the question remained how well this shoe "keep to trail" aka 100% trail work? I intended to run the GRU minus the insole that will convert the shoe from 8mm to 4mm. For the record, I've no issue with the GRU at 8mm. Infact, I would be lying if I say it made so much different to my running or landing. Without the insole and at 4mm drop, I get the closer feel to the ground, which is something I've gotten used and accustomed to ever since shifting 95% (the last 5% is because I have an underused conventional shoe I use for additional weight when running).

Fittings minus the insole
The shoe without the insole fits slightly looser on the top of my feet and it takes just another tug at the laces to secure it down. The side stitches as exposed in the photo above does not interfere or should I say I did not feel it against my feet. 

Oh yea! SOckless too! Love the reflective materials. So swanky!

The cushioning is there and the dual-density material on the sole and mid-sole were felt. Support were good as the only worry I have is the fast turn and changes in direction running in trails may twist your ankle if land wrongly. So, in this instance, I am comparing it against the GBT when it comes to stability in trail. So, lets get going!
Into The Trail
Plan was a quick 1hour (max) run that will cover about 8km in the trail. The idea was to go as fast as I could (due to time) and to run it as normal as I always do (meaning at same pace I would usually run my trails) to check for slipping of grip on multiple different surface, climbing/scrambling ability, technical downhill. This all sounded very complicated - and I am about to make it easy for you in this review. 
For this run, i had Charles Frew (Charles) running with me. My time slot fell in nicely with his timing and with great honor, it was good to run with a fast trail blazer.

"Too slow Stupe", Charles telling it without saying it

I ran the GRU in the trail before and taken note of the good grip and stability over the shorter 1.2km (Office and Overtime). The initial feel from the first use (the Review 1) as still very much there. The trail condition was dry and covered with leaves so I would not be able to test it in wet and silty surface. It was a good day to go all out - and we did.

GRU coming alive in trail

UpHill At Speed
Running uphill (Carnival and Twin Peak) was good on GRU. The multi-directional lugs provide good grip and power transfer while running up. The thicker sole buffer a lot of sharp edges and roots when I step on them. This translate to lesser "feel" compared to GBT as the GRU just soak up whatever you throw (your feet) onto. Do not be mistaken that this lesser "feel" meant you won't feel anything under you. You will still feel them, just not as obvious and you will be left wondering what you actually stepped on as the shoe bounce you off for the next stride and landing.

Running up Twin Peak

The biggest challenge running in trail is the sudden change in direction and the shoe need to keep up with where the toes (aka the leading-most-further point) goes. The GRU did not disappoint. I was actually impressed that it kept up with my direction changes. It seems, based on those that run trails with me, it is not unusual to see my legs crossing each other while running but I won't trip on my own feet, or see me bouncing off a surface/stone/edge on the side to compensate for landing or switching corners fast. The fact that the GRU allowed me to still do the same without losing any momentum, that itself speaks for the confidence I have running the trails with GoRunUltra GRU.

Faster!

Charging Downhill
One of the key highlight after a 230m elevation climb in Bukit Kiara is the very fast descent via T'n'T. Like it's name sake, it's "the bomb". A short 300m run at minimum of 40% grade, single trail, with at least 3-sudden drop, 1-S corner, 3-switchbacks (of which 2 is with 3-feet drops) adds to the fun. Check the video in my Youtube channel here specific for this run and you will see how technical it can be.
Into The Wet
The trail run I had with Charles then lead us into Sungai trail, which runs/flank the pristine (previously) river. And yes, I took a wrong step and into the water half way. Hated to get the new shoe wet. But I then realised it was a good opportunity to test how the shoe is running wet.

Sungai...

Lucky for me, the water level was low due to the hot/drought season. However, certain sections has ankle deep water section sufficient to soak the whole feet into the water, and that is where I landed (and verified the depth).

After the soak...Chasing Charles in front

Grip of the GRU over uneven surface and the rocks on the stream was good. It was sure and no slippage. This was consistent with the feel of the shoe over loose gravel and sandy surface during the first run and subsequent (this) run.

Secure on the logs as well

Running with the shoe soaked, there wasn't much squishy feeling after 10minutes. The worry that the wet inner may cause blisters did not happen as I run the last final 2km back to my car. The shoe went from wet to damp. It did drain out pretty well apart from the inner part that is damp. 

Impressed outing

Verdict

1. Responsive shoe that offer great cushioning and yet forgiving on the fast twist and turn typical of a technical trail. Sure grip on the sprint up hill and confidence on the downhill at speed. 

Giving this shoe a proper wash (or rinse)

2. Wear and tear of the shoe is being monitored at the moment with every trail run done to check for excessive wear. Still too early to tell and from my experience with GoBionic (where the sole seems to wear out faster than usual during my use, were not really true as the shoe clocked close to 500km and still being used for walking in park)

Take note of the middle lug directly under my forefoot (darker shade of white, if there is such thing)

3. Highly breathable, which contributed to the shoe drying out fast under the sun. From 100% wet to 10% damp, it took me less than an hour thanks to the hot sun over the past few weeks. Yes, i know, fish also will become dry in this heat. I should not had compared to a 100% canvas shoe that is my kids' school shoe being dried out at about the same time.

Those yellow hue is the insole of the shoe, visible through the outer shell material

At point of writing, the shoe has seen additional mileage as it is still under active review. Over the past 2 weeks, it has clocked in about 50km and counting. I am starting to appreciate the softer ride during recovery run and tempo runs. This shoe will be used for my Sabah Adventure Challenge in April. No doubt and that is when it will be put to it's full potential going through trails in jungle of Sabah. If it survive the outing, it will potentially survive many other trails in urban setting. I will post more reviews or notes in my Facebook Page and Twitter. So look out for it if you are user of these two social media sites.

For the record, my fellow teammate Deo has used this shoe for his 2XU Singapore 42km run and posted a PB on it. So, that speak for itself that the perceived size of the shoe (to look heavy due to how it looked) were unfounded as this pair is at 220grams (based on my own weighing). It is easily 100grams lighter than the next cushioned trainer.

Note: This pair of Skechers GoRunUltra is sponsored by Skechers Malaysia via collaboration with 2ndSkin Asia Athletes program. Thank you Skechers Malaysia and 2ndSkin! This pair is retails for RM419 (men) and RM399 (women) in Peninsular Malaysia and has been made available in all stores since February 16, 2014. Opinion in this write up is my own and not influenced by Skechers Malaysia or 2ndSkin program.

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Klaus Mitchell : Completed 1000km Solo Walk In Malaysia

Remember this good looking young man I bumped into during Morib Triathlon?

Yeap, Klaus Mitchell, the brave (and crazy) man that trekked solo from Singapore to Thailand to raise fund for Homelessness back in his country (UK). If you had missed the original posting of this, do read them here.
Jan 15, 2014
Klaus successfully completed the whole journey (and what a journey it was) trodding through places I believe many Malaysians would not even know existed. He carry his provision and water on his back. Often stopping for food and water. For sleeping, he make do with anything that would cover/protect him at night. I saw that he sleep on benches, in huts and even along busstops. Luckily Malaysia is pretty safe especially on the out of town area where the locals too are friendly.
Enjoy this 2-mins video of this amazing solo walk of 1000km.

For someone that is suffering from post thrombotic syndrome, where his right leg is at risk, he sure bet the crap out of the condition. The charity he is raising fund is still open for donation. His target has shifted since as he realised his feat is not just a GBP500 effort. Since then, he has changed it to GBP2000 and it is standing at 74% completion at this point of writing. 

With festivities around and the year 2014 has just started, certainly it won't hurt to "give back" a bit and it is all for a good cause. Click here to share some love!

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Klaus Mitchell : Trekking Across Malaysia For Homelessness Charity

Those of you that raced Morib Triathlon on Sunday would most likely saw a man with backpack walking on his own with a orange plastic bag filled with what looked like bottles.

Under the 38degree heat on Sunday along Route 5.

When I was busy taking photos of the triathlon race, I thought to myself it must be some "crazy mat salleh" doing one of those crazy things again; or did he missed his bus to town?
As he walked closer, I see a burnt lone figure. Well build about 5'11. Youngish looked perhaps in his mid 20's. I have to stop what I was doing and strike a conversation.

A brief exchange initially and he told me he was walking from Singapore and heading to Thailand.

There was a brief silence.

Like, what am I supposed to say to that? With a back pack? Holding what looked like 6 bottles of 1.5liters of water? In a plastic?

Like, seriously?

I wished him good luck and helped him to take a photo (with his camera). We parted way. I mean, what else is there for me to say? Offer him a ride may make as if I questioned his ability to walk all the way. At best, at that point, a Good Luck, was to me most appropriate.

And "Civilisation is about 2km from here bro". That was my parting words to him.

Dude...

I know that 4-Malaysia friends are out running until December 31, 2013 around Malaysia which totalled about 2,100km. But those I know are accomplished ultra athletes. This man that I do not know left me with a big question - WHY?

Respect

So, i continue to take photos of the race, but the man's intention kept lingering in my mind. WHY? Why is he doing this? I realised I have my big straw farmer's hat with me, I was wearing it while taking photos of the Triathletes. I found the most appropriate reason to find him again, further up the road and give that straw hat to him - he needed it way more than me. Like all 600km more. I parked my car close to the race venue and got down to continue to take photo. All the while seeing how he has been progressing. Every steps he took was consistent. He lifted his feet up when he walks, no dragging. I waited until he came near me and passed him the hat. 

You needed the hat more than me

 I then introduced myself and asked him why he was doing it. He introduced himself as Klaus (ah, a German) and he say he is from the UK (ok, now I am confused). I then asked why is he walking from Singapore to Thailand, because there got to be a reason - even if it is "just for the fun of it". 

What technical gears?

As it turned out, Klaus (full name Klaus Otto Mitchell) is WALKING TO RAISE FUND FOR CHARITY back in UK, known as Shelter. It is a charity registered in the UK . Klaus is not looking for big donation and in fact placed a very very small target of GBP1000.00. Something I find very do-able.

Legit!

However, his task ahead, as he briefly introduced himself to be suffering from post thrombotic syndrome, where his right leg is at risk. As he candidly puts it - "which makes it difficult for me to sit or stand for periods of time. So walk I shall! "

I pass Klaus my phone and asked him to put in his details, so I can follow his movement and also help to give him a shout out in his quest. Walking along the old trunk road is a challenge. Not only from the element (sun and rain) but also from traffic and mugging. 

Thanks for sharing the details with me on my phone

Being a foreigner in our country does not help and he told me it will take him about 4 more weeks to move from Morib (Klang) to Thailand. He will be walking mainly on the trunk road and will camp out to save cost - as he is moving around with limited funds.  

These feet (and shoes) are made for walking.

How You Can Help
I promised Klaus a shoutout in my blog (no, he do not know I have one) and to help raise awareness for him in his quest. Here is a few ways I believe we as Malaysians can help. 

1. Donate directly to his cause via Just Giving : https://www.justgiving.com/Klaus-Mitchell. Any amount is welcome in his quest to raise GBP1000.00. 

2. Help him out with food/lodging/logistic/laundry as he walks near your town or where you are. While the money he raises goes directly to Shelter, Klaus being away from creatures comfort may appreciate some sort of helping hands with basic food, drinks, logistic support. I've seen how we supported a runner that ran through Peninsular about a month back. How about lending hands to this kind soul with his quest directly (by helping him too).

3. Share this posting out as much as you can. More people know about it, the better coverage Klaus will have. He has a Facebook page. Search for him as "Klaus Otto Mitchell" 

Last spotted - Morib on December 22, 2013.

Merry Christmas Klaus, if you are reading this. Keep up the good work and we will be in touch soon. 

Keep inspiring. Keep moving forward!

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Tapering and Carbo-Loading Correctly For Optimum Performance

I've written about this before and I believe it is time to update/refresh the information shared out almost two years ago. Some of the information I shared are considered not accurate and out-dated and this entry will lend a few additional tips and sharing. I will try to make this as structured as possible to provide some clarity and do drop me any questions in the comment section. Also, share this out if you find it useful.

When To Taper and Carbo-Load?
Depending on the race you will face, tapering can last up to a week or two. As I do not consider myself to be top-class or elite athlete, I usually work my taper around a two weeks' period for any run involving the distance of 42km (or a marathon distance) and above.

I deploy a three weeks taper for long distance triathlon races. For the purpose of this entry, I will concentrate on tapering for a major run. Triathlon taper (Long distance) will be discussed later as I gear myself up for the (hopefully) Ironman Malaysia in 2014. 

Carbo-loading is a misnomer that many took it too literally. We often see many using this as an excuse to binge before a race. Truth is, many that does this wrongly end up throwing their race away. Like tapering, Carbo-Loading can last from a week to two weeks, depending on the extent of the race that you will be undertaking. 

Combining the two above, it is no secret and logic that both Tapering and Carbo-Loading goes hand-in-hand. One is to allow the muscles to rest, and the other is to replenish the fuel storage. Both combined will set you in a tip-top condition for optimal performance. 

Here is how.

Training Taper : Long distance mileage should be completed three weeks before the major event. from then onwards, the mileage will start dropping and reducing by as much as 50% of the usual training mileage. An example of this would be a peak weekly mileage of 50km (which include a Long Slow Distance run three weeks before the event) being reduced to 25km two weeks before and subsequently an additional 50% to between 10km to 12km during the final week taper. While the mileage drops, the intensity increases. Short burst workout provide the heart a much needed workout and keep the legs fresh. A sample of this would be:

T-2Weeks (approx 25km):

• 8km Tempo basic run x 2 days
• 3km speed work/HITT x 2 days
• 3km easy at recovery pace x 1
• REST - not even cross train, though walking up to 3km is acceptable x 2

Alternate the workout such as Tempo-Speed-Rest-Easy-Tempo-Speed-Rest

T-1Week (approx 10-12km)

• 5km Tempo x 2
• 3km Speed x 1
• REST - not even cross train, though walking up to 3km is acceptable x 2
• COMPLETE REST x 1 day before race

Alternate the workout such to be Tempo-Speed-Tempo-Rest-Rest-COMPLETE rest.

As some of you may had guessed it right, I am at the T-2Weeks plan with mileage capped at 25km during the Men's Health 12km run on September 7, 2013. This will carry over to this week (when this article is posted) with the same mileage but reduced intensity.

Less workout. Shorter Time. Higher intensity. Taper starts.

Carbo-Loading It Right
One must remember that the tapering contributes to better and well rested muscle. It also lessen the expenditure of fuel aka glycogen storage in the muscles. Carbo-Loading has been abused in recent years when the running newbies uses it to binge out before a race. The word "Carbo-Loading" actually meant storing of glycogen into the muscle as fuel. As Glycogen is carbohydrate, it would sound more acceptable to say Carbo-Loading than Glycogen-loading. In reality, many tend to eat more rice, pasta and potatoes in anticipation of the major race - and I can't fault them as some race organiser serve/encourage excessive consumption of carbs a day before the race - and with bad effect to many.

There is a limit of how much your body can convert and subsequently store as energy a day before the race (or even two days before). Eating more than your body can process will only give you stomach problem on race morning. Carbo-loading is best done ONE week before the event. Here is how to do it right:

• Start your carbo-loading following the last most strenuous workout. For me, it will happen on the end of Week 2 where I do a speed or interval workout. The idea is to exhaust all glycogen storage and prepare the body to re-store. May sound like cutting down trees to plant more trees, but the body reacts better to a state of hunger (for glycogen). This encourage a more effective absorption. 
• The first 3-days of the carbo-loading is to take more protein based food compared to carb. For example if your diet has been a 70-20-10 Carb-Protein-Fat approach, you may need to biased it to a 50-40-10 ratio. This can be achieved while maintaining a 1800kcal to 2000kcal diet. There is absolutely no need to eat more to achieve this. The additional ratio of protein helps the muscles to recover and repair itself. 
• from the 4th day onwards, bring your Carb-Protein-Fat ratio back to normal. The perceived "carb-starvation" from the first 3-days of carbo-loading encourages the muscle to store as much carbs as possible on the last four days. This will effectively raise your serum glucose level (or blood glucose level) without raising your insulin (or getting the sugar high) or spiking your sugar level unnecessary. This is key as an elevated sugar and insulin level will cause you to "bonk" out during a race - characterised by the term "hitting the wall" in a marathon run.

Always supplement your diet with good fats. In this case, good oil will help to provide a healthier lipid profile in the long run (in race and life) by lowering bad cholesterol and providing usable fats as fuel. I have written about ways to train your body to use fat as fuel. Remember, a gram of fat carries more than twice the energy value of a gram of carb or protein. (9kcal vs 4kcal). It make more sense to utilise this stored fuel for distance running. 

The capability of the body to use fat as fuel is what separate the trained athletes vs the weekend warriors. I am still on my learning curve here. 

Good luck for the Tapering and Carbo-Loading. See you at the starting line.

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Review : Hammer Nutrition By 2ndSkin Team Principal

Race nutrition has always been tricky, at least for me. Not only are they expensive, some are just plain sugar that offers nothing but the butt-dyno equivalent of car modification. In short, they boost your confidence by making you feel faster and stronger.

Then it wears out and you wondered why in the first place you spent that much to get....nothing.

I have been a clean food/health/lifestyle changed person. Even before that, I've tried to "make it clean" by making my own sports gel. It worked fine but there is always the need to prepare it in bulk or risking it to spoilt by prolonged storing. Plus, I am train on empty. 

Then the opportunity came with the sponsorship and collaboration with 2ndSkin and Hammer Nutrition. My first encounter with Hammer product. 

I was skeptical and was hawking the ingredient like how some would brand me as a #fitnessnazi on twitter. But the encounter couldn't be any stranger...as I find myself to actually agreeing to Hammer Nutrition as it has proven to work for me on more than just three occasions.

Endurolytes Caps. Cramp management.

Hash Challenge 2013. 

Sabah Adventure Challenge 2013.

Xterra 2013.

PD Triathlon 2013.

And these are just example of races that I used Hammer exclusively.

Hammer Bar is something that I always have ONE inside my office drawer for those days when I really need to take something to eat, usually happen a day after a hard workout; or even as my recovery food immediately after a hard run. 

I am recording my thanks here to both Liz and Scott for the opportunity to try and (happily accepting) the conversion to Hammer Nutrition as my preferred race and training fuel. Not only advices were shared freely, their passion for the sports and fuelling right for optimum condition says a lot about Hammer's commitment and their (Liz and Scott) knowledge about the products. I've learnt a lot and I've shared with all of you here.

But I guess you all might had heard enough from me on Hammer Nutrition, how about hearing it from another user - My team principal for Team 2ndSkin, Eugene Teoh. This is his write up ahead of The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) 2013 Ultra Trail Marathon.

Time To Lay The Hammer Done - Eugene Teoh

Nutrition pre, during and post-race or event is one of the hardest things to get right. There are so many variables involved that all your hard training and mileage could go down the drain if you don’t get the nutrition and refuelling part right. What should you take; when should you take it; how much should you eat or drink? How much is enough? Gel or solids? Water, isotonic or electrolytes?

Just thinking about it gives you more headache than going out and hitting the road in your running shoes.

Team 2ndskin and Hammer Nutrition

Some of the Hammer Nutrition product line-up

Continue Reading At Team2ndSkin.blogspot.com

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Badwater 135Miles : Congratulation Ng Seow Kong

I first know about Seow Kong about 3 years ago and bumped into him for the first time in my life during Kinabalu Climbathon 2011. Quiet. Composed. Wise. That was the 3-words i could use to describe having him sitting behind me in the bus coming back from Kinabalu Park to KK for our return journey back home.

2011 - 85kg vs SK's light sub 68kg

Who is Seow Kong?
51 years young and ran no less than 100marathons. When I first know about him from the running community in Malaysia, i did a research and first hit was his participation in the Antartic Ice Marathon in 2007. I was in awe. While most of us brag about finishing marathons (42km), we have this fellow Malaysian, almost unknown and always under the radar, running in Antartica? Some Malaysians made more big deal dropping a car at the south (?) pole or claimed to had traverse the same (and twice cancelled, wonder why?)

click for bigger font

To be honest, I've lost count till today on his personal achievement that he took upon himself to accomplish all the ultra-races. Inspiring is an understatement and despite being based out of Malaysia for more than 15 years, his heart is still very much with the country. He has always seen and has always told the world and the races he entered to be a Malaysian. 

Seow Kong's Hydration pack with Malaysian Flag patch. Photo from Seow Kong's Facebook

I do not believe many of you reading this know that he has competed (and completed) many races all over the world under his own funding and passion. One of the more epic race (to me) was him, running with the Tarahumara or the Raramuri people. Made famous in the book Born To Run, any runner (or athlete) worth their salt would know who Caballo Blanco is. Most of us read in the book or at best, seen the photo of Micah True (Caballo himself), but how many ever ran with him? 

Seow Kong with Micah True. Photo from Seow Kong's Facebook

Micah True (RIP) passed away about 2 weeks after the race. It was a sad day for the ultra running community specifically and athletes, generally.
Badwater 135Miles
Badwater135 is recognised globally as the toughest race of it's kind with a 48hours cutoff time. With temperature up to 55degree C on a good day, it pits the athlete to the element and challenges the limit of human abilities. This race is by invitation only. You can apply, but you need to get invited for this, even if you are a race veteran.
Seow Kong's race started on Monday July 15 and some of us were tracking his progress throughout the miles marker set by the organiser. In this race, he ran alongside another legend - Dean Karnazes which finished his 10th Badwater135 race! 

Dean after his 10th BD135. Photo from RichRoll's Instagram

Seow Kong's race split was impressive and most important is that he looked in high spirit halfway through the race and even towards the finish. He made Badwater looked like any other races he entered!

Seow Kong making friends with the Sun. Photo from Adventure Corps.

The fantastic achievement shown by Seow Kong is inspirational to say the least. Why is he doing this? He is using this race to raise fund for a charity known as Good Samaritan Home.  He intend to raise RM20,000.00 for the home of the less fortunate. If you are interested, click this website here to chip in. The current donation stands at 70% of the RM20K to raise. Make it happen for GSH and Seow Kong.
This is his Race Pledge: 
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Hi, thank you for visiting my personal fundraising page.

Through simplygiving.com you can make safe and secure donations to sponsor me. The proceeds of your support are immediately sent directly to my charity. Using this given platform is really simple and most importantly it's also a really cost efficient way for the charity to raise funds. My page allows you to follow my progress; share it with friends; voice encouragement or even join me and get involved yourself!

I will be taking part in the legendary Badwater Ultramarathon (217km single stage) in 15-17/07/2013 and aiming to raise money for Good Samaritan Home. This will be the first time in Malaysian running history that we have a Malaysian runner participating in this prestigious event, which will be held in the "driest, hottest and lowest" part of North America, the desert in Death Valley. Many times, this event has been voted/selected/named as one of the toughest races in the world. 

I am a 51 years old Malaysian, who started running (barefoot) when I was 20 years old. As of May 2013, I have completed 102 full/ultramarathons (70full, 32 ultra) in 55 cities on 31 countries/states. 

I am the first Malaysian to have run the coldest marathons in North Pole and Antarctica, and the hottest in Sahara Deserts in Morocco and Tunisia. I have also run Great Wall Marathon in China, and the world's highest marathon at Tenzing Hillary Everest marathon in Nepal. I am also the first Malaysian to have run 100 miles races, and ultramarathons of over 200km (222km in India, 240km in Australia and most recently in Apr 2013, the 250k Sakura Michi Nature Run in Japan). 

As a result, I have now qualified and been invited to run in this prestigious event, the Badwater Ultramarathon in United States this coming July 15-17th. I would like to call on your support of my participation in this race by way of donation to the charity I have chosen, the Good Samaritan Home. All donation will go 100% to this charity, as I will personally bear all the race expenses which includes flights, accommodation, food, hiring of support vehicle for my support crew and myself. 

Please dig deep and donate, every little counts!

Seow Kong Ng 
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Congratulation!
Inspired? I know I am. Congrats Seow Kong for the splendid epic awesome race. You truly made the impossible possible. 

Seow Kong at finishing line with Jalur Gemilang.
 Photo by AdventureCorps. Caption pasted by a supporter on behalf of Seow Kong.

Your intention and heart for this race and charity deserves more coverage and I hope my small write up here will help the charity you are supporting achieve the 100% you put in. Congratulation Sir! I salute you.

Seow Kong's official time split for BD135 2013. Data from Adventure Corps

Update March 1, 2018: 
Training for your first Marathon? Check this article from Sport Fitness Advisor on Marathon Training!

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Sabah Adventure Challenge 2013 : Scenic Day 3

Part 1 : Longest Day
Part 2 : Hottest Day
This is Part 3. Scenic Day ;)
I can't believe i wrote a 3-parts race report like what I did for Bali Marathon 2012. I hope you readers enjoyed the sharing. It has been tough and tight for me, time wise to produce more write ups as I am in the midst of a career move. It was a mixed feeling on Day3. One small part of us were glad the race will finally be over and the larger part were upset that we have no more race tomorrow when we wake up! Yes. Race withdrawal syndrome even before the race actually ends. The past two days has been great and the last day looked promising with 15km more to go. While the other two days has been pretty "off the mark" in terms of mileage, no one actually complained. A testament that those that was participating were there for the pain!

Skechers GoTrail clocked it's 90th Mile before today (Day 3).

It was a mixed feeling Sunday for us. Easter Sunday. It was strange for wifey not to be home with her family (she and the kids are Catholic) for this festivities. I told her if we see a church (very likely), we will drop by for the mass. Promise.

Check the burnt face from Day 2

The lethargy was shown on wifey when she did struggle a bit moving down the incline. But it is OK. The past two days has been rewarding for her. A bit achievement in fact. Day 3 is just about finishing it. 

Taking forever to walk down...sakit bang!

As we move towards the reception, the sight of Kinabalu greet us again. We both know it will be the last morning we will see her. For the next day, we will be in KK.

In awe, everyday.

As expected, the race finish for Day 3 will be no other place than the Reception area of the Resort. That would meant a kick-ass climb back up to the resort at 25Deg gradient. Going down to the starting point for Day 3, 1km away, is already a chore for many due to the steepness and the muscles not agreeing to the movement. It would be fun to see what and how everyone will hike up this last climb.

Awaiting all finishers

See how #30 holding her thigh to walk down? Noticed all the small steps taken?

I believe many forgot to look behind when they were walking down, for behind all of us, were the Grand Mountain. My two friends here certainly remember to look behind and had this captured.

Thumbs up*

Perhaps, everyone was moving down really slowly to have their photos taken? I don't know. But, i believe so too.

The eventual all-women (team) winners

Some, due to muscle fatigue after 2-days of racing, resorted to walk backwards, as that isolate the quads muscles.

Team 12. Singapore. Teachers. Awesome.

Upon reaching the starting point, all of us were briefed by Aman. Race map were only given on race morning and that sort of add to the mystery to it. As this is the shortest day (4hours and 15km), everyone was in super jovial mood, despite the lack of rest and DOMS.

Suckers for pain.

The maps

Aman telling us to watch for these flags. These are route marker. I swore i heard...landmines. Haha

The race on the last day was very straight forward. The ultra runners just need to check into 3-checkpoints. They are situated along a 15km route with elevation enough to make you tired. We were looking forward to it. Where will the race organiser bring us today?

Bandit, Rosli, Wifey and Doc-that-i-forgot-her-name-even though-i-saw-her-in-two-races

The race started soon after and while everyone rushed downhill to where the race organisers want them to go, myself and wifey took it slow to take more photos. Sorry, i really can't get enough of the view (of the mountain)

Agree? This is further down the road

And more

Some sakura and this will be like...Japan?

And, yet, one more...

Wallpaper sight

From then on, i knew this will be a longer than usual 15km. With sights like what you see above, it is really hard to comprehend why anyone wants to run any faster...But, well, the race organisers say that if we missed any checkpoint, we will get 1.5hours penalty. Come in late after cut off(11am), we get penalty for every minute we come in late. Pressure sial!

Sun coming out! See my shadow1

The ultra runners has it easier to just get to CP7,8 and 9, then return back to Resort to finish. We can go to any of the 3 first and it is totally up to us how to manage it. Knowing how to read contour lines on a topography map will help you understand the route lying ahead. But first...more photos.

Zhariff. No arms. Not a disability. We are limited by our mind.

As we reached the junction close to CP9 (nearest CP to go), the Adventure racers whizzed past us at breakneck speed. Kind of made me want to do the Adventure category. But lugging a bike from KL to KK and back again would be too troublesome.

Woohoo!

You see, everywhere we went, the mountain looked down on us and made us look up. It was magnificent view at every turn. I know the sight won't last long as clouds and mist will sets in within 30mins. Kinabalu only "let you see her" for a couple of hours/day.

From near the Kinabalu Golf Club

You know this entry is gonna be filled with photos with the same background isn't it? And if you ever wondered why it took us that long (others took 2:30 average, we took 4+) to finish the 15km, you now know why. Myself, Wifey and Kam stayed back and stayed around to enjoy the view of the mountain and to take in the sight of the farm that we were waltzing through. There is no other way to enjoy this other than taking it slowly.

Even the bikers were taking it easy yo!

Enjoy more photos that I am sharing here. I believe we only covered like 5km in 1hour. Spent the next 1hour walking slowly and looking around.

Can you imagine a One Direction song being played here? 

Kam was with us all the way. Him loving to take photos and doing really well the past two days has gotten him to relax a bit. More so with good company like me and wifey. :)

Macho.

We were small compared to the mountain

Dearest Marshall. :) Thanks RUDY and friend!

Lucky we had kam there

Beautiful!

Imposing

Running down with Kinabalu as background

Ini nak buat thumbs up or peace?

Running through the farm

Love this wild flower photo. No touch up!

We ran past a few family farms. The local were really friendly and it is with their permission that we can and allowed to run through. We have to take good care to only leave footprints.

Kam, he left more than just footprints.

Or @$$ print

It was slippery and his shoe did not grip the wet much, causing him to fall flat on his behind. Him being him, it was completely ok. We learn to take light of things that happen to us when racing, if it is not life-threatening.

Valley. Can you see the Biker?

Yes sir! You have to come up here!

The simple life

The cabbages

Happiness with her chocolate

Remember your first bike?

Washing up

The route was really scenic. There was nothing to complain about as the temperature was low though the sun was shining down strongly. We had our cap and sunblocks on. That was essential.

What goes down, will go up again.

Nutrition was maintained as it is important not to underestimate the effort though we were mostly walking at an easier pace during the 3rd day. The Hammer Bar was pretty good if you ask me. This one, 100% organic.

Oatmeal Apple

Makes you wonder that these men harvesting the cabbages too, they live a full life, they eat what they harvest. Sustainable!

Nak beli?

Remind us of princess at home

Might be 15km, but by no meant a walk in the part with these elevation. Guess where we going!

Sean and Irwin. :)

Above cloud, figuratively speaking

We finally managed to clear out of the farm and headed towards the road. I must had taken too long behind the road that wifey decided to take a small nap on the road. No, this was not posed. She was that tired. Car? Nope. It's Easter. No one around!

Whoops!

haha!

The last 3km was by mean not easy. We had to go up 200m elevation over that distance. Usually, it would not had been any issues unless you are dead tired, and wifey was.

It was a long climb and with every step we take, we know we are reaching the end.

1 more KM. Steady only i see you walk!

The last 1km was scary as it was 25deg gradient. :) Even a vehicle need to downshift to 1st Gear if they did not gather enough momentum.

Shall we sprint?

As we approach the finishing line. The last 100m was especially sweet. I had to get it captured on video. I was pushing wifey from behind, y body almost 45deg, that was how steep the ground was.

Thank you Nasier!

See the camera? This was how it looked like as we march to the finish line.

3Days. 85km. We finally finished it. We are still married. Yes, adventure race test relationship. You see the best and the worse in each other. Luckily, with both of us married for 7 years, it has been great partnership. And best of all, is having two brothers in Azly and Kam to be with us in this journey. It was awesome.

Rightly so. Thumbs up!

Nasier Lee, Abang Rabani's nephew, made everyone that finished the race jump (yes, in all the half-deadness) under the Finish banner. I believe many's tiredness disappear with the thought that a good photo will make this even really memorable.

Looked like a car advert ;-)

This is the easy 15KM stroll we took

Soon after that, we walked back to the room knowing we are finisher. Packed and headed to lunch. The award ceremony happened after that and we were surprised by a few nice gesture by the race organisers. One of the one, which I believe will be collector's item will be a second race bib made fresh with our name on it. What made it more special is that the Proboscis monkey on the cover was one of the endearing images captured by the late Abang Rabani Ayub.

Tired? No way!

Lucky Draw!

Love the logo...and the size!

Big enough?

The crews. :) Love you guys.

Will i return? YES!

Us. In another representation

It was truly a good trip and a superb race. I am very glad I get to do this with my wife. This is the official results from Race Director.

Click to enlarge. This is Team Adventure Racing

Click to Enlarge This is Women Ultra. Wifey complete the race in 24:26:52

Male Ultra - I finished the rce in 24:26;50. Kam 21:41:35 and Bandit 33:52:33

Click to enlarge. 

Congrats to all winners and finishers. This was a 40+28+15=83km foot race over 3 days. Organisers has promised a distance of 75km, but we all did more than we came for - which has added to the value.
Me and my wife would like to thank the organiser, Claus, Aman, Doc Dev, Rudy, Pam, Aileen, Nasier and his group, all the marshals, medical and Sabah Amateur Radio for their on-the-dot planning. Also a big hand to Sutera Harbour group where the hospitality has been great.
I am looking forward to the new format 2014 15th Anniversary Sabah Adventure Challenge.
Bring it on.

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