Date: 15 September 2013
Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Distance: 5km (Garmin: 4.3km)
Timing: 20:19 (Garmin)
Pace: 4:43 min/km (Garmin)
Result: 7th Team
This was a rescheduled run – the original date in June was moved to this past weekend due to the haze. There were several categories on offer: 10km, 7km, 5km and 3km for the various age groups and a team event. The 10km and 7km took runners through the usual DH-Jalan Parlimen loop route while the other 2 were an out-and-back course along Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan TAR but the start/finish were the same – Dataran Merdeka (the team event finished at the cobbled path in front of Bangunan Sultan Samad while the rest in the field). As with previous years, the turnout was huge and the field in front of Dataran Merdeka was carnival-like catering to the kids.
This was my first time running the race and only agreed to be on the team with Melvin, Shu Wei and Fabio as they needed a female runner to complete the set up. I very rarely do team events – it’s just too stressful, even more so than working and I always find myself sleepless the week leading to such events! I. Kid. You. Not.
Meshed First-Second Half
I was a complete blur for the whole 20min! No joke! All I could think of was spinning, turning the legs and looking forward. This is what I signed up for: GSW leading the pack, opening the path for the rest; Fabio to my right; Melvin to my left – both Fabio and Melvin’s hands on my bank pushing me forward, literally.
I’m not speedy Gonzales and definitely cannot hold the guys’ paces and spent the 20 min huffing, puffing and turning over the foot. And because of the huffing and puffing, I was lost for words and cannot even swear or cuss any of them!
Thank goodness the course was short – doubt I could have held it much longer. The team event was pretty competitive (this is what happens when $ prizes are up!) and the teams finished within seconds of each other.
The run was so tough that I was sore for 2 days. But hey, I really liked it coz I wouldn’t have been able to clock this timing or negative split if not for the best teammates in the world! Oh I heard from GSW that Fabio was sore on Sunday evening too! LOL!
Pros:
a) Good job to the organizing team.
b) Lovely carnival at the field with games set ups and the appearance of Ronald MickeyD.
c) Wave starts and different routes meant less congestion.
d) Well partitioned footways for getting Milo and water; there was also a hydration station for the 5km route (probably 2-3 for the other route?)
Cons:
a) Partial road closure – for most of the route, this was fine as the intersections were manned. However, there was a boo-boo at the turning from one of the side streets (near Continental Hotel or Plaza Hotel) to Jalan TAR when a car swung out as "mother hen" GSW lead his pacees (aka Fabio, Melvin and me).
b) No distance markers.
c) The final stretch on Jalan TAR to Dataram Merdeka got a bit crowded when all the categories merged especially with only 1 lane closed to traffic. This probably affected those middle and late packers.
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