Putrajaya 12 Hours Walk

Josie Yap sent me the notification of 2nd Putrajaya International 12-Hour Walk 2009 the moment the event is published. Details are follows:

Event: 2nd Putrajaya International 12-Hour Walk 2009

Date: Saturday 12 December, 8pm

Venue: Putrajaya Boulevard.

She was participating in the 12-hour walk last year. Despite the tough challenge, it was such a fun event that she is eager to participate again this year.

To all trekkers, this is a highly recommended event by yours truly, KC. While most of you have climbed numerous mountains and hills, this is one event where you only walk on a plain – but for 12 hours.

For those who have doubts as to how to last or walk for 12 hours, the organizer actually provide hot red bean tong sui, fried bee hoon, sandwiches, power drink, water, etc and etc, enough to power you to walk for 24 hours. BRAVO to the organizer which is walkers-friendly and take care of details.

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Rocky Dan (left) with his signature mobile gas burner

As to where to sleep if you are sleepy, well, don't forget that being a trekker, you have your camping tent, camping utensils, mobile gas burner, etc. You just chose your territory next to the walking route. Imagine pitching your camping tent at the Boulevard of Putrajaya – the Administration Centre of the Government of Malaysia. Wow! What an experience! That would be the shortest route to your bed. Do remember to invite me if I am tired too.

If you must have your Maggi mee with hot Tom Yam flavour, you can set up your mobile gas burner and start boiling water and making the delicious bowl of noodle, just like what Rocky Dan use to do after arriving at the peak of Gunung-gunung.

Another good thing about this 12-hour walk is that you would have lots of time to chat with your friends which is usually not possible when you are participating in running event. You can even discuss (or argue) on the hottest political events taking place until the cows come home and you are probably still walking within the 12 hours limit.

Since all the participants are walking in a circuit, you can actually see all your friends or if you would like, make new friends. You can then chat from Friend A until Friend Z. I am sure 12 hours would seem like 2 hours.
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The late Michael Jackson in The Thriller

In the early hours, it is recommended that you should continue talking to your friends or even repeatedly use the same ice-breaker scripts to any new friends such as “It is very hot this evening.” If you don’t, and sleepiness creeps in, you may walk like a zombie. Of course, this year, the organizer may play Michael Jackson’s top hits – The Thriller – and a group of participants in the correct condition and in perfect timing (early hours) may want to dance to the tune.
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The dancing concept is something similar to Bollywood movies where immediately after one ‘keng cheong’ scene, we have one group of dancers – don’t know where do they come from – happily dancing around. Of course, in the 12-Hour Walk, all dancers will be the registered walkers and there will be no phantom or ghostly participants.

As to what is the feeling when one completes the race; Well, click at the link below to my blogsite and scroll down the pages where you see the expression of two girl participants (in purple and white T-shirts); photo by courtesy of WENG.

BTW, many months later (after the event), Sasa and Leng (both new friends) responded to the Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC) article in The Star newspaper in May 2009. Click here. When I requested for something for ease in identification, they asked me to go to KC and the Sunshine Runners blosite at certain URL address. Hey, that is my blogsite.... Nervously, I probe on and realised that the photos that I have selected (because they look good) for the 12-hour Putrajaya walk, they were Leng (B467) and Sasa (B466).

In jubilation – Leng and Sasa when completing the Putrajaya 12-Hour Walk 2008
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Click here for the previous postings published by yours truly (KC) on the Putrajaya 12-hour Walk (scroll down the pages).

Click here for official website

Note: This posting is written with humour, indented to amuse the readers; at the same time, promote the event. However, if it generates negative feeling, my apology.
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Written by KC
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First Putrajaya International 12 Hours Walk

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Please click here for other 12-hour Walk postings
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Note by KC: According to Josie, she went for another 10-hour walk last weekend. The venue is air-conditioned and posh -- in the comfortable environment of Mid-Valley Megamall and The Gardens. This time, she is shopping for Chinese New Year celebration. She spent almost RM 2,000 in buying seven new dresses and other CNY related items. Looks like walking at the venue for race competition is 100 times cheaper... :-)
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By Josie Yap
.Not a Stroll in the Park ...

My colleagues at work thought I was crazy to go for a 12 hours walk, less than a week after running full marathon in SCSM. I have never joined any walking event before, not even big events like Malay Mail Big Walk or Penang StarWalk. However, the thought of walking around Putrajaya Boulevard under the moonlight and bright stars seems too appealing to resist. After all, it would be just like a walk in the park….well, that’s what I assumed. How wrong I was…..

The event has received very good response from walkers including foreigners from Hong Kong and Belgium. Many participants that I bumped into are familiar faces in running events too. The atmosphere was great as enthusiastic walkers gather at the starting line for a briefing from officials. Majestic government buildings surrounding Putrajaya Boulevard were nicely lit-up apt for the occasion. It is truly a fantastic venue for this event..

Putrajaya at night

As the gun goes off at 8pm, walkers quickly adapt to their walking speed and style. Being a first timer, I just follow the crowd. All walkers have to walk in a circuit-like loop covering 1km in distance for every loop. Loud conversation from participants can be heard clearly which is amusing. The 12-hour Walk is uniquely different from any running events that I’ve joined so far. Normally in a running event, whenever we meet a familiar face, it’s always ‘Hi and Bye’ situation as we continue to run and it’s quite impossible to have a conversation. But in this event, it is a great chance to catch up with fellow runners/walkers and have long chats till it is easy to forget that one is in a competition.

Organiser keeps the mood going by playing songs and make sure walkers are continuously pumped up to keep walking. The only snag is that after finishing the whole selections, the same songs are played over and over again. One might suggest that maybe in future organizer can arrange for whole lot of songs like MP3 player that last for more than 12 hours! That would be a great treat indeed ... :-)
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After continuously walking for hours, my socks had become uncomfortable that it feels like thousands little stones pricking under my feet. I changed into a new pair of socks but it doesn’t really help much. I had brought a pair of slippers just in case I need a change but unfortunately I had forgotten to bring along a string to tie the timing chip. So much for my preparation …. :-(

Organiser was great in providing latest results every two hours on the notice board for walkers to check on their performance. It’s easy to lost count of many loops one had completed so far after walking for many hours. Once completed minimum loops under each category, many walkers started to take longer breaks and enjoy the variety of foods served. When walkers were busy walking to add on to the count of loops, cooks were kept busy all night preparing food for everybody and there was never a shortage of volunteers serving food and drinks..

Josie Yap (left)
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As the night drags on slowly, each step now takes a little more extra effort. My feet hurt as if I am walking on a bed of nails. At least I am not the only one. Except for elite walkers, most of us have slowed down our pace tremendously; some even walk with jerky movements while some walk in a daze and zombie-like. Some walkers had stop altogether and sleep under the tent even though the rules says that in every two hours, walkers must at least step on the mat once to ensure that walkers continue to walk even after completing the minimum loops.

Early hours in the morning, it started to rain and as it gets slightly heavier, one can see some walkers take refuge under the tent and took the chance to rest. Many however, continue to walk. Some were seen wearing raincoats, ponchos while some female walkers use umbrella. It’s quite comical to see some male walkers donning transparent shower caps to avoid getting their hair wet … :-) Well, that’s a good way to avoid getting headaches caused by the rain..

As long as I am on my feet walking, I wasn’t sleepy but as soon as I sat down to take a break, voices from people having conversation around me sounded more like Lullaby in my ears and I felt myself dozing off. The sight of some walkers sleeping like a cocoon in their sleeping bags made it worse. I quickly get up on my feet and started walking again. After getting a good leg massage from the First Aid tent, I had felt much better.

Since my right heel was also in pain, Angie suggested me to bandage it. That’s when I discovered that a blister as big as a five cent coin has developed on my right heel. To think that I have never had any blister in all the running events that I joined and it had to be a walking event that bring me down!
At the first daylight, there seems to be a last hour rush for walkers who had obviously feeling fresher after taking naps, now trying to complete more loops. I guess it was a relief for everyone as the time finally struck 8am marking the end of the 12 hours walk. It has been a long night. All walkers who completed the minimum loop requirement were given finisher medal and a bottle of 1.5 litre 100plus, a nice surprise indeed..
In this event too I came to realize that walking 12 hours is even tougher than running a full marathon when it comes to trying to achieve the 42km distance. So, it is an amazing feat for Mike, a friend of us who managed to complete SCSM in 8 hours by walking where else I could only managed to complete the same distance after walking for more than 10 hours. It is an amazing feat too for walkers who managed to walk non-stop for 12 hours, braving the pains and rain. Definitely not a stroll in the park….

Despite the pains felt all over my legs and groin area, and not to mention looking really out-of-sorts having not slept a wink for the whole night, I have to admit that I had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though I had told myself earlier that I would never want to go through this again, now I can’t wait for next year’s 12 hours walk and I will definitely be more prepared.

To all my fellow runners/walkers, I wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year!
.Keep Running.

Written by Josie Yap

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Putrajaya 12 Hours Walk- Part3

(press Shift key and) Please click here to view 132 photos (album 2 of 2) by courtesy of Weng.
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click here for part 2, part 1, main page of KC&SR.
click here for Race Walkers' Association of Malaysia (and scroll down the page).
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A fantastic feat - Walk from sundown to sunrise
.Countdown sequence initiated - three more seconds to go !!
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Come On! Come On!
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Yes! You can do it!!
.Moment of happiness and relief for completing the 12-hour walk
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Yeah! We made it!
. The Magnificent 7 - (L-R) Meng, YouBL, Eng, Hasrol, Lai, Mike, Jason Lee.
Meng came all the way from Grik, northern Perak. BRAVO!
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Posted by KC

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Putrajaya 12 Hours Walk - Part 2

(press Shift key and) Please click here to view 50 photos taken by yours truly (KC).
.Please click here to view 85 photos (album 1 of 2) by courtesy of Weng.
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Yeah! Christmas festive season is in the air!
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All participants are raring to go - a loooooong 12-hour walk!!
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Ignition sequence started !!
.Mike and Jason Lee (the photographer-turn-runner/walker)

Posted by KC

Putrajaya 12 Hours Walk

(press Shift key and) click here for part 2, part 3, part 4

main page of KC&SR.
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Driving along The Boulevard of Putrajaya at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday 13 December, I was looking for the starting venue of this event. I intended to go as near as possible as I would expect there was not much crowd then. Finally, just before the Palace of Justice building, I saw the traffic barricade and it was confirmed with many walkers walking around at the competition arena.
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The air in Putrajaya was cool and fresh, thanks to the heavy rain in the afternoon. From the car park, I could already hear the music in the air puncturing the quiet night of Putrajaya.

Stay tuned for more photos taken by Weng and yours truly.
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Chiew Hong, Mohd Ariff and other competitors
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Weng and YouBL
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Keenly contest for top positions... why is there an extra letter D?
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Josie and another friendly competitor
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Most of the participants were walking in their comfortable pace save other than a few walkers who were really competing for top positions. After all, from the starting time of 8:00 p.m., they have already walked for almost four hours. Many were chatting with their friends while continuing the walk.

The atmosphere there was really fun, happy and calm. It was like a group of friends walking and talking on the street only that it is already mid-night and it is going to be a long night to the completion of the event – 8:00 a.m. next day.

To win in the competition, a competitor who has covered the longest distance shall be declared the winner.

Walking in a circuit is an excellent idea as it is a controlled environment for participants to go on in such a prolonged event. It also means that we get to see all the participants there.
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Drink station among the flowers - effectively, a water station for every kilometer (depending on the distance of one loop)
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It comes with boiled red been 'tong sui' (sweet drink)
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Alternative fuel other than Power Gel/Bar
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There was ample supply of drinks (and also hot drinks) and food. I could see some of the participants were relaxing their feet and some were eating while resting.

The 12 Hours Walk look really fun. I think that must be a memorable experience for the participants – doing something different. Maybe we shall consider taking part in this event next year.
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Amelia and SH Tan resting their feet after four hours of non-stop walking
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Results as at 4 hours after start
.The Number One supporters - the family members

Posted by KC

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