SMART Tunnel 14km Run

Click here to view 50 photos taken by WENG, who ran with the camera... NEW!

Written by Steven (Penguin-5)

It was indeed unique to run in a tunnel. I was glad to be there experiencing this once-in-a-life-time event running in the SMART Tunnel 14km Run, on Sunday 11 March 2007.

The starting point was an open space about 1km from the tunnel. In the tunnel, runners run via the upper deck to the other end of the tunnel. Upper deck was easily recognized with the curved ceiling. At the far end of the tunnel at Sungei Besi airport area, all runners exit from the upper deck and return via the middle deck, recognizable with flat and dimly lighted ceiling.

The entire course was flat. The interesting part was that when runners entered into the tunnel, the downward slope was very gradual; so was when exiting the tunnel at the far end.

To ventilate the tunnel, jet fans located at about 1km interval were switched on. The jet fans were spinning quite quietly. One could feel the breeze when running near the ventilation fans but it was hot at areas away from the fans.

Contrary to a few runners’ belief, the footsteps and the echo sound were quite tolerable.

There were two water stations in the tunnel. The first one was located at about 500 meters after entering the tunnel; the second one was about similar vertically location before exiting the tunnel. I guessed that there might be vertical through passage between the two levels – in real life, for ease in swift evacuation.

I was running in the Men Open category, the first group. I was shocked to see that there was only one Indian boy frantically manning the first water station. Impatiently, most runners just grabbed the unopened bottle of water and continued with their run. Some runners grabbed two. After drinking a few sips, they threw the unfinished water away – what a waste.

Weng who was running in the next group (Men Veteran category) was told that there was no more water at both the water stations. It was reported by other women runners – who started after Men Veteran category – suffered the same fate.
I saw four persons were unconscious in this run: two men and two boys. I was not sure what was the cause but definitely, it must be unique too to have so many runners fainted.

At the finishing line, it was located in such a manner that the faces of the runners were backlighting against the sun that was difficult in taking photos.

Overall, it was quite boring and monotonous running in a tunnel, as there was nothing much to see other than similar structure and lighting in the tunnel. With regards to the standards of race organization, definitely, there is room for improvement. Whenever new organizers trying to stage a run, they are bound to have numerous teething problems. Since these are repeatable process, maybe FTAAA can draw up standard checklists for the new organizers.

By Steven

Stay Tune ...

Please click here to view 152 photos taken by Jason Lee.


SMART Tunnel 14km Run on Sunday 11 March. Photos by Jason Lee using Nikon dSLR D80. Work is in progress to process all the photos.

The Sahara Desert Ultramarathon -- Full dress rehearsal by Dr. Tan and Ngae KH on Sunday 11 March 2007. Photo by Jason Lee. Work is still in progress.
p/s This is not in Africa ... it is still in Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur.

Trekking up Pine Hill, Fraser's Hill on Sunday 11 March -- by yours truly.

One for the album before the start of trekking .

Stand: Ann, Ooi, Mary, Iris.

Front: KC, Wong, Wendy. Photo was taken by William.

Tea with scone at Ye Olde Smokehouse, Fraser's Hill, for a satisfying trekking challenge.
L-R: William, Wendy, Wong, Ann, Iris, Ooi, Mary. Photo by KC.

Ironman and Ultramarathon

A prelude to Sahara Desert Ultra Marathon 2007 by Ngae. Click here.

Note by KC: Mr. Ngae KH participated in the Ironman race in Langkawi on 24 February 2007. He completed the race in 14 hours 49 minutes and crossed the finishing line in a pleasant and comfortable expression. Wow! He is a real Ironman where a participant has to swim 3.8 km, cycle 180 km and then run a full marathon of 42 km. When he started his full marathon segment in the scorching afternoon, the Champion had just completed the race.

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Ngae, a lawyer and a Pacesetters runner, will be taking part in the Sahara Desert Ultra Marathon (SDUM) from 25 – 31 March 2007. The distance of that race is 243km and is touted by its French organizer as the toughest foot race on Earth! The Langkawi Ironman race was a springboard for him to gauge his physical fitness, albeit that the harsh condition in Langkawi was still nowhere near to the condition of Sahara desert.

In the SDUM race, his main concern is to overcome the unfamiliar ground condition and the burning desert sun. The temperature can soar to 50 degrees Celsius whereas the Ironman race in Langkawi was only about 36 degrees Celsius. He also shows concern about the first few days of his SDUM race as there will not be much lead-time for acclimatization.

Training Methods: He trains on sandy beaches in hot afternoon. But the condition here is still far from the actual race, complicated by frequent sandstorms. He heard that mat sallehs train in sauna room heated to high temperature. Alternatively, while running in the hot afternoon sun, a runner put on two layers of winter clothing!!

It takes a lot of commitment, determination and perseverance to complete this race. We wish Ngae and also Dr. Tan a successful run in this tough challenge.

Note: Photos are by courtesy of Tey Eng Tiong and CCHOO.

A Humble Experience

Written by NgaeKH

6.35pm today, Tuesday 27 February at Lorong 3 Chan Sow Lin. I was there at 5.30 pm because I was called by some old time pacesetters to join them and share with them my ironman experience. I walked out of the tea stall a short while back and as I was passing the rubbish dump at the road side, I saw this scrawny and elderly hunched-back Chinese man rummaging through the rubbish for recyclable stuff. I estimated his age to be at least 65 years old. He was carrying 2 big sacks, quite filled with stuffs he had collected.

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I have developed a special liking for street walking these days. It is a real learning experience You will never notice people like him if you zoom by in an air-conditioned car.

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This man has an uncanny resemblance of my dead father in terms of built and facial expression. Being still the CNY season and looking at him, the following lyrics immediately flashed in my mind accompanied by the music video in black and white (all of you should recognise the song I mean):

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She calls out to the man on the street

sir, can you help me?

Its cold and Ive nowhere to sleep,

Is there somewhere you can tell me?

He walks on, doesnt look back

He pretends he cant hear her

Starts to whistle as he crosses the street

Seems embarrassed to be there

Oh think twice, its another day for

You and me in paradise

Oh think twice, its just another day for you,

You and me in paradise……

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I greeted him :"Ah Peh, um cho ah. Jap doe ge doh ha." ("Uncle no bad collection of the recyclable items") He flashed a toothless grin at me but said nothing and walked by me to the next rubbish pile. I took out a RM10.00 note and went after him and said "Ah Peh, beh leh yam cha"("Ah Peh, some cash for you"). He turned and flashed another grin at me, put down his sack and shook his head and wave his hand firmly. He said nothing but I knew he meant " No. Thank you". Short of other thing to say, I said "Ah Peh, le ho yeh!!" ("Uncle, you are great!!")

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I walked on as he walked off in the opposite direction. I thought to myself, we surely can learn something from this guy. I was also thinking to myself, how many times he must have refused cash offered to him. He prefers to earn his honourable living.

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There are not many people who can earn my respect immediately like this. He certainly is one of my great teachers in life…

By Ngae KH

The Air that Runners Breathe

I read the following report with interest on “Runner critical after Hong Kong Marathon” (Sunday 4 March 2007) sent to me by a runner’s friend. It is quite similar to “A runner should not blame the running shoes for poor cushioning when one sustains leg injury in running.”

Another runner showed concern about the coming SMART Tunnel 14km run on this Sunday 11 March. Obviously, he is concern with the air that runners breathe while running in the tunnel. Other runners are concerned with the echo of footsteps that might be offensive on runners’ eardrums.

Another runner commented that he read in the registration form that participants with health conditions such as heart or asthmatic illness are not encouraged to take park in this event.

I say that it is important that the organizer switches on the ventilation system in the tunnel. Otherwise, the runners are breathing in stale air, which is not the way running should be.

Nevertheless, having that one-in-a-life-time chance to run there in commemorating the opening of SMART tunnel overshadows all other minor concerns.

Jason Lee, one of the Pacesetters Club photographers, will be taking photos at the run, including runners in running action in the tunnel. It is a slightly different ball game as it involves flash photography in action shots.

I have a pre-planed activity on the same Sunday – trekking up Pine Hills in Fraser’s Hill with Wendy and Group. This is a series of planned trekking trips in preparation for the 17-day trekking trip to Nepal on 23 May 2007.

I wish all runners a memorable and enjoyable run. Whatever is the condition in the SMART tunnel – whether good or bad – will definitely leave an imprint in a runner’s memory that the story is good for years to come.

By KC

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Runner critical after HK marathon

HONG KONG - One runner was in critical condition on Sunday after tens of thousands braved steamy conditions and pollution warnings to take part in the annual Hong Kong marathon.

'There is one male patient whose condition is critical,' a Hospital Authority spokeswoman said. Five other patients were in a stable or satisfactory condition, she said.

Organising committee chairman William Ko earlier said the male runner was 'considered rather serious' but did not have further details. Thirty-four people needed hospital treatment, he added.

A 53-year-old man collapsed and died and about 5,000 needed medical treatment during last year's race, which took place in high levels of pollution.

Ko hit back at one leading expert who warned athletes were risking serious heart problems by running in Hong Kong's notorious smog.

'That to me was a negative approach,' he said. 'Our positive approach is very simple - we advised to have better training and better preparation for the race.

'This year the situation was miles better than last year.' Pollution levels hovered at medium to high according to Hong Kong's air pollution index, which green groups have criticised for being out of date.

Relative humidity reached 95 per cent in temperatures of about 25 degrees Celsius.

A record 43,956 runners entered the 10km, half-marathon and marathon events. Kenyan athletes finished first, second and third in both the men’s and women's marathons.

Steven Loruo Kamar won the men's event in 2:17.03 sec and Rose Kembo Nyangacha was the fastest woman in 2:38.19.

Worsening air pollution has become a key political and social issue in the southern Chinese territory bordering Guangdong, one of the mainland’s major industrial areas. – AFP

The Running Wounded

“Sooner or later every runner is injured. Very few injuries last longer than 3-4 weeks; with proper care and when treated early, most injuries will be gone in a few days, with no loss of conditioning.” I read the article sent to me by Moira with enthusiasm.

Hmmm… I am connected with that article and I like it because I am also injured from running. I am grateful to her for being able to identify the most relevant article in time of difficulty (or can’t do much) in my running conditions.

From the article, it is most comforting to hear that few injuries last more than 3-4 weeks. I hope my injury is not in the excluded category.
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“Let’s face It. Running is an addiction. Once you get that daily fix of aerobic exercise, improved circulation, and capillary stimulation, you feel too good to ever stop. But when an injury crops up and you become one of the “walking wounded,” you are faced with a problem: How do you rest long enough to let it heal?” Wow! The writer of that article says it absolutely correct.

Life without running is like missing a lot of things in my life – such is the addiction. Every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., I wake up and feel that I have not accomplished something in life while lying on my bed. That is the time that I usually complete the 20km training run. Nevertheless, one would not be able to accomplish anything if one is still relaxing on bed.

The pain in my right heel started four months ago during a speed running race in The EDGE Kuala Lumpur Executive Rat Race 2006. The reward for being the Champion Team came with a price. The pain starts when I rise in the morning. When I walk around, the pain subsides, only to return the next morning. I actually ignore the pain in the hope that somehow it will mysteriously vanish when I continue running. However, the pain seems to be getting worst; I have no choice but to seek medical treatment.

I went to an Orthopedist in SJMC by the name of Dr. Chan KY. A few Pacesetters runners asked me to consult Dr. William Chan, the resident doctor who is always featured in Pacesetters Footloose magazine. So I said, “Since both of them sharing same surname, I will ask whether they are brothers. Hopefully, they will share their expertise.”

I am required to do ultra-sound massage and exercises three times a week. At the physiotherapy section of Subang Jaya Medical Centre, I am the luckiest. All those patients that lie on the massaging bed are mostly have undergone surgery. I am the only one patient walking around “unscratched”. One patient asked me while we both busy in stretching exercise, “Can’t seem to see where is the part that you have operated on?”
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Alternative Exercises

The article recommends a few exercises or workouts to aid in speeding up recovery. First is “Running in the swimming pool” that simulates running better than any other activity and can keep you in fine condition. Next is the “Cross-country skiing or Rowing Machines”. Since these two methods seem a bit elaborate and far-fetched to me, I shall give them a miss.

Next is “Cycling on Exercycle (or stationary bike)” which is easily achievable since I am going to gym now trying to tone up my long neglected muscles. Another exercise is “Roll your foot over a golf ball, baseball or softball” I find this exercise is the most convenient. When I am busy typing this report, my right foot is actually busy rolling the golf ball from front to back, in round and round action. Oops… the golf ball slipped away.

Knowing that I also play badminton, one runner suggested that I should switch to playing mixed-double instead. This is to slow down the intensity. Alternatively, go the badminton court later in the session after all the players have tired down.

This is also a good time to seriously implementing the Girl Runners Accompaniment Service by accompanying new girl runners to run from Bukit Aman to Sri Hartamas – the usual running route – in the dark and on early Sunday mornings. Girl runners are preferred as to provide them with safety and at the same time, I do not have to run very fast.

“There is always a price to pay for having a good time in running.” This is what I read in one of the books on running marathon. I am paying the price now for having good times. Give me a few months – I will be back.

By KC

Chap Goh Mei Run

Weng called me this morning after completing his 30km training run. He heard that Meng (Penguin-2) fell down while running in the 30km Circuit Run organizes by FTAAA at Lake Gardens this morning, Sunday 4 March 2007.

To my surprised, Weng was not running in the Circuit Run. Together with Jason Chin (p12) and a few other runners, they were doing their 30km training run – preparing for the coming KLIM – between Bukit Aman car park and Sri Hartamas.

I also received one SMS from Tey ET (pm22) at around 11 a.m. informing me of the same untoward incident.

Later, I received another SMS from C-Cube. He said that they called the ambulance to send Meng to hospital and continued with their runs. He enquired on Meng’s condition.

A girl runner sent me a SMS yesterday evening enquiring whether I would be running the Chap Goh Meh Circuit Run today. To be exact it is the 30km Circuit Run that falls on Chap Goh Meh day. I said that I can not run – I am now becoming the “no action runner”.

I called up Meng. He said: “This time, it is really “puk kai” (fall flat on the road). I was running and passing through the Children Playground. Without realizing, I kicked a power socket mounted on the ground. I tripped and fell. In a forward momentum, my head landed and hit the concrete kerb. Immediately, my forehead was bleeding profusely and the blood was oozing. Quite a number of the runners saw me. Since my car was parked just near by; without wasting any time, I drove my car to the hospital. My right hand was on the steering wheel while my left hand was pressing again the cut. I received 15 stitches on my forehead and I was given a few days’ medical leave for the recovery. I am quite okay now.”
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Two years ago, Pacesetters Club organized a bonding run at FRIM in Kepong for members. I was having a similar fall. The jutted rock was only one inch above the ground and that was good enough to cause a trip. In my case, my two hands and knees landed first. So, there were abrasions on my palms and knees. The difference was that the trip occurred two weeks after running KLIM.

For Meng, he has a schedule to keep to. He has planned to run in the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon on 18 March – two weeks from today. We wish him speedy recovery in time for the full marathon.

By KC

CNY Loh Sang Dinner

The KL Penguin Runners and friends gather at Sin Lok Restaurant, Ampang Park this evening (Wednesday 28 February) for a Chinese New Year loh sang celebration dinner.

Other than running, it is a good idea to enjoy good food during this auspicious occasion. It was indeed a joyous evening for the runners to gather and dine together. The food here is excellent.

The day before was Josie Yap’s birthday. She runs a few half marathons. She works in Hong Long Bank.

Let us have another exciting year ahead taking on more marathons and trekking challenges.

Josie Yap's birthday falls on 27 February.
x Yes, Loh Sang together... the higher the better. Holding the camera (and not chopsticks) is KC.
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One for the album.
Standing (L-R): Marvin, Tony, Steven, ChinYH, Weng, Eric Teo, KC Leong.
Seated: Chan Wing Kai, Josie Yap, Lai SB, Jason Chin.