Larian Mesra Polis Kuala Lumpur

Please click here to view 140 photos taken by Jason Lee on Police Run or Larian Mesra Polis Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 8 April 2007.

The starting point is on the road leading to Sungai Wang / Lot 10 shopping area

Centre of attraction -- Weng is donning the attention-grabbing yellow Pacesetters running vest

Goh -- Full throttle ahead

Maryann -- Most cheerful runner

Miss Lee YH -- completed her maiden 2007 KL International full marathon with ease.

Xiamen International Marathon

Note by KC: Next posting is on Wednesday 11 April.

Selected photos are by courtesy of Hoo Ching Tai. Please click here for a link to his two photo albums.
x

Written by Moira

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step … an account of the most scenic run in the world!
x

Saturday, 31 March 2007
x
5 am : The morning of the marathon started well enough, the morning calls came precisely at 5 am and the usual routine started for the 12 registered marathon runners, 3 registered half marathon runners (I was registered in this category) and 4 registered 10km runners from our running club. After doing all the necessaries in the wee hours of the morning, cheerful smiles were exchanged with one another in the hotel lobby despite the previous few days of hectic touring of beautiful southern China. The weather was cool and the sun was beginning to rise at around 6 am. A few Sudanese elite runners were also waiting in the lobby but we were definitely having more fun laughing with one another whilst the elite runners looked rather serious (perhaps contemplating on the formidable task before them!)

6 am: Our bus ferried us along the marathon route which is the highway leading from the international convention centre to the convention centre. The sun was slowly but surely peeping at us and I was reminded of a photo I had seen where Paula Radcliffe (the current women’s marathon record holder) being ferried to the start of the New York marathon. The mood was calm and relaxed but silently filled with anticipation whilst our pre-packed breakfast to carbo-load were handed to us by Ching Tai and our tour guide William.
Smile... you are on camera (Sonny and Tuck)
x
6.40am: We arrived at the starting point and the atmosphere was already charged, some 25,000 + runners of all categories were expected to arrive for the start at 8am. Elite runners from China, Kenya, Sudan and other parts of the world were warming up next to us – what a sight! We quickly took our group photograph proudly displaying the yellow banner “Pacesetters” and went about our own business, depositing our bags and depositing (ahem!) other necessary matters before the run. Our pacesetter members including Uncle Sonny were interviewed by local television media and Ching Tai being the shy one whisked himself away when asked to give his comments!! Nonetheless, Ching Tai returned quickly to his task of great importance which was to encourage and organize the few of us and was busy snapping photos with his camera.

7.45am – 8 am:
Loud patriotic music blaring through the loud speakers as if to get us all into high gear for our run ahead but I would rather have listened to “Who let the dogs out?” (again, this is my personal opinion). Light rain followed by heavier rain fall at this point cooled the weather but did not seem to faze the runners. A few compulsory speeches and then the starting gun went off! Imagine all 25,000 + runners from all the various categories starting off at the SAME time! It was a stampede!!!! The wiser runners (including yours truly) stayed at the side ways of the path but nonetheless, over-enthusiastic runners did manage to knock my arm and my I-Pod (MP3 player) went flying off my arm band holder and imagine trying to retrieve the fallen I-Pod with a stampede coming my way!! (thankfully, after some careful maneuvering I managed to safely retrieve the same).
Ng Chooi Lin, Tuck, Moira, Teck, Sonny, William Chin.
x
8 am – 9 am:
The runners are all running on the highway leading to the city of Xiamen and the road is situated next to the beach/sea. The roads were wide and clean and well manicured with trees and plants and flowers (Xiamen is known as a Garden City). Several bronze statutes of runners of all sizes and shapes lined a small part of the route. What struck and impressed me however, was not that the route was pretty (as was already expected since the Xiamen marathon is touted as the most scenic marathon in the world!) but that there were so many supporters that had turned up to cheer the runners on! We are not talking about the helpers but local folk who had turned up from 7 am onwards till I- don’t- know when to clap and shout and cheer the runners on!

All along the route - the supporters lined up were friends and family and children, staff from hotels and staff from companies were all along the route, friends from the Xiamen University were also along the route and were shouting “Chia yiew! Chia yiew!” literally translated is “add oil! Add oil!” but of course it means to “push on!”. Some groups organized their claps and cheers calling “Mei Nui, chia yiew!” (ie Pretty girl, push on!) and “Suai Nan, chia yiew!” (handsome man, push on!). A group of older ladies were dressed up in traditional costumes and played their drums!

By this time, the sun had slowly but surely crept up and was blazing full blast!

9am – 10 am:
We were now on a stretch on highway (locally called the “white highway” as the rails were all painted white and white lighting illuminated this highway) which was elevated from the beach and offers a spectacular view of the impending city and the beautiful Gu Lang Yu island just off the island of Xiamen (“Tidal Drum Wave Island” - so called as when the waves hit the rocks, the sound that is produced is akin to the beats of a drum. No vehicles save for a few approve ones are allowed on Gu Lang Yu island). It is here that we see the elite runners that are now on their return leg of their run. Wave after wave of packs of elite runners ran in the opposite highway as we clapped and cheered them on. This stretch of the route is as spectacular as it is hot as there is no shade what-so-ever for the runners.

We met up with our fellow pacesetter runner Amelia who was running the full marathon (I recognized her from her yellow pacesetter waist pouch) and tapped her shoulder and we took a cool photo together! It was great to meet someone from our group.

It was around the 15km mark that Tuck (my husband who was also running the half marathon) reminded me to stop taking so many photographs of the route and focus on my running! I decided to accelerate a little bit since so far my IT band syndrome had not acted up as I had stretched it over and over again at the beginning of the race and the few days prior to the run. I had also done some weight bearing exercise to increase the strength of the leg muscles as advised (please refer to Note1 below).
Moira took this photo to show the lads and ladies who came out in throngs to support - these are uniformed ladies and gents from various organisations in xiamen!
x
However, acceleration was not doing my already fatigued muscles any good and by 16km, the dull ache caused by the IT band syndrome (please refer to Note 2 below) had almost certainly returned even though I was trying to ignore it since I was having a breeze till about 15 km (in the recent KLIM, the dull ache started as early as the 5 km mark).

Water stations at every 5 km and sponging stations became a necessity at this point because of the searing heat. I was elbowed by a lady runner at a water station but put if off as excitement on her part. I felt 3 tables for the water stations was truly inadequate to cater for some 15,000 runners at this point (note: the 7km and 10km runners had finished their race at this point).
Moira met up with fellow pacesetter Amelia - camaraderie rules!!
x
10 am to 10.30 am:
We had run into the City centre at this point and the supporters who had lined the streets continued their applause, cheer and claps to all runners. My running was alternating between walking and shuffling whenever I could to dull out the pain on the IT band – it was bearable and I stopped to stretch whenever I could to relieve the pain. The city centre is a straight road lined with longan trees that will bloom soon and the straight road reminded me of Champs-Elysees in Paris except that the blazing sun reminded me of the Sahara desert (please refer to Note 3 below) and the pain reminded me that I was mortal after all!!

I was so happy to see the finish line for the half marathon and my heart went out to my fellow runners who had to take a left turn to complete the full marathon.
Two elite runners - back ground is the lovely gu lang yu (tidal drum island). Moira took this photo while running.

x
10.30 am to 2 pm:
I could only imagine how my fellow friends running the full marathon were feeling at this point as the sun was raging and the temperature had reached about 28 – 29 degrees Celsius. Blazing sun plus no shade is a lethal combination. I hoped that adequate water supply was provided. Amelia told me post mortem that she had “suffered” due to fatigue and her exhaustion was compounded by the fact that water stations ran out of water for runners who had come in a little later. No food was offered and Amelia even had to pick up bottles of left over water by other runners en route to the finish line. Some nuns offered her tea which gave her temporary relief. Amelia said she almost gave up but soldiered on to complete in under 6 hours to earn her well deserved finisher’s medal!

The spirit and courage of the marathoner is indeed to be admired and the marathon route of 42 km is to be respected each and every time the marathoner begins his or her first step! Well done to all our runners who completed the Xiamen marathon!!

Chefs from a hotel also lined up to cheer the runners on

Post mortem:
1. It is indeed a beautiful route with spectacular views of the beach, sea, Gu Lang Yu island, the university and the City;
2. China being a sports mad nation with sports culture had inculcated sportsmanship to its people which was reflected in the wonderful support of the locals who lined the streets giving cheer and support which really means a lot to a runner at any point of the runner’s journey.
3. The route is quite flat with occasional slopes leading up and down the highways.
4. Spitting is to be expected and the challenge of every runner is to successfully dodge it!
5. The starting time should be changed to staggered intervals for each category of run to avoid the crush and stampede.
6. Water stations should be adequately stocked with sufficient water and food such as banana and gels should be adequately stocked and offered. Toilet facilities should also be increased to accommodate the huge number of runners.
7. the Starting time should be adjusted earlier to accommodate marathon runners who are in the 4 – 6 hours finishing time category to avoid the blazing sun and resulting heat.
8. The tour schedule prior to the marathon should be short and easy before the run to avoid any fatigue during the marathon OR alternatively, marathoners should run the marathon first and thereafter proceed for their intended tours.


Notes:
(1) Tim Noakes, the author of the “Lore of Running”.
(2) IT band syndrome or Iliotibial Band syndrome causes pain almost always on the outside of the knee making it unbearable to run, particularly when descending a hill but will stop immediately when the runner stops running and resumes walking.
(3) Ngae and Dr. Tan – I hoped that you had finished your ultramarathon [Ngae and Dr Tan were completing the ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert for the Hospis Malaysia charity at around the same time we were all in Xiamen).

List of Pacesetter Runners and finishing times
x
Full Marathon (Male)
1) CC Hoo - 5hrs 17mins
2) Kenny Choo - 4hrs 21mins
3) Ong - 4hrs 55mins
4) Uncle Sonny - 5hrs 57mins
5) Mr Lim - 4hrs 6min
6) Lee Tat - 5hrs 45mins
7) Patrick Lee - 4hrs 31mins
8) William Chin - 4hrs 32mins
9) Mr Thong - 5hrs 11mins
(Note: Ching Tai did not run due to recent injuries)

Full Marathon (Female)

1) Chooi Lin - 5hrs 7mins
2) Amelia - 5hrs 54mins

Half Marathon (Male)
1) Ah Teck - 1hr 46mins
2) Ah Tuck - 2hrs 32mins

Half Marathon (Female)
1) Moira Toh - 2hrs 29mins

10km (Male)
1) Mr Teh - 1hr 40mins

10km (Female)

1) Aunties Jenny - 1hr 30mins
2) Sharon Yap - 1hr 02mins
3) Christina Ong - 1hr 20mins

By Moira

Two Ordinary Runners with Extraordinary Feat

Note by KC: Dr. Tan and NgaeKH completed the Sahara Ultramarathon on last Saturday 31 March. They have just returned to Paris. Ngae completed the race in 50h 40m 43s (position 571/727) and Dr. Tan completed in 55h 01m 51s (position 627/727). More than 30 runners could not complete. That was their toughest challenge so far.

They will be visiting Dr. Tan' s friend and daughter in London for a well-rewarded holiday. They will depart from London on 6th April and arrive at KL Sentral at about 8pm on Saturday 7 April.

To see how they were in action, visit http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php for results and their smiling faces in the face of adversity.

BRAVO! Congratulations on their success in the Sahara Ultramarathon race -- touted by its French organizer as the toughest foot race on Earth.

Written by Chiam (P8):

Mr. Ngae has just completed the Sahara Ultramarathon recently. He is a simple man with a kind-hearted look, but he accomplished a lot by being focused and persevered in wanting to contribute to others by running for charity. He thinks for others in what he is doing.

I still remember during his days of training, he observed an old man scavenging rubbish bins for cans to sell and not receiving help from others in the form of begged money. He said, "I really respect this old man who have the self-esteem in working for his food and not accepting help from others." He also said that he has learned to like walking (arising from his training) and observing things how they unfold. The simple things in life enrich his view and wisdom.

Dr. Tan too, is simple and unconventional. I last saw him at Singapore International Marathon in December 2006. We were running together and it was drizzling. We were at the last 5km; I ran passed him and say “Hi”. He was steady and relaxing in his pace. He gave me a warm and vibrant smile: radiating to me a sense of camaraderie and team spirit as we are all are together, regardless of who we are.

I thought in my heart, a person of his stature can always chose to play golf or snugged comfortably at home, why was he running the marathon in rain or shine? I reflected and realized that it is the basic values that could have motivated him to do this: it is the passion in the things we do; it is the belief that we still can do; it is the urge to participate actively while we can; it is the knowledge and wisdom that happiness and fulfilment is within our reach when we have paid the price.

Their “nothing is impossible” mission tells us one very useful lesson: when we believe beyond a shadow of a doubt in the basic values of our life and make full use of what have bestowed upon us; for example, good health and the ability to walk and run, then we are ready to do more for ourselves, family, friends and mankind.

They are the leaders and role models we can have reference in our life in years to come.

BRAVO!

By Chiam

Note: all photos are extracted from the Sahara Ultramarathon official web site.

Ah Beng at Cheng Beng

It's Cheng Beng time and as the filial grandson, Ah Beng went to pray at his grandfather's grave.

After performing the formalities, he proceeded to burn the praying paraphernalia and firecrackers and was caught by a policeman patrolling the area.

Policeman: "Encik, do you know that it is an offence to let off firecrackers?"

Ah Beng: "I know letting off firecrackers has been banned."

Policeman: "Then why do you still do it?"

Ah Beng: "Since it is an offence to let off the firecrackers here and I remembered that during my grandfather's time, he was freely able to do so and loves letting off firecrackers during festivities. In order not to waste, I am sending him the firecrackers for him to let off. So that is why I am burning it together with the rest of the praying paraphernalia in order to send it to my grandfather!"

Flabbergasted and knowing that he is facing the Malaysian Mr. Bean and he cannot fault him for being filial, the policeman just walked away speechless!

Written by YapTK, a colleague.

Cheng Beng

I heard over the Chinese airwave, myFM, about a humorous story on Cheng Beng last week. It said that nowadays, other than performing the usual ritual and burning the replicas, we would include burning of firecrackers.

The reason is that it is more fun hearing the loud crack of firecrackers sound amid a quiet background. Another reason is to announce to the alive or dead loudly that “I was there”. Otherwise, the cemetery is just too quiet.

The cemetery at Beruas. Photos by KC

One important factor is due to “old habits die hard”: burning of firecrackers is banned during Chinese New Year days; so, they have to find another occasion and venue to “light those left over firecrackers”.

This year, one of the hot favourite items – replicas of day-to-day and luxury items – are a pack of all branded hand phones. Just in case certain transmission of wavelength such as GPRS or 3G is not receivable “up there”.

My grandparent's tomb.
x

The “goodies” are burnt in front of tombs so that their loved ones on “the other side” will receive them. Much like sending letters, the sender's and recipient's names are written on the paraphernalia to avoid wrong acceptance of goods.

I went back to my hometown in Beruas on Saturday 31 March with my uncle and brothers to pay respect to my grandparents. Starting the journey at 4:30 a.m., it reminded me that those Pacesetters runners would be getting ready to run the Xiamen International Marathon on the same morning.

I know most people would not have heard of Beruas town: it is located in Perak and Dr. Lim Keng Yaik (Minister of Energy, Water and Telecommunications) is the Member of Parliament of Beruas.

Standby for lighting firecrackers ...

Cheng Beng is an important event to me because that is the time that I would be able to meet my hometown’s friends. Nevertheless, the venue for meeting is somewhere unique – at the cemetery. Though we may not go back for Chinese New Year celebration, most of the friends would be back during this occasion.

True to the announcement in myFM radio station, I heard at least five occasions where firecrackers were let off at the cemetery. Who knows that in many years to come, burning of firecrackers at burial grounds on Cheng Beng day would become another custom.

By KC

KLIM 2007 – a Non-runner’s Report

Please click here for complete photo albums on KLIM.
x

I asked a few runners before Kuala Lumpur International Marathon (KLIM) 2007 on Sunday 18 March 2007. I received quite similar answers: “Die, die lah, did not have much training this time.” Well, these are the brave runners – gals and guys – who dare to take up a full marathon challenge as though they are running a 10km race. Bravo!

In my opinion, the lack of training could be due to the extended Chinese New Year celebration or the recent constant rainfall that hamper training schedule.

I notice one good development of runners in KLIM 2007: the runners are upgrading their category. For example, a runner is running half marathon formerly, run full this time; non-runners, run 10km. Well, mixing too much with full marathon runners, it is not surprised that they will run a full marathon – which is the ultimate objective in running – one day.

In photography, whenever a new, state-of-the-art camera or lens hit the market, the photo “kaki” (members) would like to use this phrase “poison your mind” to influence or encourage others to buy the new equipment (obviously better) that will eventually burn much bigger hole in the pocket. I hope it is not the same situation as in running.

Coincidently, a few days before KLIM, I was sending out emails inviting runners for a trekking trip. One runner responded: “KC, you wear outdoor trekking shoes more than the running shoes nowadays.”

On KLIM day, while I was taking photos for the event, surprisingly, quite a number of runners asked me when I would resume running to recover from the heel pain. After a quick analysis, it has to be after my 17-day trekking trip in Nepal starting from May 23.

Moira, after her half marathon race, came to chat with me while I was in the thick of action taking photos at the finishing line. She came all the way from Penang with her friends. It was a delicate situation as turning my head away to focus in the conversation would mean missing that opportunity to take photos for a friend or Pacesetters runner.

I was glad that she took a photo of me. It was a funny situation that both Jason Lee and I take thousands of photos for runners, but we never take photos for each other. I began to realize the problem when I wanted to publish Jason Lee’s most recent photo for a job well done.

True to a runner’s fighting spirit, Meng (penguin-2) was right there running in this event. Just two weeks before KLIM, he tripped and fell during Circuit Training Run at Lake Gardens that awarded him with 17 stitches on his head. He said that the timing in KLIM this time, 4 hours 29 minutes, was the worst among all his marathons so far.

Chee Wee (penguin-11) told me a funny story: he lost four kilograms of weight running in KLIM. On that morning, he woke up to prepare breakfast only to realize that there was no more oats. So he ate only two pieces of biscuits and ran the full marathon. He did not even take the Power Gel distributed at 30km mark. His body system could be converting his body fats or reserves into energy to sustain the journey. So, to loose weight, run a marathon! To loose more weight, run more …

One point needs mentioning: those runners that did not train much were all returned to the finishing line. Despite enduring much pain and muscle cramps, I still did not hear any swearing – for quitting full marathon.

Event Organization – The Good

Without doubt, KLIM 2007 was a well-organized event. I heard that with the abundance of water stations and drinks, the runners were most pleased with the organizer on handling the refreshments. The handling of finisher medals was systematically and orderly carried out. Two thumbs up for the organizer!

The Not so Good

Starting time: Have you been to a running event 15 minutes before the start of a race only to see a deserted ground? I empathize with a number of runners who showed bewilderment or frustration when they arrived at the starting line. The event for full and half marathons started half hour earlier from the original time, i.e. 5:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. respectively.

About 30 runners were seen arriving “late”. There were two runners who arrived at the starting point at 5:05 a.m. for full marathon. Effectively, they were only 5 minutes late. But in actual fact, they were 35 minutes after gun off. Nevertheless, that did not stop them and they proceed into the darkness.

To give those “late” runners a rousing send-off, the spectators actually cheered and applauded them to give them the encouragement.

I met one runner at the Pacesetters tent that he was not running because he did not want to run alone. So, I told him to wait for a while, and run with another “late” runner.

Usually, start time is postponed to later time to accommodate the arrival of VVIP to grace to occasion. However, to start the races half hour earlier than the original stipulated time was something quite new.

Announcer: Enough comments have been said about the two announcers. The male announcer spoke in a slow and dull tone – always think very hard of what need to say; whereas the woman announcer spoke too loudly and always treat runners like a school teacher addressing pupils. At times, both spoke in sarcastic voice.

Atmosphere: There were times that the entire Dataran Merdeka was as quiet that we could hear a pin dropped. The organizer missed the opportunity to present a good impression to all those that were there in the event. They could charge up the atmosphere to be more upbeat and interesting so that it was worth all the effort to go there participating in this international event. With Josie, Wong and Eng. Notice the do-re-me in height. Photo by Jackie.

Overall

It was a successfully organized event considering that there are noticeably more runners this time in all categories. Dataran Merdeka was tastefully lighted up as though we were in fairyland. It was a memorable event and I truly enjoyed myself busy taking photos or conversing with other runners. See you in next KLIM.

By KC

Selected Photos of PACM Dinner

What is your reaction when you see this photo? There is a guard equipped with a walky-talky (though the high-tech communication equipment is out of sync with the theme -- Wild Wild West) securing the door with signs that says:

No Weapons Past This Point!

Beware! Rattle Snakes!

My initial thought was that the organizer really made it look very real to have a guard to bring home the point.

With the "WANTED Dead or Alive" posters all over the wall, the guard could be keeping watch on the most wanted persons.
x
When I met Rose, she told me that someone was inside. With the camera in hand, it was like a passport to gain access through the guard. To my surprise, Tony (aka Penguin-3) was in there.

Without doubt, the star or the most attention-grabbing guy was Tony who dressed up as the Red Indian. He was the most suitable candidate due to his height and macho looking demeanour. Before I could finish taking photo for the current table, members from other tables already started to book for his appearance.

Base: Peck Yah, Corrine, Connie
Mid-level: Rose, Carol
Pyramid: Tony

The most appropriately dressed gentleman was Uncle Hooi; lady, Joanne. Photo was taken with the Club President, Mr. Munning.
x

By KC