ASICS PENANG BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2014

The Asics Penang Bridge International Marathon 2014 will after this be referred as PBIM 2014.  This is a run on the new second bridge linking Penang Island to Butterworth (mainland).  The bridge spans a distance of about 21km (one way).  So, to do a full marathon you just need to do a one way trip to Butterworth and return to Penang Island (21 X 2 = 42km).

The flag off is separated into three intervals.  The first flag off is for Men Open wearing bib starting with initial "A" at 1:30 am.  The second is for Women Open at 1:45 am with bib "B" and at 2:00 am the Veteran Men and Women are flag off bibs "C" & "D".

The course I would say is about 90% flat.  The start of the race is immediately a steep ascend, thereafter a flat route up to kilometer 19.  Another climb there and we make a "U" turn at kilometer 21.  Again flat surface all the way until kilometer 41.  Immediately after the ascend, you run down straight to the finishing line.

My flag off time is at 2:00 am, this is for the veteran category men & women.  We are 15 minutes behind the women open category and 30 minutes behind the men open category.  My plan for the race was to run at pace 8 mins/km for 3 hours and 8.30 secs/km for the next 2 hours and finally push at pace 7.30 until the finish line.  This would get me below 5:45 for the full marathon if I don't experience any cramps or knee pain.  In my previous 2 marathons I never miss experiencing cramps at kilometer 25.

This is what actually happen.  After running 5 km, I notice that my comfortable pace was at 7.45 to 7.50.  So I let it be.  After 3 hours at that pace, have got 23 kilometers pass me.  I have exceeded by 500 meters from my initial plan. I stop to change my socks as they are already soaking wet.  I continue my run planning to go at 8.30 pace for another 2 hours.  However I found that I am more comfortable at 8.15 pace.  So I thought that would be alright.

Reaching the 30th kilometer marker I was told that many runner would Hit The Wall. I don't know what that is, but I assume it has got something to do with you feeling very tired, getting the cramps and cannot run anymore.  I was waiting for it to happen to me, but the kilometers seems to pass by relatively easy for me without any of those feelings.  At kilometer 38 I can already see my last ascend two kilometers ahead of me.  I am already feeling very tired.  Since I have gained some extra time and there is only 4 kilometers more to got, I thought to myself - forget the plan that I have the past 5 hours  adhered to.

During the ascend and kilometers 40 to 41, I walked.  But at a fast pace.  My plan was, upon reaching the top, I will run down fast, straight to the finish line.  But this did not happen.  I guess I hit the wall at kilometer 41.  After finishing the climb, leaving the last kilometer to run downhill, I could not run anymore.  Every step I take felt like I was pulling something heavy.  So what I did was run, walk, run & walk.  Of course, nearing the finishing line I ran as strong as I can to have a nice photo finish.

That is me at kilometer 41.5 running and walking.  I finished the race in 5.48 placing me at 829/1770 in the Men Veteran category.  Had I registered for the Men Open category, I would be at number 1565/5311 (within the 30% group).  If I were to combine the Men Open and Men Veteran category, at 5:48, I would be at 2391/7081.

From the above computation, I can say that there are more strong marathon runners in the Veteran category then the open category.

As for the organisation of this event, given a rating of 1 to 10 with 1 being bad  and 10 being very good, I would rate at 5.  There is no exit after finishers run pass the finishing line.  There was havoc at the finishing line with some people taking selfies right at the finishing line.  My compliments is that there was sufficient water station with bananas and buns.  Good food for breakfast for 42 km finishers.  My advise for the organizers is to go for quality and not quantity.

Mount Semeru, East Java, Indonesia

This is a log of my adventure ascending Mount Semeru (3,676 meters) third highest peak in Indonesia after Puncak Jaya (4,884M) in Papua Province and Mount Kerinci (3,805M) in Sumatra.

There are 10 of us in the group. From left to right in the pic below, Kerul Syukri, Shauqie Assegaf, Shahrizan (group leader),  Kay Ma Haneul, Nor Zaitulailla and Cik Nomi (3 potters/guides and me - not in the pic). 

We were advised in advance to be prepared for a very cold night in Ranu Kumbolo and Kalimati (the base camp for Mt. Semeru). Thus, the heavy clothing you see in the pic. We started from Ranu Pane at about 6 am.  The weather was good, cool and crispy. After a small briefing and warm-up lead by Shahrizan, we started our 4 hours trekking up to Ranu Kumbolo.  This is a relatively easy ascend except for a few steep climbs.  We reached Ranu Kumbolo just in time for lunch.

We had our lunch at the hut in the picture below.

Ranu Kumbolo is 2,400 meters above sea level an is situated within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Trekkers who don't intend to climb up to Semeru will camp here. There is a beautiful lake - about 15 hectares in area. This lake is the only source of water here.  Please

be considerate.  Do not pollute the water! Answering nature's call must be done far-far away from the lake.

You can see above that I have taken off all the thick clothing as it's already noon (about 20 degree Celsius).  We have trekked for more than 4 hours.

After lunch we had to continue trekking for another 2 hours to reach the base camp.  This how the trail looks like. This is also the easy part of the climb. The landscape is undulating and the scenery is beautiful.  I would recommend that you bring your camera with a huge memory card because you would be snapping non-stop. Don't forget to bring extra batteries as well.

Another reminder is ~ bring along a mask or something to cover your nose.  Mount Semeru is a stratovolcano, which means it is built by volcanic ash. The ash on the ground is light and powdery in nature and will float up into your face and nose when the person in front of you walks over it.  

We reached Kalimati (2,700 meters) with about 3 hours daylight left and quickly pitched our tents for the night.

Water point is about 1/2 (half) hours walk from the camp site.  So you may want to bring some water from Ranu Kumbolo lake to avoid having to walk the extra one hour (to and fro). By this time were all exhausted.  We took some light meal and prepare to doze-off.  2 am will be the ascend to Mt. Semeru.  This is the toughest part of the climb. 

 For Mt. Semeru climbers, this is the starting point of the ascend. We

 

started our ascend at about 2 am and plan to reach the top at 5 am where we can catch the sunrise over the horizon. The peak of Mt. Semeru is called "Puncak Mahameru" by the locals.  However, we were only able to reach the top at around 6.30 am.  This is because we have underestimated the difficulty of the climb.

As mentioned earlier, Mt Semeru is a stratovolcano and is built from volcanic ash and lava strewn out from volcanic eruptions.  The ground you step on is soft and unstable.  For every three steps up you take, you tend to slide back two steps.  You need to be on all-four if you don't have a walking stick.

I was lucky my son was here about a month earlier.  He practically insisted that I bring two walking sticks.  He is an Ultra Marathon runner and a triathlete; it took him 5 hours to reach the top. The walking stick helps a lot.  I reached the peak in 4.30 hrs. Another thing you must have is - mental strength. You can see the peak but you just cannot reach it!  You must have patient and determination to reach Puncak Mahameru.

The Crater at Puncak Mahameru is called "Jonggring Saloko" at a height of 3,744 meters. The crater spills lava on the South side.  That is why the guide will not take you up from the South side of Mt. Semeru.  The temperature at the top is around 0 - 4 degree Celsius.  At night the temp would be around 3 - 8 degree Celsius for the surrounding area (including Kalimati) and 15 - 21 degree Celsius during the day. 

That's me at the top of Puncak Mahameru and behind me is the Jonggring Saloko crater.

All of us with the 3 potters/guide

Happy people after a successful climb (peerahh)

Search & Rescue Course

Dah lama dah tak menulis....takut lupa punya pasal ni saya tulis sikit2.

Pikir punya pikir, lebih baik saya tulis pasal Search & Rescue Course di Awana Genting 2 minggu yang lepas. Ini pun untuk refresh my memory apa yg dipelajari dan untuk buat reference later.

Alright, first saya tak register pun nak pergi. Ni semua Muhammad punya pasal. Dia register tapi tak dapat pergi, jadi saya terpaksa replace dia. Kena bayar RM130 kat dia. Tak habis takat tu, kena beli beg Deuter (85 + 10 liter) harga RM990 dan sleeping bag RM150. Ooops lupa towel RM70.

Sampai lah hari Sabtu 10 September 2011. Saya pun terpacak kat meeting point yang telah organizer tentukan. Seperti biasa, saya orang pertama. Janji jam 8.30, cukup peserta jam 10.30. Ni lah namanya sengal. Buat orang tunggu 2 jam, si Frid tu perserta yang terakhir sampai.

Nama peserta ialah Raymond, Tun, Jammie, Sharon, Jeremy, Frid & Iskandar. Staff organizer ialah Jimmy, Hari & ntah dah lupa dah. Tapi dia orang tua bergayut.

Ni gambar masa kami mula turun ke base camp. Masa ini semua masih kuat lagi.

Yang ini pula our first outing. Masa ini lah kami belajar tentang how not to get lost and how to help your rescuer locate you. Basically kalau tak mau hilang, paling mudah buat "paper trail" iaitu, buang kertas sepanjang perjalanan, supaya boleh backtrack kalau hilang. Satu lagi cara ialah buat mark kat pokok.

Peringatan yang penting ialah, bila berjalan jangan asyik ikut bontot orang. Pandang atas dan cuba kenal dan memorize tempat-tempat yang kita lalu. Ini adalah supaya mudah kita cam jalan bila kita nak patah balik.

Satu lagi pelajaran ialah macamana nak mengelak dari kena pacat. Pacat suka bahagian yang terpanas di badan kita. Seperti di celah2 jari kati dan celah2 lain, hehehe. Pakai lah seluar tight yang panjang, di salut pula dgn stokin, kemudian stokin tu ikat dgn getah. Kalau rajin, stoking tu rendam dengan air tembakau kemudian jemur sampai kering sebelum pakai. Pacat benci bau tembakau. Tapi manusia suka.

Bila masuk hutan jangan lupa bawa ubat nyamok dan spray ridsect. Banyak kegunaannya. Bawa banyak plastik sampah yang besar2 untuk cover baju dan beg kalau hujan. Ground sheet biar besar supaya boleh lepak ramai2. Tali biar lebih mana tahu nak gantung baju basah ke, towel ke. First aid kit is compulsory, buat lah satu dari sekarang sikit2. First aid kit mesti WATER PROOF. Takda maknanya kalau kit tu dah basah. Wistle, torch light, lighter, compass dan sebagainya tak perlu saya cakaplah kan.

OK cukup lah setakat ini, sebab dah takde idea lagi....

Newton 25KM Challenge

That's me at the finishing line...no sweat!

The night before the run.

At the starting line.

During the run.Finisher's T-Shirt.




*********MY NEWTON SHOES**********

Kuala Lumpur Half Marathon 27 June 2010

This is how I look like after finishing the 21KM run...still strong!

Peminat-peminat yang menuggu di garisan tamat.

29 & 20 Mei - Gunung Merapi, Jogjakarta

Jam 10 Malam 29 Mei, Adek & saya tunggu Dr. Zaid di Lobby Hotel Adabi. Lebih kurang jam 11 malam, Dr. Zaid sampai dengan rombongan Mike (Australia) Geovarni (France) seorang perempuan dari Singapore dan boyfriend dia dari Gemany dengan pemandu kereta - orang tempatan.

Kami sampai ke pejabat tour agent jam 1 pagi 30 Mei. Rehat dan isi borang disclaimer dan minum kopi secawan.

Jam 2 pagi waktu Indon kami mula berjalan. Start dengan berjala n atas jalanraya yang lurus naik ke langit lebih kurang 1 jam. Ini saja dah cukup untuk memancitkan sesiapa saja yang kurang fit. Dalam kumpulan kami ada 4 orang asing yang dah sebut tadi, kamir 3 orang dan 2 guide - semuanya 9 orang.

Di perhentian pertama ini, Mike dah nak drop-out, jadi yang teruskan perjalanan tinggal 7 orang, sebab seorang guide terpaksa menghantar mike balik. Lebih kurang 2 jam perjalanan mendaki gunung dalam hutan yang gelap gelita, kumpulan sudah terpisah menjadi 2. Kumpulan depan 3 orang asing dan 1 guide. Dan mujurlah kumpulan kami bertiga dapat berjumpa dengan guide yang hantar Mike tadi. Rupanya dia tak hantar Mike, tapi cuma tinggalkan Mike saja. Jadi sekarang ada 2 kumpulan. Setiap kumpulan mengandungi 3 pelancung dan 1 guide. Dan kumpulan kami terkebelakang sedikit lebih kurang15-20 minit atas sebab sebab berikut: -

1. Saya berhenti untuk buang ayer besar 5-10 minit
2. Kami berhenti untuk solat subuh. Dr. Zaid ajar cari bertayamum. Solat di atas bukit yang sunyi dan dingin sungguh menusuk kalbu. Rasa macam orang Taliban pun ada.
Kami meneruskan perjalanan hingga jam 5.30 pagi jam Indon dan berhenti untuk berfoto dan sarapan pagi.

Gambar di atas menunjukkan kemuncak Gunung Merapi. Nampak kecil di belakang tetapi unutk sampai ke atas, memerlukan pendakian lebih-kurang 80 darjah dan mengambil masa lebih daripada 1 jam. Pendakian yang akhir ini sangat merbahaya sebab batu-batu tempat kita berpaut sangat longgar, pasir-pasir tempat berpijak sangat licin dan cerun yang sangat curam.
Pada masa ini, cuaca baik tetapi sangat sejuk. Maklumlah kami sudah lebihkurang 2500 meter tinggi dari paras laut. Cuma tinggal lebih kurang 500 meter lagi nak sampai kemuncak. Kami mendaki dengan berhati-hati.

Sedang mendaki semakin tinggi, saya perasan saya mula berpeluh. Mengapa ye? Sepatutnya semakin sejuk, tetapi rasa semakin panas. Baru saya perasan dari celah-celah batu yang saya pegang keluar asap. Saya pun buka glove dan pegan batu - panas! Batu yang saya pegang tu panas sebab kami sudah hampir ke kemuncak, makanya hampir ke kawah gunung berapi. Yess!


Setibanya kami di kemuncak, kami disambut oleh kumpulan yang pertama tadi. Oleh kerana mereka belum sarapan, mereka terus turun dan tunggu kami di "last stop" tadi.
Kami terus berlegar-legar mengambil foto dengan bermacam- macam aksi. Kami tak berani nak berdiri terlalu dekat dengan kawah gunung berapi sebab tanahnya tak kukuh. Bila-bila masa boleh runtuh.

Selesai sudah pendakian kami. Kami turun ke "last stop" tadi untuk menghabiskan makanan dan minuman kami supaya kami turun lebih ringan.


Sedang sedap berehat, tup-tup munchul si Mike pulak dengan group lain. Rupanya masa kita tinggalkan dia tadi, dia ikut group lain (budak-budak universiti tempatan) naik. Dia kata budak-budak ini baik-baik. Share ayer mereka dengan dia dan berjalan perlahan-lahan dengan dia. Mike - sedang berdiri, dua dari kiri.

Kami turun jam 8.30 pagi - dengan laju nya. Jam 12.00 tengah hari sudah sampai kat bawah.

29 Mei 2010 Borobudur, Prambanan & Merapi

CANDI BOROBUDUR

Pagi-pagi kami bertolak ke Borobudur - 2 jam perjalan. Sampai sana, matahari dah kat atas kepala. Apa lagi, Pak Long, Dato & Kol Suran duduk bawah pokok je lah. Lepas tu pergi round naik keretapi macam dalam zoo negara.

Tak sangka pulak King Kong boleh masuk dan berjalan-jalan dalam Borobudur. Besar tempat tuh. Tentu senget-senget badan lepas berjalan lama-lama.

Candi Borobudur ialah kuil Buddha. Katanya, ia di bina lebih awal lagi dari Angkor Wat kat Cambodia. Tempat ini sungguh cantik. Tak sangka orang-orang zaman dulu kala pandai macam ini.

Ukiran pada dinding Candi

CANDI PRAMBANAN

Selesai pusing-pusing di Borobudur kami berangkat pula ke Candi Prambanan. Perjalanan memakan masa lebih dari satu jam. Sekarang semua orang dah penat. Bila sampai saja, Mr. CEO dah nak tumbang, kena tolak dengan whell chair. Yang tolak, Pak Long...pun tak larat juga. King Kong tadi, bukan main kuat kat Borobudur dah kecundang, lepak kat kedai kopi je. Duit bayar, tapi tak masuk pun.

Nampak yang hebat shopping kat luar Candi ialah Kapitan dan Abang Mam. Abang Mam siap beli basikal kayu lagi untuk nak bawa balik.

Ceritanya Candi Prambanan ini adalah kuil Hindu yang tercantik di dunia. Nampaknya memang pun. Cuba tengok...

Balik dari Candi Prambanan Adek (anak Pak Long) dan saya pergi ke kedai Eiger di Jalan Malioboro untuk beli torch light, kasut dan gloves untuk mendaki Gunung Merapi pada jam 10 malam ini. Tak tidur lah jawapnya...

Lepas itu kami ke kedai Indomaret - serupa 7 eleven kat sini lah. Kami beli coklat, biskut, buah dan air untuk isi perut semasa mendaki nanti.