Kuala Lumpur International Marathon 2008

The recently concluded AMBank Kuala Lumpur International Marathon ended with mixed fortunes for our Club runners - not that winning times rule all, but some of our runners (due to insufficient training mileage or conditioning work) posted times below par and the less fortunate came back with injuries, and getting drenched! However not to be discouraged, we advise those who need time to recuperate, to take timeout during the next few weeks and don't commit yourself to our upcoming assignment - Round-the-House Relay which is on Apr/13, and the time-trial this weekend (Apr/6).

Some notable occurrences during our trip to KL:
We booked our bus tickets (PG/KL) from the KKKL agency. Even though the stated time of departure is 9.30am, the bus did not actually arrived at the Sg.Nibong depot until 10.00am. When we boarded the bus, to our pleasant surprise it was indeed a very nice and comfy coach - some said it was like traveling 1st class on air. Hmm..I've never been on 1st class before therefore I can't vouch, except that it was indeed comfortable. The ride was smooth and zippy all the way and we had only one relief-stop which was somewhere around Sg.Bakap (gas station). Definitely a recommended coach to travel in if you want to charter your next trip out of Penang, but don't take my word just yet, as I have yet to check out its entire fleet.

We arrived at Pudu bus depot at around 2.30pm (departed 10.20am). Weather in KL was indeed warmer, indeed that is to be expected of a big city. We walked straight to our destination - the Wesley Church dorm which is located within the vicinity (10 min walk) of Pudu bus depot. We met our gracious host (Jordan Lee) who was already in his room waiting for us with all the necessary logistics ready to be distributed. One smooth arrangement indeed (thanks for the great work, Jordan). Some of us had quick showers before we left the dorm for lunch nearby. Lunch was nondescript local fare at Pudu itself. Price wise, hmm...I wouldn't want to say much, that is KL for you. However I have never had lunch over here before, and searching for food among the stalls was a bit disconcerting - the hawkers/servers would try to pull you to their stalls that some of them were so adamant that you should select their stalls to eat from. Some would not hesitate to pull or touch you, to prevent you from moving away. It can be intimidating if you aren't in the right mood to handle such situations. At any other time I would find this testy - no touching please.

After lunch, we proceeded to buy our return tickets, and my first intention was to obtain them from the same agency that we came from, but others suggested the agency (Konsortium), which according to hearsay, offers one of the best rides (refreshment inclusive). So we got our tickets (9 altogether, minus KokChuan who wanted to stay back with friends after the event) from Konsortium. Prior to purchasing the tickets, I had a harrowing time with ticket tontos haggling outside the counters, swarms of them that once I was within the ticketing area, some of them would (again) pull me to their counters. When I saw what they were doing, I headed towards other counters, and to my surprise they followed me wherever I go - saying they represented any of the agencies I choose to opt for. I must have looked confused and lost, when one sympathetic pakcik who introduced himself to me as PakAli (later wrote on the ticket), asked the menacing tontos to leave me alone - nice guy indeed. I got my 9 return KL/PG tickets for 2.30pm the next day. Walked out a relief man :)

Thereafter we decided to walk around 'Chi Cheong Kai', ie. Petaling St., if you have not heard before. It was a typical pasar malam atmosphere, except you have it all day long till midnight - I think. Shortly thereafter, in typical KL weather, it showered - afternoon shower, rather heavy, but a welcome relief in the hot and humid weather. We huddled into a nearby coffee shop among the slum dwellings - not for the hygiene conscious mind you. Well, this is the melting pot of KL I guess. Prior to this, we had somewhat mindlessly split into 3 groups wandering about in KL. One group (the hip among us) went bargain hunting among the posher places in the inner city. Got to admire their tenacity to roam about on foot for hours (one on heels). In this bustling corner of KL, I guess one could not actually feel bored wandering thereabout.

Meanwhile our entourage had a dour stop sheltering in the slums, watching the bustling activities going about. The hired guns went about their chores in a very efficient manner that one would conclude time is indeed money here. People moving about swiftly, goods sold, money changing hands, commerce for study.

Shortly after we arrived back at our dorm, Jordan called and invited us to dinner. I gathered all the guys, as many as I can text, and we went down to a nearby very old shack kopitiam. The people looked old too, like coming from the 70s era but the food is good - served from experienced hands, one can only be thankful. The group that went bargain hunting did not actually make it to dinner until we had finished ours. Later they ordered various type of noodles for dinner. All this come under the expense of Jordan (thank you, sir).

By the time we went back to our dorm it was close to 10pm, and having had chinese tea, one can expect the caffeine effect kick-in and it will not let you retire to bed easily. I was having difficulty slumbering myself when KokChuan and WenChien came to invite us for a walkabout, where else but 'Chi Cheong Kai'. The thing that please my eyes was to see the angmohs sipping beer on chillers, on eye-pleasing laid-out tables along the sidewalk - good times, angmoh style. A good walkabout was the perfect tonic to get me to sleep as I found myself dozing off the moment I lay down in my room.

Next morning, we woke up at4am (the marathoners earlier) and starting having light breakfast with tea (favorite pick-me-up beverage for runs). A bit of stretching (to enhance bowel movement) and a cold shower later, we were off to Dataran Merdeka. It was nice to jog in inner city in the early hours - especially with group of friends. Some of us, those entering 10K and 7K events have to follow us (half-marathoners) to the square at this early hours as well because they were new to this.

We met our fellow Penang runners (Club PVAA) on the way there. Precisely at 6am we were flagged off. This time there's a bit of modification to the route - we had a repeat passage of the start/end point during the first kilometer. It was nice to have people cheering for you at this point. Besides this, I am sure somewhere along, there were route modifications too. Refreshment checkpoints can be found at every 5km juncture with mixtures of drinks - plain, 100Plus and some other isotonic drink. This year the traffic were somewhat heavy at certain junctures - some say that was due to QingMing festival. I couldn't tell, but that was no problem for me. What troubles me after 15km or so was the toughness of the road, with constant up/down terrain and the tiny pebbles that were found along the road starts getting to my sore feet. After 18km, with 3km to go, I found my legs tightening a little and my energy sapped. I know that I did not cover enough mileage during my training and also lack of carbs - gotta load on pasta next time. For the last 3km, I had to walk mostly, except when the terrain rolls forward for me - you just have to seize whatever advantages that come. With my energy quickly sapping away, I grabbed myself a bottle of mineral water and ran/walk with it all the way to the finishing. Finally triumphed in 2' 8" - far short of my target 1' 50". Never mind, I know what was missing in this race, next time perhaps.

After a walkabout in the field checking out the multitude of sponsors/promoting stalls displaying their wares-on-offer and a few photo sessions, we decided to head back to our dorm at 9.30am (sorry Zahari, because I promised to stay back with you to take more pictures but I wanted to get back so I could massage my sore leg). Our great marathoner. Jordan Lee, has yet to cross the finishing line but we just want to go back and rest. Again, Jordan, our apology for having left you to walk back alone by yourself.

At 12 noon, again, Jordan brought us to lunch, the same said place we had for dinner. After that we checkout and arrived briskly at Pudu bus station. In order to maximize the passenger load, the agency could not let the passengers know which bus they would be boarding. So we had to huddle in the humid commute lot while waiting for each arrival and straining our ears to hear if the conductor is calling out for specific departure hours. There was a slight confusion as we were not sure if we had missed our bus (which was due for 2pm) when the hour had passed, but still no calls for our due. Amid this, WenChien did a quick headcount and he found that we had 10 passengers boarding on 9 tickets. How could this be, I was trying to figure out who was the extra guest. A quick run-thru, I found that one of our guests, Muniandy, was not on our(mine) list of arrival (at least not under my account). So I had to apologize to him, refund him, and ask him to rush to the ticket counter to get another ticket on his own. My apology, Mr Muniandy. I hope you had arrived back safely.


The Konsortium bus, as it turned out was not what we thought it would be. It was old and creaky - worse, it leaks. And no refreshments - it must be a joke when someone said it does. Somewhere along Tapah, it rained heavily and almost the entire bus had a leak point somewhere. The worse hit was the seat where Serina was seated. It was drenched and she had to sit on the floor for the rest of the journey. Again, our apology to you Lady, for this untoward incident. Adding to that, the driver was also breaking the speed limit in the rain (I think) and at one juncture the bus was swerving nervously in heavy rain. Again someone (Serina) had to give him another dress down. Thanks for the work, Lady. At a quick relief stop somewhere after Taiping, the driver looked somewhat sheepish when some passengers gave him a few polite pointers. Well, at least he behaved when faced with torrential questions.

We arrived back in Penang at around 7.00pm. A memorable trip, albeit with a bit of untoward incidents, but nothing to complain about - except for the drenched seat. She is seeking a refund from the agency, which I hope she gets it. I shall see, how I can help her get her refund.

Notes:
• BengEng who had prior foot injury, aggravated the injury during the run, and he had to limp all the way back. We wish him well during the recovery period.
• See graphic for the results among our Club members. Notable performers are KeanEwe and KokChuan.
• We did not get to meet our fellow Club member (Niam) who had gone there on his own accord.
• Our huge gratitude to our good friend, Jordan Lee, who took the extra distance to make our stay a comfortable one and then more, having treated us to sumptuous meals. God Bless, Brother.
• More photos can be found at our Flickr photo-store

Extracted results of BDRC members and our contingent guests, captured from the official site.