SCKLM 2009 - Epilogue

Normally, I would write something here about myself. Maybe something that I missed out earlier. But I decided to write this epilogue of my postings on SCKLM 2009 about this gentleman here.

Mr. Gurdip Singh, finisher of SCKLM 2009. (Thanks Winnie for this photo)

BP and I met Mr. Gurdip while we were waiting for our friend Ravin at the finish line. He told us he was 65 year-old and had trained 4 years for this marathon. He said he was having short of breath and had to stop twice along the route to apply some medication to smoothen his breathing. He mentioned his family members asked him not to participate. I guessed maybe of health concern.

He finished the full marathon within the 6 hours qualifying time.

There were many stories around this marathon from all the runners. We all have our own story and our own purpose why we run a marathon. For Mr. Gurdip, I didn't ask him why he trained 4 years to run in a marathon. I could tell he had a purpose, and I guessed that was good enough.

My official result in SCKLM 2009

I got this from the result search page of the SCKLM 2009 website just now. Organiser has updated the results in reasonably fast time.

Net Start:04:59:10
Category:Full Marathon 42km
Net Time:04:39:09
Position:473 (348) I think the 473th is 42km Men overall, 348th is Malaysian runners only?
Finish Timing:04:40:08.28

Updated (4/7/09):

More detail result from Runpix.com. The position is in conflict with the above.

SCKLM 2009 - The good, the bad & the ...?

The (good) volunteers

Starting from the race pack collection, the volunteers were doing their best to ensure the runners would have good experience. Except from the chaos that was out of their control during Day 1 of race pack collection, I thought they did a good job handling so many runners' race packs. The responsibility for the chaos on Day 1 rack pack collection should be on the organiser.

I found the volunteers mostly very helpful and they were always busy directing runners or serving drinks. This time I saw many young volunteers, which was a good sign.

I believe the contribution of the volunteers was very much appreciated by all the runners.

The (bad then good, then bad) weather

The weather on race day started badly with rain pouring down 30 minutes before the starting time. To be fair, the organiser did allow the runners to take cover under the VIP tent. Although the runners stayed dry during that time, they were eventually got wet by the rain anyway as the rain poured moments before the start.

Luckily rain subsided and stopped a few minutes after start. I had a hunch on the rain coming, but there wasn't much I could do. I just prepared to face it mentally. I remembered the temperature at start was around 25 degrees Celsius.

The weather stayed cool and cloudy for most of my running time. The sun only start to find its way around the cloud at around 9:00am. By 10:00am, the heat from the sun was getting hotter. For those runners finished after 10:30am, the heat could be an issue.

The (good) route

The route was generally a flat one, except for steep hill at 30km mark (Jalan Hang Jebat) and an steep ramp turning into Jalan Istana at 33km.

The (not-so-good) finisher goodies

The Finisher T-shirt is not dry-fit type. The design was not worth mentioning. The medal is not made of the high quality pewter. I feel it is thin and light.


The (bad) water stations

From 33km onwards, most water stations were out of water by the time the full marathon runners were there. This is a serious matter. Some runners were so dehydrated until they suffered from cramps. I expressed my concern on shortage of water to the race director, Hemant Dua during the second runners clinic before the race, He assured me that there would be enough water. Unfortunately, I didn't raise that concern in the open, but instead privately.

By 11:30am, I was quite sure that there was NO more water at the all water stations. While BP & I were waiting for our friend to arrive, the organiser started giving bottled mineral water to the finishers. One lady runner got angry and complained no water at the water stations before this and only provide water after finish.

The (bad) distance marker

I saw an African runner running like a bullet at about 19km mark. He didn't wear a bib on his back. I was wondering why a fast runner like him only overtook me at this stage. 3km later I got the answer, I saw this runner walking dejectedly in the reverse direction. He was wearing a blue colour bib in front. He was a half marathon participant who ran accidentally on the full marathon route. (Note that the half-marathon race started 1 hour 15 minutes later than the full marathon race). The half marathon runner should have turn into another road at around 13km mark. By the time he realised it, his chance of podium finish was gone.

There were also confusion later for the half marathon and perhaps 10km runners as well when the routes overlapped at 33km of full marathon route. The distance marker only indicated the distance for the full marathon runners.

The (bad) after-run fruit station

By the time I finished the race at about 9:40am, besides looking for the medal collection booth, I was looking for the drink and fruit stations. Drink station was still serving isotonic drink. But I found the fruit station full of banana skins with no more bananas. There were no other fruits like watermelon or apple. Then I have to pay RM9 for a PowerBar because I really needed some carb and protein down my system.

The (bad) toilets

Because of the rain and coldness (or too much water-loading) in the morning, some (male) runners were seen answering nature's call during the first 10 km of the race. Normally these runners would go under a tree or side of the road to do what they need to do. These runners I counted more than 10.

The organiser had promised toilets along the route. But the temporary toilets only appeared later at 10km onwards

Another point worth mentioning, there were two temporary toilets at around 35km mark. The runners were running on the reserved rightmost lane. The toilets were at the left side of the road. In the middle were the fast moving cars of KL.

The (missing) pace makers

I asked Hemant on the pace makers before. The same information also appeared in the runner's guide book. The pace makers would have a coloured balloon tied to them. I didn't see them at the start, I didn't see them along the route, and I didn't see them after the finish.

The (missing) "Over 50,000 enthusiastic supporters along the route and at Dataran Merdeka" (page 17, runner's guide book). There were good supporters, but not 50,000 of them.

I didn't count properly or maybe I lost count. But I didn't think there were 50,000 enthusiastic supporters for SCKLM 2009.

But there were some supporters cheering for the runners from 33 km onwards. I appreciate these supporters. They were cheering for everyone they saw. At Dataran, there were more cheerleaders urging the runners on. Thanks!

While waiting for Ravin, BP & I were cheering for anyone that running towards the finishing line. I guess we understood how important that was.

Running a dream in Standard Chartered KL Marathon SCKLM 2009

With BP soon after he crossed the finish line.

"The running I can do, even if I have to crawl every last mile." - Terry Fox (28 July 1958 – 28 June 1981).

I draw my inspiration to complete my first marathon from Terry Fox, an amputee who became famous for the Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research, which Fox ran with one prosthetic leg. His cause is what I believe in and contributed for the past few years.

From a non-runner 9 months ago, now I can call myself a marathon runner. On this day of Fox's passing away 28 years ago, I paid tribute to him by displaying a T-shirt bearing the quote above at the finish line.

I felt really happy having completed my 42.195km in 4 hours and 39 minutes. It was tiring run but when I stood on the starting line today, I felt confident that I could do it. It was a great feeling after all the hard work in trainings has finally paid off.

I couldn't sleep last night although I went to bed early. But I was not sleepy. I was eager to start running and my energy level was high. Time passed quickly and it was 3:00am. I got up and went through my checklist before I departed for the run.

I parked my car in Padang Merbuk at 3:50am and BP arrived 2 minutes later. We walked to Dataran Merdeka less than 1 km away. We met Ravin there half an hour later. Lam pulled out last minute. So it was just three of us to start.

At 4:30am it started raining. The runners were forced to take cover under the VIP tent that was just next to the Start/Finish line. It rained for 10 minutes but it was not too heavy. Then at 4:50 am the runners were called to the starting line. But just 5 minutes before the start, the rain came down again. Luckily, just as we were starting, the rain slowly became a drizzle and stopped a few minutes later.

Runners taking shelter in the VIP tent.

I took this photo with my phone camera just before it rained (again) at the starting line.

Before I started running, I told BP to do the run-walk strategy and not overdo it. He wore his knee guard and it proved later to be a good decision. I also told him that if I finished first, I would wait for him at the finish line.

Because of the rain, the roads were slippery and some puddles around. So I started slowly and cautiously. Since there were too many runners around me, I couldn't speed anyway.

At 2.5km mark (Jalan Travers), I saw Janice and James standing at the road divider. They had promised to come to support BP and I. I was happy to see them. Janice took a photo of me but she forgot the flash.

Then I passed KL Sentral on my left going to Jalan Tun Sambathan. My old office was just around the area. So it was like "home ground" to me.

At around 5km mark (approaching the first water station), I saw Tey in front of me. This was his 39th marathon! When I saw him, I thought to myself, I must be running too fast. An experienced runner like him would run slow initially. The fact that I didn't see him at start and I saw him now, so I must be running too fast. I slowed my pace a little and continue with that pace until the 9th km when we turned to Jalan Cheras.

At 12km we turned right to Jalan Tun Razak. At 14km, there was an electronic check point followed by a water station with bananas. In this marathon, the water stations were located roughly at approximately every 2.5km along the route. At every station, I was mindful to drink a cup or two. Although I have a bottle of Gatorade with me, I was saving this for later stage of the race.

I was maintaining my pace until 17km mark when I upped my pace from 6'20" to 5'30". At 19 km mark, we turned into Jalan Ipoh, heading towards the city centre. I took a PowerGel there and drank two cups of water and isotonic drinks at 20km. After that I dropped my pace back to 6'20".

At 22km mark, I was in front of Petronas Twin Towers on Jalan Ampang. From here, I saw some runners were having problem with cramps and had to stop to do stretching. The next few kms were quite flat and easy. We passed through KLCC Convention Centre and were heading for the Golden Triangle. Around this area, I met Jeffery, a master treasure hunter who is also a runner. This was his 5th marathon according him.

At 30th km mark, I reached Jalan Sultan after passing the entrance of Petaling Street. 1 km before that, there was a PowerGel station and each runner was given one. I used that immediately knowing that after 32km was an "unknown" for me. "Unknown" because the longest run in my trainings so far was up to 32km. I wasn't sure what to expect after that. I certainly didn't want to hit the wall or suffer cramp later.

The water station at 30 km was followed by a steep climb on Jalan Hang Jebat. After taking a sip, I quickly took the opportunity to overtake some runners who were walking.

At 33km mark, it was another uphill going to Jalan Istana. This was where the marathon race route overlapped with the half-marathon and 10km run. From hereon I saw some 21km runners walking slowly. At this point, my worst fear came through. The water station there was closed due to no more water. Luckily for me, I still have my Gatorade, still unopened. So I quickly opened the bottle and start drinking almost half a bottle of it. I continued to take some sips from it at later part of the race.

From here I started to overtake many runners. I saw more runners having problems. I was careful not to get too excited. I didn't want to suffer the same fate as them.

There was a water station around 35-36km mark, so I took a cup of water there. This was near Jalan Damansara (Lebuhraya Mahameru). The road here was quite good but dangerous to run on. This was due to only the rightmost lane was reserved for the runners. This is a busy road even on a Sunday. At 37 km mark, I was still running under 4 hours. There could be a chance if I pushed, I could get a sub 4.5 hours finish. But I decided not to. After all I didn't want to risk it.

There was another water station near 38km mark, but with no water. Some runners were complaining there. This was a serious matter. Some people could die because of dehydration. The orgainiser has failed to provide enough water at this part of the route when it mattered most. After the chaos on last Friday race pack collection, I already decided to bring a bottle of Gatorade and save it until later part of the race. I was glad I did that. It really helped me at that stage of the run.

The 38-39 km was an easy downhill where I took chance to up the pace to near 6'10". The last three 3km was near Dataran Merdeka, but we had to turned to opposite direction to Jalan Raja Laut first.

There was a water station at 40km mark just before we turned back to Jalan TAR heading towards the finish line. At 41km mark, I saw Hugo (my ex-Head of Department in 2005), cheering me. I believed he was waiting for Ravin whom he knew well.

With 1km to go, I was really relieved to come so far and going to finish the race. Just 200m from the end, I picked up the Terry Fox T-shirt from my brother. I have asked him to come with my family. My mom was there at the finish line waiting for me too. I couldn't describe my feeling during the final few hundred metres. Happy was an understatement. It was beyond happy.


I stopped at the finish line holding the Terry Fox Run 2006 T-shirt high and savoured the moment. Ashley and Ashton came hugging me. I felt happy and speechless for a few seconds. My wife was there too with my mom. My brother took photos of us at the finish line.

The finishing moment was unforgettable. I finished my first marathon with my family, mom and brothers witnessing the historic moment. It took a while for it to sunk in. I thanked them all for coming and the support they showed.

Then I went to collect my finisher medal and T-shirt and snapped more photos with my family. As I'd promised to wait for BP, I asked my family, mom and brothers to return home first.

I waited for BP at the finish line, not knowing how he was doing, or if his knee would hold. I was really glad to see him crossing the finish line without pain in his knee. Although he finished an hour after me, but it was still under 6 hours (his target). I quickly took a photo with him and showed him where to get his goodies.

After that we waited for Ravin at the finish line. Ravin's wife also waited for him. He came in finally with the time of 7 hours 5 minutes. We ran with him for the last 100m. This was his maiden marathon too.

It was a memorable day for me. Having finished my first marathon within 5 hours and seeing my friends completed it as well. I hope to see more friends joining the marathon next time round.

I'm sure this will not be my last marathon. I have completed this run without too much suffering. So it is a good sign that I can do more (marathons) in the future. I'm not sure my next marathon target yet. One thing for sure, this is just a new beginning for me.

Quick update on SCKLM 2009

I've completed my maiden marathon in 4 hrs 39 minutes. Details later.

Dream it, plan it, run it

I will be running my first full marathon tomorrow. After months of training, the moment is really near now. It was only last September that I started running. Back then even 5km was really punishing for me. Since then, I went through a lot of sweat and pain to come to this stage. Looking back, running has made me a stronger person physically and mentally. For a person that once thought running a marathon and completing it was a dream, and nothing more; to a person that put that dream to plan, work through that plan and now hours away to run in it. This journey has been full of experience for me. No matter what happen, I will enjoy every moment of it. Even if being feeling pain, tired, and exhausted, I am sure it will be a run to remember for the good things that it had brought to me.

I will run with all the happy thoughts, my family, my parents and brothers and good friends on my mind. All of you have provided me support and encouragement in one form or another. I'm both fortunate and grateful for what I have so far. Without you all, I don't know if I can come this far. I have discovered my sense of purpose in you all, that is, "To live, to love, and to leave a legacy."

SCKLM 2009 Race Pack Collection

I got my SCKLM 2009 race pack today during long lunch break. In it, there is a running vest, a small towel, runner bib with timing device (RFID), runner's guide book, a back pack bag and some promotional items. For full marathon runners, there is one PowerBar that you can claim at PowerBar tent (not in the race pack). The PowerBar entitlement is not communicated to the runners at the race pack collection counters.

Queue for full marathon race pack.

Queue for half marathon race pack.

Queue for 10km race pack (most crowded).

Anyway, my first impression of the whole collection process was bad. When I first got there, there were already long queues and the queues weren't moving at all. Then we found out that the power to the tents was down. This caused the temporary computer network to be down as well. Without the online computer network, the volunteers cannot do anything. They were following procedures according to what they were told, i.e. they could not do anything until the system is up again. We waited for about 30 minutes to no avail and decided to go for lunch first near the Masjid Jamek train station some 300m away.

After lunch, we headed back to Dataran Merdeka and saw the queue moving albeit quite slowly. Anyway we decided to queue and waited for about another 30 minutes to collect our packs. BP went off earlier because he got an appointment to catch, so he left behind his details for me to collect on his behalf. I also collected for Lam. Lam told me that most likely he cannot make it to the run due to some personal commitment. I still asked him to try his best to make it to the starting line since he had trained for the run.

Anyway, I felt the whole process can be improved. There were many people collecting for others. Some people collected 20 packs, some 5 to 10. There should have a counter for group collection. Those people who come to collect for their pack only should not be waiting long because of some people collecting 20 packs in front of him.

Another thing is the power down issue. They should have power backup immediately and not leave the runners waiting. Before I arrived at Dataran, it was raining, I could imagine the frustration of the runners who were queuing in the rain and the system went down! Luckily for us, the rain stopped before we arrived.

So for those runners out there who have yet to collect your pack, you can go before 8:00pm today or from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday. Don't collect for your friends from another category. You will end up queuing a few times. Only collect for those who are running in the same category as you, unless you wouldn't mind queuing under the rain or sun for long period as warm-up to your race.