I took a 3-week hiatus from my weekly races.  I was glad to have some time to recover from the injuries I had sustained.  Still, I got back to running short distance at slower pace by mid-week.  One week before the SSBR & AHM (quite a mouthful in full so I am using the acronym instead), I went to Marina Square Mall to collect the race pack and was greeted by a long queue.  I quickly joined the queue for the Half Marathon.   My running buddy, Chia SY, was on his way too and he soon joined the other queue as he had opted for the 5 km fun race.  We also met Zhi Yong and Yvonne Siew from JustRunLah who are the creator and ambassador of the Performance Series respectively (next in October !).  They definitely looked very fit and trim in person too !

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This SSBR & AHM event was the 24th edition and it had skipped last year.  Loyal runners appeared glad to have this back and many had praises for this round vs last year’s based on comments after the event.  It is my first year in this though.  It featured two competitive categories – the 21km Army Half Marathon and SAFRA 10km Race, as well as two non-competitive categories – the SAFRA 5km Fun Run and Families for Life 800m Challenge.

Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Operationally Ready NSmen (ORNS) and those who have completed their ORNS training cycles enjoyed a significant discount of over 75 percent on registration fees for the 21km, 10km and 5km categories. Their immediate family members and also those of SAF active servicemen enjoyed more attractive registration packages from as low as $9 for the 5km category onwards.  This, I think, was a plus point too, for attracting the over 42000 participants as reported after race day.  I had no idea of the final number at that time in the queue, but I was prepared for long queues for race packs, after having done this for the 19th time this year for the competitive races.  It took about half an hour for me to reach the counter and the pack was handed over in less than 3 minutes.

The race pack besides containing the usual, also had an event guide that showed information on the programme, carnival layout, instructions on race day, bib, route map, pacer information etc.  Very comprehensive.  Still, many might have also appreciated the online version available more, and also the road closure details on the site, nearer race date.

On Friday, the annual haze came back with a vengeance and within 24 hours, it already hit the unhealthy level in the region where I stayed, threatening the cancellation of the event as the day’s PSI crept up.  On Saturday, it dipped a bit but the acrid smell lingered in the air.  I believed like me, most runners were praying/hoping that the weather would improve by Sunday morning somehow.  I tried to sleep earlier that night but still ended up sleeping near midnight and woke up at just after 3 am.  The organizer, in view of the haze condition, had given clear guidelines (Kudos to them) on how they would proceed depending on the 3 hour reading of the pollutant indicator.  I checked the PSI for 3 am, and it was at moderate level so I knew we would proceed.  Yeah !   (This was also confirmed on their website at 3.10 am that morning.  In addition, I received the sms from the organizer that it was all systems go at about 4.11 am, when I was on my way already to the venue.)

I drove to the Raffles City Mall car park, and made my way to the venue, just in time to hear the DJ counted down from 10.  But the crowd was huge and it took a long 7 minutes before I crossed the official start line.

For the first 8 km, I felt good and ran at a comfortable good pace, overtaking folks throughout the 8 km.  I was also counting my blessings that the haze didn’t worsen overnight so I was ready to enjoy the race.

The first hydration point seemed a bit sudden.  I spotted it, but I didn’t stop.  A few runners ahead had shot past the point some distance before realizing they had missed the hydration point.  A few backtracked and a few just muttered darkly under their breath.  This was one race where I saw that at every hydration point, the runners were all packed (usually 3 persons deep) around the hydration points along the whole stretch of long tables, each time. Hydration points were available every 2 km or so.   I stopped only at 4 of these points not wanting to add to the layer.  Besides water, there was 100 plus provided at some stations though I only managed to get them at one station only.   Towards the end, I saw some volunteers handing out bananas too.  I skipped that too.

I must have missed the first few distance markers somehow too for first 3 km.  I saw the 4 km marker and after that, there were clear distance markers every 1-2 km.

The frustration of the runners came after the 8 km mark.  We hit the bottlenecks one after another where we actually had no choice but to shuffle slowly across.  The runners this time too were also rather vocal, perhaps because of the vigor and youthfulness of the majority of the runners.  But it was just pure vocal venting.  No one was pushed nor any kind of mishaps happened.   Everyone was still pretty good natured though a few voiced the same thoughts I had.  No more PBs for this race !   I counted 3 major bottlenecks and 2 minor ones in that short, about 2 km or more stretch.  One stretch was just beside the reservoir water where a barrier separated us.  I saw the narrow corridor on the other side of the barrier and entertained thoughts of ‘Spartan climbing’ over and running along the inside, free of the crowd.  But it was just for brief relief.  I dismissed the thought almost as immediately.

By that time though, I had lost the original rhythm but tried to make the most out of it. The strange thing at that time was that I was still able to overtake folks throughout.  (Later, I realized it could be due to just the sheer number of participants.)   It was getting rather humid and slowly warming up too.

When I reached the finishing point, we were separated into the 10 km and the 21 km category to collect our finisher medal and Tee.  It was then I realized that the majority of the runners I was running with, then, were from the 10 km category, as they all branched towards the left.  No wonder they looked so energetic !

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We were also rewarded with one can of 100 plus and one banana.  I thought of asking for one more can when I saw the volunteer glaring in response to someone else who had just asked before me.  He seemed to be saying, ‘how dare you ask for one more can?’ and pushed the can instead to next in the queue, me.  I thought well, probably instructions were given clearly and they must be really short of 100 plus due to the huge crowd this time.  Still, probably they could be nicer about explaining the shortage or limitation.

Overall, for a crowd of over 42000 strong, the event was well organized.  To make it even better, it would be great if there were more controlled waves, perhaps for a third of the mass who might be wanting to run a good competitive pace though not podium finishers, given the narrow stretches at certain parts of the route.  The route was fairly straightforward and though there were loops, I didn’t find it dull but enjoyable to take in the fresh air in the early dawn period. I liked the design of the medal and it is of good quality.  I read about a couple of folks getting the wrong distance medal and hoped they could be exchanged by the organizer somehow.  The timing was also released very efficiently, within a day, despite the volume.  It is one of the highest value for money race so far.  I am sure many, like me, would look forward to the next one too.

Probably because of the sheer numbers attracted this year, I also realized from FB photo posts, that a number of my FB friends who are into running, were also at the race.  One of them is still serving in NS and he did a superb quick time given that he had also participated in the 12 km PUMA race the night before.  Happy for him that he had a personal best time of 1:43, and achieved targets together with his pals in his Armour unit.  And my buddy also bumped into his ex-student and his girlfriend.  Another seasoned runner also went with his buddies and even posed with Spiderman.   And those in front would probably not miss the awesome character, Ah Siao too. (Photo credits are due to my FB Friends : Chia SY, Danny Stamina, Kevin Tan CS, SSBRAHM- timeline photos and Running Shots !)

Runners may be loners at times, but they are not lonely and know when to have a good time, especially during and after races too (just look at their smiling faces) !  For me, this half marathon is also a prep for my next huge challenge, Spartan Beast !  But a few more races before that too.  Till then, run happy, run safe !

Prelude

The Compressport 100 Malaysia Series consists of 2 events; The Penang Series in August and The Semenyih Series in November. I had initially registered only for the Semenyih Series after a friend invited me to join them for that. Some time after that I got to know of the combo challenge which includes the Penang Series hence I registered for that as well. Both series offer 25km and 50km challenge and I took the 50km option for both.

Preparation

This being my first overseas Ultra Trail event, there were a couple of stuff that I would need to get e.g. the jacket, emergency blanket etc as these were listed as mandatory for the 50km runners.

I also did some off road running in preparation for the event and the MSIG Singapore Action Asia 50 which I completed in under 9hrs was a rather good gauge on how prepared I was though I knew the elevation in Penang would be almost 3 times as much as that.

Pre-event

I flew to Penang with Tigerair while most of my friends went with Air Asia. As I arrived at Penang first, I waited for them at the airport before proceeding to our hotel together. That would also be my first experience with Grab Car and I was pleasantly surprised that the trip from the airport to our hotel cost only RM11.

Almost all runners stayed at the U Hotel as they had a tie-up with the event organiser to provide shuttle bus to and from the event site on event day. So after checking in, we went to George Town area to collect our race packs, which was hassle free and fast, before going for some Penang delicacies and massage. I had expected to be told of the race route at the REPC but was told route is simple so there will not be a race route provided. After getting some bread and water for our hydrations for the run at nearby Tesco, we returned to the hotel for the night.

Event day

As the transport to the event site was to leave at 0400hrs, we woke pretty early for it. The hotel provided us with a meal pack that consisted of a bread, a packet of Milo, a small banana and a granola bar. I just took the banana and bread as I was worried the Milo might not agree with my stomach so early in the morning and the thought of doing business in the wild out there is well, not very appealing.

We arrived at event venue, which was a school; Sekolah Menengah St. George at around 0445hrs. Us 50km runners had our mandatory gear check while the 25km runners did not have to. As the flag off was only at 0630hrs, we just lazed around to get more rest, took some photos while waiting. At about 0600hrs, the organisers started their race briefing. As no race route was provided, what I basically heard was follow the red/white tapes along the way and marshals will be stationed at critical junctions to direct us. So at 0635hrs, the run was waved off with lightning streaks seen above us. An omen of things to come?

First 3km was pretty straightforward as we were running on road but from 3km onwards, the elevation started to come in. From 3km to 9km we got an elevation of about 470m which was very taxing on my legs and we entered the trail proper around the 5km mark. That was when it started to pour too. But as we were inside the vegetation, I nary felt the rain though it got abit cold but I decided against taking out my jacket as it would slow me down and it might get stuffy in it later. Plus, the path was very narrow, so if I were to stop I would be blocking the runners behind me and potentially create a hazard for everyone.

At about the 8.5km mark, I saw a few of my friends standing together. It turned out Eugene hit his head on one of those low lying branches/collapsed tree trunks (which was aplenty) and was bleeding from his head. They were trying to stem his bleeding until they can reach CP1 which was about 1km away. After some wrapping using his buff, we proceeded on.

At CP1 I grabbed some coconut juice while the medic attended to Eugene. The medic did not seem to know the appropriate way to bandage the wound so in the end I think we did it ourselves after washing away the blood. Though Eugene said he was fine and wanted to carry on, Jaime and Foo overruled him and all 3 of them decided to DNF. When we approached the marshal there, we were told emergency vehicle will take at least an hour to come. I was like why??? If it was really an emergency, wouldn’t the casualty have died by then? So in the end they decided to walk down to the main road before making own way back to event side to collect their bags. I overheard some other runners saying there were more casualties behind and this was just CP1. Oh my.

My Cut Off Time (COT) to depart CP1 was 0900hrs and I managed to leave around 0815hrs, giving me a buffer of about 45mins and the rain had eased by then too.

I was greeted with a wonderful view of a town (presumably Taman Jelita) with a waterway leading out to the sea during my descend. That was also when I realised descending on tarmac and cement surfaces were not easy at all what with my Speedcross 3 which was totally not meant for such surfaces. I had to control my speed and I also slipped a couple of times so I had to go slow. After collecting my ribbon at CP2 I proceeded to CP3 and then it dawned on me I will actually be going back to CP1 which would be CP3 and CP5 later. So after another 400m of elevation, I arrived at CP3 only to find they were already out of coconut juice and food with only water and Coke left. And this was to be CP5 later? What would be left by then?

After filling up my hydration bag, I departed CP3 around 1000hrs, giving me a total time buffer of about 1.5hrs as the COT for CP3 was 1130hrs. This section would be the toughest part of the route as we went up Penang Hill with its peak of 742m. Some of the climbs were really so steep that I could only stand and wonder how was I supposed to get up. But went up I did. I tried to make fun of the situation with fellow runners and that in a way helped to lighten the mood and made carrying on easier. With every climb, there were descends and those were killers as well. There were many plants with small sharp thorns just by the trails and I accidentally grabbed one while trying to balance myself. It was a OMG moment and I quickly remove those stuck on my hand hoping none got inside totally. Collected my 2nd ribbon at CP4. After some more seemingly never ending ascends, I arrived back at CP5, which had only water left by now. Not wanting to linger there, I departed around 1230hrs, a good 2hrs ahead of COT.

Next section to CP 6 was relatively smooth as we were on tarmac most of the time so I just had to control my descend. It started to rain again, heavier this time but none of the runners stopped or even tried to put on their jackets. I guess we all had the same thinking of not wanting to waste time and we were already wet anyway. I arrived at CP6 and managed to see Lian Boon there. We had a short chat and he told me he hit his head on one of those plants with thorns and the medic was only able to remove some and apparently 1 of those thorns went in so deep that it could not be removed so he planned to finish the run first before seeking more medical help. Somehow it felt surreal that he could be recounting these to me offhandedly and soon he was on his way. I stayed for about 10mins during which the rain stopped, ate some bread, drank coke (no coconut juice again) and left around 1330hrs, which was still 2hrs ahead. I did not refill my hydration bag as I figured it would just be 8km away from the last CP where I can do so. It was a decision I would later regret.

From CP6 it would be only 16km more, so I boldly estimated I could finish the run by 1630hrs. But my estimation fell terribly apart when approaching CP7, which was the 1200 steps station. We had to cover 1.5km down a long flight of stairs, collect our 3rd and final ribbon, return along the same 1.5km flight of stairs before proceeding to CP 8. As it had rained earlier, the stairs were slippery with many of them covered with algae. Plus the fact that most of us were on trail shoes, the 1200 steps were like a death trap for us. Many runners slipped on the stairs and one even told me he slipped and slide all the way down the flight of stairs and only his hydration bag saved him from injury to his back. So what most of us did was to remove our shoes and carried on with only our socks or barefoot. It was torturous and there was no way we could have did that section with any resemblance of speed. And worst for me, I ran out of water as I was not prepared for that amount of time on that 3km flight of stairs. After asking numerous runners for water and most of them had ran out too, a kind soul did let me have some water, if not I really would have dehydrated there. After that when I saw a garden hose by the stairs, I was desperate enough to simply just drink from there. Yes, that was how thirsty I was. In the end, I took a total of 2hrs just to clear that 3km flight of stairs and I had to readjust my timing predictions as I only managed to reach CP8 close to 1630hrs.

At CP8, I filled my hydration pouch to the brim having learnt my lesson and departed by 1630hrs. Though I was still ahead by 2hrs, but I still would like to return before night falls.

The last 7km or so was quite easy. I guess after going through the 1200 steps and Penang Hill, everything else would be termed as easy though I felt my left thigh died on me for about 5mins before it came back alive. At around the 46km mark, I came across a magnificent view of Bukit Elvira which somehow made my sufferings so far worthwhile after all.

I picked up my pace during this last stretch though I still walked most of the way. I recognised the route I was taking then was actually the route we took while entering the mountains, so I estimated I should be about 1-2km away from the finishing. I did not follow the distance on my GPS watch as the distances sometimes were not that accurate. After hitting the main road, I saw a runner ahead, presumably someone who had completed his run, gesturing ‘2’ with his fingers. As I approached I vaguely heard him shouting ‘2!’, so I asked him was it another 2km more. To my surprise, he said ‘No! 200m only!’ I was like huh? So near already? We were not returning via the same route in the morning? So I started to sprint ahead as I was actually conserving my energy for the expected last 2km. In no time, I crossed the finishing line though I was a little disappointed there wasn’t any photographer there to capture the moment runners crossed the finishing line. I ended the run with a timing of 11hrs 14mins, well under the COT of 14hrs.

I just stood there for a good 5mins after the finishing line as by now both my thighs went numb on me and I could not move. Someone came over to ask if I needed medical attention but I just waved her off. After my thighs recovered, I collected my medal, finisher tee and coconut juice (like finally right) then I sat near the entrance to wait for the transport back to the hotel. I heard there was food prepared for us but I had no appetite to eat then. After about 20mins, we were told the bus was actually a distance away as it could not wait by the event site. So we walked another 1km or so before we boarded the bus back.

Post event

After showering, I met up with the rest who had completed their event earlier for dinner. Was glad to know Eugene was alright. Lian Boon went to the hospital but the doctor said no thorns were found in his head but he still decided to go for an X-ray once he is back in Singapore.

After Thoughts

Positives

• Race pack collection was fast.
• Race route was scenic at some parts offering some beautiful views of Penang.
• Water was available at all stated CPs.
• Marshals were stationed at critical points to direct us and some of those locations were really remote actually.

Negatives

• Race route map should be given so runners can pace themselves better especially towards the end as we would have known we will not be returning via the exact same route in the morning.
• Iron Cross CP, which served as CP1, CP3, CP5 for 50km runners and CP1 for 25km runners should have been adequately stocked knowing runners would be running through it multiple times and to run out of food and coconut juice before it even served as CP3 was really unforgivable.
• Medical evacuation procedure needs to be reviewed. To say emergency vehicles can only arrived more than an hour after activation is ridiculous. We were lucky in that we had no serious casualties if not the consequences would be dire.
• More could have been done to ensure runners safety. During the route recce, those low lying branches or fallen trees with sharp points could have their danger points removed as runners were not really able to see them with the low light conditions along some portions.
• We signed up for an ultra trail event so I cannot understand why the 1200 steps station was included and they should know trail shoes do not handle stairs well. When I asked the organiser, his reply was that the 1200 steps was part of their Penang heritage thus they wanted us to experience it. I do not find this reason for its inclusion logical at all and runners could have injure their back if they were to ever slip and fall badly.
• Event organiser adopted a Free Paper Cups policy requiring runners to bring their own cups. If this was done to prevent littering of paper cups along the route so be it. But I somehow guess they did this to save on the costs of the paper cups. If being environmental friendly was their aim, they should not have given out packets of coconut juice or cans of energy drinks at the CPs as these can be seen littered all along the race route. Then what is the difference between this and using paper cups?

Conclusion

I cannot speak for the 25km route but I have to say the 50km route is not meant for beginners or runners without adequate preparation; mentally and physically. The seemingly never-ending hills and slopes can be mental killers. The route was also very taxing on your legs with some runners telling me they were feeling their knees halfway already. However if you are sufficiently prepared and if the organisers can improve on their logistic and medical arrangements, I would say you can go for this as the view on top was really stunning.

Let’s see if I will be there at the Semenyih series.

You can see more photos of the event at the review on my blog http://stampede-trail.blogspot.sg/2016/08/compressport-100-penang-series-50km.html

Keep going! ?? That’s my motto for this run. Many times during today’s run I was so tempted to walk but I didn’t! Because partially of the top I’m wearing, if people run pass me saw me walking and say “keep going” I think I will be very embarrassed ? Part of the run I was also chanting in my heart what Dory had taught me: Just keep running! Just keep running! ?? Keeping myself motivated is very important ?

I thought I would walked the upslopes but I didn’t! I’m quite amazed with myself, I thought I would walk! This is the first time I never walk in a half marathon! ?? I only walk at each water point for water for about 10 to 15 seconds and carry on running and I finished strong. Strong as in I don’t feel like ‘run die me’ or couldn’t catch my breath or my heart beats super fast. And I must say hydration points are very well organised! Especially impressed by one of the water point they placed at a grass area out of the running route after Tanjong Rhu nearing sports hub, it’s very well planned! Because the route there already is narrow, if the water point is very near the running route it will sure jam up the place! Nice! ?? All the water points area are littered with paper cups but there is so many dustbins and huge black plastic bags prepared ? And I’m super grateful for the many water points along the route especially nearing the end of the run.

First of all, luckily and quite a relief that PSI is not high and the race is carried out as usual. It’s always this period of the year it gets hazy and many running events had already changed the dates of their runs to a much earlier or later dates to avoid the haze.

Shuttle bus option is only available at certain Safras and Yishun Safra is actually just about 1km away from home but bus tickets were already sold out! ? It’s one of the biggest running event in Singaopore and should have prepared more shuttle buses and make life easier for the runners right? ? There is no choice, I’ll need to take a taxi there. But in life, there is always a choice. I can choose to never sign up for runs, I can choose to sleep in on weekends morning. But no, I choose to run. Still, fare is about $25 sibeh expensive leh ?

Thank you JustRunLah! for the race slot! The race slot is quite expensive for people who never served NS and like me who is char bor ? I reached the race site quite late already and went quickly for baggage deposit. Security is tight, they even have those scanners like what we saw in the airport to screen through our bags first. And I must say that both the baggage deposit and collection is very fast and smooth ??

So I quickly rush to look for my friends who are already at the “start”. And the volunteers directed me to to go this way where I saw many runners go the other way, maybe that way is for the elites, jialat confirm will be at the very back this time, can still catch up with pacers? That’s part of the reason I like to be at the front, so that I can manage to follow the pacers. Then when I saw that there are not so much people at the start and saw many familiar podium runners it is only then I realised that I was in the front where “seeded runners” is given privilege to be at the front of the start line, what is “seeded runners” I also don’t know actually ? I’m really paiseh lah! ? Maybe is a slot from Just Run Lah that’s why the privilege to enjoy the spacious place to breathe in front for a few moments more and not be packed like sardines at the back ?

I was actually aiming to follow the 2hr 20mins pacers at first but I think I need to be realistic because all the half marathons this year I did is worse than my first and only half marathon last year, at GEWR completed in 2hr24mins and my CSC run last month I did 2hr43mins! ? But for the half marathon at KL after CSC run I did 2hr36mins, still much better than CSC run. Now I wonder is it the “been there done that” mentality so I have lesser motivation to run full marathon and half marathon anymore ? Did 2hr25mins which I’m quite happy ?

I was hoping that I will never ever see the green and white balloons, that’s the balloon color of pacers running 2hr30mins and slower. But 2hr20mins pacers pass me shortly after 3km! ? Set another aim not to let the 2hr30mins pacers to passed me and I did it! ??

I credit the improvement to the weekly training with Pinoy-Sg runners, I’ve certainly become stronger ? And I must say the entire run I’m pretty motivated to run, because like nobody walks! There is people who walks lah but it is only like 0.01% maybe? Usually I saw a lot of people started walking after 10km but today is not that day ?

From the start I try not to listen to my MP3 because all the songs have very fast beats and I will end up going too fast and hit the wall, but it is important to keep myself occupied so I listen to my surrounding. Mostly I’m listening to the different types of footsteps and the way people run, stomping, shuffling etc and different types of breathing, I hope I’m a “quiet” runner because I listened to a lot of different types of breathing such as “hahahaha”, “hurhurhur” and “hehehe” and “huhuhu” ? Only till after the 13km point I think I’m quite safe in my speed and start listening to music and decipher or agree and disagree with every part of the lyrics to keep myself occupied. Especially the song “Love me like you do”, it’s been one of my favourite song but today it sounds sad to me. Love me like you do, touch me like you do It’s like begging for love and touch and he don’t love you and he dosen’t wants to touch you ?

Although I heard about negative reviews of the past AHM runs, like bottlenecks and very squeezy but certainly, this run is good so far to me! I didn’t come across any bottlenecks and I have space to run and breathe ? Especially at the last few kms at a water point some guys were wearing like Spartans and drew their own 6 pack which is so cute lah ?