TMBT 2011

This is going to be the final race for this year. Three months of hard work finally boils down to this last race - The Most Beautiful Thing - Malaysia's first 50km/100km Ultra Trail Marathon. It's held in Sabah, in the mountains and valleys around Mt Kinabalu.

Early morning, I woke up at 3am. I was not hungry then, but i knew i had to squeeze some food into my stomach. I made some protein drinks, swallowed some bun and chocolate. Mao's mum was already awake by then and she made me two hard-boiled eggs too. Then at 3.45am, after reading a chapter of Psalm in my bible, we made our way to Hotel Megah D'Aru, where all competitors were supposed to meet. In the car, I was listening to some gospel songs and trying to stay as calm and relaxed as possible.

Having mao with me before we were transported to the starting point - Kota Belud.

Yip and I

At 5am, we all boarded some buses to go to Kota Belud, which is the starting point. It was an hour's journey, so i tried to catch some sleep in the bus. I ate some bananas before arrival to have as much energy store as possible before the run.

Before the flag off, I looked for some place to relieve myself. After that, I was just walking around, watching and admiring the scenery and trying to prepare my mind and heart for the hours of running later. The scenery was beautiful, somewhat surreal, and we could see the peak of Mt Kinabalu in front of us. It's a great day for running, i thought. At the flag off, i said a silent word of prayer, then off we went!

Runners walking to the start line

The flag-off

The Start

Right from the start, Yip and I were leading in front. He had told me before this that we should try to pace one another for as long as we can. Well, Yip is a much better runner so it would be great if i could just follow his pace. He was running 100km and I was doing 50km. We were running on gravel road with lots of uphill and downhill. About 20 minutes into the run, Dino - the famous Malaysian Triathlete and Adventure racer caught up with us, and three of us continued running together.

The front pack of runners - Dino (middle), Yip (right) and I (left)

We passed checkpoint 1 at 9.5km mark. The watch read 51 minutes. Good pace. We quickly gulped some water and gel down and off we went.

There were a few sections where we ran past villages. There were dogs barking at us and some even tried to chase us. Dino told me not to slack and ignore the dogs because there have been times where dogs attack humans where they think humans are not paying attention. Wow. Now, besides climate and terrain, we have to deal with another element - the animals.

We reached checkpoint 2 at 19.5km together. The watch read 1 hr 45 mins. It's still a good pace. After refilling my bottle, i quickly swallowed another pack of gel. I had planned to consume my gels at the right time such that i would have enough energy and electrolyte throughout the run. The next section of 8km was uneventful. We did have the view of Mt Kinabalu in front of us, and it's certainly a great feeling running beside this magnificent mountain. 

At checkpoint 3 (27.5km), I could see signs of Yip slowing down. I was not sure if he was struggling with stomach problems again. In the past, stomach problems have robbed him of some great race results and it's certainly a persistent problem that he has to deal with, particularly in a ultra-marathon like this. Between checkpoint 3 and 4, it's 14km of running and we had to pass hills, valleys, rivers, hanging bridge etc. Dino and I began to pull away from Yip.

Dino and I at the front

At some point after we have crossed a major hill section, Dino began to slow down. I continued at the same pace. Before long, I was running in front alone. At this point, I told myself that I could win this race if I was able to give a meaningfully best effort till the finish. But I was not going to let the competitive demon take over me completely by raving my way through without enjoying the beautiful surrounding i was in. I must always remind myself that it's not the end that matters, but the journey. Slowly and gradually, I eased into a state of blissful running, and the body developed a new way of absorbing positive incoming messages and filtering out the negative ones. I was pretty sure my body and legs and joints were aching then, but they did not get into me as i was too deep in my engagement with the nature, the sound of river, and the majestic view of mountains and valleys around.

River

Mt Kinabalu in the background

Crossing hanging bridge. Rule of the game: Only max two competitors on the bridge at one time and no running is allowed. Any breach of rule will result in instant disqualification!

A long way ahead

I bumped into Singapore Blade runner along the way. He was running the 25km category. Told him that I was honoured to meet him and encouraged him to keep going. (Singapore Blade runner had a leg amputated some years ago and he continues running with prosthesis despite his disability)

I reached the final checkpoint at 41.5km mark at 4 hr 30 mins. Finished my last pack of gels and chomps and had the marshal record my time and race bib. I also found time to borrow a phone from a villager to send a text to mao to tell her i was reaching soon. Then i continued running. Somehow in my excitement, i missed the course marking and started running on a wrong route. After a few minutes of running, I realised something was not right. I could see no more course marking along the route. I cautiously ran ahead while keeping a look out for any course flag. None was found. Till I reached what looked like a dead end. I knew I was in a wrong direction. I quickly ran back to the junction where I thought i missed the marking. I probably lost about 5-10 minutes in the process. By then, Dino had caught up. Wow, he was fast! Gasping and panting, I had to keep my nerve down and not to let negative emotions affect the rest of my run.

The last section consist of some heavy uphill running. I started to widen the gap with Dino again. In the last 1km, I saw Avtar - the race director, standing at a junction where we were supposed to turn off the main road. 'How long more left to go?' I asked. 'Just run downhill all the way and the finish line is there'. He replied. A profound sense of joy welled up in me. I knew I was almost at the end.

The final section was just a bliss. All the pain and fatigue had disappeared. I was cruising at a slow pace, trying to take in all that was around me. This would be the final moment of TMBT 2011. I want to remember what i have seen and experienced as much as possible. At a time of 5:36:55, I finished the 50km ultra-marathon in 1st place.

Finishing 1st in a time of 5:36:55

The gear that served me well during the run. IMU jersey, New Balance MT 101, wrist band that mao specially made, and a loose-tighting mizuno pants.

Bliss

With mao's parents, whose love and support i am greatly indebted to and appreciate.

Results of the race are available here.