Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2011

Date: 26 June 2011

The mind was willing but the body wasn't.

Yes we were there! All of us ran the 10k category. Started at 7am at Jalan Parlimen near Padan Merbok. and finished at Dataran Merdeka. Around 22,000 runners participated this year with different categories offered. My time was 1:27'42" along with Paan as we were running together all the way. Lost sight of him at the first water station. Apparently he didn't stop to take a sip. Faiz was way in front of us. According to him, his time was an hour. But time tracker don't lie. Later, I found he finished 1:19'00+". Still props to him. It is not a matter of who's the fastest, but who has the most guts. Thanks to Paan, Faiz, Azizan and Taqiuddin for participating. Hope what we do here could attract all our friends to be actively involve in running. Kudos to us all!

Pre run "The moment of truth" with Faiz and Paan at Padang Merbok

Post run glory with Azizan and Taqiuddin at Dataran Merdeka

BASH #200 Double century - Ulu Tamu, Ulu Yam, Rasa

Date: 29 May 2011

The mood wasn't that good at first. Barcelona topped Manchester United to the Champions League title during the wee hours :'( From the mamak stall straight to Uncle Jo's crib. Pak Mat Jazlan couldn't join us due to work obligations. Thanks to Uncle Jo for letting me ride his carbon hard tail Merida. Awesome! There were 3 loops; white, blue and red. As we won't be riding all 3 loops, we straight away head for the red loop which was the longest of all 3 loops. The sun was blazing hot! The trails were muddy and slippery. Finished time in 2.5 hour. Credit to the hares and organizers. Such a great day to be riding with bunch of people sharing the same enthusiasm and passion.

Larian Amal Shapadu 2011

Date: 17 April 2011

I considered myself as a recreational runner. After slowly getting into the game, I got my first pair of running shoe early this year. I opted to go with Nike Lunarglide+ 2. Larian Amal Shapadu was a good platform for me to get a taste of a running event. I always wonder the feeling of running with hundreds or even thousands of runners with one goal in mind; to finish strong. There were few hundred runners turned up for this run. This was my first time running in an event. As it was held in Shah Alam I invited few friends to participate in the run. For the men's category they have a 6k run and for the women's category they have a 4k run. The start off didn't went smoothly. When I reached the starting line, the organizer had already fired the gun to kick start the run. Warm ups are important, so I took my time and did few quick stretches, not bother being left behind. Farhan, Elmi and I crossed the finished in 38'17". 10 minutes later Amir and Faiz completed their run. Next stop Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2011!!!

With Faiz, Paan and Amir. (Elmi our unofficial camera man)

BASH #198 Beranang

Date: 3 April 2011

The scene where we had to ride passed a herd of water buffaloes was awesome. I wanted to grab some photos, but they looked as they were ready to charge. We had to crossed a river which was knee length high. A short heavy rain added to the excitement when I and Uncle Jo found out that we were lost momentarily. In fact, as we were approaching the end of the loop, we found ourselves back at square one and surely we made a wrong turn. Back tracked and were on the right track heading back towards the RV point after few frantic calls to Pak Mat.

Commit or crash is the name of the game

Uncle Jo rocking the river crossing section

Checking out at the registration booth

Kencana SIC 2011

The word jamboree attracted me to participate the event, and finding out that the route would have riders riding on the F1 track, it was too good to turn down. Imagine riding on the track where those F1 cars going up to speed of 300kph and I'll be pedaling up to 25-30kph. Sweet!

The number of participants totally disappoint me. Only 200+ riders showed up. Even bash ride attracts more riders than this. Given it was a jamboree, I was expecting more. I bumped into Anuar Manan national professional cyclist currently riding for Terengganu Pro Asia Cycling Team. He's also joining the jamboree!

It was a 45km course. We had to do 3 laps of 15km with each lap consisting of 10km trail and 5km road. I felt out of place as everyone was wearing race jerseys and tight spandex shorts. They didn't even carried a waterpack. It was a race! By the time I was completing my second lap the leading pack where Anuar Manan was in and with the escort by marshals went passed me which they were already on their final lap! I looked at my watch and its only been 1 hour 30 minutes.

On my final lap, I suffered a puncture which enabled Uncle Jo to catch up with me. We continued cycling towards the finish line although they were no chequered flag to greet us. Mission accomplished after 3 hours in scorching sun! First jamboree, done and dusted!

With Anuar Manan - "challenge accepted"

Pak Mat Jazlan, Reza Cycling Asia, Uncle Jo at the starting grid

No.96 got his race face on!

Puncture on the final lap deemed to cost a podium finish!

Post race at the pit

Sg. Sendat, Ulu Yam

Date: 13 February 2011

With no bash ride up until the end of the month, we would usually maintain our fitness through weekly rides. Pak Mat considered the hustler among the three of us, will suggest new routes and terrains for us to tackle.

On this trip, we head to Ulu Yam. The catch was to ride through the thick and thin of the woods which would end with a rewarding picnic along Sg. Sendat. Egg sandwiches and black coffee were on the menu. As soon as we reached the spot, we straight away dived in.

The expedition took us approximately 5 hours 30 mins, covering area of 23 km, while suffering 3 punctures! It was the longest ride I have been in but totally enjoyed it. Brought home a massive tan for souvenir.

One of many punctures of the day

Still in search of the illustrious river! Man's breaking point

Duly rewarded

Recharged and ready to rumble