About: This pioneer Kluang half marathon probably the most challenging marathon in Johor. The attractive prize for this local marathon should attract many runners that looking for easy money. 20 runners in each category should go home with money. 1st prize is RM5000 while the minimum prize money is RM50 for school category. As only 80 runners enter Half Marathon category, no reason local runner cant achieve.
Track: Tasik- Yap Tau Sah round about- round about MARDI- Hospital Utama- back to Tasik
Interesting Place to visit: Gunung Lambak Recreational Park, Zen Xin Park, Kluang Railway Kopitiams
My early strategy: ( to achieve 2: 30)
I should reach by Tasik Mardi in 1:10, eat Powergel, make easy another 11 km and finish at 2:30. My target was top 50. I also hope the hydration station was accurate and precise: First 5km, another 3km, another 3 km and so on as well as i dont bring any hydration tank. I did not place any worry for the organiser because the title of the race is INTERNATIONAL. I was mentally prepare this run as warm up to the next week River Jungle Full Marathon, 42.195km run.
What ACTUALLY happen: Traffic on the day was superb. Hard to find parking place. Rela officers wasnt friendly. At the starting point, there were already 15 Ethiopian or Kenyan runners that ready to explode. I heard that Malaysian representative for marathon, Shaharudin was there but joining 10km race. I had severe diarrhea before race, was went to toilet for 28 times for the three day sickness. Only recovered few hours before race. My training also bad, ran a maximum 8 km for an LSD with Blur and Mike ( one LSD only). But we did few 4.4 km runs. The main obstacle is the timing of the run, which held in few days after hari raya, The 2 months that some Muslim runners fasting and celebrate hari raya with open-houses and subsided all the hard trainings.
Back to the event, runners should flagged off at 700 am ( they schedule the flagg off at 6.30 am). Quite shocking because the experienced Bidor Half Marathon was flagged off at 6.40 am. Not a big deal i thought. But during the event, i even more shocking when at 710, 10 minutes more than the expected delayed time, they still not flag-off us but giving us the rubber-band as the first Check Point, labelled as CP2. They also gave us little ceramah about not to cheat, do u-turn, like we were kindergarten runners and hence delaying the time. They were not runners, i think, whom didnt understand that delaying the time will expose more hellish-sunburn to runners.
The water stations also bad. As International labelled run, They should place water stations at the KM ratio of 5:3:3:3:3:3 but they did it in 8: 1 (idiot water sponge station with no drinking water): 2 at u-turn: 1( idiot sponge station again): 2 : 5. 4 water stops instead of international standard 6, with one no use sponging station, one PBSM check point with no analgesic spray, plus mocking KOAM and MPK volunteers in this INTERNATIONAL so called half marathon.
I really under estimated the track. After the Yap Tau Sah round about, the 16 km straight track turn into the Sahara Desert when the time reach 8 am. The sun radiation quite intensive but still ok. The track suddenly turn to hell at 9 am, when the sun radiation reflected from the asphalt and gave us double radiation, from the sun itself and the road.
At KM 17.5 i think, following my Nike+ distance transponder, my friend from KOAM told me that my BFF Idzuan Hidayat at my back cant finish and already board an ambulance. With the hellish feeling, and stomach upset because the diarrhea revisited, plus ITBS injury, and the sense of friendship and humanity, i board the 250cc motorcycle and visited my friend at JPAM tent. Luckily he is ok.
The tactical all gone, subsided by the weird feeling as DNFian.
There are also gossips about scandals the organisation of events involving POAJ and POAK arguments, plus my student who got 33rd placed didnt got medals. ( Medals qualification is for first 100 runners) . Also medals scandals heard from veteran placings. I cant tell you more the things i didnt know but i heard that. Also, the track is actually not 21km. but extra 3 or 3.5 km. I heard that gossip too.
We should forgive them as this is the first Kluang Half. Just dont too ambitious by placing International tag for self-shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment