National Geographic Earth Day Run 2018

Two weeks after I participated in the SCKLM 2018, I was at it again -  going to another run, this time - the National Geographic Earth Day Run in Gamuda Walk, Kota Kemuning. The annual Nat Geo Earth Day Run, a running event that benefits environmental causes began in 2007 in Taiwan, followed by a second edition 2010 in the Philippines. By 2016 the run reached Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

In 2018, the running community collectively ponders... where will it be launched? Malaysia has not made it to the list.up until now.. Are things about to change?

If you guessed the that this this year’s National Geographic Earth Day Run is to be held for the first time in Malaysia, you were absolutely spot on!

It was held last Sunday 23 April and I'm glad I was able to secure a spot, as places were limited (4,000 according to RaceXAsia.com). As a subscriber to the Nat Geo channel, I was ecstatic to see the advert which announced that the Earth Day Run would be launched for the first time in Malaysia and I have been waiting with bated breath for the registration to open.



The event organiser is Fox Sports Sdn Bhd and official venue partner, Gamuda Land with supporting partners Unifi, PetroSains, Stadium Astro, Nivea Men and Fox Sports. 

The Malaysian Nat Geo Earth Day Run's aim is to create an awareness for the public to protect our planet through renewable energy consumption, reducing plastics, and continued education on how to lower our carbon footprint. The organiser stated in the race guide that water stations would not be using any plastic bottles; instead, participants are advised to bring their own water bottles for refill. Nat Geo does walk to talk when it comes to protecting Mother Earth.

I entered the competitive15km run. The other category is the 5km fun run which was equally as popular with the registrants. Runner's entitlement include a Nat Geo logo-embellished black tee, a bladder that comes with a hook which is handy to use for this run, a jute bag, and a runner bib with timer chip. finisher medal and an e-cert. Good value for money, I'd say for a run associated with the name of an international organisation.

The run itself was well organised. There were plenty of marshals on duty to ensure the safety of  runners. They were having a good time, as evident in the big smile on their faces as they cheered us runners on, giving high-fives; I got a much needed boost from a group of young ladies at the U-turn of the halfway mark in front of the Gamuda Sales Gallery.

There were elevations along the course, but none that would make you consider throwing in the towel. Though it's a competitive run, most runners are well aware that unlike the other franchise marathon/running events, the Nat Geo run is for a greater cause than chasing a new PB.

After crossing the finish line, I visited the booths in the race village where there were entertaining games to try out, free ice-cream to be claimed, discount vouchers, freebies and also a presentation by the PetraSains team. The exciting activities, along with photo opportunities on stage and in front of the props, kept the finishers occupied until the announcement of the winners.

All in all, the Nat Geo Earth Day Run was a success and I'm glad to be a part of it. Furthermore, I have bragging rights for not only finishing the 15km run and bagging a finisher medal, but also for being a steward of the Earth.

Race pack

Not crowded on the course in this run

With host Hansen

A large finisher medal, a symbol of one's potential

Relive 'Morning Run'

Summary: 

Gun time: 1:26:59

Net time: 1:25:27

Pace: 5:54

Ranking: 102

Ranking (based on gender): 90

SCKLM Celebrating 10th Anniversary

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) is without a doubt the biggest running event in Malaysia. In its 10th edition this year, the event garnered a total of 38,000 runners who thronged the Dataran Merdeka in the early morning on Sunday,  8 April.
.
I noticed that the Standard Chartered KL Marathon has grown bigger, better and more popular over the years since I participated in the race for the first time in 2014. Year after year, I have been coming back for further distances, from 10km in 2014 to the full marathon in 2016 and 2017. The race was cancelled in 2015 due to the haze. The popularity of the marathon is evident in that slots were snapped up this year in just a few days after registration was open to the public. I remember back in January, the outcry from some of my runner friends, encountering problems with registration, took to social media to vent out their frustration over overwhelmed servers which could not cope with the number of registrations on the first day of registration for public. Luckily for me, I managed to reserve a spot for this year's special edition, being a loyal supporter of the event. The benefits of being loyal to your favourite running event in the country...


And it was an amazing race day! Everything was top-notch. The weather was good, the volunteers in high spirits and the runners! I saw runners, young and old (young at heart), of varying sizes and colour and of all abilities - the SCKLM proves that running is something which resonates well with running enthusiasts in Malaysia... Furthermore, I noted there runner from overseas, their nationality indicated on their running bib.

I loved everything about the SCKLM app. First up, there's the live tracking feature so I could keep track on my relatives and friends (and my running role-models) who were also running on that day. I was notified every time when the FM runners whom I was tracking crossed a 5km checkpoint. The icing on the cake for me is the runner photo feature -  the runner's photos automatically appear on their profile as the race progresses. I was glad that I could view photos of me running - yes, actually running and not standing and posing for the camera after the race. Not all the photos on my profile had me in them; some of the photos showed runners that I can say were definitely not me! Perhaps the technology needs to be improved. Granted, this photo feature on the app saved me a huge amount of time from having to scroll down album after album in search for a photo of me on Facebook. 

I ran in the half-marathon this year, which means that I have finally completed the trifecta of 10k, HM and FM in the SCKLM. The route was enjoyable with a mixture of inclines and downhill paths, but mostly flat paths along the course. I was placed in pen 3, standing way behind the start line, I only managed to reach the start line 10 minutes after flag off. The congestion in the first two km's was a little unnerving for me as it can be a danger to run too close to other runners, but thankfully there were no mishaps.

I salute Dirigo events and all of their staff and volunteers for pulling it off. I'm sure other runners would agree with me that we, the participants were rewarded handsomely by Standard Chartered and their partners on this special occasion. It was indeed a celebration in style for the 10th anniversary of the SCKLM. Well done to all parties who made this event a success.. and heartiest congratulations to all the finishers!

Runeasy: Our shoes for this year - Nike Lunarepic 2 Low

Relive 'Morning Run'

Summary:
Distance: 21.4km
Pace: 5.58 /km
Gun time:  02:21:46.04
Net time:  02:09:18.21
Rank: 176