Viper Challenge: King of the Mountain, Genting

After participating in the Viper Classic last December, I was motivated to sign up for the Viper King of the Mountain, Genting, on 7 March (Saturday). This event proved to be very popular as tickets were sold out on the first day the tickets went on sale. The organizer later added Day 2 on 8 March to accommodate the overwhelming response from the public.

My teammate and I managed to get a spot in the 1:30pm start time on Day 1.

We set off on Friday and stayed overnight at First World Hotel. On Saturday after brunch at the First World, my teammate and I walked to the shuttle bus pick-up point nearby for what was for sure to be a fun, memorable day, one way or another. The shuttle bus service was well coordinated and we were whisked to the race village in less than 15 minutes. We bought coffee and tea at the kiosks outside the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel then proceeded to the bag drop station in the basement car park. We reached the start pen half hour early.

As we waited for our start time, rain fell and strong winds blew and I got the chills. I started to question myself if I was really up for this challenge of not only overcoming the obstacles and trails in the course, but also the battling the elements.. From what I read in the guide, the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel is located 6,000 feet above sea-level and is at one of the highest points of Genting Highlands. JJ and I huddled together for warmth while we waited for 1:30pm. It was the longest half-hour wait in my life as chants of "Rain, rain go away" led by the emcee did little to stop the rain.
And then we were off!

The first obstacle was "Rocking bar", a variation of monkey bars.. This time, I was able to conquer this obstacle as I have been doing lots of upper body strength training.

Obstacle 1: Rocking bar

The course was not long, but challenging with lots of slopes especially from obstacle 3 to obstacle 4. It felt great to run side by side with JJ, to be the strong one in some parts, and in other parts, when I struggled with breathlessness, he was there to wait for me to catch up with him. The rain subsided by by around 2pm, and by that time we were on to one of the 'easiest' obstacles for us - jumping over a wall. All we had to do was push ourselves up and turned our body so that we sit our bump on the edge of the wall, turn around and jump down. We gave each other a high-five. It was real moment of pure joy and exhilaration

Drive me Dizzy was probably my favourite obstacle as it tests one's upper body and grip strength as one jumps up to grip on a contraption which resembles a wheel that turns when you pull on the sides of wheel.

Over your Ex was next. I had thoroughly enjoyed this in Viper Classic…it was interesting to note that most runners moved across on all fours on the X rods from the left to right. I broke the pattern by jumping to the other side of the X, and moved from right to left. It was hilarious and fun! I saw that other runners followed my approach.

King of the Mountain was an amazing experience. The turnout was astounding with around 7000 participants on Day 1. Just like many of the runners, I wasn't sure about coming for this event because of the Covid-19 situation, and I'm glad I did! After completing the event, I felt a great sense of accomplishment at the finish line when the volunteers presented me with a finisher T and medal. And nobody gets left behind at 6,000 feet above sea level!

Yay! We did it!