parkrun Taman Pudu Ulu 100th Event

I'm well acquainted with parkruns though I have not participated any until last weekend. My runner buddy, Azwan informed me that parkrun at Taman Pudu Ulu would be marking its 100th event on Saturday, 5 November. So I registered with parkrun, parkrun.my/register, and printed my bar code and was all set to attend this milestone event for my maiden parkrun, meet other runners/walkers/fitness enthusiasts and anyone who's passionate about the sport of running.

For those unfamiliar with parkruns, they are free weekly, community running/walking events that take place in 23 countries around the world. It's a 5k run or walking on Saturday morning, and 2k event on Sunday morning. The event is run by volunteers.

According to the parkrun website, the very first edition was held in 2004 in Bushy Park, Teddington, UK. It is one of the most popular parkrun locations in the world, although just 13 runner participated in the inaugural event. 

I arrived at the Taman Pudu Ulu, around 7:15am, just in time for the briefing for first-timers by one of the volunteers. He briefed us on the route (which involved 3 loops and 2 U-turns and a funnel to the finish/start) and cautioned us on the slippery parts of the course (the path was wet due to showers earlier. The race director of the day was introduced and he gave a brief do's and don'ts while running/walking in the park and were were flagged off at 7:30am. Important message he emphasised: respect the right of other users of the park.

Briefing by race director

Runners of various nationalities, different shapes and sizes and abilities gathered on this wet Saturday morning - there were also a few children runner in the mix making this group the most diverse group of runners I've ever seen at a running event.

At the finish line, I received token which I presented to the volunteer, a friendly gentleman who scanned the my barcode on my membership card and the token. I later received an email with my finishing time and ranking according to my age group.

To commemorate their 100th run, the organiser laid a cake on the registration table, which was shared amongst all the runners after they have successfully finished the run...

It was a great event, well-organized by a team of dedicated volunteers.. A big thank you on behalf of all the participants of the run (it was a big turnout) to the volunteers.

A milestone for TPU - 100th event

Costume night run

Remember I said that the PBIM 2015 was my final run for 2015? Well, I lied.

When I learned about a night run taking place on New Year's Eve in my neck of the woods that is Mutiara Damansara, I could not resist signing up for it even if it meant that I would have to hold back having a tipple until after I break a sweat for the run on the last day of the year. I'm one to try different things and I like the idea of celebrating one's efforts..

Themed "A Running Start to 2016",  the MDCC Costume Nite Run is part of a celebration event organised by Boustead Curve (The Curve), Ikano Corporation (IPC) and Damansara Entertainment Sdn Bhd (eCurve). For the record, I have spent my past four NYE's in Mutiara Damansara and I can say that I enjoyed the exciting entertainment events and the spectacular fireworks over the years.

Publicity Poster was seen a month before the race at The Curve

The run is divided into three main categories - Men's and Women's Open (5km) and the costume Fun Run for families (3km). An inaugural event, the MDCC Nite Run is open to runners of all ages and abilities. The top five finishers in the Men's Open and Women's Open, as well as the top five best dressed runners in the Fun Run will each receive a trophy.  However, I found out that the 5km run was not a timed race as there was no timer given to the registered runners. So I didn't actually lie about PBIM being the last run for me in 2015; the MDCC Nite Run in my book is a fun run and definitely and thus, does not count as a race. There was no pressure whatever for this run. The important word to remember is fun! Furthermore, running on the last day of the year just hours before the stroke of midnight is certainly a different and interesting way to ring in the ring in the new year.

Race tee in striking color to match my shoes

 
I collected the race pack last Saturday... liked the color and design of the t-shirt - a perfect match for my unmistakable Brooks Racer X5. Another pleasant surprise, which sets this new running event apart from the other races was the goody bag which was packed with vouchers from various retail shops, services and F&B outlets at the The Curve, eCurve and IPC.It goes without saying, I'd be making use of my 50% discount voucher at O'Brien's.

A short spell of showers in the evening worried me me a little but as luck would have it, the rain subsided by 7:15 p.m making it conducive for night running. I left my bag at the Fitness First at the Curve and went straight to the race corral (The Curve is my preferred lifestyle shopping place). From my observation, the participants gathered there looked more like a crowd you would see on a weekend at the Curve, IPC, eCurve or Ikea - the only difference was they were all dressed in their running gear, with a smile on their face! It warmed my heart to see  there were a handful of couples with young children in attendance. They came from near and far to run on this busy evening because running is a fun way to bond for family members. I also noted there were a few adults in the open category who came dressed up as their superhero. How cool is that!

Posing just before it was dark

Interesting mix of people in the crowd

Flag off with great fanfare

After safety briefing by the chief marshal, the race was flagged off by the Group Managing Director of Boustead Holdings Berhad. I felt a great sense of freedom running on the street outside IPC, Ikea Tesco and Kidzania with little concern about traffic, thanks to the hardworking RELA officials on duty. The main road i.e. PJU 7/2 was closed to traffic because of the the NYE events taking place all evening. Running uphill on PJU 8/8 passing Empire Damansara towards the PJ Trade Centre was not an easy task as it involved a significant elevation gain. The route of this run was testing for most runners. Fortunately, I managed to stay a close distance to the leader of the pack which a great.

After passing Neo Damansara, it was downhill all the way towards the finishing line.  I should also mention that there were two water stations in the 5km course and they were manned by sufficient number of volunteers at both the stations.  At the downhill station, I felt as if the drinking water was a treat as I made sure to thank the girl who handed me the paper cup. After the second water station, I picked up speed and raced to the finish line, clocking 21:22 on my Garmin. However, I also noted that the distance shown was 4:24 km so I would not be able to use the stats from this run for my 5k records.

But that's OK. As I said, it was meant to be a fun run and it certainly was! I enjoyed running in this nite run thoroughly. Would I do it again next year?  Yes, of course!


And so it's a wrap for 2015 and what a year it was!

A summary of my running journey in 2015 in figures:
3      -    number of Half Marathon's, night runs and 10k's completed
2      -    obstacles run survived and international events outside Malaysia (Sundown Marathon 
             Singapore and Athens Marathon, Greece)

6      -   number of participants in the family in PBIM
1      -  average number of races I registered in a month
189  -   position in the PBIM Half Marathon Men's Open 

Run while you still can....