#RunForChildren World Vision Malaysia Virtual Run

What do you do when most events have been scrapped or postponed due to the corona virus?

During the  movement order control (phase 1 and 2), I did zero running outdoor sports activities were not allowed. On the first day when the restrictions eased, I went straight into the neighbourhood park for my first run - to get back to my pre-lockdown fitness level and a breath of fresh air after two months of staying home.

Not long after I got back to my regular running, I longed for the excitement of participating in a race and getting a medal after crossing the finish line. But that's out of the question for now, perhaps until end of the year as most major events around the world have been canceled or moved to virtual format.

#RunForChildren 

Organised by World Vision Malaysia as part of their "It Takes You and I to End Violence Against Children" campaign, the #RunForChildren is a virtual run from 3-19 July 2020. 

#RunForChildren is a 42 minutes virtual run where participants run for the child on their runner’s bib.

The rules are simple. Participants are required to run for 42 mins, with no minimum distance. Runs can be done outdoors at your preferred location or on a treadmill.  

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children have 42 rights. These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and develop their full potential. They apply equally to every child, regardless of ethnicity, gender or religion. It is the responsibility of parents, governments and children themselves to ensure the rights of children are met. 

The 42 minutes represent the 42 rights of the child on the runner's bib, and to ensure that their rights are protected. Click here for more info on children's rights

I did my #RunForChildren in Serdang in a residential park in Seri Kembangan. The weather was beautiful, perfect for running so I ran at a leisurely pace, savouring event minute of the 42-min of the run, thinking about the child on bib, and all the voiceless children whose rights have been denied.

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much" - Marian W. Edelman.

If you're interested in sponsoring a child, click here

That's 42 minutes of running and 42 children's rights

Finisher medal 

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!

Surviving My First Viper Classic in F1 Sepang

For my last event of 2019, I completed one of the toughest of the Viper Challenge series - the Viper Classic at Sepang International Circuit.

The Viper Challenge is Asia's biggest sporting event series that combines running (trail and road) with obstacles which test your strength, speed, agility and your ability to work with your teammates (and other participants). Their tag line, "Leave No One Behind", emphasising the importance of team work to complete the course - peppered with obstacles - stayed in my mind since last Sunday.

I first dipped my feet in Viper Arena back in 2015 but didn't particularly enjoy the indoor setting of the course. I didn't enter another Viper event until four years later, in the Viper Beach Port Dickson May this year.  And let's just say I've been hooked to the sport since! I started joining  OCR, mass warrior workout sessions and Spartan classes in my gym and made new friends and training partners. And after a few months of training, I got the courage to sign up for the tough Viper Classic - 20km course and 25 obstacles.  I was warned that there will be mud runs and I was up for it!

After registration and bag drop-off,  I made my way to the start line, joining the 7:00 am wave. I found myself in a corral packed full of other Viper Challenge hopefuls like myself. The host kept us entertained, shouting "Finish" and us responding with "Line". After a few rounds of "Finish Line"s, I was off!

Selfie  before flag-off

And we're off.,,,,

Here's some photos of what happened that day...


Overall, I had an amazing time out there in Sepang, spending around 4 hours to complete the challenge, having attempted all of the 25 obstacles. The obstacles were well-designed  and evenly spaced throughout the course, and had catchy names (Over your Ex, Tarzan and Jane, Nerves of Steel, Stairway to Heaven, Heave Ho, etc). One of my favourite obstacles was Tumbling Block which requires team work and coordination and getting your head down in the muddy waters. This was definitely something out of my comfort zone...

What I liked about Viper is that it is non-competitive so you can do the obstacles carefully, slowly - once, twice or even thrice if you wish... and have a great time with your teammates (I especially like the team element of it).  Team work means no one gets left behind...

Hanging tongue.. a sign of tiredness

Tyre wall climb

Up for running up the wall behind me

Mud time

Getting out of the clogged drain

Into the woods: Palm oil trail run...

Stairway to Heaven

half-way mark... yay

Barbed wire crawl

Poor grip resulted in a fall into the muddy water

Tarzan and Jane

Hay bale, the final obstacle..

Here it is.. the finish line...

Meet the winner...

Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2019

I ran the KL Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2019 as a returning individual runner. For the first time in the history of this iconic sporting event in Malaysia, the organiser of  KLSCM implemented a ballot system due to the high number of registration this year. Along with other participants of SCKLM 2018, I managed to secure a slot through their 'loyalty registration' program.

While successful registrants were elated to get an entry to this increasingly popular running event, the dreaded haze problem which started in early September cast a dark cloud over the event. Air quality for the weeks leading up to Race Day was at moderate to unhealthy levels in and around Kuala Lumpur, serving a bitter reminder of the cancellation of SCKLM 2015 due to poor air quality. Running plans were abandoned, goals revised as it was not feasible nor safe to run outdoors.
I took my training indoors and ran on the treadmill. On the upside, I did maximise my gym membership for the month of September.

Thankfully, the haze started to diminish on three days to race day with intermittent rain in the Klang Valley. I joined a running group with the theme "Haze go Away" and ran my heart out with other keen runners who were all eager to run on Sunday.

A heavy downpour in KL on Saturday afternoon cleared the skies of smoke and dust which have enveloped our city and with that, the haze was finally defeated.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, the KLSCM 2019 will be taking place on 28 & 29 September, it was announced by Dirigo Events on Friday 27 September.
  
The KLSCM 2019 switched to a two-day format this year - the first day for the Kids Dash + 5km competitive category. There’s also the Friendship Run which started in 2016,  a warm-up fun run for the FM registrants, followed by a Pasta Party where runners get to mingle with other runners, exchange ideas and forge new friendships.

On day two, the race categories are 10km, the Half marathon and Full marathon. This year saw the biggest number of participants in the FM category (13,000), followed closely by HM (12,500).

With a  record number of participants numbering 40,000  Dataran Merdeka turned into a sea of blue in the morning of Race Day.

I signed up for the HM this year with the goal of breaking 2 hours. I came close to achieving it in the the Great North Run (2:01) back in 2016 but since then a sub-2 finishing has been elusive.

This year I had the company of Cheng Yee (who stepped up from 10k) and JJ who was making his HM debut in KLSCM 2019. A Run For a Reason (RFAR) participant, he helped to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia. Danny on the other signed up for his favourite, no-less-competitive distance of 10km in the speed category. CY, JJ and Danny and I recently had a fantastic time running in the Asics Relay Malaysia.

Selfie time while we make our way to the starting line from Pen 3

So I ran alongside CY and JJ starting from pen 3. We were delayed by 8 minutes before we reached the starting line, taking in the electrifying atmosphere of flag-off.  It was great running together with my team-mates. I broke away from CY at km 1, and later from JJ at km 4.

Confetti blast with the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad building in the background

The HM course was familiar to me as I ran the same route in last year's SCKLM; I was strong and steady in my pace; the heat which usually slows me was not too bad even as I picked up my pace - thanks to the rain the night before. Even on the elevation along Duke expressway and the Duta tunnel I managed to keep on running by reducing my pace but not did not walk at all. As I stood a good chance of reaching my goal of a sub-2 finishing, I stopped only briefly at the water stations. The volunteers were awesome as always. With their outstretched hands offering a choice of water or isotonic drink to the runners, they gave out fun cheers and motivational chants - ‘"jia you", "looking good", "you can do it" and "don't give up".

Keep calm and carry on running..

Getting closer to the finish line..

Ya baby.. finish arch is in sight

I'm happy to report that I finished the race in 1:54:11 and achieved a new PB!

Well done to the organizer of KLSCM 2019 for a doing a great job and congratulations to all the runners who achieved their running goals. I’m sure the KLSCM will continue to grow in popularity as Malaysia's no.1 running event.

We are the winners.. We are! We Are! We Are!

100 Plus Active is my preferred isotonic drink

At the title sponsor's booth before it was crowded

The moment when you find out  it's a sub-2 finishing

Official results:
Gun Time: 2:02:28
Net Time: 1:54:12
Rank: 31