Date : 7 June 2009
Venue : Setia Alam, a new township between Klang and Shah Alam. Having Setia Alam as the race venue for the very first time, some runners have problem locating the place while collecting their running BIB on the eve of Race Day and/or finding the parking space on the morning itself. The plus point is there are not many vehicles plying around this area, hence a conducive environment for running.
Time : The race was supposed to start at 6.30am. But there was a slight delay as the organiser was sorting out the ribbons in the dark before the runners gathered at the cordon off area. I reckoned this could have been done much earlier during the reporting. Luckily the crowd is not huge enough to create major havoc!
Weather : Hazy, hot & humid. I could smell the haze upon stepping out of my car. Fortunately the major sponsor, SP Setia has a cosy and comfortable Welcome Centre, so I stayed indoor most of the time prior and after the Race!
Route & distance : 21.4km where runners have to make a total of 5 U-turns, 15 turns & cross 3 fly-overs at least twice. No wonder I'm still tired while typing this....!
The Organiser : Despite the above minor hiccups, I feel the overall event is well managed and organised. Kudos to the Organiser! Water station is sufficient. What a bonus when I got a Powergel in the middle of the run! And what I like the most is we need not produce any coupons for food and drinks after the Race! We can eat/drink as much as we like! It would be better if distance markers are provided in the future.
My target : Even though it's part of my training for this coming SCKLIM on 28 June, and also my first week of incorporating some speedwork into my programme, I still expect myself to dip below 1:40.
My performance & result : Unlike usual, I started fast just to test out how long I could last at that pace. I think I did reasonably well except for the slope at fly-over which I found it to be quite taxing and challenging! I managed to maintain my form and focus until about 2-3km before the finishing. I totally lost focus towards the last one kilometre. Luckily I managed to gather all the strength I have for the last 100m push. Time: 1:42:24. Position: 12th. Looks like there are still lots of work to be done for the next 2-3 weeks!
Last but not least, wife did around 1:55 for a 7th position. Congrats to her and all the other runners! Many thanks to the Klang Pacers for organising this event, sponsors and especially the volunteers! The designs of medal and trophy are quite impressive too. I also appreciate fellow runners who gave their support and encouragement to me along the way.
1 comment:
wait for me
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