Park run at South Bank of Brisbane, Australia.

The narrow jogging track at kangaroo point

After spending almost one week in Sydney and achieving our goal of running in Sydney park, We boarded a train to Brisbane. The journey was almost 14 hours but the nice scenery we saw outside the train was enough to compensate the slight discomfort on the train. My main aim of coming to Brisbane was to attend Kai Yang's graduation ceremony and also visit interesting places including a run along South Bank of Brisbane river. We stayed on the 67th floor of Meriton Service Apartment which allowed us to have a panoramic view of Brisbane city. What attracted me the most was the long jogging bridge along the South Bank of Brisbane river. South bank was very near to our apartment and we decided that we should at least run once along the river bank. On our second day in Brisbane, we walked from our service apartment at Roma Street to South Bank via  Kurilpa Bridge which only allows pedestrian and cyclists to pass. 

We can never keep up with pace of the Aussies

The bridge is just a few hundred metres long and within minutes we were already at the other side of the river or South Bank. We started our run at the entrance of Kurilpa Bridge to Kangaroo points  roughly 4 km away. The jogging track or jogging bridge along the river bank is really fantastic, the tarmac is even and there is absolutely no pothole. There were many joggers and cyclists but their tracks are separated. It is very safe and fresh air all the way running at South Bank. We ran at our leisure pace and we were really no match to those seasoned runners sharing the same jogging track as us. In fact their fast pace really inspired me to run faster. Besides having a breathtaking view of the meandering river and the skyscrapers on the north shore we also passed through the Arbour or Bougainvillea canopy, Griffith University, the street beach , The Cliff Boardwalk where cliff climbers were seen doing abseiling before we reached kangaroo point via steep stairs from the track. 

The Arbour, Bougainvillea flowers on artistic arches

The staircases to Kangaroo point above

City Botanical Garden and Eagle Pier viewed from Kangaroo point

We stopped at Kangaroo Point to enjoy the the city view before turning back and ran across goodwill bridge to City Botanical Garden next to Queensland University of Technology. We ran through the Botanical Garden along its beautifully patched jogging track roughly 2 km. We stopped our run after coming out from the Botanical Garden. From there we walked another two km back to our Service Apartment along the busy city streets of Brisbane. We did not time our run but the run was easily more than 8 km. We had slight sunburn due to the scorching summer sunlight of Brisbane. We don't have to bring along drinking water as there are water sprinklers along the South Bank Park and City Botanical Garden to serve as our water stations. We really enjoyed our run as we were running on our own and there is no urgency to complete the run within certain specified time. My thumb up to the Brisbane Municipal council for building such a beautiful jogging tracks and bridge at South Bank for the well being of the residents. I like Brisbane city especially South Bank and it is a pity for those who stay near South Bank but do not make use of the facilities so meticulously created for them.

Beautiful Brisbane city with its bridges and jogging bridge along the river.

   

Park run at St Peters, Sydney

I spent nearly two weeks of holidays from 1st Dec to 13th of Dec in Sydney, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast of Australia. As I always include a running event in my travel itinerary, I tried to register a competitive running event in one of the places I visited but there was none that coincided with the date of my visit. At last I stumbled upon the Park Run held every Saturday at different locations in Australia. Only Sydney's Park Run could fit into my travel itinerary. So Seok Wan and I  registered to be members of St Peters park run group in Sydney so as to satisfy our urge to run in Australia. The run is only 5 km and as members we were given personal bar code which could be downloaded and printed online. The bar code will allow our time to be recorded and we can run in any of the park run held all over the world. 

We were all alone running in the vastness of Sydney Park

Enjoying the scenery while running at our leisure pace

We did not notice this and continued straight another two km

Great!  We had run at Sydney park, Australia

The Park Run which I took part was held on 5th Dec at Sydney Park of St Peters, a suburb of Sydney. The Run started at 8.00 am but we were late almost 20 minutes due to unfamiliarity with the train schedule in Sydney. I was at Sydney Central station and instead of boarding a metro train to St Peters there, I travel to town Hall to board a train to St Peters. That mistake cost us at least half an hour of delay. When we reached the starting venue, some of the fast runners were already coming back. Even though we were late we still participated in the run. The park run organiser briefed us about the track to follow and comforted us to just run with our own leisure. We started our run by following the arrows shown along the track and everything was smooth until we reached the 4th km mark. I was anticipating the finishing line soon but it never appeared. We made a second mistake by over-running the designated 5 km. There were marking on the track asking us to dash to the finishing line but we missed it and continued running until we realized our mistake 2 km later. By the time we returned to the starting point, most of the participants had left. That is the beauty of park run where we can continue running after the designated 5 km distance. Perhaps the organiser thought we wanted to run more than 5 km and did  not bother us.  

Even though we did not run together with the other park runners and get to know them but it was still a new experience for us running in the vastness of Sydney Park. There were quite a number of joggers who came with their dogs and kids. After the run we had our breakfast at the cafe in the park. There is even a toilet next to the cafe where we changed into our dry clothes to board a train back to Sydney Central and then by Light Rail Transit ( LRT) to our hotel at Darling Harbour.  

So that is our first park run and we are not sure when we will be able to take part in our second park run as the nearest park run to us is in Singapore. 

Penang Ultra marathon 2015

50 km runners registering and checking of running gears

After three full marathons in my credentials I thought it is time to go for greater challenge in my running craze. So here I am registering for the 50 km category in Penang Ultra Marathon 2015. I registered as an early bird with an exorbitant fee of RM 130.  I was quite confident that I would be able to complete the race within the cut-off time of 8 hours 30 minutes since I could finish a full marathon of 42 km close to 7 hours. There shouldn't be any problem for me to cover the balance of 8 km in one and the half hour.  I was too optimistic and over confidence and I did not train as hard as when I was preparing for my first full marathon. I ran three or four times a week covering a fixed distance of about 10 km on flat land. I thought that is the only preparation I needed never knowing that I have to invest in running gears too. I only realized that after being informed by the organizer of the compulsory items required. So I spent RM 260 on a backpacker with a water capsule, running flash lights ( RM 35 ), emergency blanket which I did not know where to get but finally got it from the organizer while collecting my running bib one week before the race for RM 7 a packet.  I did not buy a new head lamp since the old head lamp I have is still functioning well. We are also required to bring along a whistle, plasters and alcohol pads and spare batteries. Those were the items which increased my burden but not put to use at all. In fact there is no necessity for us 50 km runners to carry spare batteries because we only run the most 4 hours in the dark and new battery can definitely lasts longer than that. 

I booked to stay at Georgetown city hotel for two nights, my time sharing hotel. It is only a few kilometers from the city hall at the Esplanade where we 50 km participants have to gather and register. The 84 km round island and 100 km challenge categories will start their runs at the registration site at 9.00 pm but we 50 km category will have to take a shuttle bus provided to Balik Pulau 45 km away where we will start our run at 3.00 am. Our starting point is the fourth checkpoint of the 100 km and 84 km categories. From then on the three categories will run on the same route until the end except the 100 km where there is an additional 16 km up and down Penang Hill. My initial understanding  of the 8.5-hour  cut-off time for 50 km category is totally different from what the cut-off time of the organizer. In actual fact, the 50 km distance is divided into five checkpoints and every checkpoint has its unfriendly cut-off time. This is the second time Penang Ultra Marathon is being organised and last year only 58% of the 50 km participants managed to finish the race and earned their medals and finisher tees. I was not so optimistic that I  would finish the race in time after knowing the true nature of the run.

MY first checkpoint is CP4

I left my hotel for the Esplande at 11.00 pm sharp as the duration for the registration is from 11.00 pm to 1.00 am the next morning. I was surprised there were not many participants and we were kept waiting until the registration was closed. I could see about hundred odd participants and I was right as there were only three shuttle buses to take us to the starting point. I think the organizer must be very disappointed with the poor response of the 50 km category as the target is 400 participants. Well, that is not my concern as my main worry is whether I can complete the 50 km race.

50 km runners arriving at the starting point

While we were on our way to our starting point, I could see the slower runners struggling on their way to their next checkpoint. Our starting point was at Genting Primary School in Balik Pulau. When we reached there, some 84 km or 100 km runners were seen running into the checkpoint compound to be registered. Those were the faster runners who definitely qualified to continue with their run. I was anticipating some light refreshment at the starting point to fill my almost empty stomach before the race but there were nothing. Only water and three-in-one coffee but there is no cup. I did not bring any bread and had to quieten my stomach with a packet of energy gel I brought. We were flagged off at 3: 00 am and I was a bit uncomfortable carrying the backpacker with 1 liter of salted water and wearing a cap with headlight. I only did not feel the existence of the extra burden on my back and head after running for a while. My time is in fact faster because I did not stop to drink at water station as in other marathon races. I was quite strong from the beginning until my first checkpoint or CP5. That is 14.3 km in 1 hour 45 minutes or 7.34 minutes per km. In fact I was 25 minutes ahead of the cut-off time at CP5. After taking my drink and replenished my water capsule with 100 plus, I continue my run towards my second checkpoint or CP6 hastily.

I thought the slope is manageable and try to run slowly uphill at first but the hilly winding road all the way up for 6 km is really out of my imagination even though I had used that stretch just recently while going to Penang National Park. From slow run to brisk walk and finally I found myself struggling to continue forward. I sighed and sighed and hoped that the uphill task would come to its end but the peak was like unreachable. I was overtaken by runners after runners. Most of them just ran past me quietly perhaps struggling too except one sweet runner with her European boyfriend who encouraged me to keep going. Thanks for the encouragement but I had hit the wall and the only solution is to stop my race at the next checkpoint. I was totally relieved when I reached the peak. My tiredness just vanished and I could run again but only slowly. More runners overtook me making me almost a lone ranger in the darkness of Teluk Bahang durian orchards and fruit farms. I ran slowly downhill and finally reached the scenic Teluk Bahang reservoir with its great expand of water and the soothing cool breeze. That really killed some of my tiredness and that really enhanced my desire to continue with my race till the finishing line. So I continue to run but a bit faster this time hoping to reach my second checkpoint in time but I was too slow during uphill and I reached CP6  eight minutes late. A volunteer at CP6 informed me without any sign of empathy that my participation was cancelled. So my ultra marathon was ended prematurely. I had run a total of 27.6 km with a time of 4 hours 8 minutes or 8.99 minutes per km. There were instant noodles and 100 plus at the checkpoint but I was too late for the last cup of the instant noodle and had to drink as much 100 plus as possible to ease my thirst and hunger.  A bus was already parked outside the checkpoint waiting for few more disqualified runners to arrive. When I boarded the bus it was almost full with passengers who looked so sombre and tired maybe for failing to achieve their dreams. So am I but who dare say he has never encountered failure. A failure is definitely a stepping stone to success.

Even though I did not complete the race but this run is totally a new experience and a good training for me for greater challenge ahead. The only regret is firstly,  I struggled to finish 27.6 km but my effort was not recognized. Perhaps the organizer should allocate timing chip to the runners and the chip is scanned at every checkpoint. In this way our distance and time can be traced and e-certificate can be issued to us based on the distance we covered as recognition of our achievement even though we did not complete the whole race. 

Secondly I think the cut-off time for the Teluk Bahang hilly route should be extended maybe by 20 minutes. This will definitely allow the runners to run slower downhill to avoid hurting their knees. From what I observed many runners were running too fast downhill because they were too slow while going uphill. 

Thirdly, the organizer should start the 50 km category earlier maybe at 1.00 am to avoid the heavy traffic at Batu Feringghi narrow and winding road. 

Finally I would suggest the organizer  not to knock out the participants too early and this can be done by increasing the total cut off time to 9 hours since the route is hilly. The last cut off time of 1.5 hour just for distance of 5.6 km is too long and the total distance is not 50 km but 51 km. Maybe that is reason few participants registered for the race in contrary to what the organizer's intention in promoting Penang's scenic countryside.     

The run is fun and muscles cracking and I will give myself another try next year  but I will surely train harder this time especially on hilly route. See you next year Penang Ultra Marathon.     

My new running look

Water station at our staritng point

                     

 

Raintown half marathon

A lady leading the pack, compliment from the organiser

After the dismal 2013 Taiping International Marathon organised by inexperienced organisers, this year signifies the revival of marathon events in Taiping. There are four running events in Taiping this year which is a record and I took part in three of the events. Out of the four, Raintown half marathon is the event which attracts the most participants including runners from Kenya. The organisers really put in a lot of effort to organise the event well and they really succeeded as evident from positive responses received from the runners after the race. The routes for the various categories are well planned especially the 21 km route which consists of slopes, elevated flyover, industrial estate, new village ,Taiping town centre and finally the scenic lake garden with its rows of centenary rain trees. The race started early where the traffic volume is still low and provide the runners with plenty of fresh air. Besides that 10km and 21 km categories are given timing chips which only happen in very large running events. Finisher tee was provided to runner who completed the 21 km run and this made it comparable to big running events with rich sponsors. Perhaps Taiping Municipal council, the organiser is trying to improve the tarnished image of Taiping in organising marathon event.

I am afraid I am running too leisurely

I took part in the 21km category while Seok Wan run in the 10 km category. My race was flagged off at 6.30 am while the 10 km 15 minutes later. I could not run fast because I am still not fully recovered from a minor Achilles Tendinitis due to over training. But I am quite happy with my result of 2 hours and 38 minutes because I also stopped few times to snap photographs. My timing is only able to beat 35 percents of the runners. Seok Wan is much better even though she hardly train for the event. Her timing of 1 hour 15minutes in 10 km ranked her in first 25 percents of the best runners.       

Seok Wan in her Chiangmai marathon Tee reaching the finishing line

Five-hour trail adventure at Penang National Park

Entrance to the park

I have been to Penang on countless occasion and sometimes wondering where to visit never knowing that the most exciting places to visit lie in Penang National Park. I have decided to visit the beaches in the park when one of its beaches, Teluk Kampi beach was in the limelight due to the video clip of a group of local and foreign nudists  conducting their activities at the beach uploaded on internet. Though this incident happened more than a year ago, only on last Saturday, that is 27 of June that I decided to embark on a tracking adventure to the beaches in the park. 

We started our journey from Taiping around 8.00 am and we used the second bridge to go to our destination at Teluk Bahang via Balik Pulau. The road was a bit winding but certain parts of the stretch have been widened and straightened . At the side of the road from Balik Pulau to Teluk Bahang are numerous fruit farms setting up stalls selling branded durians. It is the durian harvesting season now. We stopped at one of the stalls and two of us ordered just one durian to be shared. Its name is 301 and it is the cheapest but still RM 8 per kg. That fruit came to RM 12 and luckily it was tasty. We were allowed to go to the durian orchard nearby to choose our own durian if we chose to. The road from Balik Pulau to Teluk Bahang is almost devoid of traffic because it is very narrow and big vehicle is no more allowed to travel along this stretch. Bus or lorry must use the Tanjung bunga way to go the National Park.

Carbon loading in a delicious way

We proceeded to the National Park at Teluk Bahang town after our durian. We parked our car at the car park operated by the local fishermen's cooperative which charged RM 3 for a day's parking. Entry to the park is free but we have to register our names and places we wish to visit at the information counter. We were also given a map of the park to guide us to our destinations. We set to track to Pantai Kerachut passing through Lake Meromictic and visit the Turtle Conservation Centre, turn back and track to Monkey beach via Tukun river trail and  USM Research Centre.

This is the trail map to guide us

 We brought along our lunch which is fried koay teow from our favourite stall in Taiping, some fruits, clothes and two bottles of water. We commenced our journey through the jungle trail to Pantai Kerachut  at 1100 am. As Penang is experiencing a dry spell at the moment it is quite easy to walk along the trail but still there are some elevations where stamina is required. Steep slopes usually consists of concrete steps with rope by the side for climber to hold. The trail is fairly well maintained and there is almost no litter along the trail. Visitors are warned not to leave any rubbish in the park and they really are heeding the advice.

Steep concrete steps

This trail will be covered next trip

  There are not many hikers even though it is a Saturday. This shows how poor the   publicity of this beautiful place is? Quite a lot 

of taxpayers' money have been spent in upgrading the park and the public should be more informed about place. We took about 1 hour and a half to reach the hanging bridge linking the jungle trail to Pantai Kerachut. The bridge spans over Lake Meromictic which is separated from the sea by a thin strip of sandy dune. The water of the lake is fresh and it is only of  knee-depth. Water is clear and clean and should be a perfect place to swim. We did not swim there because there is already a group of visitors dipping themselves in the water.

the only trench trail we encountered

Lake Meromictic and Kerachut beach separated by sandy dune

As it is already noon and time for lunch, we found ourselves a gazebo or small wooden hut under a shady pine tree to have our lunch. There are quite a number of gazebos for visitors to take shelter and rest. The wind was very strong and I wonder how many fine sands have been blown into the fried koay teow Seok Wan and I were eating. There were only few visitors at the beach maybe because visitors are prohibited from swimming at the beach.  There is a beach guard  stationed there to warn any visitors who try to swim there. It is too dangerous to swim there because there is strong current and drowning had happened before. 

After our lunch we proceeded to the Turtle Conservation Centre at the end of beach. We stopped at the toilets and bathrooms and were quite satisfied with its condition and cleanliness. There is even  a big gazebo for group activities near to the toilets and guard post.

Beach guard house

     

Bathrooms

The Turtle Conservation Center is just a small building nicely decorated with pictures and descriptions of turtle conservation. Besides that there are some turtle specimen on display and of course some baby turtles had just hatched one day ago and will be released into the sea for the purpose of conservation. There is a staff at the conservation center to explain anything about turtle conservation but only in the Malay language. As there were two Europeans who did not understand Malay Language  so I volunteered myself to be their translator. We are allowed to take part in conservation of turtle by releasing the turtle into the sea ourselves if we arrive at the right time or write in advance to get their permission.

One day old baby turtle

scenic Meromictic lake

As we will be going to the Monkey beach on another end of the park, we did not stay too long at Pantai Kerachut. We turned back along our original trail and branched into the trail to Tunku river which was seldom used by hikers as evident from the untrampled fallen leaves on the trail. I was a bit scared as the trail is narrow and quiet but feeling more secure after realizing that the two Europeans who are father and son from Perth were behind us. We were later joined by  two young men from Singapore. We passed by the camp site of Tunku River which has few cascading pools built in the river. There were some some local campers and an European couple having their picnic there. 

When we reached the junction leading to Monkey bridge and the entrance of the park, it was already 2.00 pm and we were hesitating whether to continue our adventure to Monkey bridge because the walk need one hour and a half. The Singaporeans gave up but we continued towards Monkey beach. I was quite sure the Australian father and son team would definitely gave up as the senior is quite plump and looked like in his sixty. I was shocked when we were joined by them again while we were resting at the beach outside the USM Research centre half an hour walk from the junction. Who dare say old and fat can not hike. In fact they did not rest and continued their hike to Monkey beach ahead of us. When we reached Monkey beach and have not really enjoyed the scenery at the beach the older Australian came running to me asking whether we would like to join them to take a boat back to the entrance of the park just for RM 10 per person. We agreed as another boat operator wanted to charge us RM40 for a boat. It is just a short ride from Monkey beach to our starting venue, perhaps just 10 minutes but it will take 2 hours to hike back.

A 10 minutes boat ride to replace 2 hours of trail

There is a bathroom at the information centre and Seok Wan took her shower and changed into dry clothes before we proceeded our journey back to Taiping. We returned to Taiping via Tanjung Bunga and saw the two Australians who wanted to wait for bus to their hotel at Bay View Hotel Batu Ferringi. Since we will pass by Batu Ferringi and I know that hotel is just by the roadside, we show our Malaysian warm hospitality towards foreign visitors by taking them back to their hotel. They happily agreed to our invitation and surely they will tell their friends that Malaysians are very friendly. 

The trail hike took almost 5 hours and we only felt thirsty but not tired. We should not feel tired after all these years of long distance running and hiking. I never expect the places we visited such as beaches and lakes are so scenic plus the surprises we saw at the turtle sanctuary, I should consider this trip as a very educational and a thrilling experience. We will definitely return as we still have not visited Kampi beach and lighthouse at Muka head.        


    

Penang 2nd Bridge half marathon 2015

Highest point of Sultan Muadzam Shah Bridge

Penang 2nd bridge half marathon on 14 June 2015 was the first time a bridge run being organised middle of the year in Penang. The marathon only consists of two categories that is 21 km and 10 km fun run. The registration fee is quite expensive because the early bird registration fee for half marathon is already RM70. Seok Wan and I registered for half marathon and this is the debut half marathon run for Seok Wan. This time we did not stay in hotel in Penang Island but stayed at a relative's apartment in Butterworth. We had the whole apartment for ourselves because our relative is not staying there at the moment. This is a better option because we don't have to worry about checking out of hotel at 12 noon. The venue for the collection of running pack was not at the race site but at a new hotel just across the road from Komtar. Locating the newly opened hotel, Gilde Wembley Premier hotel was not a problem for us and there are plenty of parking lots in the hotel though we had to pay RM6 for two hours of parking. There was no signboard notifying the participants that the running kit could be collected at the ninth floor. But that is no big deal as we can ask around. After collecting the running vest I was attracted to a booth selling US Soleus GPS watch at promotion price. I owned a Garmin GPS watch but its belt came off and its battery could not retain charges not long after use. So I felt it is time to get a new one but a different brand. After inquiring about some of the watches on display I finally settled for a simple one without heart monitoring function for RM 421.90. 

my new GPS watch

After leaving the hotel we went to a nearby coffee stall to take our lunch. It is one of the few old colonial era wooden buildings still exist and in the midst of high rise shopping complexes and hotels. After our lunch, we crossed the road to a modern shopping complex for window shopping. We did not spend a lot of time there because we needed to rest in preparation for the run which would start at 4.30 am.    

We went to bed at 10.30pm and suprisingly I could  sleep well even though I normally go to bed at 1 am  We woke up at 1.30 am and by the time we finished our light meal and toilet routine , it was already 3.00 am. The ride from Butterworth to the race site was very smooth and fast as there was hardly any traffic at such early hour. But, it was a problem looking for parking by the road side at the Industrial area around the bridge and by the time we found our parking we only had 40 minutes to spare. The participants were grouped into 4 groups according to their finishing time. Even though I am in the 2.30 to 3.00 hours category but I stayed together with Seok Wan in the last group. Just like last year, there was a fireworks display before the race and we have the pleasure of the company of Penang's Chief minister who was present to witness the flag-off. 

fireworks display- photo of  PBIM

the slower ones struggling up the elevated part. 

We ran slowly together until 5 km mark when Seok Wan was too slow for me to follow and I proceeded with my own pace alone. The route is flat except the elevated part of the bridge 5 km from the starting point, but it is not an obstacle for me because I have enough practice on slope and I ran without much walking through out the whole 21km distance. I was not too tired because I could still sprint for about 20 metres to reach the finishing line. I was a bit worried about Seok Wan whether she could finish the race but my worry was really unfounded. Anyway, I was really delighted to see Seok Wan finishing her race at a time of 3 hours , much better than my first half marathon's time. I wore the GPS watch but I forgot to stop it after the race so I could only guess that my finishing time is 2 hours 40 minutes.

plenty of shuttle buses but few passengers

The organising of this event is much better and more orderly compared with last year. The smaller number of participants perhaps not more than 5 thousand running half marathon could be the reason. Plenty of foods though not lavish and there are even tables and chairs for runners to sit down and enjoy their food and talk about their performances. In view of this, it is pertinent that there should be restriction on the number of participants in the November Penang Bridge International Marathon on the 1st Bridge especially the 10km fun run category.       
        

not really exhausted after 21 km run

21 km finisher Tee  

Penang City Run 2015

Penang Plaza at Burma Road, starting point

The Podium for the winners

When I registered for this event I never imagined that this run was different from the usual running event I participated. It was a run coupled with treasure hunt in the beautiful island of Penang. There are 15 KM and 30 Km categories either solo or team. Even though Seok Wan and I were taking part but we registered as solo because I did not know it was a treasure hunt. Luckily we did not register for different categories because Seok Wan did not know Penang well. As it is a treasure  hunt where time will be spent looking for treasure at checkpoints, the cut-off time for 15km is 4 hours while that of  30 km doubled. Actually I was quite eager at first

to register for the 30 km category because finisher Tee will be given for those who completed the race in 8 hours. Luckily I did not want to leave Seok Wan alone prompting me to just register for the 15 km category. This allows me to check out from my hotel in time because we almost spent 3 hours just to complete the 15 km. 

This run is totally a new experience because we just run on our own along busy streets of Penang. Though we were given a map to locate three stations that is Mish Mash Cafe at Muntri street, Stars Publication main office at Pitt street and Kek Lok Si temple in Air Itam. It is not easy to locate the places in heavy rain for those participants who are not familiar with Penang. The rain arrived right at the time we were to be flagged off at 7.30 am and it rained heavily for almost two hours. We were supposed to looked for 4 out of 9 wire-arts at Muntri street but we were asked to proceed to our second station due to the rain. But, I stumbled upon a beautiful wall mural which I have not seen before on newspaper. We did not mind wasting time snapping a photo with it even though it is not required in the treasure hunt.  The second station was quite easily located because I had visited it before when I registered for Penang Stars walk and it is situated opposite a very old and famous temple, Kuan Yin Teng or God of Mercy temple. Furthermore, it is very near to the first station. Perhaps the organiser should spread out the first two stations. 

Mural at Muntri street

Our third checkpoint near Kek Lok Si Temple

The third station, Kek Lok Si temple was very far from the first and second stations and we walked and ran along Chulia street into Penang road followed by Datuk Kramat road before we turned into Air Itam road to reach our third station at Kek Lok Si temple. It was a challenge running at the side  of busy roads
 where car drivers just sped past us and we had to cross many busy road junctions on our own. At the third station we were asked to snap a photo with the Kek Lok Si temple at the base of a distant hill as evidence. After swallowing a piece of banana and replenished my empty drinking bottle, we proceeded to our finishing point at Penang Plaza perhaps 6 km away. When we reached our destination, not many had arrived and we had plenty of food to cater to our empty stomach.


I would not give my thumb up for this event because 
i) it did not state clearly in their website that it is a treasure hunt. 
ii) The organiser did not change the date of the event on their website but only informed those registered about the new date. 
( Luckily I did not have other function on the same date or else the fees for two registrations will be burnt.)
iii)  It is too dangerous to run on the busy Penang streets without any road marshal and road closure. 
iv ) a disadvantge to those participants from out station who do not know Penang well.
v) participant who sustains injuries has no paramedic nearby to turn to but have to call the organiser for help. How can a participant who ran alone and fainted make a phone call ?

In conclusion we enjoy the run but have to run at our own risk where risks are aplenty. We checked out from our hotel at 12.30 noon and came to Penang road again to try out the famous Candol and Laksa. After that we walked along Penang road to do some shopping and sightseeing. We could see 30 km participants running here and there looking for their stations even though it was near to 3 pm , the cut-off time.

  

Hainanese Ascociation temple

King of Bukit Larut

    King of Bukit Larut, a hill running race was first organized last year which only consists of one category that is run until the top of the hill. This year, two more categories are added making it a 10km, 20 km and 26 km race. Even though my house is just below Bukit Larut or Maxwell hill , I am yet to climb until the peak of the hill that is 13 km by tarred road from the foothill. Really wish that I could register for the 26 km category but I have to be realistic because I have been running on flat terrain most of the time and I am afraid I won't be able to complete the race in 4.5 hours, the cut-off time. So I finally made up my mind to just register for the 10 km category. I also registered for Seok Wan in the same category even though she is not so keen. It is always more fun to have a companion in any event.

at the foothill of Maxwell hill , the starting point.

Many medals yet to be collected

Waiting for the race to start

a colleague who joins running race for the first time

A very attractive medal common to all categories

          

 

   As we have not been hiking for many years we have to force ourselves to practice going up the hill. We managed to practice a few times before the race and I finally decided to employ the method of fast walking uphill and slow running downhill. It is too strenuous on the heart running up the hill and it is to taxing on the kneel running fast downhill.

      As our category starts at 8.00 am and I am staying so near to the race site, we did not even bother to sleep early the previous night. We woke up at 6.00 am and took a cup of cereal mixed with coffee to avoid hitting the wall during race. There are about 400 participants in all the categories and by the  time I reached the starting point, the 26 km category had already started. Our 10 km category was started 5 minutes before the official time which should not have happened. I walked from the start until the u-turn at 5 km mark called tea garden. I only ran for the camera on two occasions as requested by the camera man who shouted, " run just for the snapshot , after that you can continue walking ". In fact most of the participants are walking and at very slower pace than mine. There is only one water station for 10 km category but I could only enjoy my drink while on the way down because I was panting too severely and can hardly drink while going up. I ran slowing down the hill fearing that I might injure my knee if I came down too fast. Regret to say that I overtook none but was overtaken by few while going downhill. Those who sped down the slope are young and inexperience but they will definitely learn through their painful experience. I did not track my race time but I think my time for the 10 km race should be roughly one hour and 40 minutes. I did not feel exhausted at all and perhaps that give me the excuse to register for the 20 km category next year. The medal is quite attractive and there are plenty of food for the participants after the race. The food I enjoyed most is the candoi, a famous Taiping dedicacy which I consume an extra bowl.

       Seok Wan was quite slow and probably 20 minutes slower than me but she is still better than many. The race is well organised and it is the type of race where we don't have to worry about ruthless drivers and pollution. The air is fresh and cool and total greenery along the track. The only weakness is the lack of participants. Four hundreds participants for 3 categories along a track of 13 km is definitely too lonely for the participants.  There are two many running events on the same day in Malaysia and most runners are scared of the hill. Besides that, many frequent hikers did not take part in the race because they thought participants must run up the hill. In fact, participants can just walk up the hill at their leisure pace and enjoy the landscape which consists of rich tropical rain forest treasures. My suggestion to the organizer is to lengthen the cut-off time to 6 hours for the 26 km category so that more participants can register for the 26 km category to enjoy the peak of Maxwell hill.

Yes, she finally made it to the finishing line.