Conquering Mt Kinabalu after running a full marathon in Sabah.

Tanjung Aru which has pristine sandy beach extended for 2 km.

My first Unicef Borneo Marathon

I registered  for Unicef Borneo Marathon in Sabah with the aim of running a full marathon and also to do some sightseeing in the state which I am visiting for the first time. Besides that I also hoped that I would be fit enough to climb Mount Kinabalu after the 42 km marathon. I was lucky that my brother offered me a return air ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu using his MAS enrich rewards points lightening my financial burden of the trip. I flew off to KK on 25/4/2019 , three days before the Marathon on 28/4/2019 to adapt myself with the new environment and also to collect my running bib early. I booked to stay at OYO Winner Hotel right in the middle of KK CBD. The location was perfect because it is right in the middle of restaurants , shopping complexes, waterfront,  jetties to nearby islands and bus stations. As I am a solo traveller I only booked a single-bed room which cost RM364 for 4 nights stay which I considered cheap. The first day in KK was spent visiting the Phillipine wet market, a stone throw from my hotel. I just walked past the stalls selling fishes and prawns fresh from the sea, vegetables and fruits without buying anything. Nothing specal as it is just an ordinary wet market catering to the locals. From there I walked along the waterfront where there are many waterfront cafes with quite a number of tourists from China and Korea. From the waterfront, I could see the nearby islands such as Gaya Island and Manukan island. Gaya Island is just opposite the phillipine wet market and most of the residents there were originally from Southern Phillipine as refugees of war but now permanent residents. After window shopping at city plaza shopping complex and having my dinner at a mamak coffee shop , I headed back to my hotel to have an early rest.

A jetty near Jesselton Point taking tourists to outlying islands

Coral beach at Munukan Island

Walked 1.5 km of jungle path here  from entrance of Manukan Island 

The shore below the Sunset point of Manukan

My itinerary for day two in KK was visiting the islands of KK. I walked from my hotel to Jesselton Point to board a boat to Manukan Island for a day trip. There were many foreign tourists and most of the them did islands hopping which cost RM 50 per head. I paid RM 30 to visit Manukan Island only.  The boat ride from the jetty to Manukan Island took about 10 minutes and there is a resort on the Island. The beach is not sandy but made up of dead coral and I really regreted not bringing any swimming gear to try out the water there. I walked along the beach which is the most 200 meters long before I hiked up the 1.5 km jungle trail to Sunset Point. I was too early for sunset viewing but the sea view there was just stunning. If we are not here for swimming, snorkering or parasailing then 2 hour of visit should be more than enough but the earliest boat returning to Jesselton point in KK is 1.00 pm. So I spent almost 4 hours on the island before I took the 1 pm boat back to Jesselton point.  

From there I hired a grab car to Karamunsing complex to collect my running bib. The distribution of running bib is the most advance and efficient I had come across. The QR code on my confirmation slip which I presented was scanned to print out my card for claiming my running bib. The card has two parts both with my lucky draw number. One part was torn off for my keeping while they kept the other portion for lucky draw purpose. I usually headed home after the run and lucky draw prize is never my priority for any marathon I participated. I also bought 10 packets of energy gel and a packet of mineral salt tablets totalling RM91. It is not cheap to run a full marathon. I would use 7 packets of the energy gels for marathon and the rest for my Mt kinabalu climb later. I tend to sweat quite easily and I need to consume mineral salt tablet which consists of sodium, potassium to prevent eletrolyte imbalance.

There was a billboard showing names of those who had collected their bibs. My name was in it after I collected.

In the morning of my day three in KK, I walked up Bukit Bendera just behind my hotel until the State Palace. In fact the hilly road is linked to other parts of KK and is the alternative route to avoid traffic jam in the city centre during peak hour. I also hiked up the stairs to the  top of the hill hoping to find the observation tower but could not locate it. The walking and hiking were really good training for my Mt Kinabalu climb which I planned to do after my marathon. 

Two UTM coursemates  met again after 38 years

In the afternoon Professor Pang , my UTM coursemate which I had not seen since 1981 came to my hotel to pick me up for lunch. We travelled quite far just to try out Sabah famous  raw meat noodle. Professor Pang also drove me around KK and we stopped at Tanjung Aru beach to appreciate the beautiful and long sandy beach which is surprisingly quite devoid of tourists. I think most tourists prefer the islands. After professor Pang sent me back to my hotel, it was around 3 pm and just the right time to get some sleep in preparation for the run the next morning at 3 am starting at Likas Stadium.

Even though the full marathon would only be flagged off at 3 am I was already at the starting venue at 12:30 am. The grab car cost me RM 10 even though Likas stadium is only 6 km away. Looked like Unicef Borneo Marathon was not given enough publicity because the grab driver did not know there was a big running event in KK. 

Orderly collection of medal and finisher's Tee 

The marathon was flagged off exactly at 3:00 am and I ran slowly with a pace of 8 minutes per km. The route in the city area was quite good with little traffic and pollution but when we were out of the city running along the trunk road to Kudat, we had to inhale polluted air and dust due to heavy traffic even though it was only 5 or 6 am in the morning. I was not feeling sleepy in this marathon because I really had enough rest before the run but my pace just could not improve. The toughest part of the marathon was the roughly 3 km of slope uphill and downhill at Universty Malaysia Sabah campus. This was my first experience running through a university campus in a marathon which was the best part of the run as the air was fresh and many volunteers consisting of unversity students cheering and motiviting us. 

I had roughly 10 km before the finishing line when we came out from the university campus. As time was running out,  I  forced myself to continue running without walking so as not to finish the race exceeding the cut-off time of  7 hours. The view in the final few kilometers was just stunning because we ran along the waterfront with scenic view of the sea and islands. If I was not rushing to finish the race I would have stop to snap some pictures as remembrance. The organiser actually had camera-men stationed at various locations of the route to take our photos. My determination to continue running for the last 10 km paid off and I crossed the finishing line with a time of 6 hours 45 minutes, 15 minutes before the cut off time. 

We were given a wristband at a check point which was collected at the medal booth before we were given our medal and finisher-T.  This is really an efficient way in preventing those who did not finish the race from receiving their medal and finisher-T. I liked the porridge provided which was palatable and easily digestable.  Immediately after my porridge I intended to hail a grab back to hotel but in vain due to heavy traffic jam around Likas Stadium.  In the end I just took a taxi back to my hotel for RM 20, double the cost of a grab. The rest of the day was spent sleeping in the hotel so as to recover fast for my next mission, conquering Mount Kinabalu. 

I checked out from my hotel on 29/4/2019 after staying there for 4 nights. It was time to leave KK  for Kinabalu Park to embark on my next but more challenging endeavour. I had already booked to stay at Jungle Jack Backpacker just 100 m from Kinabalu Park, entrance to Mount Kinabalu via facebook messenger. I walked from my hotel to Ranau bus station roughly 100m behind my hotel. I waited for almost an hour before the driver of the minibus decided to depart even though he had not reached the  maximum capacity of  7 passengers. He departed with just 5 passengers and the ticket was RM25 including luggage. The journey to Ranau was a non-stop trip at least until Kinabalu Park when I was dropped off. Ranau town will be another 18 km ahead. 

Minibus to Kinabalu Park, Kundasang and Ranau

Jungle Jack Backpacker consists of two wooden houses separated by a distance of 50m in a 7 acres vegetable plot besides the kk-Kundasang trunk road. I was given a twin-beds room at the house where the owner, Jack Chin is staying. It is in a better condition but I have to walk up the steep slope to  the other house to have my meals cooked by Ana, a pilipina immigrant. I was panting quite heavily walking up the slope due to thin air and quite worried whether I was fit enough to climb up Mount Kinabalu. I was alone in the house on the day I checked-in and the owner of the backpacker was out to Kundasang. I chose to stay at Jungle Jack backpacker because it only charges RM55 per night including three meals which is cheap. I intended to stay for three nights if I did not recover fully to climb Mount Kinabalu. If I climbed Mount Kinabalu then I would only stay for 2 nights since I would be staying at Sutera mountain lodge for 1 night.

Just can't  imagine I will be climbing to the peak of the mountain which is  4095.2 m from sea level

After checking in, I walked to Kinabalu Park administrative office to enquire about the price of hiking up Mount Kinabalu. There were still three climbing permits available on 30/4/19 which was only RM50 for Malaysian but I had to book a bed at Sutera resthouse at Laban rata, 6 km up the mountain if I intended to conquer the peak. Sutera resthouse has an office next to Kinabalu Park Climbing Permit Issuing Office. The  price for climbing Mount Kinabalu by Sutera resthouse was RM685 excluding permit and lodging at foothill which is very expensive. I did not enquire further as I had decided that I would let Jungle jack organised my Mount Kinabalu climb. It turned out Jungle Jack package of RM1080 was not cheap either but still very much cheaper than packages from other tour operators like Amazing Borneo. Jack Chin, Jungle Jack owner suggested I delayed my climb by one day so that I could join a group of 12 climbers from Johore Baru. In that case I would have to stay at Jungle jack Backpacker for 3 nights and rushed back to KK airport in the morning of 3/5/I9 from Kundasang to catch my flight back to KL. The only consolation was one extra day of rest to acclimatise with the highland altitude and opportunity to explore Kundasang and Ranau. Jack Chin proposed to lend me a motorbike to travel until Porin hotspring almost 50 km from Kinabalu Park.
     

Desa Dairy Farm in Kundasang 

On the morning of 29/4, instead of climbing Mount Kinabalu, I was on the a push-start motorbike to Kundasang. I was taking risk as I  had not ridden a motorbike for more than 3 years. Before I rode on the road I practised to familiarise with the bike which was quite heavy. The winding highland road was not devoid of heavy and fast moving vehicles as it is the trunk road linking KK to Sandakan. Kundasang is just 4 km from Kinabalu Park and my destination was Desa Dairy Farm which was situated on top of the hill. Luckily the motorbike was quite new and I had no problem scaling the steep mountainous road to the dairy farm. The scenery was mesmerizing and I had the feeling I was in a dairy farm in New Zealand. There were a lot of tourists but mostly came by tour buses. After Desa Dairy Farm I intended to look for Kundasang War Memorial but I failed to find and decided to head back to my hostel. Half way through I changed my mind as it was too early to go back to my hostel. I turned back and headed all the way to Ranau.  Ranau was quite a big town with many cars and I stopped by a Chinese temple still under contruction. The area was very shady and many locals were taking a break there too. 

After resting for  about 10 minutes, I thought it was time to either go back to my hostel or headed to Porin Hotsping still 19.3 km away. I was in cold sweat when I could not start the motorbike. I pressed the on-button and the engine just refused to start. I panicked and asked a local who tried to help me but failed. A local Chinese also failed to revive my motorbike and he later decided to take me to a nearby motor workshop in his old jeep. When the mechanic came and started my motorbike , the engine just roared and started. The mechanic told me that I had to press the hand brake when I pushed the start button to start the engine. How could I be so dumb I thought deep inside my heart. Perhaps it is an old man syndrome. I had managed to start the bike many times before because I pressed on the brake due to slope but not in Ranau where I was on flat land. The mechanic did not charge me and I was really thankful to Mr Chung who lent me a helping hand. Just wonder what would happen to my Mount Kinabalu climb if I was stranded in Ranau. Most probably Jack Chin would send his worker in his pickup to come for my rescue. After I knew how to start the motorbike, I listened to Mr Chung's suggestion to visit Porin hotspring since I had travelled so far. 

There was little traffic on the road to Porin hotspring and by the time I reached the hotspring it was almost 1:30 pm. There are few restaurants outside the entrance to cater to tourists and I filled up stomach first before I entered the hot spring which charged RM 3 for Malaysian but RM16 for foreign tourist. Besides a few pools with hot water from the hotspring for tourists to dip their legs or swim, the other attraction is the canopy walk which consists of 4 hanging bridges high up on trees. I did not go for a dip in the pool but tested the water which was really hot. I tried out the canopy walk which charged me another RM3.  It is an easy walk for me even though there was warning sign that those with high blood pressure should not try.  I dared not spend too much time at the hot spring as I had a long way to travel back to my hostel. If I had time I would have tried to walk up to the gorgeous Langanan waterfall which is 6 km from the entrance of Porin hotspring. 

hot water from hotsprings to warm your legs 

leisure walk on canopy hanging bridge  high up on trees

By the time I reached jungle Jack Backpacker it was almost 4 pm and all the climbers who were climbing Mount KInabalu the next day had already arrived. Both the houses at jungle jack backpacker  were not enough to accomodate all the climbers and some had to be sent to Jack Chin's friend's homestay. we had our dinner at a nearby restaurant as Jungle Jack's  cook just could not cope cooking for so many guests, 25 of us, twelve from Johore Baru and 12 from KL. 
We went to bed early as we would start our climb at 9:30 am. I could not sleep well because I was troubled by the thought of whether to carry my backpack or let the porter do it for me.

dinner restaurant near  Jungle Jack Backpacker which includes deer meat

At Timpohon gate, starting point of the climb 

In the morning of the climb,  After having our breakfast we were each given a packed lunch which consisted of bun and boiled egg. Ana, the cook reminded us to consume our lunch only when we reached the 4th km of the trail. At last I decided to carry my own backpack which should weigh about 8 kg to challenge myself. Only one porter was employed to carry the backpack of a lady climber who was charged a minimum fee of RM130. Considering the porter had to be with us for two days, the fee of RM130 was really too little for him to earn a living. I rented a walking stick for RM5 from Jungle Jack which was crucial in protecting my knees and toes especially when coming downhill.

After we had got our climbing passes which had to be worn through out the hike,  we were asked to sign a declaration form stating that we would be responsible for any risk we might encounter in the duration of the climb. After that we were transported from the administrative block to Timpohon Gate 4 km away to start our climb. We had to register again as we passed through the gate leading to the trail of Mount Kinabalu. 

The 4th km Station where most hikers will have their lunch 

The beginning part of the climb was simple and the only waterfall is the Carson waterfall few hundreds meters from Timpohon gate. As we progressed the trail became steeper and was made up of earth steps or wooden stairs. There were many climbers including a team of fire and rescue members undergoing training. Almost every 1 km there is a gazebos, I was not very tired but the heavy load on my back was a bit of a torture. When we reached the 4th km gazebos, it was already 1:30 pm and we settled down to have our lunch as planned. In fact most climbers had their lunch at this point. There is a toilet and water tank for climber to refill their water bottle. Our guide warned us that the water might not be clean as the area was experiencing a dry spell. We didn't have to take water from the tank as we had more than enough water to last us until Laban Rata mountain lodge. The last two kilometers before Laban Rata mountain lodge was the toughest as the trail were mostly made up of uneven rocks. I was very slow in this part of the climb and it took me almost 2 hours to reach Laban Rata mountain lodge. We were staying at Temaing hostel but it took me quite some time to finally find it.  That really wasted a lot of my precious energy and time. 

Cafeteria at Sutera Mountain Lodge

As there was a power failure in the hostel, I just showered myself with the icy cold water from the tap using my palms. Even though we climbers stayed at different hostels but we had our buffet dinner at the same cafeteria. There is a small sundry shop at the end of the cafeteria and a bottle of 1.5 litre mineral water cost RM14. I had no choice but to buy one for my climb up the summit the next day. We went to bed immediately after dinner and had to come for another meal at 1:00 am before we set off for our final hike to the summit in the dark guided by our headlight. We were in winter outfit as the temperature could reach 2-7 degrees. We started our climb at 2:00 am and the trail was mostly wooden stairs  and rocky trail until we reached  Sayat-sayat Checkpoint at 7 km point or just 1 km of our second day climb. We had to pass through the checkpoint at 4:00 am if not we would be barred from climbing up further. 
After the checkpoint the trail was mostly made up of  rocky mountain wall and we had to climb by holding on to rope or pulling ourselves up using the rope. It was really tough and since air was thin I found myself panting quite heavily after walking a short distance. By the time I reached 8.0 km at a height of 3929 m , the sky was already brightened up which meant I had missed the sunrise at the summit. Even though I was a bit slow but I continued my climb until I reached the summit which is 4095.2 m from sea level. Many did not attempt to reach the summit but they still qualified for the certificate since they had passed through the Sayat-sayat Checkpoint before 4.00 am.

Mesmerizing Mount Kinabalu in the early morning of 2/5/2019

Few of us were among the last group of climbers to reach the summit and as we moved downhill it was quite hot due to direct sunlight and also the reflection of heat from the rocky path.  Going downhill by rope was very easy by holding on to the rope and moving backward down the slope. My lips and throat were very dry due to the heat but I had run out of drinking water. Luckily I had two throat-relieving sweets given by Unicef Borneo Marathon organiser which really helped to prevent me from getting dehydration. I later caught up with two members of my group who were slow because one of them suffered ankle pain. We walked down slowly together and by the time we reached Sutera Mountain Lodge, it was already 10:00am. We had only half an hour to take our breakfast and checked-out if not we would be charged an extra RM100 for late check-out. We managed to finish eating and packing slightly exceeding 10:30 am and without delay we climbed down the hill hoping to reach Timpohon gate by 4.00 pm. Almost all the climbers were going down at the same time and it was quite crowded at the beginning of the descent. We were slowly left behind because my group members rested too often and for too long. 

Only after when we were left with 2 km to Timpohon Gate that we walked faster and without stop. I managed to reach Timpohon checkpoint around 4:00 pm while the rest a bit later. A Japanese lady climber who shared the same dormitory with us suffered  leg injury and had to be piggybacked for 4 km by the fire and rescue team called Mosar to Timpohon Gate before she was sent to hospital for treatment. In fact most the climbers suffered some injuries especially to the knees , ankles or toes. I suffered blacken toes too but it did not affect my pace of climbing down. We were driven for another 4 km from Timpohon gate to the administrative office to get our certificate which charged RM 10 per certificate.

How not to pant your heart out with this type of  terrain

Take photo with your own risk

I spent another night at jungle Jack before I embarked on my way home the next day. In the early morning of 3/5/19, after taking my breakfast I was transported by the driver of Jungle Jack to Kundasang to take a Jeep down to KK. After waiting for one hour , the Jeep still could not get 7 passengers to start the trip, so I paid for another seat to make up the number fearing that I might be late to catch my flight at 12.05pm. Luckily the trip from kundasang to KK only took slightly less than 2 hours and by the time I reached KK it was only 10.40am. I tried to hire a grab but due to error of my location, the grab went to another location forcing me to hire a taxi which charged me RM30 for the short trip to the airport. I was totally relieved when I reached the airport in time as it was only 11.20am or 45 minutes to take off.  So my 9 days 8 nights trip to Sabah had finally come to conclusion and I was really delighted that I had achieved my goal of running a full marathon and also conquered Mount Kinabalu. 

Just 8 km, another 0.5 km to reach the peak

Here I am at  Low's peak of 4095.2 m

A guide helped snapping a photo of his guest