Salomon X-trail: Fun in the mud

Chasing Jasni...

The last downhill section...

Sprinting for the finish...

I think they gave us too much stuff...

This would be the first race after ramadhan. I had been doing training during fasting, but just for maintenance, rather than pushing the body. Training after break of fast, is very tough, so I opted in the morning instead. Hydration is a problem, so I figured out if I over hydrate, I could go through the rest of the day.

As for this race, I didn't thought it would be rather technical. So I didn't opt for trail shoes. Instead I used my usual NB racer.

At the starting line, I looked down at my chest, and my heart was beating too hard. Maybe a little nervous. The gun went off, and Jasni raced to the front. I followed suit. He wasn't going too fast at the beginning, but once out of the stadium into the main road, he attacked.

I tried to follow. The first obstacle was the puddle of mud water. I didn't want to go in, but Jasni just zoomed it through. Oh well then...

Certain sections were puddled from yesterday's rain, and slippery. At times I find that I had to balance before proceeding for the next step. Jasni was slowly slipping away, and then came Don Khor.

We ran side by side for most of the trails. Then at one section of hills, he raced uphill, left me, but then turned right. He followed a person (actually a lady going in the wrong direction). At that point I had doubts, so I slowed down, looked back & forth.

When he did finally made a u-turn, I turned back, yelled at the ladies runners to turn. I could hear Don spewing expletives at the marshall. But there was not a time to waste. I readjusted my mind instead on figuring out if some damage had been done. Actually there was. Dino was ahead by 10 meters, so I quickly chased him down.

We went downhill at an atrocious speed. But he was breathing heavily, and I figured out I still have the final card. Once the tarmac section came, I knew I could outrun him.

Finished in 44m24sec for 10km in 2nd placing. I think the getting lost part cost 1 minute.

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It was a good race organised. The route is pretty scenic. The part I remember was a dark horse ran alongside us, when it saw we were running.

Tioman Eco Challenge: Warning! For Military Personnel Only

After almost 9 hours from KL, we finally arrived...

My sis's first time here too...

A group pic before the start..

This is the easy part...

Before the start...I noticed a lot of strong guys taking part.

Sky divers putting on a show...

Hills here are indeed steep. The highest point of Tioman is 1000 meters above sea level.

Despite being a Pahangnite, I haven't been to the island before. Since the Tioman Eco Challenge is held there, with a promising 30km of trail run, I thought it would be a splendid way to visit and perhaps enjoy the trails.

Ray Ng, Mich Looi, my sis & I went in my car, with a journey that took 6 hours to reached Mersing. Then it was another 2 hours ferry ride to the island. What struck me upon reaching, was the tall & steep hills which starts almost immediately from the shores. Uh oh, this doesn't look good.

We had some briefing upon registration at Berjaya Tioman Resort. The trail is divided into 5 sections A, B, C, D & E. There's 3 checkpoints for A, B, C, and 2 chk points for D, and lastly 1 checkpoint for E. Cut off time is 7 hours. I thought I could game it in 5.

According to the spokesman, the path from A1 to C2 will be very hard, and if you can get to C2, the rest of the parts will be smooth sailing. Which is kind of untrue. We'll get to that part later.

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Race day. Kind of lots of fanfare with skydivers & a VIP from the military to officiate. In fact there's lots of military guys taking part. And, best of all, the route is done by them as well.

The Kenyans were as usual in the international. My focus would be on Jasni, and of course superhuman Dino himself. Strategy is to just run in the front pack.

Race started, and soon we ran along the nice man made path, until we hit the hills. And that's where things get from easy to tough. First it's bloody steep. No one could run up, I just sort of trying to walk up as fast as I could, or as far as the lungs can take it.

Secondly, lots of thorny bushes, on the surface, or grown on trunks that you could have use your hand to hold them. Basically it's a bit of nuisance if you have to pass through them.

Thirdly, almost invisible small roots that you could have tripped if you aren't careful. Yes, even while walking, many times I got my foot stuck, and had almost fallen.

Needless to say, Jasni had already passed me. Dino had disappeared up front. And I was just trying to move as carefully as possible which wasn't a good idea if you want to go fast.

We had to follow yellow ribbons tied as a way point from one location to the other. Sometimes, even as a group, you might missed it, and you'll have to stop & look for it.

The ridiculous thing on steepness is, just imagine from start to A2, the height at A2 is 450 meters. It took me 40 minutes to reach A2. Then it was a bit of downhill, which was steep as well, and running is not a good idea. It's only before, and after A3 (at the waterfall), that you could run a bit.

I think Chan Mei Mei (first local lady), passed me after A2 on the downhill. The group that she was with was going downhill quite fast, and I was too chickened to follow.

The route towards B2 reached a resort at the beach. Then we have to move towards B3, and C1. Then finally go uphill (very steep as well), towards C2. While climbing the rocks near C2, I saw one guy lying on his back and resting. It taxed even the strongest guys I have seen on the trails.

I will see more of this later on.

There were some rain, which made the path more slippery, which made movement more dangerous. I was just adamant of trying to get to C2, in hope that the worse is over. Finally after 4:20, I did reached C2, which was beside the beach. I sat on the stretcher, took some bar, and drank, and it was the first time I questioned if the 7 hours cut off time is doable? Cause the problem was C2 is halfway point up to the finish.

Ok, the route should be easier, as the organizer had said. But easy it was NOT. We have to go back right into the wild bushes & hills, and it was quite wild. There's one section you have to climbed up a rock 4 meters high using a rope. It wasn't going up any major uphills, BUT the route looks like just newly hacked, goes up & down until you reached C3.

I just couldn't believe it. I thought we would be running beside man-made paths or beach, up to the end.

Finally did reached C3, which reaches Kampung Paya if not mistaken. Thoughts of DNFing was really etched in my mind. I was tired, hungry, hot, & disoriented from all the pounding up & down trails. I have got 1hr and 10 minutes left to cover 10km. Ah, this should be the easy part, so I started running.

After 5km, there's some trails we need to go through again. Nevermind, I thought, this could be the last one before we reach the beach. Then I saw the orange coloured apartment complex behind Berjaya Resort, and thought, yes, I finally made it. That's another 3km more...or so I thought.

Upon reaching the beach after the trails, I saw a guy sitting on a log, and he said he's quitting cause we only got 15minutes. I wondered why, until I found what the reason was: we have to go back up the trails again on the right!. And there was some uphills again! My spirit is almost broken, and I couldn't comprehend why we can't run on the beach? F**k this, hell, I would rather swim across than see another rock, tree trunk, roots. But I remembered what David Goggins said "Always open the door, which gave me a few more miles". Alrighty then, it's back to hill slugging.

Finally after much trail navigating insanity, I reached the final E1 checkpoint, to run up some gravel, and finally reaching the tarmac on the golf course. I couldn't be much happier upon reaching the finishing line. My sis had been waiting patiently for 2 hours more, and I didn't want to make her wait longer. This medal is so tough to get, I had thoughts of framing it up.

Time taken was 7:09:00

Dino got first, Jasni 7th, and most of the top 10 was won by military guys.

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Ok, compared to Sabah Adventure Challenge, this is indeed harder by a few times. I didn't thought of quitting in SAC, but I had almost quit this due to the cut off time. Definitely the wildest trail I have ever been through. I mean, I have been through thorns & stuff like that, but not in a race where you are chasing for time. Some parts are dangerous, as one mistake could be fatal. I think around 50 made it back. The rest DNF.

Compared to the TNF SG? I am sorry folks, TNF SG is like a walk in the park. On a scale from 1 to 10, TNF sg is at 1 or 2, SAC around 6 and Tioman Eco challenge at 10. So if you want to kill yourself, try this.

Mount Nuang: Muddy trails

The peak..

It was muddy to the point of quick sand at certain sections after false peak..

some injury...

It's been ages since I've been up the peak. With TNF looming, I think it would be a good idea to do some runs up.

Arrived there around 8:30am before heading up at 8:40. There was KC's group going up as well, as part of their Kinabalu Climbathon, who had left 30min earlier.

With some consistent running uphills, I managed to reach the 1st waterfalls around 30min, then it's up to Camp Lolo, and soon it's heading up the muddy path towards Camp Pacat. Managed to reach Pacat at 1:20. KC and his earlier gang was there. I actually passed by Jason thiang before Pacat.

Then it was the almost vertical section where one have to use all fours to haul yourselves up. I found myself panting and really out of breath. Thank god I am not doing kinabalu, because the whole race up is basically pushing at what your heart can't tolerate for 2.5 hours!

Once i reached the false peak, I gulped down a powergel. I was abit worried, as I had only that for food. Just before reaching the real peak, bump with the Edwin (part of KC's gang) who was going downhill.

Reached the peak at 2:14. Sat down for awhile, then after 5 minutes it was back on the trails. Now the hard part is really the muddy and slippery path. I almost fell a few times. Scrapped my shin against some protruding root. The rocks were sharp and slippery, unlike clear trails like FRIM.

I tried to move fast enough, but my legs weren't working Running was reduced to jogging. Once i reached the first waterfall, it's another 4km. Tried running, but lack of energy is making me more delirious.

Finally reaching carpark after 3:46. It was my best PB from 4:15. But I think it wasn't the best of run. I could do faster if I had enough food, or fit enough to tackle the technicalities of moving fast. Instability was a major problem.

GPS route up

GPS route down

Bukit Hatamas Trails

Entry point..

That's bukit ketumbar...another one of my favourite lung busting steep trail.

Nice petite waterfall...

Thank god for these...

Don't let Pak Mo (Mahmud Taib) near this log...

Really? How nice...

This is overlooking the MRR2

Yes...some parts is 70 degrees...

Glad to make it out...

I knew about this trails just around my backyard, but not really having the motivation to check it out. Since TNF singapore is near, trails is a must for training.

So last Sunday, I decided to see if there's anything exciting about it. Bukit Hatamas can be conjured up as a valley of houses nested in between hills, and has quite a view. The hills to the east is actually hutan simpanan selangor.

View Larger Map

I didn't really know the entry point, so had to hike up an exposed slope, which then further connects into the main route. Now, the route really looks well established with some occassional hikers and lots of paper indicator thrown out by hashers. Since it's a hilly area, not all routes are runnable, but the downhill is exciting.

There seems to be checkpoints with tents where hikers gather for chat & rest. I decided to take the rightmost turn from these checkpoints and see where this leads to. Luckily I brought my HTC phone which has GPS. Once in awhile I would checkout my location just to know the directions.

After awhile I stumbled upon a clearing, apparently private property, and I soon realize i was looking at Venice Condo at the back. There were a pack of dogs guarding, so it's backtracking now. Then there's a small waterfall, and the route becomes wilder. All I was depending on was the old discarded hash markers.

Soon, I was at the top of a hill checkpoint, and then downwards, until I finally exited somewhere further north from my entry point.

I would say, it's a pretty nice place for some outdoor trail running/hiking. Further googling reveals there's another entry point (which is much popular) near Taman Cuepacs, which is not far from where I started. And this route actually goes much further in the north east direction.

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I've finally got selected for TNF 100km solo. Now, actually I am not pretty daunted by the distance. The distance is doable, based on my past experience in MR 25 last year. Question is, how fast I could run this.

Here's some tips for trails. Focus on fore foot landing. If you notice, during trails running, forefoot landing provides the best balance and quick maneuver. Trails are filled with roots, rocks, soft mud, which requires quick reflexes and ability to hold a grip, while you transfer your movement foreward.

Now running uphill will be tough, so if you can't run, then powerwalk. Some parts are really just too steep to run.

Another main thing to train is your core and upper body. Note that road running is really just using the same set of running muscles but not much on the upper body, while trails force you to do things like jumping, docking and sometimes using your hands to pull your body up.

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I can't really run for now, since fasting obligations. So, it's mainly trails for 20-30 minutes and upper body strength training.

Sabah Mount Kinabalu Climbathon 2009: Another DNF

Mount kinabalu view from the park

At the start of the race, just a few hundred meters from Timpohan gate.

This is as far as I went up. Almost 7.5km mark.

Freezing cold...

A runner going down..







Another rest house at Gunting Lagalan...

Going down...







The prize giving ceremony...


With Isidro (center), who reach the peak in 2:25. He's also in the Philippines para Olympic team. His marathon PB is a 2:36




Chong would made it to the top in 2:45 and he only runs indoors and MTB!


As part of the sky running circuit, this is labeled as the steepest mountain run compared to the other nations. 2300meters vertical up in 9km..This year, it was my 2nd run up.

After Tony, Tey, and Yee Choy came back from the men veteran, Raymond and I was left with a bunch of advises on how to tackle it. Tony managed to reach Sayat-sayat, while Tey reached laban rata and decided to snap photos afterwards. Yee Choy did superbly well and game the peak in 3:13, and reach the finishing line just after 5 hours. Georgie, an aussie girl, even managed to get 15th.

It's only this year, I finally figured out the right strategy to tackle the mountain within 2.5 hours. You've got to reach laban rata in 1.5 hours, and another hour to reach the peak.

I wasn't nervous of the race as last year, but I knew, it won't be easy. No, suffering would be the right word.

The horn blew at 7am, and the whole bunch of us ran. Passed right through Timpohon gate, for a brief downhill before slowly running uphill. As I was wearing the heart rate monitor, I could see I was pushing 170..then 180 as we reach the stairs. Everyone was panting, and trying to push as hard as possible going up.

I think I made the first 1km mark in 11 minutes. Roughly, you'll need to run at least 15min/km just to reach laban rata. So I was pretty happy about it. But how long could I pushed in this zone?

Soon, I'd figured out using huge steps might helped. Rather than using cadence, I was trying to gain as much height per step. Cycling does helped in this case, if you've train on high gear. It works almost the same way. However, at 5km mark, I had some cramps in the left calf, and had to stop to nurse it.

With some rest, and caution, I was able to continue.

But with higher altitude, I could sense my movement was slowing down. And it was getting colder.

And I finally reached Laban rata at 1:43. However the next route up Sayat-sayat wasn't easy. I think I did pushed too hard, and was left with not much energy to tackle the rest of the route. It was going a few steps up, stop to take a breather, then continue on.

The clouds have settled and it was sure cold. And my fingers went numb.

To my dismay, I reached Sayat2 at 2:30, which is at 7km mark. I knew it was futile, but continued nevertheless, as I wanted to see how far I could go.

Then I was surprised to see Leonard from behind. He didn't made it last year, and had wanted to try it out again, but he said it's always the same spot he had reached. Now, the air was really cold. Walking up seems like impossible without stopping for a few breath.

I was amazed with the guys coming back from the peak with wristbands. They ran down the slopes like it was a flat.

Soon, I turn around and headed down as fast as possible. The path down wasn't a fast one. I had worn the Adidas Kampung and it's only good for uphills, but downhill, you would go limping if you stepped on a sharp rock.

At the finishing line, was happy seeing the rest of the gang. However Raymond Ng had a fracture on his finger after falling down the steep stairs. And I've seen some blood on the trails as well.

Although it's another DNF, but I think I've given all I got. The thing lacking was having an inferior engine to do it. So, for next year, it'll be high heart rate zone training.

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The race is tough because of the cut off time of 2.5 hours up to low's peak, then another 2 to reach the finishing line. You just got to be able to hold a high heart rate zone for at least 2 hours to make it to the top, which is pretty hard. But not impossible.

The best option is to reach laban rata less than 1.5 hours, and given you have still gas in the tank, make it up to Low's peak within the next.

Getting Dirty: Genting Trailblazer 2008

Quite a number of folks who entered this race. There's Tony and San, then Siok Leng and Joanne, Heng and Kelvin Lee, and also new friends as well.

And as usual, Tey the photographer was there to caption all the fun and muddy participants slogging it out at the obstacles.

For the race itself, Shih Ming and I partnered for the mixed team competitive. But with Shih Ming's left arm dislocated injury not 100% healed yet, I was actually more worried about her than the race.

The race is a 14km from Awana resort, around 1.5km tarmac through the golf course, and then into the trails.

We were flagged off at 8:30 sharp, and the front runners all made a mad dash, us included. Before the golf course tarmac ended, we managed to pass Steph Chok and her causassian partner. Feeling good, I was able to crank up the speed to set the pace for Shih Ming. When the trail finally started, there's where more fun starts.

At the start, there was a bit of downhill, and flats with the occasional muddy parts. Then we came into an opening, did a few run up small hills and slide down on the butt kinda action. And after that it was the long long 40-60 degress climb uphill, which was kinda tough. If you were wearing normal running shoes, pretty much you will find yourself losing grip. I had opted for 'adidas kampung' while shih ming was in her Inov trail shoes. It had rained the previous night, which made it all the worse.

The organisers did a good job of preparing ropes for us to support during those ascent and descent. Yet, I still find myself slipping a few times.

We went through 2 streams, and I had some gulps of water there. Then the next half of the race, Shih Ming went lead. Somehow I had a cramp on the left calve. I guessed that swimming too much causes irregular breathing because you tend to breath at longer intervals. So I tried to rid it off by actively breathing faster.

The final part, when we just came out from the jungle, we met with another team in the same category. It was a malay guy and an indian lady. We did managed to pass them, but they were able to push harder. And after the last uphill, I was left all alone chasing shih ming at the lead, who was waiting at the obstacles.

The first obstacle was a chest deep 1.5 meters water hole. Shih ming went in first, and I took the plunge second. Immediately I had cramps from the cold shock. It took awhile to register that I had still had to pull shih ming out of the hole with one hand. Then another 2 water holes...and a long pond which we need to duck under. After that a few runs up some mounds. I thought we were still chasing the third team, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Yet we still went through the rest of the obstacles like maniacs. I was more worried about shih ming, than winning this thing. There were those 3 vertical 1 meter wooden barriers that you have to flung yourself over. With 2 hands, it's pretty easy. But try to do that with one hand...it's impossible. Yet she can still haul herself up with one hand, while her left is still in pain.

The last obstacle was the muddiest pond. I had cramps just jumping into it. My feet were stuck in the mud to the knees. I was beginning to think this is a warzone in Vietnam. On the verge of cramping and still moving on, I had to move slowly. And the finally holding hands to the finishing line.

My partner has given more than 100% just to finish, and that's what I called sheer determinism.

Well...it was a lost battle but we still got 4th in 1hr 22min. Pretty happy with that nevertheless.
Tony and San managed to get 9th placing, Siok Leng's team 6th in the adventure category.

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Note: It's not really a flat course. There's major uphills with muddy terrain. And you'll need to get trail shoes with grips. Normal runnin shoes won't cut it because there's no grip.



Coming back after slogging through the obstacles.





The third winning team for mixed..

The 2nd winning team for mixed. Note that we were at the back of the picture...I didn't know we were so close to 2nd.

More pictures at Tey's blog: http://pmtey.multiply.com/tag/trailblazer