1st Putrajaya International 12 Hour Walk 2008...

Event: 1st Putrajaya International 12 Hour Walk 2008
Venue: Dataran Putrajaya, Putrajaya
Date: 13 December 2008
Time: 8.00pm
Distance: 1KM per loop in 12 hours
Shoe: Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 3
By Frank

Walking is certainly not an easy sport. Though I can walk around the mall for hours, it is nothing compared to walking throughout the night in a span of 12 hours walking around a 1KM loop! This I found out at the 1st Putrajaya International 12 Hour Walk 2008. This is my first ever walk race event, and I really had a blast and unforgettable experience there, not to mention the pain too. Personally, I took it as a fun walk event, as a get together with friends and also for the experience too.

The sky opened up in the noon and I failed to get any sleep even though I woke up at 1am earlier and also running 10KM double hills with Choi and Lynn. Knowing that, I know I will suffer throughout the night. And for some reasons, my stomach started acting up just after the morning run as if like my body was purging after a long run or probably detox.

The event was held at Dataran Putrajaya just in front of the Palace of Justice. As I'm really bad at getting myself to Putrajaya, I was glad that I had Jamie car pool with me. Met up with him at Puchong for a quick cup of coffee at Old Town coffee shop before dinner with the rest like Cheong, Chin Ann, Jeff and Kei Ming at a nearby restaurant. Dinner was actually very good as we helped ourselves to local food rich in carbohydrates like rice and noodle to help us go through the long night ahead. Not to mention a strong cup of Chinese tea to go down with it. I had Pu Er tea which has proven to keep me awake, for some reasons I do not know why.

Arrived at the venue just in time for the race pack collection and soon, we are hooked up with the rest like Cheang, Choi, Eugene, Kelvin, Kevin, Ping Loong and Yen Erl. Pretty impress with the goodie bag as it was loaded with lots of stuff like a t-shirt, body lotion, antiseptic mouth wash and more. Quickly changed into our gear and laced up our timing chip as time was running short. I put on my mountain biking jersey which I last worn more than 10 years ago. Boy the memories of those days rushed back into my head! Although it still fits me, it got pretty loose. But it was a good decision to take it out from the wardrobe once again as it wicks moisture better than any of my running vest and keeping me warm at the same time. Not to mention the 3 pocket compartments at the back which came really handy.

Soon, we found ourselves in the starting pen and it was time for photo snapping session with non other than our friendly walker photographer, Pueh Tian. Though the sky was still threatening to rain, it held up and soon, it was time to walk! At 8pm, an approximate 500 walkers were flagged off.

I started with Choi and Jamie while the rest just zoomed off. It was rather an unusual situation as we are just so used to take off from the starting point. However this time, we started very slowly by walking. We joked around and soon we saw Kei Ming and Kelvin at the opposite side! They were walking like seasoned walkers! Soon, Jamie too slowly hasten up but I took it easy with Choi for the first 2 hours. And that was the time when Choi too started to break away leaving me behind. I was lucky that I bumped in to Pueh Tian and we walked together enjoying the sights and sounds of the surroundings. At that time, I was still averaging a speed of 12 minutes per kilometer. Not too bad for a beginner I guess.

Soon, it was time for our first break as we indulged in food and beverages prepared fresh on the spot. There were fried rice and noodles, nuggets, eggs, fruits and coffee to help us stay awake, which is served every 2 hours. And I must say it taste pretty good.

Continuing off, I lost Pueh Tian and it was all by myself. I do not know how many times has Jeff, Kei Ming, Kelvin and Kevin has lap me, but it didn't matter. I was just enjoying myself. Things slowly got a bit tougher as I first felt pain on my piriformis. Knowing there's still a long way to go, I detoured to my car to grab my mp3 player which proved to be handy as I have chosen songs that help me motivate myself, not to mention to keep me awake.

Soon it was midnight and we had our second meal followed by the third at 2am. Things got worst for me at the seventh hour when I felt pain not only on my legs, but stomach as well. I needed to go and I was glad the public toilet was open.

Shortly later, it started to drizzle and I kept my mp3 player back in the car. From there onwards, it's a test of both the physical and mental as things got really tough. I walked with Eugene for a few loops before he decided to rest due to blisters. I myself too had blisters since the early stages of the walk, but I held on. I was lucky it did not burst.

At about 8 hours in the walk, rain started coming down and I stopped to seek shelter, at least for a good half an hour before continuing. Cheong has already given up while Chin Ann has slowed due to fatigue. Jeff too came in but it was wrong decision as he suffered from cramp the moment he sat down. OUCH!

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Jeff totally knock out...

Knowing at that time I still have at least 5 laps to go to meet a marathon distance, I continued when the rain has lighten. Trust me, the pain was unbearable. Pain on areas I have not feel for a very long time and also not while running. My metatarsals and plantar were in no mans land and I can feel my right anterior cruciate ligament. I can hardly bend my right knee as I walk and had to cushion it by walking like an ape with both knees slightly bend. Yes, I look awful at that time with dark circle around my eyes too.

With 105 minutes to go, I managed to complete my marathon distance with 42 laps and decided to take a short break to save myself for the final push. Choi too came in and he himself has completed 50 laps or so. Took a short nap under the canopy and soon, we saw the first glimpse of daylight. It was sure good too see the sun again as I resumed walking with Choi with around an hour left to go.

Dawn has break...

As it was the closing stages of the walk, I decided to bear the severe pain especially on my right knee and went for it trying to complete as many laps as possible with my already very slow walking speed. And at hour 11:47:54, 12 minutes and 6 seconds from the finish of the event, I decided to call it a day knowing that there isn't sufficient time left for me to walk another lap. Therefore, my total distance covered was 46KM equivalent to 46 laps which also resulted to a very penguin and crab like walking Frank.

My completion time...

I survived and look horrible...

Pueh Tian did it...

Double thumbs up from Choi...

Jamie making his triumph return...

Proceeded to collect my hard earned medal before leaving for breakfast with Jamie. Was a solid meal as we decided to totally knock ourselves out upon reaching home which I did, but of course after a good cold shower.

Front view of the medal...

Rear view of the medal...

Overall, I had a blast at the 1st Putrajaya International 12 Hour Walk 2008 and glad that I signed up for it. It was properly organised and the weather was actually rather kind to us. In the end, I'm just glad I survived the ordeal. Though I walked slow and the end results was an extremely painful one, I was happy with my own results as I came as a first timer with no experience at all. Not to mention the companionship I had with my friends. Will I be back again? For now, it's a no as running will be certainly be my cup of tea. But you never know...