For 6th and 2nd...

By Frank

It will be my 6th Comrades in a matters of days time. It's all happening this Sunday, 4 June 2017. Then 3 weeks later on 24 June 2017, it will be my second at the West Highland Way Race (WHWR). And this time, it's more on completing it rather than clocking a new personal best as build-up to it was just a bumpy ride.

Unlike previous years, there was no monthly report card from me this time. Due to work commitments as I ventured into a new career (more like returning to revive a previous setup), I know the first half of year 2017 will be a tough one in terms of running. Going into the year with a DNF from BTS 100 last year and a barely made it Comrades qualifier, and starting it with my second attempt at Vibram HK100, I tried my best and did all I could to get my mileage into my legs. All I got was 3 races thus far and with 2 successful one despite clocking poor timing. Then another DNF at Route 68 Challenge, managing only 63KM out of 168KM.

Packing list.

Work was horrendous and I was deprived of sleep and rest. Just couldn't find the strength to run. I did what I could cause running isn't just about running. I tried to build strength in other areas but I knew it wasn't going to be enough especially when we are talking running long distances. It's all about mileage and that was missing.

And besides training, most around me knew what had happened between me and Saucony Malaysia. No longer I am their ambassador despite being offered a new contract as the new team behind it is just basically pure bullSh1T! Promises after promises made, marketing methods that I am just so not agreeable for and lousy services provided, it's best for me to be staying away from them. Myself and the previous team had worked so hard to build to what it is today, and we are deeply saddened to see how it became now. Till at least the current brand manager whom is an embarrassment to the brand leaves, there will be no way I am going back to them. No your initials does not make you part of the brand! Oh and yes. I am no longer the admin for the Facebook site too as you probably have notice the standard of English there. But I am glad I have good friends from Saucony global so technically, there isn't any problem with the brand but rather the local distributor here. In fact, I will still be visiting them during my visit this time. And trust me, it hurts to be saying these above for it's a brand that I am closely attached to.

The "CloudTroopers" as I will call them.

With no race shoes (despite being promised that I will have them), I am glad that another company took note of me. Enter ON, from Switzerland. I was a little skeptical with the shoes as I didn't like them at all, at least on the earlier generations. But as they move forward, the have streamlined their models and I was offered the ON Cloud model to try on. Then came the CloudFlow which felt really close to the Kinvara which I have became so accustomed to. No, don't get me wrong. I wasn't offered a contract to be their ambassador but rather involved in their seeding program first. At least I needed to know and feel if the shoes work for me, else I am no different to those whom I call "Play take only!". and those that only have interest to their own. And if it works, and if they really offered me a contract, then maybe I will think really hard about this. But for now, I am really thankful and grateful that ON stepped in just in time for my shoes for both Comrades Marathon and West Highland Way Race was finally chosen and settled for. The On CloudFlow and CloudVenture Peak it is, for both models I have tested since late March 2017.

From 5, 2 was chosen. The ON CloudVenture Peak for WHWR and CloudFlow for Comrades.

Moving forward to May 2017, I finally found some time to actually run. With Tropicana closure in mid May, my running finally return as I chased down some pretty good quality mileage among my legs. I felt alive and honestly did not felt happier running. I am finally back! Then a week before I am schedule to fly, my problematic tooth where my wisdom tooth was extracted last September decided to give me some problems. A quick check with the dentist reveals that there were 2 options. To remove it or to have a root canal procedure. I don't think either is suitable for it may bring down my immune system and hence we decided on a temporary emergency measure, to remove some nerves from it and to patch it back. It should be able to do the trick I hope and by the next day, the pain was gone, well at least temporary and I hope that it will last. But sadly it didn't and the discomfort returned 3 days later. Another emergency procedure was done in patching it back, but this time at another dentist near to my work place and I hope it will be a better job. It certainly looks better and I really hope that it will hold.

For the first time, I will be flying Qatar Airways with a transit at Doha. Looking forward after hearing much positive things about this airline. And from South Africa I will leave for Scotland the day after Comrades and will be arriving at Edinburgh before heading to Aberdeen via the train. Then I will lay off a little by visiting Tyndrum and Glasgow as I prepare for the big WHWR. A plan recovery at a "new destination" next before heading home with Chee Kong and family to Malaysia on the first weekend of July. Yeap, that's a total of 38 days away and am certainly looking forward to it after a hectic first half of the year. However with all the terrorist attack around the world with one recently happening at UK, it is definitely worrying. Nevertheless, positive vibes it is.

To close off this entry and despite only clocking 612KM since January 2017, what I can promise is that I will not DNF both of these races unless I break down physically. My mental will keep thrive over pain, my past will be strength, my experience will guide me, my dear friends will be my pillar and you will keep me going. My sixth Comrades and my quest for my second goblet. I am BACK!

Comrades Marathon 2016...

Event: Comrades Marathon 2016

Venue: Pietermaritzburgh, South Africa

Date: 29 May 2016

Time: 5.30AM (South Africa time), 11.30AM (Malaysia time)

Distance: 89.208KM (90.2KM by Suunto Ambit 3 Sapphire)

Shoe: Saucony Kinvara 7

By Frank

Comrades Marathon 2016, my fifth has come and gone. In a blink of an eye, I have done 5 of it consecutively marking my half decade. On 29 May 2016, it happened with close to 17,000 runners running the “Down” route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban finishing at the Sahara Kingsmead Stadium over a distance of 89.208KM. My training went well and though it isn’t my focus this year, Comrades Marathon will always be important for me. And here’s my story to my fifth.

On the morning of Tuesday, 24 May 2016, I began my travel to South Africa. As Emirates was charging a premium, my flight this time will be Turkish Airlines and the transit was at Istanbul. Despite 100 minutes of delay at Kuala Lumpur, I was actually happy with it as it will mean less transit time at Istanbul which was supposed to be 7 hours. The flight began close to 1.30PM and I treated myself to movies and also the good food provided by the airlines which put Emirates to shame.

My "flying turkey" to South Africa and Scotland.

After close to 10 hours of flight time, I arrived at Istanbul before waiting 5 hours for my next flight to Durban. It was a tiring wait and upon settling into the aircraft, I closed my eyes and rested. Was lucky too that the seat next to me was unoccupied hence I was able to lay down. And after another close to 10 hours of flight time, I finally touched down safely at Durban’s King Shaka Airport at 10.10AM, South African time. That’s almost 1 whole day of travel time. Immigration was smooth and after settling my telco services, it was first thing first at Mugg & Bean for South African breakfast to recharge before collecting my car at Thrifty which was upgraded to a Volkswagen Polo Sedan.

My "sport car" around South Africa this time.

Made my way to my hotel at Blue Waters which was next to Belaire Suites and managed to check in early to a very comfortable room on the 14 floor. After unpacking the essentials, I went out for quick 6KM run along the beach to get the legs moving and hoping to get rid of the jet lag. Dinner later was at John Dory’s at Suncoast Casino before calling it a night.

My cozy room at Blue Waters Hotel.

26 May 2016. Woke up early at 6AM and was glad that I had a good sleep. Another 6KM for the legs to close up my training where I bumped into Willie and it was breakfast which was good but Belaire Suites was way much better. Made my way to the ICC Exhibition Centre where the Comrades Expo was held. Collected my race pack which went smoothly and went to walking around hoping to meet some friends including Glynn, Anthony, Brad, Sean and of course my coach, Lindsay. I even met Ryan Sandes too! Prices of the merchandise has gone up ridiculously and I ended up only buying 2 shirts, a pair of socks and a South Africa Buff before heading back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner at Jiran Café and it’s light off for today.

Bumped into Willie at the North beach.

My friends at Saucony South Africa.

With Brad. 

With ohm Anthony and Carin.

Was lucky to catch Ryan Sandes.

With Allan.

And of course, with my coach Lindsay Parry for some last minute advice (and warnings).

27 May 2016. A quick breakfast and I was off to the airport to pick up Chee Kong. He arrived on time and we made our way to Belaire Suites where he was staying. A simple lunch at Jiran Café and we were off to the expo to collect his race pack. With nothing much to do there, we returned to the hotel to rest up before a wonderful catch up and dinner with Caroline, Pete and Mylene.

We are ready!

28 May 2016. With the 5KM Park Run being held just next door at Suncoast Casino at 8AM, I went to meet up some friends there while Chee Kong ran it. An interesting and fun event, I thought it will be best I rest my legs as per previous years. With Chee Kong finishing his run, we had breakfast at Belaire Suites before going over to Gateway Shopping Centre for lunch at Ocean Basket. With nothing much to do, we returned to the hotel to rest up while awaiting for dinner time at 7PM where we had ours at Jiran Café again for their meals were affordable and good. Took a while for the food to arrive but before 9PM, we were back at our rooms for that important rest before the big race tomorrow.

29 May 2016. Comrades Marathon Race Day.

I didn’t manage to get a good sleep due to the fact that a concert was being held at the open field just next to the hotel. Considering that the hotel management has spoken to them, I find the organisers to be inconsiderate for jamming the volume up especially the bass. I managed an hour or maybe 2 hours of sleep only and by 12.30AM, I was already awake preparing myself. “Not a good start”, I told myself, but I had to be positive. Breakfast was naan buns and a cup of black coffee, and was glad all the pre-race rituals went smoothly before I made my way to Belaire Suites to meet up with Chee Kong where we drove to Hilton Hotel to catch our bus to Pietermaritzburg.

The journey to Pietermaritzburg was smooth on the highway where I managed to catch a few minutes of power sleep. However, upon entering the town, traffic was bad as we were stuck in a pretty bad traffic jam. I had to relieve myself and just had to go and hence it’s off to the bushes before hopping back on to the bus. With about1KM plus to go from the Pietermaritzburg Town Hall where the start is located and with the start time nearing, most from the bus including myself and Chee Kong disembark and ran there, treating it as our warm up. And to me, I felt this personally help as it help me raise my core temperature which is helpful for the cold start. It was about 10C at that time. Arriving at the town hall, I parted ways with Chee Kong as both our seeding pens being C and D respectively were located at different locations.

And upon arriving at pen D where I was seeded, I quickly deposited my tog bag and entered my pens just when they started to move closer to the front. Then my race number came undone from the magnet I was using and had to readjust. All these came pretty close to the start but I still managed to sing along with the other the national anthem, Shosholoza, Chariots of Fire while awaiting from Max Trimborn’s cockcrow and finally the cannon to signal the start at 5.30AM. All these still give me goosebumps till today. With the temperature bearable, I removed my t-shirt and gloves toss it over the fence.  It was a retro Comrades t-shirt and the person receiving it was really thankful of it.

It took me about 4 minutes to cross the start gantry, pretty similar to last year’s “Up” run and it was game time as I began my run slowly and carefully. Being still in the city and pretty dark at certain parts with lots of runners around me, I had to be careful not to trip over reflectors, uneven roads or simply stepping on someone’s else shoe. It was also a good idea to slowly up my pace to desired pace I was looking for, within a heart rate of not more than 150 beats per minute (BPM). It should be something pretty similar I experienced during the Route 68 Challenge back in April 2016. I intend to use the similar strategy for it worked well back then at high temperatures and thus should allow me to hold back a gear or maybe 2, to save the legs from any potential damage or overuse which may mess up my West Highland Way Race in 3 weeks time. This after all should be like my last long run before the long one. However, Comrades Marathon should still be respected upmost in the highest order for it reward to those who are, and not the over confident.

The gentle downhill straight out of Pietermaritzburg was a great place to raise the heart rate at a steady pace. With the cool start, it wasn’t spiking and hence my pace was really good. As most runners were moving along, there was no issue trying to pass some slower ones. A Kilometer in or so, came the first mild climb as we turned right up the slope. Most locals were already up cheering for the runners and the atmosphere was indeed great. Slowly I made my way and was glad my heart rate was hovering at about 130 to 140 BPM.

As we moved longer into the race, some faster runners from the back seeding started to pass me. However, I resisted to follow them as I had my own pace. And as we moved into the Polly Shortts stretch, it became a little tough to pass and I didn’t want to risk going to the side due my first year experience of stepping on human poop there. Eish… 6KM into the race, I had to answer the call of nature and I found a spot beside a tree and “flowered” it before the descend down Polly Shortts. Oops… 3KM later, the urge came again and I did the same thing and was hoping that it will the final call, at least till halfway or so.

Without any urge standing in the way, my pace began to increase as I made my way to the highest point of the race route at Umlaas Road pass Lion Park at the 16KM mark where the first cut-off was. As it was a little climb towards the first cut-off point, I took a breather by walking up the small hill. However, I forgot that at the cut-off point will always have official photographers stationed there shooting away. And I fell prey to it when one of them shot me while I was walking. When I resumed, running, it was already too late. The race route now began to roll like a dragon’s back and there were some pretty tough climbs. But with the loud cries and singing of Shosholoza from the locals, it helps runners push ahead with much ease. As I near the highest point, Willie called out to me from behind and I was caught by surprised. He was already struggling a little as I took a breather with him as I made him promise that he will bring himself to the finish line before I went ahead.

Next was Camperdown and I was already feeling hungry. Looking forward to some potatoes being served there but sadly upon arriving, I didn’t spot any. However, to make it up, the cheers from the supporters there was just as satisfying, if not better than the potatoes. Weather was still fine as I slowly sip from the water bottle I carried with me before finally disposing it away as I made my way out from this happening “chicken town”.

Coming up next was Cato Ridge where the second cut-off is. As I made my way there, finally some potatoes being served by the friendly supporters. Was glad they were plain ones too minus the salt and just one was already enough for now as I didn’t want my tummy to accept to heavy loads at once. Upon arrival at Cato Ridge where the 30KM mark is, some runners were already seen struggling. I guess the 30KM myth where runners begin to “hit the wall” is happening here for quite a number. Am glad I was still doing fine both physically and mentally. In fact, I was enjoying every moment of it! Weee…

The halfway point where Drummond is located at, is actually within a valley. And before dropping into it, runners must make themselves up the dreaded Inchanga. But before that, we passed by the Ethembeni school for the less fortunate children. Over here, we cheered for each other by touching each of their hands as we ran pass them. Some runners believe that these simple gestures gave them strength to attack Inchanga.

The climb then came as I bumped into Bruce "Digger", Australia's Comrades ambassador and had a  brief handshake and chat with him before Mark from the Netherlands called out to me as he recognised me as the Malaysian ambassador from the print on the official guide. Had quite an exchange of our culture and we even spoke of the Amsterdam Marathon. And while chatting, a familiar frame appeared in front of me. It was David from Singapore. And for the fifth year in a row, we met at Inchanga! There must be something here, I guess. Although he was struggling according to him, I believe he will finish strong later, especially when we have pass the halfway point later. But that didn’t stop us from having our annual Inchanga selfie. Hehe…

We marched ahead together before I restarted my run. But just a Kilometer or so before arriving at Drummond, a novice was seen struggling with his left hamstring which is cramping. Told him to keep moving to shake it off, but seeing him struggling, I turned back to help him. Gave him a gentle rub to help ease his pain as he slowly limp as I didn’t want him to stop. And when he got better, we introduced ourselves and found his name was Greg from Australia and we moved ahead.

Passing Drummond in 5:06:03 hours was indeed a surprise for me. I did not expect to pass it here within this time and was delighted. As I started my climb out of the valley, I remember the Rooderport support tent just after the bridge as Manette has always been there. And indeed she was as we have each other a hug before I continued on. It was nice to see you again Manette!

Arthur’s Seat soon came into view and I gave it a tap on the plate with a “Good Morning Sir” greeting as legend has it that one that does that which includes giving him a stalk of flower will enjoy a stronger second half of the race. Sadly, as tradition starts to fade, no more flowers was given. It was given during my first Comrades back in year 2012 though. Passed the Wall of Honour and it was the start of the climb out of Drummond. With a marathon distance covered, my legs are starting to ache and hence I took the opportunity to give them a rest by walking out Drummond before tackling Botha’s Hill.

The students from Kearsney College came out to cheers us on as we arrived at Botha’s Hill. Greg’s hamstring was giving him problems and I did the same giving him a gentle rub as we move along. With the pain subside, we moved along together and exited Botha’s Hill together with the “first” steep drop to Winston Park welcoming us. With tired and sore legs, the second half for me is about managing it and making my descend to Durban with care. Although I did improve on my downhill running, I am still not good and clumsy with it hence it wasn’t worth any risk and hence only ran at certain parts. I did reduce myself to walking whenever the legs, particularly my thighs signalled me to stop.

Almost 7 hours into the race as I’ve covered almost 60KM as I arrived at Winston Park where the fourth cut-off was, the weather was getting warmer and my heart rate began to spike. I drank more water and also took more sachets to splash on myself to cool myself down, especially on my arms and neck. Also took in some crackers which was rather tasty and a little more potatoes to keep myself away from going metabolic. With the rest of the race route going through town and highways, keeping the core temperature in control will be critical as these are open areas with minimal shades. And suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me at Gillits and I recognised that it was Susan Bold. Very nice of her to be there again supporting. Thank you!

Next up, Kloof where the happening Nedbank’s Green Mile is located within Old Main Road. There was a nice touch of motivational messages in the form of Tweets being labelled on the tarmac on the left side. After exiting Kloof, came the most dreaded downhill of all, the long drop at Fields Hill. Not only it’s long, it’s winding too with the road tilted to a side making it pretty uncomfortable for weak downhill runners like myself. I only managed to bombard it halfway before decided that the thighs had enough of it. Greg seems to be better in this as he disappeared into the distance before I caught up with him again at Pinetown.

Pinetown was a happening place to be and I arrived there in 8:07:02, faster than my pace at Route 68 Challenge. I am once again delighted with it. Lots of supporters there and some were giving out food and drinks as well. These little kind gestures help us keep our mind away from the scorching heat as we continued our journey as one last climb awaits ahead, Cowie’s Hill. And just before that, a gentleman was giving our borewors and I helped myself to it. Absolutely delicious and I think that gave me strength to attach Cowie’s Hill, at least I think that was some placebo effect. But ran up I did with the borewors bouncing in my tummy! And halfway up, I bumped into John Sneddon. Tried to pull him along but he was already puffed and hence I moved on myself to the top knowing it will be another 10 Miles or so more only to go and with no more steep climbs.

Munching on borewors.

But I was wrong. Westville awaits next and it was rather hot affair along the highway there with a gradual climb out of it. Supporters were lined beside the highway and a couple of kids were spraying water on the runners. “GO AMBASSADOR” was what I heard as I near the top and that was indeed a motivational push despite being a little shy about it with people recognising me from the magazine.

As the route being detoured down a ramp, I know I was nearing Sherwood. That will be less than 5 Miles to go, 7KM to be exact. Then a short ramp up to the highway, and it was all 4 lanes down and up to the final 3KM before the home stretch. At the final refreshment station at about 84KM, I took 4 water sachets, 2 being drank and splash on the spot while the other 2 to hold on for later.

The final 3KM marker came into view and I remembered that I always tell my friends that my fastest pace will be the final 3KM. But that magic did not happen this time as I held back as it was a mild drop to the final 2KM in the city. As I moved along the ramp, a runner Daleon who once worked in Kuala Lumpur chatted with me as he again recognised me as the ambassador. But as we chatted, I soon realised that time is running a little tight if I wanted to run a certain sub timing. Slowly easing out of the chat, I resume my run and this time the magic happened. The final 2KM on the flat home stretch.

Not monitoring on my heart rate anymore, it was time to engage the additional “gear” as I ran towards the Sahara Kingsmead. And with a Kilometer to go, out came the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysia national flag), the same that has travelled and crossed the Comrades finish for the past 4 years. Into the magical Sahara Kingsmead Stadium, supporters were cheering all the runners on with their voices and also banging on the side panels. The “Down” run finish segment is certainly something to behold and when I finally saw the finish gantry, it was the flag raised up high as per tradition, as I crossed the finish line and completed my half decade of Comrades with a new personal best of 10:27:07 hours! And per my tradition, I gave the Comrades grass a tap as a mark of respect.

I waited for Greg at the finish and he soon crossed the gantry successfully as we gave each other a hug. Collected our medals and posed for some photos before making our way to the international tent to rest up while enjoying our Castle Lite and congratulating the other runners too, particularly the novices and back to backs.

Chilling at the international tent with Greg from Australia.

Chee Kong came by later and I found out that he managed to run a Bill Rowan timing despite minimal training. Superbly done! I then bid farewell to Greg as we made our way to the Fourways lounge located in the stadium’s stand but that was before we bumped into Chris, novice from Malaysia who ran 10.13 hours for his first and David who came in just in time for the bronze. Wonderfully done to both!

The man behind my taining. Lindsay Parry. Comrades Marathon and South Africa triathlon coach.

Rested in the Fourways lounge and with the legs stiffening up, I was trying my very best not cramp, especially on my inner thighs which was feeling it. Managed to do so and for the first time ever, I did not suffer any cramps in the Comrades Marathon, whether during or after. Well done to me! Hahaha… Lindsay came over to congratulate me later which was a moment of joy for me. Many thanks to him for guiding me here, as I have improved from year to year. Race report as of yesteryears and results as per below:

Comrades Marathon 2012 - 11:53:49 (“Down” run)

Comrades Marathon 2013 - 11:30:08 (“Up” run)

Comrades Marathon 2014 - 10:57:34 (“Down” run. -56:15 minutes compared year 2012)

Comrades Marathon 2015 - 10:50:51 (“Up” run. -20:43 minutes compared year 2013)

Comrades Marathon 2016 - 10:27:07 (“Down” run. -30:27 minutes compared year 2014)

As we waited for the final 12 hour cut- off, the atmosphere at the stadium became tense and loud. It’s not a moment that one will like to go through, but it had to be done. As the sun began to set, so does the sound of the trumpet being blown to signal the countdown. And when it finally stop, that was it. The race was over, and the first runner to have miss it was for his green number missing by a second. Indeed cruel, but this is Comrades.

5 successful Comrades each for the both of us.

As the curtain began to close at the Sahara Kingsmead Stadium, both myself and Chee Kong made our way to our car and headed back to the hotel to clean up before our victory dinner at Jiran Café, where I struggled to finish my meal. Tried my best though to take in whatever I can as I know it will be important for recovery. Then it’s back to the room for some painful packing as we are leaving for Scotland tomorrow before ending the day and night with a well deserve sleep, though I find it a little difficult as my body was still pretty “active” or “high” from the adrenaline at Comrades.

Half a decade in the bag.

Waking up the next day refresh, to my surprise, my legs didn’t feel as thrashed as compared to the years before. Indeed a good sign though I believe the real DOMS (Delay Onset Muscle Soreness) will come on the second or maybe third day). A well deserved breakfast at Belaire Suites with lots of limping Comrades runners before we checked out of our hotels at 11AM making or way to Umhlanga Rocks for second breakfast and then Hooters there for our third. As we simply had too much time to kill before our flight at 6PM later, we returned to Gateway for some quick shopping before arriving at the airport do settle our VAT claims before our fight to Istanbul and then Edinburgh.

My splits for 2016. My Suunto Moves on this LINK.

With Comrades Marathon 2016 successfully in the bag, I would like to thank my parents, Susanah, Bailey my dear Westie, Yan Leng, Piew and Choon Yuen for the positive motivation given and also being part of my training, Not forgetting the rest from the Gold Coast Training Group too. And to my coach, Lindsay Parry, thank you for all the tips and advice given through these 3 years as I inch ahead and improve over the years. My sincere thanks to my sponsors Saucony for the training and race gears provided throughout the past 42 months. To my South African, Scottish and the rest of my international friends like Caroline, Anthony, Pierre, Willie, Allan, Brad, Susan, Angela and Alexa, many thanks for the wishes and annual meet-ups for some, for it really helps. And finally of course to the rest of the “family” from Comrades Team Malaysia for cheering for myself, Chee Kong and Chris this year back home.

This year, the strategy worked well. Holding back a little using the heart rate monitor was definitely useful. And hydrating well using water as my primary fluid was fine too. But without the other necessary nutrients, how did I do it, you may ask. Well, it came from the food I consumed along the way such as potatoes, crackers and borewors. And I counted that I only drank 5 cups of Coke and at about 12 sachets of Energade only and hence no sugar rush or bloating. Definitely feeling that the body has successfully or close enough to adapt to this method which I’ve tried since 2 years ago.

All in all, Comrades Marathon 2016 which marks my half a decade of running The Ultimate Human Race consecutively was a success. Not only that I ran my best time despite holding back which was a positive sign for all the training and sacrifices I’ve made, I befriended some new friends and even helped them during the race. Comrades Marathon certainly isn’t any ordinary race for it’s a race that defines one. It’s a race of champions and on 29 May 2016, close to 17,000 runners were champions. Till 4 June 2017 for the next edition for I now turn my focus to my main event of the year at the 152KM long one at the West Highland Way Race at Scotland on 18 June 2016.

* All photos here credited to their respective photographers. Thank you.
* More photos from official photographers will be uploaded in due time.

My Fifth Comrades...

By Frank

And so, I am finally here and certainly am glad I am. The end of the fifth month as the training for Comrades comes to an end. With 1,688KM covered by those legs of mine over here, the work is done here. Just a couple of runs more to round up the distance to 1,700KM over at Durban's North Beach when I arrive there to keep my legs going and that should be it, for my fifth Comrades will take place this Sunday, 29 May 2016. And this year, only myself, Chee Kong and a novice Chris Yeoh will be running the race as Malaysians.

Yeap, time certainly passed swiftly as I remembered my very first back in year 2012 and in a blink of an eye, it' half a decade already. This year's training was the toughest of all due to the combination of the West Highland Way Race 3 weeks later. I only had a month's of off-season in December last year. Not a total rest and with that, I managed to maintain my fitness and swing my momentum into January where it all officially started. With a training regime given by coach with a mixture and not to mention an increase of intensity of running and strength training, I had doubts if I can pull this year's training off. But with a  positive mindset, I set myself off cause knowing with will, confidence and discipline, I know that even if I am not able to hit it spot on at 100%, I should at least able to get near it. And those who knew me, knows that like previous years,  I've used running to run away from my thoughts and problems I faced, and that may indirectly help. And to quickly recap, here's what happened in the past 4 months since training all started.

January started almost with a bang. With my unsuccessful ballot for this year's Hong Kong 100, I opt for the local Watergate 16 Hours instead. Didn't do very well in that though as sleep got over me again, but it was still good indicator. It was also from this event that I stopped sharing my blog entries on my Facebook due to some very negative people. A couple of weeks later was then the Cyberjaya Twincity Marathon. I did well on this one cruising through the entire course without any difficulties. With that, I knew I had already had a positive start as I conclude the month with 346KM covered. The link to January 2016 report card HERE.

February was a tough month to forget. Though it all started positively continuing from January, things got rough during Chinese New Year when mum and Bailey was injured during a dog attack. That derailed my training a lot as family will always comes first. But by the third week after both of them making their full recovery, I slowly made my way back into training with some proper time management and ended the month with the Gunung Nuang Ultra. With that, it was a surprise 352KM for the month where I told myself how much I wanted it! The link to February 2016 report card HERE.

Next, the much dreaded month came, known to most Comrades runners as Hell March. 400KM was needed and not forgetting strength training too. I asked myself on how am I going to achieve this as I know I can no longer depend on the training group. But looking back at last year, I actually managed to do it and that certainly gave me a motivational boost and coincidentally, it was the month where I hit the milestone of a decade of running injury free too. *fist pumps! However, with the legs still sore from the Gunung Nuang Ultra, I started the first few days of the month by resting before resuming. The rest though took some much needed time away, did proof beneficial as I felt it help me build my quadriceps which will be important for downhills. With Twilight Ultra Challenge at the third week of the month, I knew at that time that 400KM was possible. However, my left shoulder blade issue returned during the run and I struggled with it towards the end of the month before it subsided. But all in all, 415KM was covered and I felt not only relieved, but strong. The link to March 2016 report card HERE.

Moving into April, though the distance and the intensity is reduced, it was still a tough month. With the shoulder blade issue out of the way, came the "dead" leg syndrome on my left. Not sure what happened but it eventually went away just in time for my final long run at Route 68 Challenge. Knowing that my big races are nearing, I held back throughout the race and surprisingly felt good completing 70KM injury and soreness free, and in a very decent time too. With this, I knew that I was on the right track and I carried on with the rest of the regime given. 375KM was covered and it was time to taper. The link to April 2016 report card HERE. 

I welcomed the fifth month May with much anticipation for it's tapering month. After all the hard work, it's time to slowly decrease the running mileage and intensity. However with the expiration of my gym membership, the handover process of my work and also the presence of an unwelcome guest fro Singapore office, it was not an easy tapering period too, especially for the first couple of weeks. I id most of workouts at weird hours and managed to survive that before it got better as the third week arrived. And by then, everything was smooth sailing except with one problem, my nagging issue of my left shoulder blade returned. I couldn't turn my upper torso and head properly for about a week before it finally subside. Hope it won't happen again though, especially for the next 1 month ahead. And with all of this, 200KM was covered for this month, a dramatic drop compared to last year, but I believe there is a reason for this.

1,688KM of pain, soreness, tears, blood and many thoughts.

Overall, the result of from the past 5 months has been really positive and I am glad training is all over now.  I felt throughout the months, I have greatly improved on my uphill strength while improving slightly on running downhills. And not only that, after 2 years on the MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) Method by Dr. Phil Maffetone and LCHF (Low Carbs High Fat) diet, I am finally feeling the results from it for I am able to cruise better now at a very manageable heart rate. And those are all performed in the very hot and humid weather of Malaysia. Hope it will be even better over at South Africa and Scotland where weather is much more forgiving. What is left now is to implement what I gained from the training and to remember what I have learnt from these past 10 years of running into the 2 biggest race of my running career.

And so with that, concludes all the training needed for Comrades here as I fly off tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 24 May) to Istanbul on board Turkish Airlines (shame on Emirates for charging a premium this time) for a 7 hour transit before landing at Durban. 5 months since it all started for my fifth Comrades. And during the process, 2 pairs of Kinvara 5 and a pair of Zealot ISO met their end of life with the Kinvara 6, Kinvara 7, Ride 8, Peregrine 5 and Peregrine 6 being my other workhorse. And not only shoes, my body fat percentage took a dive too with the lowest reading at the end of April with a record reading of only 4%! Even a 27 inch jeans is loose for me now. It's going to get extra tough to be shopping for apparels now. Sigh...

However, during the tapering month and 2 weeks into the month of May, I managed to increase my body fat percentage back up to 5.8%. And not only that, my muscle mass increased too and that was certainly positive. I hope this will continue to build up though I may lose a little more during Comrades.

Though I am feeling strong, I am not looking for an improvement of time at Comrades this year unless some miracle happens. More importantly is to get myself to the Kingsmead within the cut off time safely and without any injuries. And this year being the down run, I have to be extra careful. So in other words, Comrades this year is more about a long training run for the West Highland Way Race though the 5 big hills and the countless nameless ones still needs to be respected for it will shatter even the strongest runner.

There will also be no plans at South Africa after the race this year as myself and Chee Kong will leave for Scotland the day after. Therefore, apologies to my South African friends just in case we are not able to meet up this year. But I think this will be good for me to rest up and recover, and at the same time to acclimatise myself with Scotland's summer. That however, will be under another separate entry for now, it's all eyes on my fifth Comrades Marathon.

So before signing off here, here are my thanks to everyone who had help me got this far. And to my sponsors Saucony, I will race in your colours proudly and strongly! Till my race report, wish me luck this Sunday, 29 May 2016!

After 121 Days...

By Frank

It has been 121 days since the year started. And it has certainly been those days that training for this year's 2 major races has since started. Am I tired? No doubt yes. Am I feeling strong? Hell yeah! Am I ready? Oh YES! That sums up my feeling I guess.

4 months has passed since all the training officially began. Continuing from March, April is the month to keep the momentum going with a slight reduce in intensity in order for the body to start recovering. It is also the month to identify any areas to improve on and to test out the race gears.

However, April didn't start off really well as there were signs of a "dead" left leg. My initial thoughts was that I may have overused it last month especially towards the final week of it. But to think of it realistically, ample rest time was given to it for recovery before continuing with April's training. Then I got really worried when I thought of some nerve issues. Yes, it was all self assumption and instead of resting completely, I did short and light workouts while taking in more Vitamin B enriched food for it helps with the nervous system. The leg return from the "dead" after a few days and I was glad it was just a scare. Phew...

With no fitness lost during the "dead" leg scare, I was feeling strong and that was just in time for the 70KM Route 68 Challenge on the second week of the month. I held back throughout the entire race to minimise any risk of injury and manage to complete it with my best 70KM result without thrashing out myself, and that was indeed a really positive sign.

Continuing my training with the strength and confidence gained, I was glad that some of my friends are slowly making their return from their injury. And a week after Route 68 Challenge, we were back running together at some of our favourite places and those favourite involves hills! We continued to roll towards the final week of the month together which almost got derailed a bit due to the return of the notorious haze, which was our own Malaysian pineapple farmers doing. Nevertheless, I was glad I successfully followed my regime and went through the final week of the month without any issues. I was really happy about that not only cause confidence is building but will also mean no more tough 100KM weekly mileage too. Phew...

Transfer of timing chip from last year's Kinvara 6 to this year's Kinvara 7.

The big boys turn to play.

I also began to try out my race gears. Due to the different nature and weather of both races I will be racing in, there will be 2 separate race gears for this year. One set for Comrades while the other for the West Highland Way Race. But there is one similarity for both sets as for the the first time, I will be in full Saucony colours. Many thanks to Saucony for this arrangements. The following are the breakdown on what I will be wearing and using.

Part of my race tops.

Comrades Marathon

Race top - Saucony pro team tri top

Race bottom - Saucony pro team tri short

Race shoe - Saucony Kinvara 7

Quad compression - CEP Quad Sleeve

Calf compression - CEP Progressive Calf Sleeve 2.0

Race socks - Balega Ultra Light No Show
Race watch - Suunto Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire

A new Suunto Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire for these 2 race. And in blue too.

West Highland Way Race

Mid layer race top - Saucony Run Strong Long Sleeve Top

Back up mid layer race top - Saucony Nomad Long Sleeve Top

Race tights - Saucony Omni LX Tights

Water proof outer shell - Saucony EXO Jacket

Back up water proof outer shell - Saucony Razer Jacket

Race shoe - Saucony Peregrine 6

Back up race shoe - Saucony Xodus 6

Beanie - Saucony Drylete beanie

Head gear - Buff

Wind and water resistant gloves - Saucony Nomad gloves

Base layer - BV Sport Anatomical Top

Quad compression - CEP Quad Sleeve

Calf compression - CEP Progressive Calf Sleeve 2.0

Race socks - Drymax Max Protection Trail Sock

Back up race socks - Drymax Trail Sock

Hydration vest - Salomon S-Lab Adv Skin3 Set 12

Headlamp - LED Lenser H14R.2
Race watch - Suunto Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire

Let there be light at the highlands!

The fourth month gave me 375KM and hence after 121 days of hard training with a total of 1,488KM, it's time to recharge, re-energize, repair, recover and be ready for my fifth Comrades in 28 days time and then the important long one at West Highland Way Race 3 weeks later. The fifth and final month is next and it's time to enjoy the taper for the "monster" (a nick given by a friend last year due to my commitment to the race and my heavy training mileage) is back!

The journey after 18 weeks.

A Tough Second...

By Frank

The second month of the year is usually tough in training due to the shorter month and also Chinese New Year celebration. But this year, it was made even tougher due to an unexpected accident involving everyone in the family.

I carried the training momentum from January into the second month of training and continued to build upon it. It started well and everything went as plan as I began interval and time trial training. Then came Chinese New Year on the second week of the month. What was supposed to be a rest day soon became disastrous when mum was attacked by a stray dog while bringing Bailey, my family dog out for a walk. Mum suffered multiple bites which needed 21 stitches on both her palm and one cut on her left eyebrow, while Bailey suffered 2 puncture wounds himself. I am not going into details of what happened for this is something personal for me, but all I can say is that it drained everything out of me from physical to mental strength. But all in all, I am glad both of them are safe and all right.

Training almost got derailed from the above. But I guess it must have been a hurdle or task set out against me, to test me out. I knew I wanted to complete both Comrades Marathon and West Highland Way Race in about 3 months time badly and so I dug dig, stay calmed and find time to fit in my training regime. Slowly and surely, all the pieces came back and by the the third week when both mum and Bailey had recovered, everything was on track again despite feeling a little tired.

However, a quick recovery with more eat and sleep followed by some active recovery did the trick and by the start of the fourth week, I was feeling energised again. And by then, I was feeling ready to tackle my third event of the year, the Gunung Nuang Ultra which went pretty well as planned.

All in all, after a difficult February and against all odds, I've still managed to hit my training target by covering a total of 352KM. Though the running distance is covered, what I lack this month was strength training as I lifted less weights. I hope it will be better in March as fitness, motivation and confidence is high now. However, with the high volume of training required the next month, I will need to seek the assistance of my friends to help me journey through it. It's not call Hell March for nothing!

A Positive Start...

By Frank

The start of the new year will always mean one thing, the restart of my training. It's not a regime I look forward to, but rather a regime that needs to be done as the big races slowly approaches. Yes, I used the word races (plural) as there are 2 important ones for me which I've mentioned in my earlier blog, the Comrades Marathon and also the West Highland Way Race. And with the first month now behind, as usual, here comes my first report card of the year.

Although I have the momentum swinging in from last year, I started the year from square one following closely to the training regime provided. With increased running distance compared to last year that needs to be covered together with weight and resistance training, I already knew that it would be tough. But the good thing is, the regime is flexible and that was the key to success. And with the Watergate 16 Hours and Cyberjaya Twincity Marathon, it made the task a little easier.

I also knew that I've "crazy" friends who will embark on my journey with me. And during this month, I was introduced to the FRIM's (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) 10 hills run, a very good workout.

The only downside was work which in a way almost jeopardized from top to bottom . Am not particular happy with my management down south as lots of empty promises were given. And not only that, communication was really bad especially from the HR department that not only angers me but also messes up my training regime. A staff exchange was done and lots of information wasn't given prior to that which not only caused confusion for my staff here but also increases the stress level. I foresee the handover will not be a smooth one, but honestly, I don't really care.

Anyhow, I still made it through the first month with 346KM running distance covered which also includes some other form of training as mentioned above. All in all, there were definitely some positive results as I felt better and more confident as each day passes. Indeed a positive start to this year's training as I now look forward to the second month.

Comrades Marathon 2015...

Event: Comrades Marathon 2015

Venue: Durban, South Africa

Date: 31 May 2015

Time: 5.30AM (South Africa time) / 11.30AM (Malaysian time)

Distance: 87.72KM (88.8KM by Suunto Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire)

Shoe: Saucony Kinvara 6

By Frank

As usual, I will jump straight into my Comrades Marathon race report and save my holiday adventures in a separate entry. And the following are links too, to relive my past 3 Comrades Marathon experience:

Comrades Marathon 2012 “Down”run

Comrades Marathon 2013 “Up” run

Comrades Marathon 2014 “Down”run

Comrades Marathon 2015 is the 90th edition of The Ultimate Human Race. With a tagline of Bamba Iqhaza which meant Be Part Of It, in the Zulu language, runners can expect a huge field this year. Besides that, with an addition of 877M giving a total of 87.72KM, it’s also one of the longest “Up” run in history due to roadworks at Pinetown. 12 Malaysians signed up for this year’s edition but sadly only 7 started which was myself, Chee Kong, Zijill, Selva, Shanaz, Dr. Jagjit and Dr.Yani.

Myself flying alone this time, arrived in Durban 4 days prior to my fourth Comrades so everything should be more or less in place for the big race. Flight was smooth, race pack collection swift and meals were eaten heartily. But come race day morning, I did not wake up with the feeling I had last year. I wasn’t unwell, just that I didn’t have the kick for the race. I had 2 hours to prepare before our shuttle ride to the race start at 4AM. I skipped the breakfast prepared by Belaire Suites and took my own Clif Mojo bar and a soft panini bread bought by Zijill the day before from Checkers. Washed it down with a cup of Starbucks VIA coffee and the other all race rituals went on smoothly.

Team Saucony ready to rock and roll!

At 4AM, myself with Zijill were down at the lobby with Chee Kong, Selva and Shanaz. A last minute visit to the toilet almost caused us to miss the first shuttle though but glad they waited. The ride to the race start at Town Hall was like about 5 minutes or so only. It was to be taken as we did not want to disturb Mei-Ee and Xi Ning, and besides, to reserve the leg strength for the race later. Baggage deposit was smooth and soon enough after a group photo together, we checked into our respective seeding pent.

We are ready!

I checked into the D pent with my qualifier from last year’s Amsterdam Marathon, which was my best effort so far. It was my best chance to cross the start gantry as soon as possible to try run my best and targeted time. Not sure if I am able to start from this front in the future hence telling myself “One shot at glory, make full use of it”! It was about a 45 minutes wait and was glad the weather was good. About 18c and not chilly. It’s Durban after all. I look around to try to spot for friends like David and Bruce but to no avail. However, runners were entertained by the light shows lighting the tall buildings in the business district as runners continued to wish everyone around them regardless of nationally and skin colour. That’s the spirit of Comrades! Soon came the National Anthem of South Africa to mark the countdown followed by Shosholoza, Chariots of Fire, Max Trimborn cock’s crow and finally, the cannon went BOOM!

At 5.30AM (11.30AM Malaysian time) 16,993 runners took on the 90 edition of the Comrades Marathon that will go down into the history books. It took me exactly 3 minutes to cross the start gantry this time and everybody just started running. However, it came to a walk shortly in front when runners slowed down to high-fived the cheering supporters by the side. Really unnecessary but that’s just part of Comrades. About a minute wasted there but was glad to find my rhythm as I find my way into the highway leading to Berea. And speaking about rhythm, it was my first time wearing a heart rate monitor for this race and I used it as a guide.  As the roads leading out from Durban is wider compared to the one at Pietermaritzburg, I found no problem navigating through the sea of runners. However, there were some incident around me where runners tried to overtake from the curb causing them to trip over. One trip over and managed to pull the runner in front of him together too, and it all happened just beside me. But both escape with minor bruises and carried on. Other than that, it was an uneventful start.

With David at Berea. blur shot but truly memorable.

About close to half an hour into the race, I heard a voice from behind saying “Inchanga came early this year” and immediately I knew that my Singaporean fellow Comrades David is right behind me! Short chat plus some photos before we carried on. Running on the N3 highway was just the warm up. A few mild uphill’s and downhills are just appetizers on what lies ahead. There were no supporters beside the roads as there is almost no space for them. But they can be found at the top of the flyovers, pedestrian bridges and along the shop rows. That’s how these South Africans will come out to cheer for the runners! Amazing stuff!

About 7KM later, I found myself exiting the highway and into Mayville. Crowded with supporters and with the dawn slowly approaching, everything seems to brighten up another level too, from energy levels to noises. My heart rate was still good as I maintained a reasonable pace as I headed towards the Durban Boundary where I met John from Scotland in person for the first time after numerous contacts over Facebook. Short chat and we are off towards first big hill, Cowie’s Hill.

Passing the first Big hill at Cowie's Hill.

I was still on a very good pace upon arriving at Cowie’s Hill in 1:48:03 hours. Descend from it and into Pinetown where the extra 877M diversion was which was actually refreshing as I ran through a small business area with supermarkets and other retail shops in the area. And with half marathon done, I thought it’s better to down an energy gel to ensure the body gets all the nutrients required. However, as it has been so long since I took them, I was so not used to it and instantly spitted it out and took half a tablet of Hammer Perpeteum Solids instead and carried on.

Next of the Big 5 hills list will be the treacherous Fields Hill. A steep climb on the open highway, I remembered attacking it back in year 2013 which may have caused my left calf cramping at the later stages. Therefore, a revised strategy this year for I think it will be safer to run walk it, as after all, I need to prevent my heart rate from spiking. But I guess I took it too safe which depleted some buffer time I made.

Assaulting Fields Hill.

Arriving at the top of Fields Hill isn’t the end of the nightmare as we still needed to climb, though not as steep. As I arrived at Winston Park at about the 30KM mark, my body started to show signs of giving way. I kind of expected this but was just hoping that it will not happen. Sadly it did. I took walk breaks in between and ate some potatoes along the way hoping to regain some momentum. I also made my first toilet pee stop here and was glad to have found a mobile version unoccupied. With the discomfort I am facing, I was losing time but I kept attacking the climbs as I knew forward was the only way. And I needed to get to Drummond by 10.30AM (5 hours into the race) if I were to stand a chance to run the target set.

Third of the Big 5 hills, Botha’s Hill was next on the list. Short but steep climb, crowd support was superb as we headed towards it and it kept me going. The day also started to warm up as I stared pouring water over my arms to keep my core temperature down. And with Botha’s Hill conquered, the landscapes of highways and small towns began to change into valley rods as it marks the fast descend into the Valley of 1,000 Hills, into the valley of Drummond.

Descending into Drummond.

It was a fast descend into Drummond with only minor climbs. I had to take full advantage of it for the climb out later will be tough. And I know my friend Manette will be waiting just before the Wall of Honour at the Rooderport tent, the same spot where she has been supporting me the past 2 years! I was extremely delighted to see her where she poured me a cup of ice water. This time round though, I did not stop for long as I moved on after 2 cups of drinks and thanking this dear friend of mine.

Catching up with Manette at the Rooderport tent.

Passed the Wall of Honour on my right, and soon Arthur’s Seat on my left where I gave the plaque a tap while greeting it “Good Morning Sir!”, hoping I will be blessed a stronger half, or will it be?! And soon, the halfway point at Drummond came into sight as I crossed the halfway gantry in 4:59:06 hours. Though it was under 5 hours, I knew it wasn’t an ideal time cause I know my second half will not be faster.

Through the halfway point.

The atmosphere at Drummond was electrifying with supporters pouring out on the road to cheer for runners. With no barricades, they took up most of the roads leaving us runners with almost less than a lane to run on. Nevertheless, runners around me myself included still managed to “escape” and make our way to our next challenge.

Exiting Drummond has and will always be a daunting task on the “Up” run. The fourth of the Big 5 hills and also the longest climb of the Comrades Marathon at close to 4KM in total, was next as Inchanga awaits my already weaken body. With the length of this “serpent” and the steepness of it,  I spent most of the time walking to the summit and without David here since we met earlier this year, it’s really a tough one. Though still manageable, the weather began to heat up. With some water sachets I’ve gotten from Drummond, I wet myself. Arriving at the summit, I resume my running and soon arrived at the Ethembeni School for the underprivileged children who some are albino, wheelchair bound or with impaired vision. The basically just stick out their hands for runners to high five them and I did just that. And during the process, I spotted 2 kids holding the Malaysian national flag. Truly a spirit lifter when I saw it!

As I continued moving forward along Harrisons Flat which was a roller coaster ride despite the word “flat” towards Cato Ridge, my body also sinks into deeper pain. There is no denial that my legs were sore but the main issue was on my core area. “I needed to go” I told myself and started searching for a toilet along the way. Most stops have 2 or maximum 3 and they are most often occupied. I didn’t want to wait and thus move on whenever I find the door lock. But soon, I managed to find one which was partially hidden behind a deejay tent just beside a slope. Slightly slanted, it didn’t look very secure especially when loud music is playing where the sound waves may shake it. And the last thing on news that people will laugh off is a Malaysian Comrades runner roll off the slope in a toilet! But I went ahead still in the generally clean toilet until I saw the wall in detail. Urm… Use your imagination here.

I suffered a cramp on my left soleus in the toilet and wasted exactly 10 minutes in there. Once out from there, I walked, and then jogged before slowly regaining the momentum to run. But despite the visit, I was still unwell. But then, the moment that I have been waiting for came. Zijill finally caught up. I knew she will for I’ve seen her train and was hoping that she did not pass me while I was in the toilet earlier. But here she is, as she called out to me when I was feeling “Alien-ish”. From here, we moved together as her company too help me divert my attention away from my core.

Cato Ridge was next for us and my mind also started calculating. No longer I am aiming for my target as I know it’s no longer within my reach, but I knew at that time that I can help Zijill achieve what she is capable of. And thus off we went together and with my 3 years of experience, I tried to remember on which stretch to run and which to walk to bring her to The Oval within a bronze cut-off time.

We arrived at Cato Ridge just under 7 hours giving us about 4 hours to run the remaining 30KM or so. “Less than 2 Bukit Tunkus now” (referring to our training route back home) I told Zijill as we tried to make up time heading towards Camperdown as it was fast stretch with only mild climbs. She also has her own strategy here which was to run from point to point using structures along the way as guidelines.

With some houses slowly appearing and as the crowd grew larger and, I know Camperdown was near.  And after exiting the housing area, The NedBank Green Mile welcomed us! And boy, this year’s edition was really good with cheerleaders, bag pipe blowers, deejays and even characters from Marvel’s Avenger cheering the runners along the green highlighted area of 1.6KM. Crowd numbers was at its best too! And with all these to divert my attention away from my core, I also slowly regained some strength.

Though Camperdown was great, the route ahead was tough as we headed next to Lion Park. 3 short but yet energy sapping climbs under the scorching sun awaits us. And just before reaching the top of Lion Park, I spotted a TV crew and told Zijill to run. We can walk after passing it. Hahaha…

We "ran" when we saw the camera at Lion Park.

70KM in the bag leaving us just 1 more Bukit Tunku. 2.15 hours was what is left for us to meet the bronze cut-off time. We needed to keep moving. And though she told me to go ahead, I was not to make the same mistake I made before. I will run ahead, but will wait upon her to catch up shortly ahead. That’s the best I could do I thought.

Arriving at the foot of Little Polly.

Ashburton or more commonly known as Little Polly was the teaser to the final big hill ahead. I waited for Zijill at the foot of it and signal to her to walk it to save the legs. She asked if this was it but it was not as the “bigger’ one awaits ahead. Once we arrive at the top, we restarted our run dashing downwards till we arrive at a yellow structure on our left which marks the start of the final Big 5 hill, Polly Shortts!  9KM to the finish, but almost 2KM of treacherous climb awaits us here. We walk it together!

Almost in silence and with 3 bends along Polly Shortts, most runners were walking. I was waiting to hear some sound as it will mean the top is near. But it came very slowly and I was almost in denial. But once the area started opening up, too came the sound and we started running to the top as there will be a TV crew there filming again.

From the top of Polly Shortts, another 7KM was what is remained for us and we have about an hour to finish it off. But it wasn’t to be an easy ride here for a remaining few climbs await. Once again she ask me to go ahead, telling me this time to run my fastest to the finish. I replied her that our fastest will come at the final 3KM, a  reference to my 2 other “Down” runs fastest split which was at the final 3KM.

Once exiting R103 (Polly Shortts stretch) and into Alexandra Road, I began to increase my pace and tried to pull Zijill along. But a mistake I did was to inform her that there will be no longer any climbs ahead for there is actually one more as we approach The Oval, along the housing area of Princess Margaret Drive. A bad slip of mind by myself which could cause some severe damage to the final result. But luckily we have created some time buffer for ourselves. And from here, we could finally see it, The Oval!

Into The Oval via the Toyota Mile.

Flying our Jalur Gemilang!

Took out the national flag as we ran down the final stretch of Toyota Mile before entering the stadium with a final 300M or so remaining. We held the flag together and ran along with loud cheers from the crowd and with about 100M to go, suddenly the familiar voice I heard during the early stages of the race came in between me and Zijill. It was David again running in between us just behind our national flag. With virtually neither pain nor soreness, only the runner’s high and the joy of seeing the finish gantry, all 3 of us in the spirit of Comrades ran together and completed the The Ultimate Human Race with 9 minutes to spare till the bronze cut off. My official time, 10:50:51 hours, my best achieved!

We finished it together!

An awesome job well done to Zijill for running the bronze medal on her first attempt as we gave each other a victory hug. And as usual, I took time to give the Comrades grass a tap as part of my respect to this great race. Tried to look for Sian but I guess she was busy walking around attending to tasks. Proceed to collect our medals and badge from the very friendly and supportive marshals as everyone congratulate us and each other on our runs before the people at Jetline took some photos of us. And although the runner’s high are still within us, the body soon began to shut down with core temperatures and heart rate dropping, not to mention muscles tightening up. Quickly, with Zijill and David, we dragged ourselves to the international tent to rest up and hopefully to get some food and drinks. On the way in, we spotted Dr. Yani and learnt that he was cut-off at Cato Ridge. Nevertheless, am still very proud of him for the brave effort in his very first ultra-marathon.

Found a spot to rest on, collected my baggage to put on some clothing before congratulating people around us. I found Bruce “Digger” and went over to him. Soon later, I spotted Kai Yuan too and went over to congratulate him on his awesome back to back achievement only to find both my calves giving way where I fell on him, before collapsing backwards. Was lucky I did not knock my head though as Bruce “Digger” was fast enough to grab me and lay me down on the grass while helping me out with my very painful calves. And it was an embarrassing moment when he introduced to his Australian runners the Malaysian Comrades Ambassador is now laying on the grass cramping! But it’s all for the fun of it.

With Zijill, David and Kai Yuan (seated).

Soon, Selva and Shanaz completed their respective runs too earning their back to back medals. All that is left is Dr. Jagjit. And while we waited, we were also reunited with Chee Kong who although did not run a Bill Rowan time, still managed his best “Up” run effort. You will get there my friend, I am sure you will. And as the 12 hour cut-off nears, we also learnt that Dr. Jagjit finally managed to compete his run too earning his back to back! Well done!

We are Team Malaysia!

Indeed I did not meet my targeted time of 10 hours. Indeed I did not meet my secondary targeted time of 10.30 hours. I knew I tried and overall it was still my best time for all 4 editions I ran in. However, all these are no longer important as instead, this run will go down as the most memorable and priceless to date as I crossed the finish line holding our national flag together with Zijill, a friend, a team mate and training partner. I THANK you for this Zijill!

And a little post mortem on myself for my fourth Comrades:

- I carried 3 energy gels with me as backup but I relied on none of it taking one sachet only to spit everything out during the first quarter of the race. Took a tablet of Hammer Nutrition Perpeteum Solids instead.

- Water was my primary hydration fuel with Energade and Coca-Cola being my secondary to satisfy some sugar craving. Accidentally took into some green soft drink once.

- Took 3 baby potatoes along the way.

- Overall satisfied with my heart rate readings as was trying to keep in range of 140 to 150 beats per minute. Average was at 138bpm. Did spike after Botha’s Hill but probably due to the tough climbs there. Also spike after Drummond probably caused by discomfort on the core area. Chee Kong also mentioned that the spikes may be caused by dehydration (will look into this area).

- Average cadence at 86rpm with highest at 137rpm at closing stages probably due to the anxiety of reaching The Oval.

- Starting temperature at Durban was 18C while 28.8C was detected by my Suunto Ambit 3 Peak as the highest reading during the entire race.

My splits.

The 90th edition of the Comrades Marathon saw 13006 runners finishing the 87.72KM epic race. That’s about 77% from the field, not exactly a great number though. Was glad the weather held up with 28.8C detected as the highest reading on my watch. But what I nearly forgot was how tough the hills were. Anyhow, still a very WELL DONE to all starters of the Comrades Marathon 2015. Regardless of results, each and every one of you are a true Comrades!

And to close off my fourth Comrades Marathon, I would like to thank the following for everything they have done in helping me achieve success in this edition of The Ultimate Human Race:

- My parents for putting up with my training for all the past few months leading up to the race.

- Zijill for the company through the hard training days and for not grumbling through it. Thanks a lot too for making my fourth Comrades a super meaningful and memorable one where we tackled the remaining 30KM or so together and in running through the finishing chute holding together our national flag and crossing the finish gantry side by side.

- Team Malaysia of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon which includes Jamie, Nick, Kew, Choon Yuen, Julia, Yan Leng and Jeanie for the training times, support and laughter together .

- Chee Kong and Mei-Ee for once again planning most of the overall trip to South Africa.

- The rest of Team Malaysia of the Comrades Marathon from Susanah, CP, Cham, Selva, Dr. Wong, Selva, Dr. Jagjit, Dr. Yani, Shanaz and Roy.

- The team behind CARIF and Be Frank for the awesome support all these years in making my run even more special.

- To the Comrades King himself, Bruce Fordyce  and to coach Lindsey Parry for the valuable advice and training programs.

- Team Saucony Malaysia for more than the morale and gear support all these years. And to Glynn, Ali and Mia from Saucony South Africa for the wonderful annual reunion each year.

- Sian, Thami and the rest from the Comrades Marathon Association for the assistance provided in helping me in the role as an ambassador.

- My South African friends from Caroline, Anthony, Susan Bold, Claudia, Pierre, Willie, Brad, Ric, Philip, Steve, Dave, Manette and Johann for the friendship across the miles together. It was great to see you guys again! And not forgetting Susan Hui too from Canada (always a Comrades).

- My friends from Scotland from Chun Hock, Jack, Edmund, Luke, Hong Jie and Serene for the support and company during this year’s build up and post Comrades trip.

- The rest of my international friends and colleagues from David, Kai Yuan, Bruce “Digger”, Amit, John, Sasie and Mikkel.

- Friends back home for supporting and tracking us!

29 May 2016 awaits next!

* All photos credited to the respective photographers. Thank you!