Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2016 - IT'S REDEMPTION TIME!

Voila! The best finisher medal for SCKLM 2016 edition...

This is the most anticipated running event in Malaysia. Especially after it had to be cancelled last year due to the extremely bad horrible haze. It was a good call by the organizer for the sake of runners' health and well being. I was there last year. It was really really bad on that early morning. Felt so suffocating and totally hazardous to run in these condition. Unless if you wanted to run with your N95 face mask on keke... You can read all about it HERE... :)

However things were different this year although it was reported that the weather was slightly hazy on that SCKLM week due to the hot and dry season. Thank goodness the haze went away just in time for SCKLM after several rainy thunderstorm days. 

Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2016, or more known as SCKLM @ KL Marathon was like a Mecca for all Malaysian runners. Runners from all over Malaysia will come and join this event. It was more like a reunion of Malaysian runners regardless of their running groups. This was my 4th edition running in SCKLM after I did my HM in 2012 and FM (2013, 2014, 2015). Even running SCKLM was like a dream comes true for most of us Malaysian runners. Not everyday you can run along the AKLEH and DUKE highway that was closed completely on that  day only. For us runners ONLY... hehee... Plus they have generously extended the cutoff time to 7 hours with 4 checkpoints this year. Double yayyy for me slow runners. Hehee 

Collected my racekit in a jiffy...Smooth like a silk!

Went to the Race Expo that was held in Kenanga Wholesale Centre. Not a strategic venue due to the heavy traffic congestion going there. I wish they did it in the Merdeka Square underground or PWTC just like previous years. Thankfully I collected my racekit smoothly on that Friday lunch break and met several runners there. So many booths around. Stopped by to purchase my energy gels and a Rock Tape. 

Thank you Mis Fyd for this spectacular masterpiece... KLCC Twin Towers beanie!

Later after work, I rushed to collect my unique out of the world beanie hat from Ms. Rafidah Anum aka Mis Fid. It was my idea and wishlist to wear something so iconic, so close to our heart as a Malaysian. Looks like she nailed it again by designing the KLCC Twin Towers beanie hat, the tallest beanie that she had ever made so far. I could it swaying around as I tried wearing and running with it... Hahahaa.... It was an epic beanie ever! Thank you so much babe! Do check her Facebook (MisFydKrafts) for more of her creative masterpiece... 

Jadi Bidan Terjun wakil Marathon Baker untuk soft launch Semenyih Eco-Trail 2016 keke...

Fast forward to the Saturday. I drove to Semenyih to collect some homemade energy bars for my Marathon Bakers customers. Managed to represent Marathon Baker during the soft launch before I went to KL for the check in. The customers wanted to collect their energy bars in KL since they were in town for SCKLM. One of them came all the way from Sarawak to collect his order. Finallly I managed to deliver to all the loyal MB customers on Saturday. Thank you folks for your endless support.

Happy satisfied Marathon Baker loyal customers #MBbuddies... Thanks guys!

Last customer of the day... Thank you buddy!

After the last happy customer that came on that night, it's time for my early sleep. Thank goodness I slept like a baby on that night. Woke up. Felt a lil bit sluggish to wake early. Took a quick shower and prepped myself up for the race. Dashed to the starting line not far from my hotel to drop my bag. 

So disappointed with the bag deposit system for this year. Super duper slow. Note to myself - next time don't waste your time with the drop bag if not for the Marathon Baker energy bars ordered by my customers. Once everything was settled, went to the portaloo first before I entered the Pent 4 for sub 7 participants. Luckily I made it in time for the flagoff.

Credits to Se7en Chiam for this pic.... Super cool!

There were so many runners even from the last pent. I just took it easy and ran with the flow. It was a not so humid early morning. I bumped into Hisham along the way and sticked together like a Super Glu literally. Hohohi... I came across 6h30min pacers Evelyn and Irwan Anuar and intended to follow their balloons of course as far as I could. No harm trying, right? At least got some buffer time before the cutoff time right?

My plan was simple and easy. Just target to cross all four checkpoints before their respective cut-off time. Plus the most crucial part will be at KM31 (9.15am) where we had to receive the compulsory blue rubber band in order to collect the finisher medal and tee. So let the fun run began...

The first 10km was ok. Still manageable although there were times that my gastro system gave some upset signals. Oh man! I kept on going and hoped that was a false alarm and no 2nd poopy wave came along. please. Ran along the rolling AKLEH at wee hours was awesome. Felt like ages to reach the first u-turn point at the end of the AKLEH highway...

After KM16/17 it was getting stuffier, so I decided to ditch my KLCC Twin Towers beanie and turned it into my man purse to stuff in my handphone and RunBananaz and Mocha energy bites. Upon entering the dreadful DUKE we came across the 6h30min pacers again. A lot of the runners were following them actually. They did a great job by motivating and encouraging the runners. At some of the stretch they just walked especially going uphill and started running when we went downhill or flat road. 

KM21 was a success when we crossed it before 7.40am. Next we aimed to cross the KM31. Felt a bit mental running along the rolling DUKE. At some parts it felt like forever to reach KM31 and exit the DUKE. Finally felt so relieved to reach KM31 before the cutoff (9.15am) and received the rubber band. Yatta! Took a breather and posed here happily lah...

Muka manyak sinyum.. Thanks to Abam Hisham for taking this shot..

When we were running towards Jln Kuching and went up towards Bukit Tunku route, the two 6.30 pacers were increasing their paces up and I could not keep up with them... Hahaa, blame it on my lack of trainings....

We kept on moving whenever we saw the usual incline along Bukit Tunku and ran downhills too ao that we could reach the final CP at KM37 within the cut-off time. I just ran my heart out and pushed my limit too... Hahhaa... Felt like dying and we finally managed to cross the CP4 before 10.10am hohohi....

Happy faces despite the tormenting incline near Taman Botani Perdana hahaa... Credits to Rany Tan

The suffer fest was not over yet... I was running out of steam after KM37 and the final 5KM felt like 15KM to me... I felt like hitting the wall already as we had to endure the nasty incline towards Jalan Parlimen and when down towards Jalan Damansara. It was getting hot by then and steep route was not helping at all.... hahaa garing sude....

Suffering faces with the bloody heat & neverending route hahaa... Almost there!

Sikit lagik nih... Bertabahla jiwa raga kaki ku!

Yeahhh sikit lagik nak sampai nih... Credits to Amin Jaafar for this pic!

Very mental to reach the KTM Station building and the final 2KM felt like forever... Somehow I was freaking out when I saw 7hours pacer overtook me during the final 400m stretch. And I looked at my watch ans found out I was still within the cutoff time. Saw so many of my running friends were already waiting for us along this final stretch... Exchanged some high fives with them and deep down inside I knew I managed to cross the FL in 6h41min (nett time)... Thank goodness! Syukur, Alhamdulillah...

Finally... Syukur Alhamdulillah... Credits to SCKLM Official Photos...

The video of us during the final 400m or so towards the FL... Check it out the ambiance!

This year they've started to implement SCKLM Live Tracking Updates apps to keep track of all the participants. That's how some of my friends knew that I finished my run through the apps. It was so easy and convenient too.

After the run, it was nice meeting so many running friends, new and old... Took some selfies with them... Thanks folks!

Group Photo with all the runners... Congrats to all! Credits to Khidir Nordin for the pic!

Met Benz, Shahril Abd Rani and Izme Azzam after the run.... Many more actually... Hehee...

Yayyy I was being interviewed by my awesome running friend Izme Azzam... You can catch the FULL here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeUSgT77_us

Overall, it was a very well organized event. Still the best Marathon event in Malaysia, by far. Plenty of drinking water and isotonic drinks, bananas and energy gels for all the runners. Excellent traffic control at all the critical points. Portaloos were available along the course. Two mobile surau were provided for the Muslim runners. Love the event running vest and finisher tee too. Not forgetting the lovely finisher medal design with different lanyard colours for different distance.

 So, save your date for SCKLM 2017 folks! See you there on 21 May 2017... Let's training hard and smart! =D

 For more info, just log on to http://www.kl-marathon.com/

Toodles chuols!