TEVA KENABOI ADVENTURE RACE 2014 - Love At The First Sight... =P

Miss Marea Shinoda and Moi... Partner In Crime...

Happy Friday ladies and gentlemen... Welcome to my just recently dusted blog once again... Hope you have such a wonderful blessed Friday and awesome weekend ahead yaaa....

I really need to share with you guys out there about my not so recent Teva Kenaboi Adventure Race. It was held on 30 March 2014 at Kg Chennah, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. All the participants (duo team) were required to do 6 tasks along the 22 km route and expected to finish within 5 hours cut off time. For the record, it was my first ever duo adventure race. At first, I did not plan to participate in this event because I need to have a female partner to run with. Some how, along the way Mrs Page Khas introduced me to Miss Marea. It happened that Marea was also one of Mummy Idot's dear friend... What a small small world our running community in Malaysia is. =)

Pre-Race
We started our journey to Jolobu on Saturday afternoon, circa 3-4 pm. It was raining continuously all day long along the route. I've decided to take the TITI 100 Ultra route since it was way easier and felt nearer than the Seremban - Kuala Kelawang route. Plus I got the chance to reminisce my TITI 50 sweet and sour moments while driving along the same super nasty incline and rolling hills too.

Finally we reached the camp site around 7 pm. It was drizzled by that time. We went to check in and collect our race pack. Our team name was KatakGeboo. Hahaa... Cute right? I've already booked in advance a tent for only RM30. It has been years since my last camping out experience in Perhentian Island. We were already starving by then. Luckily some of the villagers were selling some food in front of their houses. After that, we went straight away for the OWA BBQ Night and ditched the race briefing.

Makan - makan time memang thorbaekk especially time kebuloq! Lapaq nasik nih weh

Jemput makan semua... Jagung bakar yang dibawa dari rumah tuh hehee... Omnomnomm

Mr Sali Labu sedang tekun membakar jagung, ayam dan kambing woo!

Most of our friends were already there, having their BBQ dinner. Mrs Page Khas and her hubby, Budin, Poji, Syed, Ayu, Ben etc... We had a scrumptious grilled lamb, chicken, sausages and mashed potatoes with a lovely black pepper gravy. Although the sausages was a lil bit salty, the lamb was delicious. It was a nice get together even though it was still pouring rain outside the canopy. As it was almost midnight, we headed back to the camp site and get ready to doze off. Miss Marea decided to sleep in the car while I slept soundly in my tent. I awakened circa 3 am because it was so freaking cold! Tried to get some sleep until the organizer played some music around 5.30 am.

Race Day - Let's Have Some Fun!
Once both of us were ready, we went for the body numbering. The crew had to write down our team number on our arm/hand since they did not provide any bib number due to some of the extreme challenges like tubing and caving. Many thanks to Mis Nurul AH for being a Volunteer for Kenaboi. Before the race, it was time for selfie and group photo session. Yeahh!

Best Selfie Of The Day!

Big happy family! Fresh faces everyone

Abam Syed Jambang, Dayat, Aie, Poji, Khai, Moi, Partner Khai and Marea

We were being flagged off around 8.20 am. It was already late by then. Both of us were decided to take this race easy because Marea was still having some issues with both of her ankles while I was having my ankle issues too. Plus, I was breaking in my new trail shoes, Cascadia 8. Could not afford to get any more unwanted injuries yeah. After 1 km or so, we just did some speed walk on the road and also through the trail in someone's orchard, I think. The weather was still overcast, which was a relief too.

Off We Go! Go Go KatakGeboo Merah.. Credits to  the photog

Love the misty foggy jungle back there... Took this opportunity to strike a pose before the 1st CP

#1 Tying Raffia Ropes
After 3 km of walking/slow jogging, we reached this checkpoint. I had to admit, I sucked at this tying stuffs... You had to braid the raffia rope to the equal length and present it to the person in charge in order to receive the first ribbon. We were among the last team to complete this task. Hahaa... #dushdush #facepalm

Miss Marea was doing just fine braiding the ropes, unlike me.. Hopeless haha!

#2 Rubber Band Tossing
After the miserable first task, we arrived at the second one. Each of us were required to toss 5 rubber bands into the wood sticks. Once again we sucked at this task too... Hahaa.. Marea and I could only managed to toss 3 rubber bands each and we were among the last 3 teams at this CP. Layan jelah labu... It was getting bright and the scenery was awesome too. we could not resist to snap each other pictures. Kihkihkih...

Our background was Gunung Besar Hantu... Creepy name, right?

#3 Slingshot Challenge
At this CP, the male participants were asked to make a slingshot, while their partner need to hit the hanging can with the slingshot. Tying the rubber band on the slingshot was easy peasy but poor Marea. She tried so damn hard to hit any of the can with the slingshot that she had a cut on her thumb. We thought she managed to hit a can but with a tiny pebble but we could hardly hear the sound. After several attempts, they allowed us to pass to the next CP. Fuhhh... Even I did not think that I could hit any of the can with the slingshot. Nampak sangat budak bandar... Jarang main lastik2 nih... Huwaaa... (T_T)

On our way to CP 3... Jom main lastik-lastik jom.!

#4 Carrying 20 Kg Sand Bag.
Since tubing had to be cancelled due to safety because it was raining so heavy the day before and the water level was pretty high on that morning, I believed they resorted to this task. We were required to collect 20 kg or more of sands from the river and carry it over the hill for the weighing in. This was one of the most enjoyable task ever. We got to dip ourselves in the soothing cold river on a hot day. Hahaa... We took our sweet time taking photos while filling the sack. It did not feel like running an adventure race at all at that time. Slumber sajer konsepnya... It turned out that we filled too much sands + rocks in the sack and it was so difficult to carry it together. The sand bag weight was 30kg! No wonder lah it was so freaking heavy at first. I assumed that the initial weight was 40kg++ hehehe...

Umpama kekanak Ribena... Pantang betol bila jumpa air... Mesti nak main air lama2 sambil berendam... Hahahaa

# 5 Coconut Bowling
This CP was held at Kenaboi Camp. It looks quite easy at first but it was pretty daunting too. You really need to aim correctly and roll your coconut towards the Milo Tin. After several trials, I knocked one of the tin. Yayyy.. Without wasting any time, we headed our way towards the final CP.

#6 Caving - My Favourite Challenge Ever!
On our way towards the finishing line, we had to make a detour to the final CP of the day. Before we could get to the entrance of the Batu Pala Cave, we had to make our way through the muddy mushy trails. The route was really muddy and slippery, thanks to the generous downpour the day before. We had to be extra careful wading through the mud pool. The fear of leeches? It did crossed my mind several times but who cares... Hahaha... The trail heading towards the cave was quite steep, muddy and slippery too. Seriously they should provide us with a proper safety rope for us to climb the incline. The raffia rope was so thin, it could have snapped any time soon.

Cavewoman and Caveman Sudah Siap Sedia! Bring it on!

At last we reached the entrance of Batu Pala Cave and took some pictures first before going into it. It was pretty dark with so many sharp edges. I bang my head several times to the cave ceiling. Luckily I wore my safet helmet. The helmet was too big and it was pretty uncomfy. Marea aced the caving so effortlessly, as if as she was very familiar with the cave. Hehee... We reached to a bottleneck where we had to wait for our turn to go in as the entrance of this section was very narrow. I need to lie on my tummy and slide my way down. The rest of the caving activities was history. I did not realised that I had a small cut on my lower left calf once I made my way towards the stream and mud pools.

The crews told us that we were already exceeded the cut off time and they offered us a ride home on their Hilux. Knowing both of us were stubborn runners, we declined their offer politely and decided to walk all the way back to FL. It was already 1 pm and scorching hot. The sky was so clear with not so many clouds. The long straight highway was mental! It felt like forever to complete the final 3-4km. Finally we reached the FL in 6 hours and 11 minutes y'all! My goodness... Lega tak terkata rasanya.... =)

Roasted To Perfection, Safe and Sound! Syukur sangat2...

Once we reached the FL, we took our finisher medals and cert. Went straight away to have our Chicken Rice for lunch and cooled ourselves down. Before we went back home, a group finisher photos was a must!

From left (clockwise): Marea, Zana, Moi, Izman, Idot and Acid

Jumping Jelly Beans!

Overall, it was a very exciting adventure race. Plenty of drinking bottles at every CP. Friendly marshalls and volunteers. I had a blast enduring the 6 hours 23 km race. Most important of all, we were glad to complete this game injury and chafing free. My utmost gratitude to Miss Marea for willing to be my race partner.. Running this adventure race was truly one of a kind experience. Congratulations to all Totisthoner Runners, podium winners and everyone else who manage to complete this race within the cutoff time.I really wished to participate this race again next year, hoping that I could get the tubing down the river experience. Ngeee....

Till we meet again.... Chao!

My GARMIN data can be found HERE.. 

KING OF BUKIT LARUT 2014 - ARE YOU GAME? #RaceReview

Trio Comel Ceria di Puncak Bukit Larut y`all! Pic courtesy of Gme

Helo there, happy Thursday to all my fellow readers and followers, brothers n sisters of running community... Welcome 2 my humble blog... *Cough2...

First and foremost, my utmost apologies for letting my blog filled with cobwebs and dusts... Yeah I have to admit I was pretty much running out of blogging mojo and laziness got the most out of me.

Chubby chunky me during my 1st Visit in November 2010... huhuu

I was moved to share my recent running/power hiking experience, the inaugural King of Bukit Larut #KOBL 2014. Running up Bukit Larut (also known as Maxwell Hill) really reminded me of my past experience hiking the off road trail in November, 2010. Back then I was still overweight, sooo unfit and lack of stamina too. The running bugs did not bite me yet during those time.  I could still remembered that I vomited the spicy nasi lemak that I had with my friend before we tackled the insane steep incline of Bukit Larut. Urghh.. That was not even half way through yet! After that I  gasping for air, my head started spinning and seeing stars n moon and I laid down immediately. Felt like I wanted to faint some more... Boohoo! I struggled to reach the end of the trail route and decided to walk downhills instead of continuing the hike. #klmj

Right after/before I vomited my nasik lemak Pokok Assam... @.@

Since then I was determined to come back here one day and redeem myself by conquering this beautiful majestic hill. Therefore once PACat Adventure Team announced that they will organize a running event at Maxwell Hill, with no doubt, I did not think twice and right away signed up for this one of a kind event. It was so unique and rare too! 

After all, I am very confident with the organizer after their first successful inaugural Putrajaya 50K Run and Watergate P16 Hours Ultra event. Did not really care about the event tee or finisher medal. All I wanted to do was to support our own homegrown local organizer. Plus, I already fell in love with Taiping the moment I finished my first HM during Taiping International Marathon 2012/3. You can read all about it HERE for the quick recap! =)

Pre-race

The only thorn among the lovely roses at the foot of Maxwell Hill during REPC *Credits to Sis Gai 

I started my solo trip from Kajang to Taiping quite late last Saturday, around 3 pm. I did not expect to drive in the heavy downpour along the highway. Felt a bit sleepy but I soldiered on and drove as fast as I could but still very cautious with the wet slippery highway. Reached Taiping safely by 6.30++ pm and I went str8 away to collect my racekit at the foot of Maxwell Hill. Zinov and Abg Zul were in charge at that time. Not long after that, Sis Gai and Sis Norliza arrived to collect theirs. Managed to say hi to Sis Suzie and Arman too before I headed to check in at Potato Hotel. (pretty cute name for a hotel, yes? =P)

The room was spacious, complete with TV, well functioned aircond and water heater for shower. Worth for my money. After that I went to Taiping Sentral to have dinner with the other KOBL participants. Around 11 pm, it was time to go back and prepped up myself with the running gears. It was still pouring rain on that night. Since I didn't know what to expect for this race, I've decided to bring along my hydration bag and rain jacket. Better safe than sorry yes? I was hoping my not so recent Mount Bujang Melaka Climbathon was enough to prep me up for this hilly event. Dozed off immediately like a baby... Zzzzz...

Race Day *Gulps!

Woke up upon hearing my alarm iPhone around 5.30 am. I sluggishly went to the bathroom for my hot shower and performed Fajr prayer. I took 2 anti fatigue caps and a Gardenia corn bread for my light breakfast. I drove to the starting line and reached there around 6.40 am. There were many vehicles parked there already by that time.

Kita Selfie Dulu Before The Torturous Uphill Run! =P *Credits to Asheek

Look at all our happy fresh faces before the event.... Pics courtesy of Azfar, PACat Adventure Team

Because it was a low key inaugural event, I had the opportunity to meet with so many familiar faces. I must say that we were insane enough to take up this challenge, dubbed as the highest Half Marathon event in Malaysia, with elevation gain of 1,056 m from sea level. Around 7.15 am Abg Zul our RD gave out his safety briefings and before the flag off, we sang with proud and patriotic, our national anthem Negaraku. It was a nice touch and reminded me of Sirkit Gunung Negara ritual. 

Here We Go! 

Just look at this super steep incline... Rasa nak nangis otot2 calves, glutes and pinggang nih...  *Pics by Gme

The participants were flagged off at 7.30 am sharp. I intended to start the run with a slow jog since I did not do any proper warm up and stretchings. I did not want to hit any cramp at this early part of the run. Me and Gme were goofing around and took lots of pictures together. The initial inclines were insanely steep! I was huffing and puffing as I power walked the super steep part. The weather was awesome. Lots of shades along the hike up. But I was still sweating bucket loads! Whenever I saw a flat surface I tried to run/slow jog my way before the road became steep once again. The undulating road felt like it never ends! It really tested my physical and mental strength. As soon I sensed the urge to rehydrate, I reached the first WS at KM3.5 There were plenty of cold mineral water and 100 Plus. The PACat V-Army were very helpful. As we got higher and higher, the air was getting a wee bit thinner and cooler too. Could feel the crispy fresh oxygen up there.  The panoramic view was worth the hike up and stunning totally!

Jangan Pandang Bawah! Gayat cheq oi!

Love The Foggy Forest... Feeling2 obeseas...

I reached WS 2 at KM 7 with Gme. Took a breather, drank a mineral water and swallowed the anti fatigue cap. Worked like a charm. Took a sip of 100 Plus too. Then off I go to catch up with Razinah and Gme. It was getting very very steep with so many dangerous sharp curves. I lost count already. Bumped into Ultra Jol, Yim and Shahrin as they were already running down the hill. Finally I arrived at WS 3 (KM 10). There were serving some juicy irresistible watermelon slices, banana cake which I didn't take with plenty of mineral water and isotonic drink.  The air was so fresh up there. Guess what, we still had to climb another 500m to reach the u-turn and get our black ribbon.It took me 2 hours to reach the summit. After that it was all going downhills baby! 

We Are Half Way There! Pic Credits to Azmil =) 

I managed to gobble up a few more slices of watermelons before I made my way down. Wished to stay a bit longer up there and munching all those refreshment and soaking the splendid view but I need to finish this run asap. I just let the gravity to do the rest of running downhills. But still I had to hike up at some stretch. I gave high 5s to those who were running downhill. They even cheered and motivated us too. Saw Arman n Abg Fuad as the official sweepers. He advised me to land a midfoot while running downhills to protect any serious issues of my knees.

Wajah2 Insaf Sepanjang Jalan.... Abg Zaini, Gme and I... 

I need to run carefully too as the some part of the road were mossy and uneven surfaces. Descending was even way dangerous and we runners normally prone to injure ourselves during this point as we were getting more fatigue at this point. The super  slopes looked like the same and felt like it forever to reach the FL. Took a breather and snapped some pictures at the mini waterfall. How I wish I could dip my face in that icy cold water hahaa!

Happy Cheerful Me at FL. Pics courtesy of Vivien Tay and Azfar

 After a few more dangerous slopes and curves, I crossed the finishing line under 3:07:14 or so.... My Garmin watch recorded 18.78 km, instead of 21km. Must be due to the GPS and the zig zagging running motion along the route. Suprisingly my legs were still feeling fresh. Must be the wonders of Hammer Anti Fatigue Caps. Received my goodie bag, shiny bling-bling chunky finisher medal, I went straight away tackling the buffet spread... LOL!

Food Glorious Food!

All the finishers were pampered with lots of food I tell ya! There were lots of juicy watermelon slices, bananas, iced mineral water and 100 Plus, super sedap spicy nasi lemak and free flow cendol too! More like a makanthon than a half marathon... LOL! Me and Gme melantak cendol sampai tekak rasa nak hilang suara... Hahahaa... Totally worth the experience... It's priceless...

Pakar2 Melantak Cendol Sampai Kembong...  LOL Pic courtesy of Abg Zaini & Sis Marlina =D

Three Kings and One Queen of Bukit Larut

Muka2 finishers penuh keinsafan ini... hohoho!

Sekali sekala buang tebiat pose2 Queen... LOL! Thanks to Sis Norliza... Pinjam sat nah!

Viking King Andrew bestowed my Coronation Day in his own exquisite exotic way.. LOL!  Pic by Moving on AC

Pros

1. Small scale event like this was very good. Love the camaraderie spirits. Felt like a running family reunion. Easy to control the crowd. Ample parking space and felt very safe especially very early in the morning although there were many dogs at the parking area. Thanks to abang2 and uncle2 RELA. 

2. Singing Negaraku right before the event really boosted our patriotic spirits. A very nice touch. 

3. Sufficient mineral water and isotonic at every WS. Even the medical team was always on the standby mode.

4. Runners kept on encouraging each other along the way up and down. Love the high fives.

5. Picturesque view along the way up. The scenery at the summit was to die for. Felt like a King at that time. LOL! Appreciating the beauty of Mother Nature at its best

6. Simple but sweet event tee design, love the drifit material too. 

7. Post run event - scrumptious food for all the Kings and Queens.Now we could really say, we had breakfast like a King/Queen. LOL!  Boleh lah makan sampai lebam... Hohoho!

8. Berbaloi2 harga pendaftaran dengan perks yang semua Kings and Queens dapat semasa KOBL ini. Most important of all, the experience of going up and descending there was totally priceless! Hands down... =D

9. The cutoff time (5 hours) was so generous. Love it too... 

Con

1. Paper cups were seen littered around the WS and along the route even though there were many rubbish bags. It won't harm a bit if we could slow down and throw it properly. Next time it would be better to do BYOB for the refill. 

I would love to take this opportunity to thank the organizer and sponsors for a successful, very well organized event. It was really awesome. I was still grinning from ear to ear till now. Thank you to all the PACat V-Army, JPAM medical team and abang2 RELA. Last but not least, Congratulations to all the Kings and Queens for gracing Bukit Larut! You guys did great ya! 

Till we meet again, Bukit Larut.... You will definitely be missed badly... The crazier idea of doing a King of Bukit Larut Marathon (2 loops) always been lingering on my mind eversince. I`m confident it is runnable/doable. Hahaa... Gilos... We'll just have to wait and see what KOBL has to offer next year... So looking forward to support this kind of event.  (^^)

Toodles! 

Now I am the King Kong of Bukit Larut... Ho Yeahhh! 

P/S: So looking forward to run/hike in Taiping again someday... The makanthon really excites me more than the run itself... Best of Taiping! =P #meeudangmakjah #cucurudangmalatop #cendolansari #yongtaufoobomba #kempunanpopiahbasah 

My GARMIN data HERE...