PISANG RELAY RUN 2014 - LET'S GO BANANAS GUYS!!! =P

Jangan Say Bo Jio! ehh =P

After reading Sis Lina's race review on this unique family oriented relay run last year (you can read all about it HERE) I was intrigued to participate in this kind of run too. Fyi, my 1st relay run was Chap Ayam Relay Run in 2013. It was so much fun too running a 3km loop around Padang Merbok KL. Once this event was open for registration, Rashid, Abu Bakr and I formed a trio and registered instantly. Speaking on being kiasu even though it was a non competitive relay run. We picked PisangPawerr as our team name. Hohoho...

As the date was getting closer and closer, I've decided to do a fun fun run. I was thinking to wear a banana inspired beanie cap along with all Yellow Mellow apparel. Thanks to Mr Azmi @ Gme Divah for lending me his Brooks striking yellow lime arm warmer. Lucky me coz my yellowish running shoes was still in a good condition (barely actually). Hewhewhew... I've requested Mis Fyd, my regular headgear designer to draft the design and we had several discussions via Whatsapp. It came out way beyond my imagination actually. It was very creative of her. She even made an oversized Banana Ami as a complementary. Love it very very much... It looked surreal too, I must say..

Banana viking Beanie Hat.... Woot2! Arrrrrr.....
[ Pic courtesy of Mis Fyd's fb ]

Not many people know that my first fun run in a costume was during Rock 2 Rock Run 2011. I wore a Japanese inspired kimono bathrobe with a tall spiky red half mask and ran 4.5km. It was not that easy to run with a mask, I tell you. Thank goodness I was one of the 8 best dressed runners (the only Malay too).  Back then the finisher medals were only awarded to the Top 10 finishers of each categories and Top 10 best dressed category runners. I felt so grateful to be chosen as one of the best dressed like a STAR themed costume. Ho-yeahh =D

Reminiscing those good old days back in  Rock 2 Rock Run 2011... Lucky me! Hehee... 

Ok ok, enough with the flashback of those glory lorry days. Hehee... All of my team mates agreed to wear a yellow running vest. I didn't  train much on tempo or interval run because I was still having some sores on my soles and knees after the treacherous GBM in Kampar, Perak on the previous week. Just did some easy recovery loop run on the UPM Stadium track. ;)

On the event day, me and Rashid woke up early and rushed to the starting venue because we haven't collect our racekit just yet. Fortunately Bac arrived there early and collected on behalf of the team. There was a aerobic session before the run conducted by FF trainers. More like a Zumba, I guess. Mr. Ben Swee, the race director gave some brief about the run after that.

PisangPawerr Team in Selfie... Forgive me for my extra protruding hairy chest hohoho! 

We Are Runners Group Selfie Time!

At 7.30 am sharp, the 1st runners were flagged off. For the 1st round,  Rashid was our 1st runner, followed by Abu Bakr as the 2nd runner and I as the last runner. We had to run a 2.6km loop with a banana as our baton for the 1st round. Rashid sped off like a hurricane along with Ridwan his arch nemesis... Truly elusive elite runners in action wooo! Hohoho!

Tudiah Rashid Run Like Wind or Stallion hohoho...
[ Pic by Kak Lina & Abg Zaini ]

The transition was very smooth as only the 2nd runners were waiting for the 1st runner to reach the finish line. Although it might get a bit crowded due to the increase of participants this year.

When it was my turn to standby for the passing baton, I was getting a lil bit of jitters. As soon as I saw Bac was getting near towards the FL, I went towards the transition area and prepared to receive the banana baton. I went off as quickly as I could. I had to overcome the 1st hilly route and redeemed myself by running downhill as fast as I could. I saw several lady runners were avoiding the left running path on that hilly stretch because they feared that the monkeys might come and snatch away the banana baton from them. I too was scared too hahaa!

Muka pancit n suffer giler after 1st loop!!! Huhu... Bro Bac Sado maintained cool sajo

It took me almost 13 min to complete the 1st loop. Huhu... Some of the participants were very supportive and they even gave me a high 5 around the loop. It was not that comfortable to run with the Banana Viking Hat. I was sweating buckets load and my beanie cap was totally drench in sweats! Yoshhh...

Going for the first loop... Looking sexy back much ehhh =P

Tackling the notorious hill in style!
[ Pic courtesy of Mr ET Tey ]

For the second round, the participants were asked to run with two banana batons. This time around, Bac was the 1st runner, I'm the 2nd person while Rashid became the final runner.

Slow transition for the second round... Took it easy this time hahaa... 

Finished the second loop.... Syukur sangat2... Pokcik Viking somput dah!
[ Pics by Bro Bac Sadodo ] 

It was fun to see some of the young children were running with their siblings and family. They looked so adorable too. Some of them ran really fast too and overtook me along the way... Awesome! =D

Gme + Gorgeous Runners + PisangPawerr = Vavavoom!
[ Pic by Mr ET Tey ]

Awwww this is sooo cute moment....
[ Pic courtesy of Cruz Adimanda ]

Happiness was having some runners and non-runners to take a picture together with us. In this case, there was this sweet cute little girl wanted to take a picture with us and I stayed "menempel" only... hohoho... She loved that fuzzy bunny ear of Fazly's hehee... 

After the fun fun run, it's time for the most anticipated lucky draw session. There were many interesting prizes waiting for those lucky winners from the sponsors like Doof Industries, Bike Elementz, 2nd Skin, K Tape and Fitness First. Those who were the DOOFiest Pisang who run in costume on that day could stand a chance to take home the humongous DOOF light blue bean bag, worth RM499! 

(From Left) Ironman, Captain America, Batgirl, Me, Tarzan Guy, Superman, Afro Dude and Pink Fuzzy Bunny

Final two best dressed contestants... And the winner is....
[ Pics courtesy of Mr GME Divah ]

So once the emcee announced the candidates for those costume runners to come to the front, there were Top 8 of us. After the first round based on the crowd's applause and cheers, it was then down to Final 2 costume runners, yours truly and Fazly aka Harimau Ganas Makan Darah the famous costume runner ever. I had the loudest cheers and won that monstrous DOOF bean bag.. It was quite heavy to bring it back to the carpark. Quite a great workout for me and Rashid hahaa... Many thanks to all the people of the crowd, fellow runners for your support and loud cheer... 

Thank goodness I won at last! Never be any happier than this... Felt like a Banana King on the throne =D

Later on, I won a lucky draw from Bike Elementz. I just could not believe it how lucky I was on that day! Double pure happiness, I believe... The green dri fit tee from 2nd Skin and the drinking bike bottle too were super awesome! I think I should join this event again next year... Kihkihkihh...

Thank you Ben Swee for giving the lucky draw prize... I was still shocked at this time!
[ Pic by  Mr. GME Divah]

Overall, it was a well organised event, plenty of drinking water, isotonics, bananas, good breakfast pack. The finisher medal was heavy, golden bling-bling and super nice design. Could not ask for more, definitely... Congrats to the organizer, the volunteers and participants for a memorable event. I really recommend it to all the newbies and fellow comrades to join this fun non competitive run  once in a while and have lots of  fun with family and friends.  

Last but not least, it was time for post race photo ops with all my frenzy fabulous gorgeous running buddies... hohohoo!

Kami dah FINISHED, moh kita pulang yaw!

Tiga Suara, Tiga Divah? Divah Kepantasan Elite, Divah Marathona Internationalle & Divah Pisang LOL! Ehh...

Kodak Moment with fellow runners and Sis Lina
[ Pic by Sis Lina & Zaini ]

Light goofy moments with Eugene and Sis Suzie... Hahaha

Catch of the day... Never thought I would be so extra lucky like this as I never won any lucky draw prizes before... Syukur Alhamdulillah... #vikingbananamonster hahaa

Syukur Alhamdulillah.... I`m officially a #DOOFSTER! =P

SKYHAWK NATURE RUN 2014 - THE UNFORGETTABLE HM OF MY LIFE! =D

Helo there folks... It's me again... Please forgive me for my long hiatus... Hiks... Could not help it...

First of all I would like to share with u guys about Skyhawk Nature Run 2014. I've been longing to run anywhere outside Klang Valley, especially in Malacca, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Malaysia. It was my first running event of 2014 since I DNSed MPIB Run 2014 due to extreme fatique and lack of sleep. What a great way to kick start 2014 actually. It's gonna be my 15th Half Marathon and the first HM in Malacca too. 

I asked Ms. Shyamala to collect the race kits for me and Fard Jill because I didn't feel like going to Malacca early since I'll b driving there solo. Thanks a lot Jothi! You were such a darling... More over I cancelled my room reservation in Malacca since my best friend offered his family villa for the night. It was a last minute thingy... I was so exhausted after the long drive that I dozed off after I had my dinner.

I woke up around 4.00 am and prepared myself for the race. I was still sleep deprived by that time. I reached the starting venue 15min before the flag off. By 5.45 am, all the runners were flagged off! From Pusat Sukan MBMB-MSN Ayer Keroh, we were running towards Seri Negeri and stopped by the first WS at Tiara Resort. It looked like a golf club house with elite housing area inside the compound. The route was a bit undulating at that moment. The weather was still overcast, cooling with thick clouds. So nice! However my right knee started to give me a hard time every time I ran downhill... Huhuu... Sabar jelah...

Around KM6, we started to enter the tarmac leading towards Kampung Gapam. I believed we have reached Bemban. The route was a bit hilly and all the sudden I was running across a rubber estate. I really need to pee and I stopped for a while to relieve myself. Running through a classic Malay Village was totally an unforgettable experience. I could see some rambutan trees along the route. 

Later on around KM8.5, I reached the second WS. The route along this stretch was a breathtaking! It reminded me of Broga Hills with all the tall golden lalangs. But still you have to beware of the cow dungs along the route too. The natural "landmines" were spotted along this stretch. Dah nama pun jalan kampong kan... Hohoho!

Afterwards, I ran towards Jalan Kampung Parit Lampong. Some of the villagers were standing at the road sides while others were just sitting in the front of their porch. I saw one of the village kid was snapping the runners pictures too. The makciks and pakciks were so supportive I tell you... It really uplifted my spirits to continue running as the sun started to shine bright. 

Dapat gak pose2 dengan kepala naga cumil nih... Hohoho!
[ Credits to Andrew Viking ]

At the third WS (KM13), I saw there were these two dragon heads and the drums. Did not get the chance to goof around but it sure is a good entertainment to motivate us runners to keep on running strong. After that I was running towards Taman Bukit Katil Damai. From there I knew I had to run on an incline and went through the housing area. My legs were still ok and good to go at KM16. So 5KM to go. Come on Aizat, you can finish this!

Lucky Mohan n his friend fancying the dragon heads... Me jelly hehee...
[ Pics by EuGene ]

It was already shining bright but not that microwave hot yet. Thank goodness as I did not have to run facing the morning sun. Hehee... Ran through Taman Ozana Impian (KM17) and now I was running back on Jalan Seri Negeri. Upon entering Jalan Tasik, I knew I was not that far from the finishing line. I tried to give my all and want to finish strong. I was freaking tired by then. Managed to cross the finishing line in 2:27:32. Not bad for a fat plumply runner like me... hahaaa! =D

Almost there... Almost became a Zombie runner already...
[ Pic courtesy of Abg Zaini & Marlina ]

Thanks to Victor, Elaine & Dexter Koo for these lovely shots!  

After the race, the participants were pampered like a king! They were provided with free flow bananas and ice-creams (Yum!), MILO and 100 plus drinks, Fitness cereal and Mamee instant noodles too.Merasa minum MILO sampai lebam y'all... LOL!  Love the camaraderie at the finishing line so I decided to stay and kept on cheering the other runners. As usual, the most anticipated person was the famous whistling ICON himself, Mohan Marathon and his fellow disciples. Great job Sir Mo! 

Forever inspiring Sir Mohan Marathon hands in hands with his fellow disciples... 

Overall, it was a very well organized "boutique" event. Good traffic control, plenty of marshals along the route, sufficient drinking water and isotonic at the WSs, perfect weather to run, the view was worth running for, the goodie bag was very generousheavy filled with lots of stuffs and an excellent post race treatments. I survived this run with no severe chafings and cramps. Really enjoyed the run to the fullest! Love the petite super nice medal design... Love anything shiny... Hahahaa... Silly me! 

Yayyy Berjaya Habess Jua Akhirnya...
[ Pic by Andrew Viking ]

Me, Sis Marlina and Andrew posing for a we-fie... Well done guys! 

Catch of the day... Lots of MAMEE products, cute finisher medal and some sweet stuffs... Delicious! 

So, I am so looking forward for Skyhawk Nature Run 2015. Wished to run the same beautiful route twice someday. Hahaha! Safe this date ya you guys 18 January 2015! Till we meet again SNR...=D

Had a good recovery Badak Berendam in the refreshing pool at my bff's place. Had some durians too afterwards... Sedap giler baq ang! Thank you buddy for you and your family generous hospitality... #lavits! 

Sebelum sesi mendugongkan diri, dan 18 SX rated  kita amik gambar dulu... hohoho! 

For more of my GARMIN data, please refer HERE =)

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..