|
I notice this kind of camaraderie spirit does not only
exist in PACM, it is also very prominent in other running
clubs that I encountered; such as the Ipoh
Road Runners Club and the Batu
Pahat Marathon Club.
This year I have not been taking part in too many races,
only 5 as at season breaks:
1. Ambank Kuala Lumpur International Marathon (2hr
6mins 18 secs)
2. UTAR Charity Run (50mins 49secs)
3. Putra Jaya International Marathon (2hr 6mins 33 secs)
4. Mizuno Wave Run (58mins 47 secs)
5. Chinwoo Biathlon (1hr 4mins 3 secs with 800mins swim
at 21mins 44 secs/7km run at 42mins 19 secs)
I think for someone of my running capabilities and
age, I am reasonably satisfied with the results. I have
been slowing down with age but so far I have managed
to keep it at one minute a year for the half marathon;
ie running 2hr 1 minute in 2001 and now 2hr 6 minute
in 2006. If this trend is to be kept, I must target
2 hr 7 minute for 2007.
The previous Sunday’s Chinwoo Biathlon was a welcome
change from all the running. I have not been swimming
during most of the fasting month as I could not leave
office earlier for my usual Friday swim. I caught up
with 2 practices during the Hari Raya break and managed
a credible 21 mins, doing breast stroke in 31 out of
the 32 laps. Breast stroke is my favorite stroke but
it uses more leg power as compared to free style. By
the time Peter Lim pull me out of the pool (too high
for me to climb out after the swim!), my legs were rubbery.
I must have run my slowest 7km in recent years, averaging
6mins per km. I told Bruce Wun, our swimming rooky,
that I will not be the last to come out of the pool
since he is participating. We traded a side bet with
a roast goose lunch as incentive; I give him a 10mins
handicap for the 800m swim leg. The poor chap swam 41
mins and held back the start of the Third Wave for the
Men Category. We must give him a special medal for trying
as he only starting swimming very recently and I feel
bad for not giving him a higher handicap. I think I
give him a 15 mins handicap next year on the assumption
he improves.
I will round up the year with 7 events and I shall
be doing the KRI 12km Cross Country on 19 Nov 06 and
the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on 3rd Dec
06.
Most of us are already looking at the 2007 Calendar
as far as planning goes, in particularly the regional
runs. I hope to take part in at least one and hopefully
two. I have short-listed five runs to choose from depending
on the timing and work commitments. These are:
1. The ING Temple Run on 18 March 2007
2. The Phuket Half Marathon on 17 June 2007
3. The River Kwai Half Marathon in September 2007
4. The Bangkok Marathon in November 2007
5. The Angkor Wat Half Marathon in December 2007
I shall skip the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
to allow time to rotate to other runs, after having
done it for 4 consecutive years (2003 to 2006). I just
got the bad news that the ING Temple Run for 2007 is
off as ING has decided not to sponsor the event.
|
As for the local runs, the following are my picks:
1. The Great Eastern Pacesetters 30km on 21st
January 2007
2. The PJ Marathon on 28th January 2007
3. The Ambank Kuala Lumpur International Marathon
on 4 March 2006
4. The New Balance Pacesetters 15km on 20th May
2007
5. The UTAR Charity Run in Ipoh in June 2007
6. The Penang International Bridge Run in July
2007
7. Putra Jaya Marathon in Sept 2007
8. The PACM Kuantan TC Run (if on)
9. The Mizuno Wave Run
10. Chinwoo Biathlon in October 2007
11. The Bidor Half Marathon (if on)
12. The KRI 12km Cross Country Run
Wan
finishing the recent Mizuno Wave Run>>
|
 |
I think a decent dosage of about 12 runs in a year
is about right and these are to my mind the quality
runs. I am looking forward to a whole new season participating
as a senior veteran for some of the events as I turn
50 in August 2007.
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon – A Run Away
Success
While the marathons in Malaysia are struggling to get
participation, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
achieved its 30,000 target before the end of September
2006, only 2 months after it opened for registration
on 21st July 2006. I have discussed it in the past on
some of the critical success factors involved and the
gap is widening so much so that even the balance of
the die hard marathon runners in Malaysia are giving
priority to overseas marathons over the local marathons.
Well, this is the reality about globalization where
the winner takes it all (Quote from the Lexus and the
Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman)
MAAU – Changing Of Guards
MAAU, the national body governing athletics in the country
saw a change of guards with 2 top men leaving; President,
Datuk Mohamed Syed Aidid Syed Murtaza who did not seek
re-election and Deputy President, Admiral (rtd) Datuk
Danyal Balagopal who resigned after failing to get elected
as president. I got to know both men when I was the
president of Pacesetters Athletic Club, Malaysia; they
were our guests when we launched the New Balance FTAAA
Pacesetters 4 x 2km in 2001 and the adidas FTAAA Pacesetters
4 x 3km in 2004. Both are good capable men who truly
love the sports. However, sadly their passion was not
enough to turn around the fortunes of MAAU. The new
president, a politician, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim
is a man with too many positions. I am not sure he knows
what he is in for but from the interview with the New
Straits Times on 15 October 2006, he is very confident
he could do things better. Athletics is a very measurable
sport and with our potential athletes dropping out the
moment they completed their SPM, I do not see how we
could change the fortune in the foreseeable future.
Perhaps I am too pessimistic and I like to be proven
wrong.
Safety on the Run (Read
also this related article)
Last Saturday, after our Beginners’ Running Program,
I was having breakfast at Imbi Food Village with Chong
Ting Chow when Ngae KH (our barefoot lawyer) rang me
to tell me that Keshab Kumar was ran down by a motor
cyclist. He together with several other PACM members
(PK Chan, Teresa Goh, Pek Yah and Janet) were doing
their 30km practice run for the Bangkok Marathon at
the end of November 2006. Keshab suffered a fractured
leg beside bruises all over. Keshab is the fine Nepalese
gentleman who is one of the top finishers in the Genting
24 Hours Walk, despite at an elderly age of over 60.
He had planned to go for the coming Penang 12 Hour Walk
this year.
After my breakfast I met PK Chan and the rest at the
emergency ward at the General Hospital when he was given
treatment. The decision to do the 30km practice on Saturday
instead of Sunday was due to a combination of reasons,
PACM’s 30km practice run on 12th November 2006 is for
the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is too near
to the Bangkok Run and on 5th November 2006, there is
the Subang Jaya 10km that the group would like to take
part in; therefore the decision to do the 30km on Saturday.
The volume of traffic towards Sri Hartamas on a Saturday
morning is pretty heavy, unlike Sundays. After more
than 2 hours on the road, runners tend to be less alert
with their surrounding and may not see or hear a motor
cycle coming towards them, hence the accident. I would
urge runners to avoid doing their long runs on the road
during Saturdays as the traffic is still heavy as compared
to Sundays. Another individual I am very concern about
is Bruce Wun, he likes to run from his house at Kepong
to Bukit Aman Car-park and then back to Kepong during
weekdays! 2007 is round the corner and it is time to
set your 2007 running target. Happy Running and be safe!
Wan Yew Leong
6 November 2006
wanyewleong@gmail.com
|
