President's Column | PACM
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Reflection of the first half year
They say time flies when you are busy (having fun!) and I totally
agree with this statement. At the time of writing this I am staring at
half a year gone. Am I satisfied with the club’s progress……a
resounding yes! I am extremely pleased with our progress since we boldly
moved into event management. Our strategy vis-à-vis the shoes distributors
has worked and as members of the club, you now enjoy discount from four
brand of shoes; New Balance (40%), Brooks (30%), adidas (40%) and Nike
(30%). (see details in the announcement page) I wonder which club in the
country offers such benefits, not even the expensive golf clubs that charge
RM50,000 entrance fees! Having said that, we are not using this to market
our membership as we do not want to attract people that join solely for
the discounts. We want genuine runners that would support our events like
those who took part in the recent Nike Pacesetters 15km. Our membership
of 1,100 is at a comfortable level to work with and with more cleaning
up in July, we would delete another 100 defaulters from the list. The
biggest satisfaction is that I have build up a strong team of volunteers
from within the club; the committee, group leaders, captains, coaches
to many ad-hoc helpers. Having work with them on several occasions, I
know the strength, reliability and capabilities of different individuals.
Indeed, we worked as a team to achieve our objectives.
Finance
The present 1,000 members base provides a steady source of income to the
club through annual subscription. The RM10 entrance fees imposed with
effect from June 03 would help defray the expenses in issuing the membership
cards. Our cash sponsorship with Milo and Awana add on to the kitty. In
all the events we organized we make money or at least break even except
for youth related events that we play the developmental role. The heavily
subsidized event would be the coming track meet that we set aside RM7,000
subsidy as it benefits the most number of members. Our sales of Power
Bars/Gel, T-shirts, vests etc further adds to the kitty. While the half
year accounts are not ready, I believe we would be pushing our cash reserve
to almost RM100,000 for the first time. Next year is our 20th anniversary
and this cash reserve gives us flexibility in implementing our events
for 2004.
Nike Pacesetters 15km 2003
In the December 02 Footloose, I wrote about our showcase 15km run.
I explained how we enjoyed those runs in Southern Thailand; namely the
Hatyai Nature Run and the Songkhla International Marathon. Essentially,
we modeled our Nike Pacesetters 15km 2003 from the Thailand runs and honestly
our route is better and more challenging. The run was conceived while
travelling back from Hatyai last August. Munning’s strategy paper
fueled the fire in me and Patrick Ng sort of convinced me that we should
do it. I have given lots of thoughts as to how to do it well since coming
back from Hatyai and plan it as a key project for the club. While I may
be the master schemer in this event, I get lots of support throughout
the club, the Exco members, the group leaders and the volunteers. I am
very thankful to the 40 odd volunteers helping out in different areas,
Emanuel and the 8 children from Rumah Ozanam manning the 2 refreshment
stations, the 7 lovely children from the club with Hana and Nada leading
the cheering for the runners. The ladies who help served the food and
Chicken Rice Yeong who sacrificed his run to get up at 1.00am to boil
porridge for us. Uncle Tan deliberately stayed overnight with Jimmy Tong
to keep an eye on the place. Several helpers stayed back on Saturday evening
with the Committee to help lay the A-Boards and climbing up the tree to
hang the start/finish banner. The two electrical contractors from Permaisuri
Group were at the site to ensure the wiring is in order. All these special
effort touches me deeply and I am truly satisfied with the effort put
in. I can sense that the whole team was truly satisfied with the results.
I am glad I took Munning’s advice not to run and on the race day
I was able to observe the event from a Race Director’s perspective.
To top up the achievement, we manage to save RM4,000 in organizing expenses
from the effort of the volunteers! We are already looking into the 2004
edition that we promised 900 places and Nike has indicated that they shall
continue to support the event in 2004. We are also trying to add one more
event to our name with a unique distance not done by others; 30km This
year we organized two 30km practice run for our members preparing for
the KL International Marathon and Penang International Bridge Run. Both
runs were slotted 4 weeks before the marathons and it was proven to be
helpful to members. It is our intention to upgrade the practice run into
a road race. We have tentatively fixed 18th January 2004 for this special
distance run to be called Pacesetters 30km 2004. Would you prefer we call
it Pacesetters Three Quarter Marathon or simply the Tiga Suku Run?
Penang Bridge Run
This year’s Penang Bridge Run saw a smaller crowd. The SARS have
something to do with it. In addition, the wedding of our senior member
Hooi Siew Weng’s daughter took away a sizeable regular crowd, especially
the old timers. Nevetheless, PACM was represented by a 200 strong contingent
from Klang Valley, Kuantan and Sabak Bernam. It is the 4th year I am involved
in organizing the trip but this year Phoon Yoke Heng did bulk of the work
coordinating the whole trip. In the last three years we always get into
problem with the baggage handling on the race day. This time round we
used the process suggested by Chan Wing Kai and it worked well. We need
a little refinement next year and it would be perfect. Everyone was happy
to get their baggage immediately after their run. In my work at my bank,
we call it business process reengineering; a big term! A special word
of thanks to Jordan Lee our Penang Group Leader for coordinating the entries
and collecting the bibs/T-shirts. Read the story of our 62 years old Boey
Kong Wah’s first marathon attempt…….bravo and well done!
Race Rating System
On 4th May 2003, we went for the Pangkor Half Marathon, we supported it
at the expense of canceling our own Mothers’ Day Breakfast Run scheduled
on the same date. While we like Pangkor Island, the run was a let down.
Later after gathering feedback from the members, we wrote to the organizer;
so far no reply. We are publishing this letter in this issue, read for
yourself and see if you agree to our observation. However, complaints
on poor race management is not new in this country and Dato’ Sieh
Kok Chi, Hon. Secretary of the Olympic Council of Malaysia gets his fair
share of feedback even though he is not directly linked to the organizing
of any of these events. In one of our recent meetings, he suggested that
we rate the runs based on the best practices from the overseas runs. I
am going to take up this idea and draft a set of criteria of a good race
and grade the runs accordingly. Then by December 2003 when we publish
the 2004 Calendar, each run would come with a rating. As for new runs,
there won’t be a rating until the following year.
Fathers’ Day Breakfast Run
The second theme breakfast run of the year was well received with about
160 members taking part. The two new kids on the block, YK Wong &
Stanley Ngooi did a good job organizing the event with some help from
the Gasing Hill Group. The highlight of the morning was the Family Relay
with 26 real families took part. Wong Kim Tham along with his two sons,
Christopher and Callister led from the start to finish with KK Oon family
followed closely to the end. The special team award went to Chen Kok Song’s
family as the team was formed from three generations; Chen KS, Chen Jr
and Chen Senior. This is indeed a special meaning to word “family”.
We like to accord our thanks to Awana, Milo, Nike and 100PLUS for providing
the prizes and drinks.
I must not forget to mention that the Sabak Bernam is now upgraded to Area Group status after achieving the minimum 30 members base through the good leadership of Henry Chua. Ng Chai Hock is appointed as deputy group leader to assist Henry. I first met Ng Chai Hock in 2000 when I need to borrow his camera to take some shots for the prize giving after the Shah Alam Half Marathon. He was not a member then and I am glad he is now part of the management team. There are many runs from now till the 3rd week of October, cross your fingers – no injuries and happy running!
Wan Yew Leong - 21st June 2003 | wanyl@alliancebg.com.my
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PACM BI-MONTHLY TOP PERFORMERS
Last year New Balance via the NB Challenge Program rewarded a number of top performers from the club in designated races and almost RM10,000 worth of New Balance products were issued to the many winners over the 6 months period. This year we would be carrying out a similar program to reward members for their performance. At the time of writing, we are awaiting the confirmation by one shoe sponsor for this program. The guiding rules are as follows:
- Members must have a valid membership expiring June 2003 or later for
events in first half of 2003, and December 2003 or later for events
in the second half of 2003.
- Members must wear the club’s vest in the event (any edition
would do and exempted for those representing their schools, zone or
state)
- Members must wear the club’s new yellow T-shirt (2003 edition)
during prize giving (exempted for events whereby the winners are obligated
to wear the title sponsor’s attire or your school, zone or state
team attire)
- Members must indicate their club’s affiliation in their entry
form (when required by Race Organizers)
Members must at least attain a podium position, ie first 3 places to qualify for consideration. It would be helpful if you notify the Committee of your achievements as we are not at every event to record the results. A picture or media evidence would be helpful. The winner/s shall be selected by the Committee in consultation with the sponsors. Over the next two months in July & August 2003 all the events listed in the calendar qualify for consideration.
Every two months the winner/s shall be presented the prizes by the sponsor/s at the sponsors’ office or outlet. Media publicity would be given to the winner/s and the sponsors. Further details when available would be released via the Committee, Group Leaders and the Captains.
Wan Yew Leong
21st June 2003
ANNOUNCEMENTS
E-Bulletin
We have sent out our first and second edition of the e-bulletin on 21st
September and 26th November 03 respectively to more than 300 members.
We notice we have a number defunct email addresses or over quota as the
members did not clear their mails. The objective of the e-bulletin is
to complement the Footloose as a source of latest information on coming
events. We shape the contents as we go along. At the moment, we have 316
members or 30% of our members with email addresses. We believe the actual
percentage is higher as some may not have notified us through the renewal
process. If you have an email address but did not receive the e-bulletin
in September, please notify Munning Jamaludin, at ceimj@pc.jaring.my
quoting your name, PACM No and your email address.
Purchase of New Balance Products
Stream Enterprise (M) Sdn Bhd via their New Balance specialist shop at
Bukit Bintang has reduced their discount from 40% to 30% (see President’s
Column for reasons) on New Balance products with immediate effect
at their outlet in Bukit Bintang Plaza (LGF 007, Lower Ground Floor, Tel:03-2148
9671). Please produce your membership card for identification.
Purchase of Brooks’ Products
We have arranged for Brooks to issue Loyalty Cards to all our members.
The Loyalty Cards holders shall be entitled to 30% discount for Brooks’
products in designated outlets. If you did not receive your Brooks Card,
please notify Jenny Lee, our Secretary.
Purchase of adidas Products
adidas is offering 40% discount on their products, except sunglasses and
watches at their outlet at;
· adidas Active Arena, Lot 310, 3rd Floor, KLCC (Manager : Djal,
Tel: 03-21623475) and
· adidas Active Arena KL Sentral, Unit 8, Level 1, KL Sentral Station
(Manager : Marina, Tel: 03-2273 2775). Please produce your membership
card for identification.
P/S – adidas has made some refinements to their rules; the 40% discount is offered only to purchases by/for the member. In the event the member buys for his family or friends, only 20% is given. The judgement would be made based whether the sizing purchased matches that of the member. (Example your size is US 9 and you buy a US 7, it is deemed you are buying for someone else or you wear XL and you buy a size S) This refinement of the rules is necessary as there were reported cases of abuse by our members.
Purchase of NIKE Products
NIKE is offering 30% discount on all NIKE products (except promotional
items) from 3rd June to 31st August 2003 at;
· NIKE Factory Outlet Store at Wisma Conplant, Subang (12noon
to 9pm, Monday to Sunday except Public Holidays)
· NIKE Employee Store at Damansara Uptown, Level 3, Uptown 1 (10.30am
to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays) Tel: 03-7722 2459.
The extension beyond 31st August would depend on the response from members. At press time, Nike has not confirmed the extension if any.
BigShot Restaurant & Archery
BigShot Restaurant & Archery is offering 10% discount to members for
food & beverage and RM3 for one dozen arrows (usual RM4 per dozen).
BigShot Restaurant & Archery is located at LG30, Majau Junction Mall,
1001, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-26971606/2606,
Fax: 03-2697 3606, email bigshot@tm.net.my
& website: www.bigshotarchery.org
Sale of Power Bar & Gel
The club has been appointed an official stockist for Power Bars. We are
selling at 15% discount from the approved retail price (Protein Plus Bar
at RM7.60, Energy Bar at RM6.00 and Gel at RM4.60). As these are items
with expiry date, only Jimmy Tong and Phoon YH are keeping them. We would
normally bring them to sell after our Sunday runs. Area Groups may order
them via Jimmy.
Renewal Notice
We have 254 Members with their membership expiring on June 2003. The renewal
notices have been sent out individually in June 2003 and you should have
received them. You are requested to renew your membership with your respective
group leaders or direct to the club by mail. Members with their membership
expiring June 2003 would have their Footloose discontinued after September
2003 if renewal is not received by then. It is not necessary to send your
existing card for renewal.
Card Replacement
Members who lost their cards or want a new card during renewal instead
of a renewal sticker label are required to pay RM5 for a new card.
New Membership Cards
There are several members that we have not produced their new cards because
we have not received their photographs. Please send your photographs with
your name and PACM number written at the back of the photograph to Jenny
Lee, 3-8-1, Phase 5, Pantai HillPark, Jalan Pantai Dalam, 59200 Kuala
Lumpur.
Pewter Key Chains
Pewter key chains at RM8 per piece are available for sale to members.
The key chains were ordered in conjunction with the recent track meet.
These are collectors’ items as we are not going to repeat orders
for this design. Those interested can check with their Group Leaders or
contact Sonny Ng.
Club’s Socks
We have limited stock of the club’s socks (men and women) for sale
at RM6 per pair. The quality is comparable to the popular brands made
from spandex material. They are available from Ken, Phoon, Jimmy and Lai
Huat.
Nike Pacesetters 15km Shorts
A small quantity of the white shorts is still available at RM10 per piece
(marked down price). Stock is with Sonny Ng/Ken.
Club’s 2003 Yellow T-shirt
The club’s yellow T-shirt for 2003 is for sale at RM12 per piece.
Limited stock left, with Sonny Ng and Jimmy. We would like to see all
PACM members wearing the club yellow T-shirt after the run and during
prize giving.
Club’s 2003 Vest
The vest is bright yellow in color from Brooks (Dupont material) and retail
at RM25. Limited stock left.
Water Bottle Belt
We have ordered 200 pieces of bright yellow color water bottle belt with
the club’s logo (to fit 500 ml water bottle) to enable you to run
up to 15km without worrying about dehydration. Cost RM13 per piece, available
from Jimmy.
Advertisement in the Footloose
In order to earn some income for the club, we are soliciting advertisements
for the Footloose. Our rates are;
· Cost of production plus RM160 – full page color
· RM200 – full page black and white
· RM120 – half page black & white
For advertisers who advertise a full page, they shall be given one opportunity to market their products during our functions such as breakfast runs. Interested advertisers may contact the editor. (The club reserves the right to reject any advertisement without disclosing the reasons) Those interested, please contact our Editor Munning Jamaludin (7982 8757 office) or Ms Lee Kim Ying at the same office.
Photographs for Sale
Chan Wing Kai has been taking photographs of the club’s activities
and members during races. These photographs are available for sale at
RM1.00 each for 4R size. Please contact Chan to view the photos and to
order from him, or your Area Group Leaders if you are picking any photos
from the Footloose. Chan can be contacted at 012- 399 0766.
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ARTICLES
My First Year as a Pacesetters | Nike
Pacesetters 15km 2003 Feedback by PACM Members | Heat
Stroke | Winter in Sydney | Never
too Late to Run a Marathon
My First Year as a Pacesetters Member by Stanley Ngooi
I thought badminton would be my calling
Until I got beaten by bad line calls
So I decided to take up running
For it doesn't need two to play ball
I thought running would be as easy as the guitar
Until I got beaten by slim young things in bikinis
So I pushed myself to run like the cheetah
To impress those babes bouncing in the morning mist
I thought it would be easy to win a race or two
Until I got beaten in every race by Pacesetters
So I read Runner's World to learn a thing or two
And why I should join a club like Pacesetters
I thought it would be easy to run a half-marathon
Until I got beaten by cramps up and down my body
So I asked my fellow runners for some verbal medicine
For getting my mind and body race ready
I thought that after the half, I could tackle the full
Until I got beaten by the wall half way through
So I asked my fellow marathoners "what to do?"
They told me "don't run like a fool!"
Go for long runs every Sunday morning
Do fartlek and hills to get your stamina going
Sleep early and don't forget your carbo loading
Warm up, warm down, heed your body's warning
Months and months of hard work
Really, is it worth the effort?
Woosh! I fly like a Kenyan cannon, I discovered
Wooah! Darling, you gallop like an Italian stallion, my wife hollered
Seriously-one, running pays quick dividends
There's no question
Senor Wan, I've made a big decision
To renew my Pacesetters' subscription
Stanley Ngooi
Area Rep, TKJ
Nike Pacesetters 15km 2003 Feedback by PACM
Members
#1
I must congratulate President Wan and the organising committee for the great job (an understatement) in organising the Nike15 km run. Having participated in quite a number of runs, I was very impressed by the way this was organised; obviously you guys have given a lot of thoughts and attention to details from the start to the end. Grace was very impressed when she was greeted by the young cheering team despite coming back rather late.
Cecil and his running mates from Bukit Kiara, whom I met later, also have a lot of compliments. They clearly had a great time from his email sent to me.
Please extend our appreciation to all in organising the great show, not forgetting the cheering team. We look forward to the run next year.
PK
#2
First of all I would like to extend my heartiest congratulation and appreciation to Pacesetters in producing such a wonderful run on Sunday! Pacesetters Boleh! The race was very well organized from all angles. The route was challenging and traffic was well managed; runners were wonderful; marshals were helpful; drinks and the light breakfast were well prepared. The distance markers were the most promising as it allowed me to strategize my race properly although I only managed to finish 6th. About ten odd of my friends who participated in the race also gave high praises to the organization. I personally would rank it as one of the best race in town and I really enjoyed the run! Once again I would like to thank Pacesetters in organizing such a memorable run! I am looking forward to the next run! Syabas!
Cecil
#3
I've been trying to think of ways you could improve the race, and it's been difficult - which means it's pretty good.
There's a couple of things - I don't think some of the toilets were open before the race, so I had to go in the bushes - and this can cause problems for the race's future, if too many people are seen to do it. We run in a famous road relay in Glasgow where you get runners going in people's gardens, and that causes a LOT of problems. That's in a pretty rough area where the kids throw stones at you as you run past!
Also, I'm used to seeing results from races posted up - either on a board at the race, or in the UK, in "Athletics Weekly" - but I realise there's no equivalent here. Is there any chance of posting them in future on the internet, like they do for the Malakoff dualthlon series?
But that's all...it was a really good, well-marshalled course. Please keep up the good work.
One other thing - I'm a bit perplexed as to why so many races in Malaysia offer money. Is that really necessary to make people run fast? If all the races stopped giving prize money, would lots of people just stop running?
Rob
#4
First of all, let me introduce myself & give you a rough idea who
I am. I was one of the 600 Runners and I commented to you "it was
a very tough run, too many hills...!" Subsequently, you were nice
to give me your business card & here I am writing to you!
Well, I must say that you (& Pacesetters Club) have done an excellent,
brilliant job......briefly, a job well done! Although it was a very tough,
competitive Run, we (everybody) enjoyed it! Yes, too many hills but very
challenging for us! What was most impressive of the Run was that it was
very well organised (systematic) & to think that this is the first
time you (all) are organising this Run. I'm glad to hear from you that
next year, the number of participants would be increased to 900. Good
News!
Another most interesting part of the Run was that "everybody" got a beautiful Finisher Medal, a high quality Medal by Selangor Pewter. We (on behalf of my friends) are thankful to you (& Pacesetters Club) for organising such a meaningful Run. This is the first time in Kuala Lumpur that such a Run with the concept of "everybody gets a Finisher Medal" as long as you finish the Run (regardless of whether you are within the qualifying time). I am happy that at last, we have a similar concept as Thailand’s mini-Marathons (10k or 21k) whereby "everybody gets a Finisher Medal" (just for info only, I am a regular Runner in Thailand because it's so difficult to get a Finisher Medal in Malaysia!). The only Runs in Malaysia where one could easily get a Finisher Medal are the Kuala Lumpur Half-Marathon, International Penang Bridge Run, Terengganu Bridge Run & the Seremban Half-Marathon. This is through personal experiences over the past years.
Another interesting concept to note in the Nike 15Km Pacesetters Run was
AFTER the Run, we were served with fresh fruits, food (chicken porridge,
etc.) & drinks, a familiar feature in Thailand’s mini-Marathons.
I hope you & Pacesetters Club will continue to organise these Runs
for many years to come & rest assured that we will definitely give
our fullest support to you. Once again, thank you very much! We look forward
to another Pacesetters Run next year (24/05/2004)!
Jackson Soo
Editor: I’m a little disappointed no one has any complains, because that is what helps us to improve. Or is it the Malaysian way to accept substandard things as “normal”? Nevertheless, we have identified some shortcomings, and we will take steps to make next year’s event even better.
Heat Stroke by Sonny Ng
People active in sports are susceptible to many forms of injuries and
pitfalls. Runners are no different. One of the least known or paid attention
to is heat stroke. Click here to read
more.
Winter in Sydney by Viviene Kartsounis
Well, winter arrived in Sydney in the first week of May. The weather turned
cold and it rained non-stop for a week, making just getting out of bed
early very difficult, not to mention having to step outside and run blindly
in the rain. Yet we still persevere. There was so much rain and flooding
that Oxfam cancelled the 100km Sydney Trailwalker Bush Race, and we even
had people stranded on their car roofs, a definite reminder of KL.
Since that first week the sun has come out and the puddles have dried up, but the temperatures are still low at 5am, hovering around the 8 degree C mark. The days are warm and sunny, reaching about 19 degrees C, but the sun only shines between 6.30am and 5pm, so those that work have no option but to run in the dark. The Wednesday 5.30am bush run is now a fast, hilly, 50-minute road run, as it was becoming too dangerous to run on wet trails in the dark. It has shrunk to quite a small group, only four people last week, and we hope that it will continue through the winter.
The Sydney Half Marathon was on the 25th May, and just as we expected, it was wet and cold with very heavy rain from just before the half way mark. The course consisted of 2 laps, giving one the opportunity to plan the run on the first half, and it was also inspiring to see the front-runners flying past in the opposite direction, a good few kilometres ahead. The first man home, Rod De Highden, completed it in 63 minutes, and the first lady, Susie Power, finished it in 71:31, eleventh overall.
The competition here is very tough, and there are a lot more competitors for every event. I finished the race in 96 minutes and was happy with my time, as I finished strong and really enjoyed the race. I have no one I know to race against, and certainly miss the competition that Sunita provided. The race was limited to 4000 participants and the start was difficult trying to weave one’s way through all the social runners who started with a better position. We were all given ankle straps with timing chips but this was a bit pointless as there was no activating mat at the start, only at the finish, only making the organisers job easier when placing the competitors in the computer. This system did not give an accurate reading as the clock starts at the firing of the gun, and not when you actually cross the starting line. Baggage collection after the race was a nightmare, and I stood in the rain and cold for 45 minutes, with thousands of other frozen bodies, before they could locate my dry clothes somewhere in the heap. Otherwise the race was well planned, with sufficient water stops, and they had kilometre markers every 5kms.
The next race coming up is a very tough 15km bush race, The Great Nosh Footrace, which I ran last year and really enjoyed. It draws a smaller field and the course winds around one of the water-ways on Sydney's North Shore. There are a couple of other bush races this year, which can be found on www.coolrunning.com.au which has the Australian Mountain Running Calendar. This website definitely provides the most comprehensive running calendar for Australia, and most races can be registered online.
The Wednesday night ladies running group still continues to plod along, and I hope to have recruited a few more participants for this week. They always sound very interested, but it's difficult to go out there and run in the dark and cold after a hard day at work. Once they start running there are no complaints and they actually enjoy it, it’s just getting them there that is the problem.
I still run alone a couple of times a week, and these are the best times of all. The air is fresh and your breath turns white as you exhale in the dark. There's almost no-one else about, and very little traffic on the quiet residential streets, and the stars are very bright in the sky. Occasionally you pass another crazy runner along the way, who you greet enthusiastically, and there are always a couple of cyclists getting in their morning ride. A minor pulled lower back muscle has kept me off the road for the past week, and packing and lifting boxes has not helped so it is taking a long time to come right. The only pleasure gained from this is being able to sleep until 6.30am every morning and not feel guilty about not getting up to run.
Wan Yew Leong regularly sends me the Footloose, which I love to read, and it’s so good to see all those familiar faces when I look through the photos and read the articles. The Footloose is certainly far more interesting than the Sydney Strider’s ‘The Blister’ that is published every 3 months. Jenny Lim has kept me informed on all the major races that the Pacesetters participate in, and it is always wonderful to get news from my old friends in Malaysia. Thank you very much for always keeping in contact via the email. Congratulations to all who competed in the Penang Bridge run and Marathon, and good luck for the races for the remainder of the year.
Life has been very busy for the family over the last six months, as we have been seriously looking to purchase a house. It took us 4 months to get over the shock of the Sydney house prices and another couple of months to accept how little we could get for our money, but we have finally found a home and we move in two days’ time. Our lives are in turmoil as there are boxes everywhere and still a few more to be packed. Nothing is where it should be and we are all tired and just waiting for it to all be over. The new house is only 1.5km away from where we are currently renting, but your whole life still needs to be packed into little boxes and moved to a new spot. We look forward to finally having our own home, after renting for the past 8 years, and being able to display all the items that we have collected from Southern Africa and Malaysia. Each piece has a special memory attached to it, and it’s all these little pieces that make your house a home.
Viviene Kartsounis
(Sydney)
Never Too Late To Run a Marathon by Boey
Kong Wah
It is every runner's dream to run a marathon, and I am no different. However,
in my case, age was against me. I only started running casually at age
56, and I turned 62 in May this year. In early January, when I broached
the subject of running the Marathon in the Penang Bridge Run to my wife
SH, she went ballistic. "Are you crazy? At this age?" she asked.
Too late. I had made up my mind to do it. I understand my wife's concern,
but what she did not know was that I had been reading up on the subject
of Marathon running. I had read in the Runner’s World magazines of
numerous late starters who did it, so why not me? I had already done two
Half Marathons and I felt I should move on.
Joining the Pacesetters in 2001 was the turning point in my running history. Running with serious runners in the Club spurred me to do better. Watching and cheering fellow runners at the finishing line of various Marathons made me want to be one of the finishers, not just a cheerer.
OK, so I was mentally ready for the Marathon; now comes the practical part. I knew that because of my age, I could not just jump into it. I had to train progressively and make sure I make it to the finishing line uninjured. My target was to finish my maiden attempt within 6 hours, not a minute more. I devised a running plan, in the fashion of Hal Higdeon's (a senior writer of Runner’s World) Novice Plan. It consisted of 18 weeks of training. Four days of running per week, one day of cross-training, with two days rest. This would progressively build up to completing 32 km before the run.
When I mentioned to my fellow Pacesetter Jagathasan (Jega for short) that I was training for the Marathon, he was quick to jump on the bandwagon. He wanted to run a Marathon before he turned 40. So we encouraged each other and followed the running plan religiously to train for our very first big M. My running mates at Bukit Gasing were initially surprised to learn that I was training for the big M. Eventually, when they realised that I meant business, everyone was very supportive and encouraging. Sonny Ng, Teresa Wong, Keshab, SK Goh, and everyone who had run the big M gave Jega and I tips and advice on how to make it to the finishing line. Thank you, my friends.
The 30km trial run organized by Pacesetters Club was a blessing indeed. Jega and I ran a relaxing run at a slow 8 minute per km without any hitches. It was great for gauging our strengths and weaknesses. After the trial run, we knew we were almost ready for the big M, short of just 12km. Eighteen weeks of training came and went smoothly. It saw us tapering 3 weeks before the actual run and we loaded up on carbohydrates and rested just before the big day.
D-Day arrived in the form of June 8. Jega and I wished each other good luck and we started together. In spite of all the training, I made a small mistake. I paced with Jega at 7 minute per km (instead of my own 8 min/km as planned). He is twenty over years my junior and therefore a stronger runner. At about 10km, I knew I was going too fast for my own good, so I told Jega to go ahead and I reverted to my intended 8 min/km speed. At 18km, I felt a cramp developing. So I told myself to relax….. After that, I walked whenever I felt a cramp coming as I kept reminding myself that my aim was to finish the race no matter how, and not allow myself to hit the wall like the fast runners. One good thing about venturing the Marathon way only after year 2001 was that we could get “high-tech” help in the form of Power Gel, introduced in 2002. I brought along 2 packets of Power Gel, consuming one at 10km and another at 20km. The breakfast of bread and bananas I consumed at 2am that morning had been digested and my tummy was appealing for more food. Fortunately, at 27km, Nestle gave out Power Gel. It did not satisfy my hunger, but taken with water, it partially calmed my empty tummy. I also resorted to consuming two to three cups of water at every water station.
Everything went smoothly and at 40km, I had a sudden burst of energy, and I ran my heart out the last 2km. I managed to overtake at least 40 runners and walkers and that was a big boost to my ego. finally, joy oh joy, the most welcomed sight – the big padang of USM came into view! I made a last hundred-meter dash and managed to overtake one final runner and completed my very first Marathon! I finished my run in a decent timing (to me!) of 5 hours 37minutes while Jega clocked a satisfactory (to him!) timing of 5 hours and five minutes.
For me, the icing on the cake was to see our President Wan Yew Leong greeting me at the finishing line. I think he was there to receive his deputy Jimmy Tong, but nonetheless, he seemed happy to see me. He whipped out his camera and asked me to wear my medal for a picture to commemorate the joyous occasion. Unlike him, my wife was not there to see me finish because she expected me to come in close to 6 hours. Talk about confidence in your spouse! After the race, I asked my better-half whether she wanted to try running the Marathon and she said “No way. I can’t do it!”. But that was exactly what she said before she ran her first Half Marathon two years ago. So we shall see ….
Meanwhile, Jega and I would encourage every runner who had not experienced running the full Marathon to “Just Do It!”, I promise you it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
To all my friends and the Bukit Gasing gang who had never doubted that I could do it: my sincere thanks for your confidence and encouragement.
Boey Kong Wah (PACM 1765)