Putrajaya Area Group Launch and Breakfast Run,
19th August 2007

The inaugural breakfast run at Putrajaya, which was used also to launch our new area group, was such a huge success that those involved in its organization were overwhelmed and I must apologise on behalf of the club if things were a bit chaotic on that day.

In the past our breakfast runs would have about 200 participants; nice and cosy. This time it was 494, more than double! As usual there was a last minute rush and though we were ready for this, the sheer volume just shook us up a bit. Some last minute adjustments, a bit of panic, some really good management by the chief organizer, Mr CK Tan, our Putrajaya area group leader, and things worked out reasonably well.

On behalf of the club, I would like to thank CK Tan for his dedication and hard work in organizing and implementing this breakfast run. For someone who has not done this before, it's a real achievement, taking into consideration he had to do it after office hours as he has a full time day job. There were problems, and he resolved them. I didn't really do much; just a bit of advice here and there.

Another thing that is unique of this club is, when the chips were down, members came to help without being asked. We had a major problem when breakfast was delivered one hour later than scheduled. The allocated volunteers were struggling to cope with the runners starting to come in, and the queue was starting to get too long. Some members jumped in and helped out and we managed not to keep the hungry horde waiting too long (I hope)!

What started out as a simple breakfast run without any trimmings, just got out of hand because of the sheer number of participants. I am not complaining, as it was wonderful to see members with their children as well as non-members having a good time. I find it heart-warming to see the long-serving members as well as the newer members participating. It is strange that we always get a good response for the events we organize. I wonder why!!

Pacesetters Track Meet, 25th August 2007
This event was assigned to Michael Gan and his team to organize. They did a tremendous job and the volunteers were well briefed and carried out their tasks efficiently and with passion. I was amazed by the 3-minute interval between races. We never had a track meet run so smoothly and quickly. Even the announcer did a great job! Once again our volunteers have shown what can be done if only you do it with passion. Well done and thank you to all those involved in this successful event!

Great Eastern Pacesetters 30km/20km 2008,
20th January 2008
The above is our next event, and since next year Great Eastern will be celebrating their 100th anniversary, this event will be on a slightly larger scale. The planning is being done now, and hopefully we can come up with something more enjoyable at the finishing point. The event will have an additional distance of 10km, which will only be open to Great Eastern's staff and agents.

Club Sponsor
The club has been, and is still looking for a club sponsor to cover the overheads of the club. Previously we had two club sponsors, but they have decided not to continue for various reasons, such as change in corporate strategy. We are grateful to them for their support over the years, but now we have to look for others, so that the club can continue to grow further. If any Pacesetters know of any potential sponsors do let the Exco know and we will certainly follow up.

Decentralisation of Work
In the past, most of the work was done by the President, with support from the Exco members. With the work load increasing as the club grows and we take in more events under our wings, it is only logical that we have to decentralize some of the work. Generally this is what is happening at present:

Administration: Club Administrator
Membership database: Club Administrator
Receiving applications and renewals: Area group leaders, Exco members and Club Administrator
Banking: Sook Ying and Club Administrator
Cash book/accounts: Outsourced, with checking by Pek Moi and Sook Ying
Event database: outsourced
Sabak Bernam breakfast run: Tan Swee Nel (area group leader)
Putrajaya breakfast run: CK Tan (area group leader)
Pacesetters Kuantan 10km run: Tan Wah Sing /William Chin (area group leader and assistant)
Pacesetters Track Meet: Michael Gan (exco member)
Membership promotion during events: Jenny Leong
Sale of merchandise: Munning and Francis Toh
Stock storage: part rental of store from President
Club's events: President and both vice presidents with support from Exco
Footloose: SH Tan (Ms)
Website: KC Leong

I do apologise if I have left anyone out.

Setting the Pace Together

Munning Jamaludin
Club President

WAN TRUE PACESETTER'S TALE

Of Foreign Runners and Jaguh Kampung
Of late the local road races got more colorful and we witnessed the participation of more elite foreign runners, especially the Kenyans. The Kenyans who are the strongest road runners in the world have been making a clean sweep of the local road races, especially in the Men Open category. Recently in the Siemen 10km 2007, the top 8 in the Men Category were Kenyans. Even in the New Balance Pacesetters 15km 2007 (with no prize monies), the top 5 positions were captured by the Kenyans. I took part in the event and before I went into the second loop, the 5 Kenyans passed me. They won in the most impressive time ever recorded in the event that I have not seen as the Race Director from 2003 to 2006. While I can't speak on behalf of other event owners, I must say as a Pacesetters member, I am delighted that the Kenyans are competing in our club events: the New Balance Pacesetters 15km and the Great Eastern Pacesetters 30km, as it is great to be able to run in the same event with these great athletes. During the last four Standard Chartered Singapore Marathons, I have been running the 21km category. There is a stretch of road when the 42km runners meet the 21km runners. The leading pack of about 20 runners was made up of nearly all Africans and the chasing pack of another 20 runners was made up of Caucasians and Asians. I recall we clapped to acknowledge these great runners and we feel great to be in the same race with them.

The emergence of the Kenyans in local road races has angered a group of local elite runners who felt their livelihood has been threatened. They used to be able to win prize monies easily with minimum competition but now they are miles apart from the foreign runners. Please mind my pun here as during the recent New Balance Pacesetters 15km 2007, the finishing time of the first local runners was 8 minutes 5 seconds from the winning Kenyans and that

translates into approximately 2.2km. The local elite runners first made known their displeasure during the Power 10km 2007 when most of them were reluctant to compete. This has resulted in some discussion as to whether the foreign runners are allowed in local road races.

Two of the local elite runners who claimed to represent the local runners wrote a letter dated 31 March 2007 to the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union with copies to various sports personalities complaining about foreign runners (Thais, Kenyans, Myanmaris and Japanese) participation in local road races. In their letter, the local elite runners claimed that an agent has been bringing in the foreign runners and the winnings are shared between the agent and runners (30:70). They are of the view that foreign runners should only be allowed in International Marathons, confined to 42km only. Local road races should be kept exclusively for local runners and they want MAAU to act on it and get the event sponsors to comply with the proposed ruling.

This matter was first discussed during the launch of the Power Run 2007 on 10 April 2007 at Wisma OCM when Dato' James Selveraj, senior marketing manager of Bata (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was quoted that they have received entries from 80 Kenyan runners and they are scaring away the local elite runners. I think the number was exaggerated, it is more like about 10 to 15 Kenyan runners are active in the local circuits.

Dato' Sieh Kok Chi, Secretary General of the Olympic Council of Malaysia after consulting various parties put up a proposal based on his personal views.

Excerpts from the report are as follows;

" Road Race Organizers and sponsors feel that Malaysian runners do not have the fighting spirit and ought to stop grumbling, but to train harder to beat the foreign runners. They claim that Malaysian runners are spoilt, pampered and are too soft. The counter argument is that distance running is just developing in Malaysia and like Malaysia's own Proton car, Malaysian runners need to be protected against foreign intrusion into the Malaysian running market.
" Mr. Thana, manager of Team Asics - Powerbar said that his runners are not against foreign runners participating in Malaysian road races but only in International Races like the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon and not minor races with a few hundred ringgit prize monies. He acknowledges that the prize monies help to motivate the local runners to compete as they are from poor families, and help to clear the objections from their parents to continue running.

Some of the suggestions for consideration were:

1. Two open categories, one for foreign runners and one for local runners.
2. To classify races as national or international based on prize monies offered (less than RM4,000 classified as national).
3. Foreign runners must produce written evidence that their entries are submitted through their NSAs for Track and Field and are sanctioned by their respective NSAs.
4. Foreign runners with a valid work permit or PR status to enter local as local runners.
5. Runners from SEA region can enter as local runners.
6. Foreign students, other than from SEA region be treated as foreign runners and cannot enter as local runners.
7. Foreign runners from one country can only win one prize in one event, irrespective of how many runners have been entered and high number of places they finished.

The report went on to say that the above suggestions are to assist in finding an amicable solution, based on fair but completely free market principles. Up and coming runners need to be nurtured and to a certain degree protected. Malaysia used to be a powerhouse in distance running in the SEA region but during the last decade or so, the standard of distance running has dropped so much that no Malaysians had won medals in the last few SEA Games in distance running.

While I appreciate the middle path report from Dato' Sieh, I have my own views on this. I need to rebut the theory that prize monies contribute to producing better long distance runners. Events classified as long distances are events featuring 3,000 metres and longer. 800m and 1,500m are classified as middle distances. Therefore, in long distances, we have 3,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m in track events while the marathon (42.19km) is the only road event in multi-sports competition such as SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games. We have been having generous prize monies in road races since 1984 when the 1st KL International Marathon was held. Since then many local road races with generous prize monies were held but we have not witnessed any good long distance runners coming out of it. The last great long distance runner we have was the great M. Ramachandran, our 17th SEA Games double gold medalist in 1993 for 5,000m and 10,000m. Rama was not active in road races and he was very focused in his training to don the Malaysian colors till the tail end of his running career. He is one of the few Malaysian athletes with numerous SEA Games medals, the exact number I am not sure. Since then, all the prizes monies from road races did not produce any long distance runners of regional standard, let alone Asian standard.

As an event organizer as well as a road race participant, I feel we should be very clear with our objectives and the budget constraint that we will always face. It is our primary objective to promote the sports of road running and we want to encourage the masses to take part. There are many individuals out there jogging to keep fit, and taking part in road races will help them to stay motivated.

PACM as a club works hard to facilitate such individuals to run. We were not satisfied with many of the runs organized by various municipals as we feel the average runners were shortchanged. We have our objectives very clearly in mind when PACM first ventured into event management with the Nike Pacesetters 15km 2003. We were modeling our event along those in Southern Thailand, the Hatyai Nature Run and the Songkhla International Marathon. We used to patronize these two runs till the political unrest in recent years. We decided that our budget shall mainly be used for the benefits of all the runners and not just for the winners. Therefore, we refused to offer prize monies from day one. We set aside a big portion of the budget for a quality vest, finisher medal, a decent breakfast, a photo-certificate and most of all a safe route. It was the right formula and the two signature events, the New Balance Pacesetters 15km and the Great Eastern Pacesetters 30km were growing from strength to strength despite having a small budget. In the case of the Mizuno Wave Run, although it is not a PACM event, they were convinced by our beliefs and values towards road races and did not deviate from our beliefs. Likewise the Mizuno Wave Run is growing from strength to strength with 1,800 already signed up at the time of writing this. I believe it will hit 2,000 entries this year.

This subject was also discussed at length at the recent FTAAA Council Meeting on 10 July 2007. The council decided that foreign runners should not be prevented from taking part in local races with prize monies. The council would also advise the event owners not to have prize monies for local races. I hope more local event owners will heed the call of not having prize monies and use the savings to give a better deal to all runners. My advice to our elite local runners: go train with the Kenyans while they are here and improve yourselves! It is a global world out there and we cannot hope to survive based on protectionism. It is the same with our jobs, if we don't get better, foreigners will come and take away our jobs.

Wan Yew Leong
26 August 2007
wanyewleong@gmail.com

Inaugural Area Group Leaders Meeting

In line with the Club's vision of reaching out and strengthening the various area groups, the Inaugural Area Group Leaders Meeting of the PACM was held on 4th August 2007 at the Wisma OCM, Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur to gather all Area Group Leaders (AGLs) for a forum.

This meeting was called by the President to discuss issues pertaining to responsibilities of an Area Group Leader, streamlining procedures, as well as to address problems experienced by area groups.


Among the many matters discussed, one important matter raised was the perception of the responsibilities of the AGLs by PACM members. It has been brought to the attention of the Exco that members have expected a lot from the AGLs and the latter are hard-pressed to fulfill the many requests from members. It is therefore pertinent that we define the responsibilities of an AGL (as follows) for the benefit of all members.

Responsibilities of an Area Group Leader

1. Recruitment of new members
The AGL is to ensure that membership application forms are filled correctly and subscription fees are collected and submitted to Club Administrator, the Club's administrator.

2. Renewal of membership of existing members
AGL to fill in the renewal forms and submit the forms and renewal fees to Club Administrator.

3. Updating database of members in area group
In the process of renewal of membership, AGL to update details such as change of address and indication of grouping of members (such as Bukit Aman area group, Subang Jaya area group, etc.). These details are to be relayed to Club Administrator for updating the main database of members.

4. Registration of members for races organized by the Club only (including breakfast runs)
AGL to assist the Exco in the registration of participants for these races. Races organized by others are not in this scope.


Munning chairing the meeting

All other assistance extended to members of the area groups will be on a personal and voluntary basis.

All members are requested to take note of the above as the AGLs are volunteers with full-time jobs, just like the Exco members.

Feedback from many AGLs after the inaugural meeting indicate that the meeting was a successful event and it had served as a forum for Exco and AGLs to get together and work towards the betterment of Pacesetters Athletic Club Malaysia.

It was proposed that the AGL Meeting be held twice a year. Should there be a need for additional meetings be held, the AGLs can request the President to arrange for them.

"We serves, we sacrifice, so that other can run…"

Tan Swee Huah
Secretary

On The Right Track
By Michael Gan

Track sprinting is one of my loves, but it seems to be a dying sport. Veterans KK Oon and Tony Quay tell me of the glory days twenty years ago when interbank track meets brought in crowds of ten or twenty thousand. Now when I go to FTAAA meets, only a few hundred will turn up at best. So when I was asked to organise the track meet, I was quite thrilled but at the same time worried about the response.

Overseas, fast growing sports include beach volleyball and the X games type sports. There is a certain fringe or cool edge involved. I watched a beach volleyball match the other day on the television and of all places it was in some Scandinavian country; that's how widespread it has become. It has also been an Olympic sport since 1996.

So I was thinking, we need to inject some excitement into this track meet. We are all in one stadium. We can watch the whole race in all events. This is the only inter-group competition for the Pacesetters Athletic Club Malaysia. This is what we have that we do not have in road running. There must be a way to jazz up the atmosphere, to heighten inter-group rivalry. That was why the Coolest Area Group prize was introduced this year. It gave the winning Area Group 20 points as well, enough incentive for groups to put some effort in. My group, Bukit Aman (BA) had plans to win this title and I hope our cowbell hitting and plastic bottle shaking samba type antics brought some excitement and notice to all who attended. Hopefully the other groups will then in the coming year put in some effort so as not to be outshone. This will add to the whole excitement of the meet and hopefully to sprinting. So there you have it, a perfectly good reason for my monkeying around on the stands that night.


And the winner is ... Subang Jaya!

Then there is the challenge trophy, The President Cup. I was only aware of this trophy in the 2006 meet although I had participated in the 2005 meet. It has a short history of 4 or 5 years when Wan Yew Leong, the club past president donated it for the track meet. I wanted to highlight this, so I got the leader of the Subang Area Group to hold the trophy and together with his contingent walk about 30 meters along the track in front of the grandstand to hand over to the club president or his representative. That symbolically puts the trophy up for grabs and at the same time opens the meet.

We also wanted the meet concluded quickly. So for individual events, which we targeted to complete at 3 minutes per event, competitors had lanes assigned and this was printed in the programme so that competitors do not need any further registration at track. To do that, I felt we had to handle the time-keeping, relay marshalling and starting ourselves. That meant more volunteers working at a more rigorous pace. I applaud and thank them for their great work that night.

The turnout was patchy in many aspects. Total number was 135 with 51 from Subang with lots of kids, 46 from Bukit Aman, 18 from Klang and small numbers from the rest. We nearly had no woman in the 18-29 group until the Klang Group entered Gan Bee Tin. Large numbers of under 12 girls and under 18 boys participated. Going by my daughter, girls seem to loose interest in track sprinting in their teens. We need to make it "cool" to do track to get them back.

The Sportswoman for the Track Meet 2007 was THUM WEI WEN with golds in the Under 18 100m & 400m, Open 4 x 400m and Open 4 x 100m, setting a record in the Under 18 400m.The Sportsman was LEONG JI CHUAN with golds in the Under 18 400m, Open 4 x 100m, Open 4 x 400m and Open 200m,400m, 600m, 800m mixed relay all in record time. The last event was an inaugural event. Both of them are from the Subang Area Group.

Finally, congratulations to Subang Jaya area group for retaining The President Cup by a bigger margin and Bukit Aman for being the Coolest Area Group.

Walk Around The Clock
By Lim Pueh Tian

Where? Dataran Merdeka/ Sultan Abdul Samad (SAS) Building
When? 11 Aug (8am) - 12 Aug (8am) 2007/ 24 Hours
Who? Organised by Race Walkers Association of Malaysia

I SURVIVED the 4th Malaysia International 24-Hour Walk - after a sleepless night, 105,114 steps and 2 huge blisters later.

The rule of the game is simple - participants to walk around a designated track measuring 626m around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (anticlockwise) and the one with the most laps in 24 hours wins.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building is one of my favourite buildings. They say you have not been to Kuala Lumpur if you have not set foot at Sultan Abdul Samad (SAS) Building. It is also a building all runners in Malaysia can identify with. Most of the road races start and end in front of this building, including the KL International Marathon.

The walk was flagged of by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin at 8am sharp. It is one of the few race events in Malaysia that starts on time.

So, off I went with hundreds of other participants, going round and round the SAS Building. After walking not even an hour, I saw the volunteers took out the food at the service area. Without delay, I stopped walking and grabbed a bite. Heheh! Hungry!

The walkers would never go hungry as food was served every 3 hours. That's 8 meals in 24 hour! So, basically for RM60 (the early bird registration fee) you get more than you bargained for in terms of FOOD alone.

What's in the menu? Fried mee hoon, mee goreng, nasi goreng, ayam kurma, roti canai, fruit, mushroom soup, porridge, PowerBar bits, sweets, just to name a few. Finger-licking
good ……...

Unlike the cool misty weather in Genting Highlands where the previous three events were held, the sizzling heat from the KL sun was a real torture to the walkers. So, some kind of sun protection was essential. Some wore straw hats, some cowboy hats, some draped T-shirts over their heads, and some used plain old "Good Morning" towels. Fellow walker/Pacesetter Amelia Ang just used her trusty umbrella.

There were two abandoned courtrooms in the SAS Building for walkers to rest, which also doubles up as baggage storage area. The benches were good for resting.

I must say walking in the hot sun was really a torture. For those who couldn't stand the heat, they could always take a shower from the sprinklers installed by the sidewalk for participants. I avoided the sprinkler. I hate getting my equipment (I mean my camera) wet. Some walkers totally stopped walking, sought shelter and waited; they would try to cover the missing laps in the evening, when the sun was no longer so unforgiving.

For me, I plodded on despite the heat. I refused to stop because I knew if I stopped too long, my butt would produce some kind of invisible glue and glue me down for good.

With each lap, I made a brief stop at the drinking station to keep myself hydrated. Yeo Hiap Seng sponsored free flow orange juice, Isotea and soya bean drink, which were delicious and thirst-quenching!

Time really flies when you are going round the SAS Building! Soon, it was sunset and the toughest part of the walk was over...or so I thought.

Upon the setting of the sun, the buildings around Dataran Merdeka was transformed by thousands of lights into eye-catching wonders. These included the National History Museum, Masjid Jamek, Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower), Dayabumi building, and KLCC Twin Towers. Me and my camera had a field day capturing these sights.

My feet began to hurt after walking about 12 hours. At about 8:30pm, I finally took a break from the walk and checked on my feet. Confirmed! Two nasty blisters had formed, one on each foot. At that time, I had completed only 70% of my targeted laps, ouch! Oh, well, blisters or not we still got to eat! I continued walking after stuffing myself at the food counter.

I could feel the blisters getting bigger and bigger as I squashed on them when I took each step. At times, I could feel them throbbing. It was painful but NO PAIN, NO GAIN, right? Like a soldier to battle, I marched on!

At around 7.00pm, I was visited by some of my runner friends who came to show their support and participated in the Johnson & Johnson Charity Walk for Aids Awareness. Thank you, my dear friends.

At around 3:00am, I had an intense craving for Slurpee. Thank God there was a 7-Eleven convenient store located strategically around the corner. Somehow the drinks at the refreshment counter couldn't quench that thirst I was having. Maybe the drink wasn't cold enough. I needed something freezing in the heat of the night! I was heartbroken when I found out that they turned off the Slurpee machine at 12:00 midnight. Why? Why deny me of Slurpee after midnight? In the end, I had a stick ice-cream as a replacement.

Walk...Walk...Walk...Eat...Walk...Walk...Walk...Pee...Walk...Walk...Walk... Eat...You get the point right? It got kind of repetitive after circling around the SAS Building for close to 100 times.

When I checked my result at 2am (they posted the result every 6 hours), I felt relieved that I had covered enough laps for a medal. Mission accomplished! Phew! I had walked more than 60km to qualify for a finisher medal! I found out that fellow walker/Pacesetter Yap Wai Mun emerged 1st in Malaysia and 2nd in Overall Women Team event. Congratulations to Wai Mun.

My appreciation to Khoo Chong Beng who has been playing a pivotal role in promoting race walking in Malaysia and for bringing us the 24-Hr Walk. I also want applaud the organizers for switching from disposable cup and plates to reusable ones - an environmental friendly move.

Will I participate in the 24-Hr Walk in two years' time? By then, all my blisters would have healed and I would have forgotten all about the heat and the exhaustion, I hope.

Back To Back Full Marathons
By John Tan

Yes, I did it! Two full marathons within a week! And of course it was by chance rather than a planned one! I did the second marathon in Penang on 24 June 2007 because I felt I had done quite badly in Phuket a week before. It was more of a redemption effort. Even though I did not achieve my target eventually, surprisingly I felt much better and happier after finishing the second marathon.

I completed Phuket Marathon in 3:53.31 and Penang Bridge Marathon with the time of 3:56.

Run paradise

Phuket International Marathon, Thailand, 17 June 2007

If this race was flagged off at a much earlier time and if it was not for the rain on race day, it would have easily justified its tagline as "Run Paradise"!

The start and finish of the race was held at the beautiful Laguna Beach Resort, the exact place of their prestigious annual triathlon event which we could see on TV! On Saturday, we collected our single bib, the Champion Chip and T-shirt at the resort. All were done efficiently and effectively and within 5 minutes, we got our Race Kits.

The race course was a mainly flat out-and-back course on paved roads. Having said that, when it came to the hilly part, it could still pose a challenge to a seasoned runner like me. One plus point is that there were distance markers at every km and plenty of toilets with clear signages along the route.

Race Day
At 5am local time (6am Malaysian time) sharp, we were flagged off. Gingerly, I stepped on the 50-metre long carpet, feeling more like a triathlete than a marathoner!

First 10km
We ran out of the resort onto a generally flat village road. Although it was still dark, I could see paddy fields on both sides. We ran past 2 Siamese temples before heading to a market. I could smell food and felt a little hungry. Several monks were seen walking and performing their duties. At that moment I wish Chan Wing Kai or Tey Eng Tiong were there to take a photograph of me running past these monks.

11km - 15km
The sun began to rise and I was greeted by the first "slope". This is no big deal, Bukit Tunku is tougher, or so I thought! Now, we could see rubber trees by the road side and the terrain became undulating. At 14th km, all of a sudden, I felt the heat on both my cheeks! Wow! How was I going to last this heat for the next 28km? As I was figuring that out, the first runner was already on his way back! Wow! That guy was fast!

16km - 20km
I think God must be kind and without any warning, the skies opened up and poured at 16th km! I guess most runners' prayers were answered when it rained cats and dogs. My face was badly hit by the rain and my nicely gelled hair immediately turned flat! I could hardly open my eyes for the next 2km (due to the rain hitting on my face) and I was worried of oncoming cars hitting me. Thank God no vehicles appeared (or I didn't see any as I was blinded by the rain)! Needless to say, my socks and shoes were soaked and turned heavy. I was worried I would develop blisters as it was my pair of brand new shoes! Oh, my new shoes!

Luckily, by the 19th km, the rain subsided. In fact, it drizzled from then onwards till we departed for home. We turned left into a private beach (or was it Sirinat National Park?). I enjoyed this part of the route the most as we were shaded by big trees and were free from vehicles.

At about 20th km, we were required to make a U-turn and step on the red mat. I purposely slowed down my pace and stepped on the mat. "Beep! Beep! Beep!", okay, I can be assured that my timing was recorded accordingly!

I was delighted to see bananas and watermelons at one station. It meant a lot to me as I don't have a habit of carrying any PowerGel during my training or in races. I quickly grabbed a banana and did my monkey business. I meant eating it!

21km - 25km
At 21st km, I was shocked by a lightning and thunder! I was praying hard it wouldn't strike any of us. By now I was running on the main road where I came from. Ooops, did I say a road? It was more like a stream now after the heavy downpour. I saw water flowing on the road, flood at some places, landslide and red mud! Now I know these things can happen in even "paradise"!

26km - 30km
Back to the undulating terrain and rubber estates. I wished I could do a F1-pit stop to change the shoes and stinking socks! I quickly grabbed a second banana at the station.

31km - 35km
This was my fastest section. I think it was because of the flat course. I reckoned I would do 3:45 at this pace.

36km - 40km
Alas, did I say flat too early? Immediately I got this hot-Wisma Tani-slope to handle! To make matters worse, we had to cross a construction site where it had an uneven 100-metre stretch full of mud! The workers had already started their day and lorries were plying the same route as ours! (Hope the Organizer will improve on this in the future runs).

41km - 42km
I "jogged" past our resort room and was tempted to turn back and jump into our bed! But I did not succumb to temptation.

Congratulations to my better half Yap Wai Mun for coming in third in her category in the half marathon!

Seasoned runner John Tan

Penang International Bridge Marathon, Malaysia, 24 June 2007

If Phuket tagline is "Run Paradise", this Penang run should call "Running Into The Past"! Why? Because they never seem to learn and improve over the years!

Things are the same as I first started running here 10 years ago. No Champion Chip till now; colour ribbons were used instead. It was chaotic at the starting line (especially for half marathoners) and the finishing (for half and full), lack of isotonic drinks and no fruits provided, and almost non-existent toilet facilities. The only thing they have "improved" was in charging RM1 for the luggage safekeeping! They must be nuts to expect us runners to bring cash to a marathon!

If not because of my wish to redeem myself after my "disastrous" performance in Phuket, I wouldn't be bothered to make last minute arrangements for the bus and accommodation arranged by PACM to be there!

At 12 midnight, I got up to prepare myself. There was zero sleep for me. I was at the reporting cordon-off area by 2.30am after a saga with the luggage people!

When the run was flagged off at 3am, I was concerned if I could make it to the finishing line without incurring any cramps as the weather was so hot and humid. Luckily as we entered the main bridge, there was a most welcomed breeze.

Throughout the run, my left hamstring kept sending me signals. Fortunately, I managed to complete the run in one piece. To be honest, I thought I had it in me to better the Phuket timing as I did 26'33" for the 1st 5km and 26'11" for the next. However, my pace slowed down gradually without me realizing it! It didn't help when I pressed the wrong stop button of my watch at 25th km onwards, where I headed into total darkness.

A big thank you to PACM for their services and PowerBar team for providing the complimentary power gel..

A word of thanks for Penang Bridge Marathon arrangements

"I had just returned from the Penang Bridge Marathon using the service PACM kindly arranged. I write to officially thank the club for the arrangements made - much better than my previous trip when I travelled on my own. Francis Toh literally went out of his way to make sure that we had no excuse for not running well. He took the trouble to look for a nearer place to get to the starting point and made sure of our return to hotel after the run. I also appreciated his sense of humor under very trying conditions. The hotel arrangement was excellent and thanks to Jenny Lim and all those involved in this.

I wish to thank everyone involved in making this a memorable trip. Keep it up.- Tan Kong Seng"

Pacesetters Putrajaya Breakfast Run
Taman Wetland - 19th August 2007
By Tan Choon Kok

When I moved to Putrajaya about 2 years ago, I was fascinated with the many public parks as they offer good and safe grounds for jogging with scenic views and the company of birds, "ayam hutan", iguana, etc. I ran at these parks and found that running around the lake was most enjoyable. It has always been my wish to introduce them to other Pacesetters members and I had expressed this on several occasions to our President who kept encouraging me to form a Putrajaya Group by having a breakfast run.

I finally took up the challenge and the 19th August 2007 was slotted for the run. From the Pacesetters membership list, I got to know four Putrajaya Pacesetters members. Together with Major Ishak, we started to organize the run. After we decided to use Taman Wetland as the starting point of our breakfast run, Ishak met up with the Wetland management and the Police and planned the running route (the original route as indicated in the announcement flyer). The original running route (mainly on roads) was aborted due to higher organizing costs, safety and logistic problems and Munning made an instant decision about a week before the run to stage the run around the lake instead. I wish to apologize to all participants for the sudden change of the route without announcing this earlier.

With the decision, I then went driving around the lake on two occasions with my trusted Proton Saga to verify and plan the running distances of 5K and 10K as promised in the announcement flyer. Finally the route was decided together with Vice President Rustam on 18th August (Saturday) and we put up the running direction signages. Munning also took valuable time off on Saturday to inspect the venue and the direction signs to Taman Wetland. Lots of preparations had to be executed: announcement, registration, food ordering, packing and distribution of food, traffic control, running route direction indications, etc. Fortunately, with the help of Exco members, members (especially Tsu King Poo from Bukit Gasing), volunteers from the Malaysian-French Institute (Ishak's contact), my wife and her colleague (Pn. Rozita) and her family members the event was finally staged and put to test. On behalf of the Putrajaya Group, I wish to extend my sincere thanks all the volunteers for all their help and to the runners for their support.

The response to the run was overwhelming. According to Munning, this is the biggest breakfast run ever staged with a total participation of 494 runners. I must specially thank Jenny Lim, the Club's administrator, for her hard work and patience in taking the registrations, even after the closing date and beyond working hours.

The run finally got off at about 7:45 am and the weather was fine. The running route was mainly the lake trails with pebbled paths at some parts. Most participants were seasoned runners and the run finished at about 9 am. I noticed one boy with injuries on both knees after the run but he was in high spirits in spite of that. I think he will be a dedicated and disciplined runner one day. After the run, participants were served with a light breakfast of fried beehoon, curry puffs, cakes, oranges, bananas, watermelons plus mineral water.

It was a very good experience for me in organizing a run for the first time. I always hold the belief that it is the "self-motivated volunteerism" and teamwork of our Exco members, members and enlisted volunteers that make our Club strong. I have taken note of the valuable comments on traffic control, run direction, route direction to Taman Wetland, food, etc. and will fall back on the advice given for the next run.

I hope everybody had an enjoyable run. I will certainly explore on the other running routes and plan another run next year. See you again next year and thank you for your support. Meanwhile, do inform your friends staying around Putrajaya to join the Putrajya area group. I can be contacted at 012-373-9407 and Major Ishak at 013-613-7495.

Running with the Number 7
By Lim Pueh Tian

What did you do on 07.07.07? That special day comes only once in every 100 years cycle.

Me? As a fun runner, I was very lucky to have run 7km on 07.07.07.

I had never run in Sabah before. So when I heard that Sutera Harbour Resort was organizing a run on 07.07.07, I booked my plane ticket and signed up for it immediately.



The run was called The Sutera Harbour Sunset Charity Run 2007. Not only was the run held on 07.07.07, participants were flagged of at 17:17 at Parking Lot 77 near Sutera Harbour. No prizes for guessing the distance of the run - 7km!

Coincidently, this popular event had been organized by Sutera Harbour Resort for the past consecutive 7 years! I think it is the one and only road race in Kota Kinabalu. Wowow! 7 seemed like the number of that day. Runners who made it back within 77 minutes (there it is again: the number 7), were given lucky draw coupons.

There was a brief warm up session before the run was set off by the Assistant Youth & Sports Minister. We ran along the road in front of the beautiful Sutera Harbour, then made a U turn and ran back towards the country club before entering the main road. The golf course offered a scenic view and it was a treat for the eyes.

As it was a charity run, no prizes were offered and the proceeds of the run would benefit Sabah Thalassaemia Society and Special Olympic of Sabah. However, the organizers were generous with the lucky draws, giving away hundreds of prizes. I have to salute the organizer for coming out with such an innovative way to announce the lucky draw winners. The lucky numbers were projected onto the ceiling of the canopy, thus runners did not have to sit through the annoying process of calling out the lucky numbers.

While waiting for the final lucky draws, live bands and local celebrities entertained the crowd. Besides the free-flow IndoCafe coffee, 100-plus drinks and green tea, there were food stalls set up by the club house and all proceeds would go to charity.

The 7th Sutera Harbour Sunset Run was a fun-filled event. The only downside was the weather that day. The sunset would have been glorious, if not for the clouds. Nevertheless, it was a memorable run.

Will I be back next year? Yes, on condition that they organize an 8km run on 08.08.08 starting at 8:00am. That would be auspicious, wouldn't it?

Exciting Gold Coast Run
By Moira Toh

"The Best Race!", "Excellent!", "Great!", "Two Thumbs Up!" are some of the expressions that come to mind at the end of the Gold Coast Marathon held on Sunday 1st July 2007.

Started in 1979 with only 124 runners in the marathon, the 2007 race attracted some 16,000+ runners in the various categories of the race. Japanese support for this race was tremendous, with some 1,500 from the land of the rising sun and producing this year's marathon winners in the men's and women's category.

Simple and easy procedures via online registration (www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au) makes signing up for the race a breeze. A little steep by Malaysian standards, the entry fees were Aus $110.00 for the full marathon to Aus $65.00 for the 10km. A 7.5km race, Junior dash events were also included to make this a truly family event. The website is comprehensive and upon registration, you will be updated with weekly e-bulletins to get the adrenalin pumping.

On race day, the early start was a little nippy for the half marathoners (flag off at 6.30am) and the full marathoners (flag off at 6.50am) and for us runners from warm humid Malaysia 8 degrees Celsius gives new meaning to frozen toes and cold fingers. However, once you get to the starting point you will soon feel the "heat" from fellow Aussie runners who are wearing nothing but a singlet and then you will soon warm up. By the way, jumping up and down and moving constantly also helps. If all else fails, just move to the middle of the pack of friendly runners to keep warm!

The course itself is very well planned out and one never feels claustrophobic or "squeezed in", even with about 6,000 runners in the half marathon category and 2,800 in the full marathon. The full marathoners go through all the famous sites of the Gold Coast, meandering through Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach and Miami before taking a u-turn up the same route and then up almost all the way to Paradise Point before taking a U-turn back to the finish line.

Half marathoners (including yours truly and better half Yik Tuck) went up to Paradise Point before taking a u-turn that took them back to the start passing some really lovely islets and islands linked by bridges and residential areas where the locals line their front lawns with deckchairs and banners (like "You Go, Mom!") to bring cheer to the runners. Local community members were marshals along the course and there were small bands and lone artistes that entertained the runners along their way. Local folks and kids also man the many drink stations along the way thus lending a real community feel. The views at various points were breathtaking, making one inspired to go all the way. Of course the nippy winds also helped to hurry us up to the finish line. Fellow Aussie runners along the way made funny jokes and remarks that really made this a friendly race.


Moira and Yik Tuck proudly donning finisher's T-shirts and medals

There was the usual fanfare and crowd at the end of the race and due to meticulous planning by the committee, there were adequate water and isotonic drinks and fruits to help runners to recover. At the end of the race, runners were directed to the correct tent to pick up well-deserved finisher T-shirts and medals for bragging rights.

What else can I say? Let's start planning for the next Gold Coast run, pencil in Sunday 6.7.2008 into your diary for next year's race. It is the 30th anniversary of the event and the organizers have promised an even bigger and better event.

Helpful hints
1. The weather is a little cold in the morning so make sure your body get acclimatized to the cold. Alternatively, bring an extra layer of clothes which you can take off easily.
2. Sunscreen is a must. A cap and sunglasses are recommended, especially for full- marathoners.
3. The expo before and during the race is comprehensive and you can expect to cough up some money for all the goodies they offer. The support staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and will be able to provide information, even bus and driving routes.
4. A bonus - pacersettters are provided to help you achieve your goals but remember to get into the correct group as their timing is very accurate.

Q & A on Sports Injuries
By Dr William Chan

Coronary heart disease took the life of runners, not running…

A few years back, a runner friend of mine collapsed after taking part in a marathon. Recently the newspaper reported that a triathlete died while swimming in a triathlon. Two months ago, one of our Kuantan area group members passed away after completing the half marathon in Melaka.

Death in sport is tragic. Fortunately, it is rare. It is important to be aware of the remote possibility and the need for shared responsibility for sports safety among runners, parents and sport organizations.

There are lot of researches in support of physical activity as an essential component of reducing the risks of heart disease, stroke and a host of other life-threatening illnesses. It is important to take note that coronary heart disease took the life of many runners, not because of exercise or running. On the contrary, running most likely prolonged many runners' life. The rate of sudden death in previously healthy, middle-aged runners is about seven of every 100,000 exercisers per year. In younger people, it is even lower because they typically don't have coronary heart disease.

Each time the newspaper reported sudden death in sports, I will receive many enquiries on how to prevent it. As a runner, the relevant questions should be: Am I at higher risk of sudden death? How can my risks for heart disease be discovered, and what can l do about them?

Extensive researches and the pooling of cardiac risk assessment tools show seven major risk factors.

The major risk factors are:
1. High cholesterol
2. Smoking
3. High blood pressure
4. Age (men over 45 & women over 55 years)
5. Family history heart disease
6. Diabetes
7. Obesity: body mass index above 30

Exercise seems to trigger or cause sudden death in athletes with underlying heart disease. See your doctor or cardiologist if you have one or more of the above risk factors.

When you detect certain symptoms before, during or after a run, take care. Repeat chest pain, nausea, dizziness, coughing, wheezing and feeling short of breath - any one of these symptoms could be a sign that something is not right and should not be ignored.

Pressure in the chest
A runner friend suffered a heart attack during a half marathon. One month earlier, he had completed a full marathon. Chest pressure, often described as tightness of the chest, could be one of the signs of coronary heart disease. It could even indicate a heart attack in progress.

The discomfort often radiates to the arms, neck and jaw, and it doesn't have to last very long to signify something serious. Some people suffer from temporary discomfort, which quickly disappears when they stop running or exercising. Stop whatever you are doing when you feel pain in your chest. Let a doctor or a cardiologist check out what is wrong with you.

Light-headedness and irregular heart-beat
Such symptoms may indicate a congenital heart problem called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The light-headedness or irregular heart-beat can occur during or after running. People who are poorly trained or overweight can also experience these symptoms.

However, even well trained runners have to be aware of these symptoms. Irregular heart-beat and a fast pulse rate after running need further assessment by a doctor. For well- trained athletes, a slow pulse rate is quite normal.

Cold and flu symptoms
A case of the sniffles should not stop you from running. But watch out for fever, deep body aches and malaise, which are signs of a more serious viral infection. You should not be running when you have a virus infection, especially when it is accompanied by fever. Many young and fit runners have died as a result of doing sports while having or just after recovering from a viral illness.

My advice is to err on the side of caution. If your symptoms are all above the neck, chances are it's a cold, and you should be able to go for a slow, short and easy run or brisk walk. However, if the symptoms come from below the neck, such as chills and body aches, you probably have a flu.

Fever, body ache, headache, coughing and joint pain are some of the symptoms of a flu. They indicate you are not fit to participate in sport. In this case, don't run until the symptoms cease. Do slow, short and easy runs or walks if you are just recovering from an illness. Do not over exert yourself.

Unusual fatigue or tiredness
If you get winded or exhausted easily during normal running activities, especially when it happens several days in a row, don't assume there's something wrong with your training. That could be the reason, but it could be your heart problem.

Runners often think the answer to diminished performance is to push harder or to push through it. This can put you at greater risk of sudden death if you are suffering from heart disease. Fatigue or tiredness may indicate you have heart problems, exercise-induced asthma, diabetes or other medical illness. If your normal training or running activities suddenly becomes much tougher, cut your running load by 50% for one week. You may be over-training. If you still feel fatigued at the end of a week or two, make an appointment to see a doctor. Unusual fatigue or tiredness warrants further check-up.

Feeling short of breath
People who are not fit or new runners often experience this symptom. In the case of normal people, coughing, wheezing or feeling short of breath can be caused by exercise-induced asthma or heart disease. When you feel short of breath, slow down or stop. Should these symptoms recur when you resume your run, consult your doctor.

Although highly trained athletes such as marathon runners may harbour underlying and potentially lethal cardiovascular disease, the risk for sudden cardiac death associated with running was exceedingly small (1 in 50,000). The low risk for sudden death identified in marathon runners from the general population suggests that routine screening for heart disease in all runners may not be justifiable. If you have any above symptoms and risk factors for heart disease, you should see your cardiologist for further testing.