"Eh, my car broke down," my colleague Marcus gestured to his steering wheel in hand as he ran past another cluster of supporters giving us a good cheer as we ran past, much later than the leading pack.

"You are driving on the wrong side of the road!" came the immediate reply from one of the roadside supporters, much to our amusement - imagine laughing whilst running!

At every corner, there were supporters; with the last 500 meters up to the start/finish line at the Bursa Malaysia entrance lined with photographers getting the best angle. For one afternoon, on 5th September 2006, the streets of KL were crawling with traffic and also "rats". The goal? To be the fastest rat of the rat pack!

Welcome to the Edge-Bursa KL Rat Race! This is the most unique race I have ever participated in - a short 4.5km distance in the heart of the city. It was a corporate event organized by Bursa Malaysia and the Edge daily, in support of 12 selected charity organizations, to which fees for the race goes. The catch? You have to be in office attire, and the only concession is being allowed to run in running shoes. This year, the donations hit the RM 1 Million mark for the first time in the history of the Rat Race in Malaysia.

We arrived at Bursa around 2:45pm. The race was supposed to start at 5pm (CEO race) and 5:10pm (The main 4.5km race). The rule of the game was simple - all 5 team members to cross the line before the entire team is considered having completed the race. The lowest total position of the 5 team members determines the winner.

Typical to my day job as a consultant, we started making the props in the canteen immediately after we registered (yes, we ran with props!). When I next popped out to check the atmosphere, the surroundings were electrifying. Nearly all the runners had arrived, the drinks stands were bustling with activities and at one corner, teams were taking photos and cheerleading teams from some organizations were competing to outdo each others' screams.

I ran into KC looking all distinguished and cool in a magenta office shirt, and he told me that he would only warm-up after the photo session so that the pretty gals will not mind standing next to him in his sweaty attire. At the same time, I noticed that dark clouds were quickly looming above, and the wise man KC just nodded and chimed: "sure rain!", with a smile, perhaps thinking about all the girls in wet shirts and calculating the odds of it impacting his speed.

I quickly informed my team of this latest scouting mission finding. Fifteen minutes later, we emerged from our sanctuary in the canteen underground in our props, ready to take the team photos. As fate would have it, the rain came pouring down immediately after our photos were taken on stage near the starting line.

However, the rain-gods were kind to the organizers for their charitable deeds, for just before the CEO race, the rain stopped. The crowd surged forward to prepare for the main race whilst waiting for the captains of the industry to return from their 1km sprint.

About 10 minutes later when all the captains had come back, we were flagged off. My team strategy was to stick together in a single file running at a steady pace all the way, and get as much publicity as possible! The roads of KL were lined with supporters, mostly from the financial institutions situated in the heart of the city, supporting their own colleagues/employees.

We went down the Bursa driveway, and onto Jalan Raja Chulan, then turned into Jalan Sultan Ismail. The Jalan Sultan Ismail stretch has always been easy, and brings back memories of the KLIM race. The road was smooth and slightly sloping down, giving us a chance to stretch our legs. Turning into Jalan P Ramlee, my colleague started calling (on his mobile phone whilst running!) all our supporters who were originally targeted to be situated next to KLCC (this was my office's main location). We actually adjusted our pace to ensure our supporters got to see us as they were rushing to that corner in the midst of the regular after-work traffic!

The rest of the race was relatively easy and passed quickly - through to Jalan Ampang and back onto Jalan Sultan Ismail. Opposite the Concorde Hotel, when we crossed the road, the supporters on the other side kindly stopped traffic by crossing en-mass and we gave them a big thumbs-up for the only time we were allowed lawful traffic stoppage in the year!

Coming back towards Jalan P Ramlee near the KL Tower, we started to get tired as it was uphill and we were each carrying small items, some of us a bit more uncomfortable than others. We cheered ourselves on, and when we reached Jalan Raja Chulan, we were pumped up as we edged closer to the finishing line. Back to the final stretch up the Bursa hill, the feeling was fantastic! We cheered the people on the side, and increased our speed to cross the line in a single file (the same way we had started). We did not even remember what position we secured, but what mattered was our mission was accomplished. What a great team achievement!

Congratulations to KC and his RHB colleagues, for racing to defend the "Best of the rats" champion title again.

The competition has indeed intensified this year, with many young fit yuppies racing like no tomorrow. Such competitiveness truly resembles the meaning of the real rat race. However, no race is like this one, where you wear your corporate logos or fancy dress to run on KL streets, on a Tuesday afternoon, and causing a massive jam!

It was great fun … See you next year!

By May Ching

The EDGE-Bursa Malaysia Rat Race 2006 Report
By KC Leong

My heart was pounding hard, so were my feet on the tarmac. My shirt was completely drenched with sweat despite the mild weather after an afternoon drizzle. "Come on! Maintain the steady form. Hold on to the big stride. You can do it!" I kept reminding myself when waving my right hand holding the cap bearing RHB logo.

On seeing the cap, the group of cheering team members from RHB Group stationed in front of the T-junction of AmBank building (Jalan Raja Chulan) immediately ROARED. With a big smile creased on my face, I engaged the attention of my fellow colleagues and instantly, I connected with them. The cheers gave me a renewed boaster power for the final 500 meters to the finishing line.

There were only three runners in front of me, maintaining intervals of about 10 meters. I was not able to overtake them, as I believed every runner was engaging their maximum power to pull through. Finally, the uphill ramp and the spectators were within sight; I could hear the cheers.

On full throttle, I tackled the ramp and with a left turn, the finishing line was right in front of me. Yes, I made it! When I received the positioning tag, I was pleased to see that my position was good though I slipped another six positions compared to 2005. Knowing that I was the slowest runner in my pack, I was quite certain that we would regain the Championship title again.

About this Event

This is a charity race that mirrors the Rat Race originally started in New York. According to the Sun newspaper published on event day, 5 September, the response was good: 110 teams (550 executives) and 39 CEOs would be running in this race. And the collection of money in aid for 12 charitable organization soared to one million Ringgit. RHB Group was fielding 12 teams again, the biggest contingent for another year. RHB Group also sent in the most number of cheering teams along the route.

In 2005, it was indeed my privilege to represent RHB Bank in competing with another 100 teams and emerged as the Champion Team. This time, I went there with a mission - to defend the 2005 Championship title.
The rule of the game: One team consists of five runners who don office attire to run a distance of 4.5km each. Positions of all five runners are added as points and the winning team is the one having the minimum total points.

At the Starting Venue

As usual, the runners and spectators in this event were treated to a display of pomp and splendour. The road in front of Bursa Malaysia Building was alive with fanfare. The cheer-leaders were carrying colourful pom-poms; pretty girls dressed in attractive outfits and vibrant colours that resemble their corporate colours. With the lively music, each team would perform a little synchronized movement that were pleasing to watch.

Whenever I heard the screams of the cheerleaders, it really charged me up, just like the horse wanting to unleash its prowess - to run. Since it was not time to start the race yet, I did a warm-up run at the car park just next to the starting area.

There were quite a number of Pacesetters runners present in this event. Those that I met: Bassin from Telekom; Nancy Lai and Chan from HSBC Bank; Lesley Tan from IBM; Jessica from Ernst & Young; May Ching from Accenture; KK from KNN and Christine, etc.

It looks like this race is getting more popular, as more teams came forward to participate, resulting in an increase in collection of funds for charitable purposes. Jason Lee, a photographer, also concurred that more cameramen and photographers were keenly competing for pole positions to take photos this year. The other two photographers from Pacessetters Club were Chan Wing Kai and WENG.

With an accumulation of dark clouds, the sky could not control itself and started drizzling at around 4:00 p.m. The rain did not deter those present and I could see actions were still going on. The rain was welcomed by most runners as it would be cooler to run.

The 1km race for the CEO start as planned at 5:00 p.m. sharp. Immediately, the runners for the Executive race, who were positioned behind them, moved forward a few feet to the starting line. And at that moment, many other runners who were standing by the side just lined themselves in front of the starting line, defying the basic protocol and manners - similar to jumping queue in traffic jam. I could see that the fast runners were worried as the slow runners were blocking their way.

The last minute announcement by a FTAAA official was causing anxiety among the fast runners. He informed the runners that there was a car accident along the course, resulting in diversion of route. First, we could not hear clearly what was said and secondly, we could not comprehend the direction: Turn left at this junction; turn right there… With the announcement, it really got me worried that runners might run off-course.

Nevertheless, with all those uncertainties, the event started when the last CEOs returned.

While most teams dressed in their office attires, there were many teams that ran with props that showed products marketed by their company. For example, GE (General Electric) company's team of runners were dressed in locomotive props.

This is the only race in Malaysia where most cheerleading teams congregated along the course. Added to the fun was to hear the cheers and feel the sensation of screams when running passed the cheerleaders. That never failed to super-charge the runners.

It was most comforting when I saw so many supporters that I know lining the course calling my name: Chee Wee (P11), Jason Chin (P12), Lisar Onn, Lawrence and Penny who blew a whistle. Jason Chin managed to take photos of me too.

I was trailing about 20 feet behind Chan of HSBC bank and I could not overtake him. At the finishing line, he said that with the roar of RHB cheering teams, he could precisely identify my distance behind him without having to look back.

Dinner and Awards Presentation

All sponsors, volunteers and runners were treated to a sumptuous buffet dinner at 7:00 p.m. While dining, it was most meaningful to revive the memorable moments watching the video clips on running actions on the four big screens.

I was most excited that when the emcee announced that the second runner-up team went to Tony and Steven's team. The first runner-up team went to MAS, a new team on the block. And finally, the announcement for the champion team: Team 4 of RHB Bank - the name of my team.

The feeling of walking to the podium was electrifying. Standing at the podium facing the audience with flashes from cameras, I was in jubilation and high spirits. It really felt good to stand up there. It was worth all the effort of spending more than a month of focused speed training on my own to aim for that moment.

Unlike last year, the prize for this year was fantastic. It was icing on the cake to receive a pair of Nike MaxAir running shoes with iPod! There is a remote control device that can be inserted into the shoes for transmitting data back to the iPod - what a cool gadget.

Tony said, "Just look at KC... Smiling all the way." Another running friend commented: "On the podium, you are so happy."

Another person that should be happy and proud is Tony. With his strategy, two teams of runners from RHB Bank managed to distribute the points perfectly in order to push two teams up the podium.

The result means that the reigning champion team from RHB Bank has retained its lead in this year's championship for the second time. It was a memorable evening and a proud moment for the Penguin Runners - KC (P1), Tony (P3) and Steven (P5). As for me, it was mission accomplished. See you all again in this fun-filled event next year.

By KC Leong

Read other reports written by KC in KC & the Sunshine Runners Web site.