A bid to keep to my 2010 new year's resolutions...

Scorching hot day, 50km route and a supposed 9hr cut-off time... sounds familiar?

But this time, it is an adventure race! I guessed we ran about approximately 10km, biked for around 30 odd km and kayaked for another 5km? Not so sure about that cause we only found out our route on the spot! I think that was the beauty and bane of adventure races... you somewhat do not know when the finish line would come. Worse?! There is no distance markers to tell you how close you are to the end and will there be other mystery challenges coming your way..

The best mystery challenge i thought was the 'Potato Challenge'! One of us... (ME...cos FB cramped out! Hahaha...) has to tie a raffia string with a potato at the end, dangle it and swing it to hit another potato on the ground, rolling it about 20m across to the finish line. Choon said that husbands and fathers should't have a problem with it... Hahaha.. which proves why i took some time to get used to it.

The adventure race brought us to our 'home ground' basically as both FB and I were trained extensively at those areas. So much so that we knew which route we would prefer to take due to inclined slopes and so on. The cycling route was scenic and exciting with a few long steep slopes to raise your adrenaline.. Brings back some childhood memories of riding bicycles and not wanting to ever hit the brakes downhill!

There was also the Kayak part which i think we should not be having problems with due to our background. The headwinds were strong as the area was very exposed and had natural shelters whatsoever. But that was the time to overtake as many people as we can as well as chalk up on lost timing at the Team Biathlon station.

There was also the deflating and inflating of tires station which we nearly got pomchet literally! I was so confident we could do it until FB took out the newly requisited pump and both of us stared at it...hard! The head was totally different from the valve! Hahahaha...it took some time to figure an improvisation (or maybe figure out the design) before we could start pumping. And boy... if our arms were not in play before, it was really working hard at that station. We realise that there is low and there is high pressure pumps. Revelation!

There were other revelations too...

1. I hated powergels. Raisin bread was great.. I think banana-walnut would be great. Nothing beats fresh food!

2. "Always apply deep-heat before the onset of cramps." You can feel it coming. The light spasm thingy. - Wilfred

3. Salt tablets are best for cramps. Pure salt tablets... some are also loaded with potassium and other stuffs. The body takes them in fast! - Kenneth and Choon

4. Always have gummies in your pack! - Fatboy

5. Dun bother riding uphill if pushing it is faster. - Faizola

6. Always learn to use your tools and stuffs first before a race, lest you really have to use them in an emergency. - Team FatBOYs

7. Where ever you can, use quick release for bicycle tyres!

All the different tips coming in from friends after the race and things you realise during one. It's quite amazing!



Anyway, we finished top 10 in the novice category... 10th exactly! Hahaha... timing of 8hr 10mins approximately. I don't think anyone else made it past the finishing line after us.. While we were walking off the last km, we turned around and as far as our eyes can see, we saw... NO ONE!!

We were adamant in finishing the race though... fully completing our passports and not skipping any stations. We were advised at the 11th station to go on to the finishing line as the timing was about to pass but team FatBoys wouldn't have met our objectives then...

We walked hard during the last parts as FB's cramps wouldn't subside. Met one of my pax who volunteered as a marshaller. Made a few friends over gummies... and got the 1st Finishers' Medal for the year! Next up...Singapore Biathlons!

(It sounds freakily similar to Pokemon... "I got the Gym Badge! And next...to the other city to fight the gym leader!")


May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

I found a picture of me whilst running in the NF100 last year. I think, that was the event that really sparked my interest in running. I have never really thought that i could complete a full marathon run... but this event opened my heart to it after completing 50km. Even though it was a slow timing of 8hr 40mins, what's important is the spark that ignited.

Check out the drybag i'm carrying! That was unpreparedness.. hahaha. The event required us to bring hydration packs, hp, powergels and all... i came with.... NONE!

Luckily i had my 1.5l nalgene in my bike and my hp. The drybag was contributed by Syed who had it in his bike. Hairi on the other hand, had to use his helmet bag to contain his 500ml nalgene and stuffs. So, i can attest, we WERE the weirdest ppl there! Lots of runners came up to us surprised at our bags... coming up with names like "Ali baba" but cheering us on at the same time. However, you can also sense the slight sarcasm with the words such as, "If you make it to the finish line, i salute you ah!" Actually all that didn't matter.. Hairi and I nearly gave up at the 30km mark anyway. We were so adamant that once there is a bus stop, we will head back to MacRitchie. We took a 20min break, stretched and ate and stocked up on bananas and 100plus.

However, something funny happened at the 35km mark. We recalled our commitment run at the end of both our 21 day courses. It was 15km and we had to commit ourselves to completing it after an arduous 20 days before that. So, we decided to shelve our plans to give up and go all 'Tenacity in Pursuit'. That became the theme for our last 15km. It was past cut off time at the last 10km station but we convinced the marshalls to let us continue and promised them that we will make the final 5km mark within time. They gladfully let us go and walkied the finishing line to inform them about us (safety i guess) and we kept running.

Cramps set in my calves. And as i attempted to stretch my calves, my shin muscles started cramping up to! So no choice, we powerwalked! Fast marched all we can till the cramp wore off and continued running again till the cramps set in again... we did it all the way till we could hear and smell the finish line. That was when, surprisingly, all cramps disappeared and we began smiling and running to the end! (Funny how that happened. Could feelings and attitude have a result in preventing and allaying cramps??) Familiar faces were there, people who passed us and talked to us, uncles who cheered us on and people who laughed at us... All there congratulating us... and there, the gifted us our very meaningful and unique NF100 finishers medal. We were 20mins before the final cut-off time..

The sense of elation and achievement was there. I declared never to run in this event again but somehow deep in my heart, i knew i might be lying. We tend to say that all the time like "I will never do this again!" or "Why the hell am i doing this??", "I swear this will be the last time!" BUT...every year you subject yourself to it again. You can't deny the feeling of wanting to complete the event again. You can't deny loving the adrenaline and atmosphere. You can't deny the friendship that happens during the course of the event... all that and more.

And so, that's why this year, i plan to line myself up for an event every two month. Event, recover, prepare, event. And the cycle goes on and on....

One day, i wish i can do a mixed team event with my Mimi... someday.


May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...