New Balance Pacesetters 30km / 20km / 10km

This is the first time I was running the 20km instead of the main event of 30km. I have been doing the 30km race for the last 2 years, but normally running it as part of my training run, where I start the first 10km really slow, medium pace in the next 10km and just push as fast as I can in the last 10km. So my time are pretty inconsistent for the event for the last 2 years.

2:45:54 (2008)

2:20:38 (2009)

Anyways, I decided to run 20km this year merely because I was feeling lazy to run a longer distance event and my mileage is insufficient to clock a good time for 30km. Overall, I felt fitter in the last few months but due to the break I took after my fall, I wasn't expecting too much from this event. Of course, it's natural everyone wants to do well in a race, so I was no exception.

I car pooled with Ooi Keat as parking would be a problem in the starting venue, so I had to wake up early at 4.00am to follow him. He was running the 30km race which is starting at 5.30am while mine starts at 6.30am. The day didn't started too well for me as I made toilet visits after I woke up and once just before the race started.

I started the race cautiously, and let the lead guys go. After only less than 1km, the lead guys were already quite spread out and there were two Kenyan runners who were having a friendly conversation with each other, "jogged' pass me before catching up with the lead guys. They were effortless! A few more kms down the road, I can't see them anymore. The start already took us through a few hilly routes and it widen up the gaps in the field. I counted myself in 8th position coming out from Tugu Negara (National Monument). I can only see the guys in 6-7th position and a glimpse of the guy in 5th.

I was expecting a lot of hills along the route so I did not pushed myself hard. After the main hill, after the Tijani aprtments, I made my move on the 6-7th guys infront of me, caught up with them just before the Duta National Tennis Centre. Only one followed my pace when I passed them. Due to my ignorant of not checking out the route properly before the run, I was expecting that we will be going through the "double hill" route.

As the guy pushed the pace faster at the Mosque, I let him go and told myself I try to get back on him later. But after only a 1-2km, before turning back to Duta Tennis Centre, he was quite a long way ahead of me and I decided I need to make my move whatever hills that is awaiting me in front. We passed the double hill turn off and we didnt turn in, and I thought maybe it's the one in front. I was wrong again. By now, I can only see the tiny bit of the guy in front of me as I zipped pass the 30km runners. The further we went, the smaller he gets. Either it's me who slowed down quite a bit or he was going faster and faster. I thought it was a little bit of both factors.

By the time we hit the final bit of hill, and I saw the sign "26km" and thought I had 4km to go, just as the 30km runners. But then a guy with a motorbike keep asking me, "20km?" and showed me a sign with 2 fingers (peace sign), I wasn't sure what was his attention. I saw some runners went pass the final turn off, so I thought I still have about 1.5km left to run, then everyone was actually pointing me to take the turn off and it looks like I had only few hundred meters left as I can see the finish line. But still I thought maybe I had to make a loop somewhere and again, but they directed me to the finish line. By that time, I didn't have time to really speed up in the last km or so. Stopped my watch, and it read 1:23:04. What a number! I felt a little disappointed with the time as the route was a little shorter than 20km but then again I wasn't expecting much from the race, so I should be happy with the result. Another top 10 finish.

Anyway, official results are not out yet, so will post it as soon as I get my hands on it. All the results I can get is unofficial results (courtesy from pm1 blog). Anyway, the race showed me that my time is still some way off some of the local runners.

Men Open 30km (GPS - 29.37km) :
1'49.56 - Samuel Tarus Too (1st)
2'05.10 - Mark John Williams (2nd)
2'05.23 - Richard Habeya (3rd)
2'08.02 - Ning Wen Long (4th)
2'09.04 - Philip Kipruto Limo (5th)
2'09.09 - Barry Lee (6th)
2'12.03 - Jasni Khairil (8th)

2'12.46 - Chow Yew Wei (9th)
2'14.04 - Ben Swee, Pm50 (00th)
2'17.50 - Bryan Lee (00th) PB!
2'17.55 - Ronnie See, Pm1 (00th) PB!
2'21.44 - Stanley Cheong, Pm53 (00th) PB!
2'32.22 - Kenny Tan, Pm27 (00th)
2'34.30 - Lee Weng Khong, Pm35 (00th)
2'36.53 - Zulazlan Shah, Pm43 (00th)
2'41.09 - Ahmad Farid (00th)
2'44:11 - Abdul Azri
2'48.39 - Kevin Chow, Pm32 (00th)
2'49.35 - Liew Chen Kwok (00th)
2'50.33 - James Wong (00th)
2'53.06 - Ghejanthran
2'55.28 - Fong Sai Siong (00th)
2'55.45 - Danny Chong (00th)
2'57.30 - Kee Guan Chye (00th) PB!
2'59.38 - Ryan Teoh, Pm17 (00th) PB!
3'08.00 - Tan Ooi Keat (00th)
3'09.35 - Abu Soffian, Pm44 (00th)
3'12.02 - Khairol (00th)
3'14.22 - Syahril Kamaruddin (00th)
3'15.55 - Jeff Ooi (00th)
0'00.00 - Chen Keat Hoong, Pm8 (00th)
0'00.00 - Naresh Kumar, Pm37 (00th)
0'00.00 - Gunaselan Rajagopal, Pm39 (00th)
0'00.00 - Hong Zi Shen, Pm60 (00th)

Men Junior Veteran 30km :
2'04.22 - Ong Chin (1st)
2'06.23 - Manat Pakathong (2nd)
2'08.08 - Frenz, Tobias (3rd)
2'08.32 – Don Khor Ngee Leong (4th)
2'08.37 - Malachy McAllister (5th)
2'46.34 - Choi Chik Choy, Pm42 (00th)
2'47.01 - Lee Yee Sum, Pm12 (00th)
2'49.00 - Low Kim Houn (00th)
3'02.46 - Loke Shu Sun (00th)
0'00.00 - John Tan, Pm30 (00th)

Women Open 30km :
2'12.09 - Chemweno Mary Yepchumba (1st)
2'18.49 - Peris Chepkech Poywo (2nd)
2'22.07 - Amutha A/P Arumugam (3rd)
2'23.35 - Julie Foreman (4th)
2'24.56 - Michele Tan Bee Kiang (5th)
2'43.00 - Jessica Tang (9th)
3'05.00 - Lee Yee Hua, Pm51 (00th)
0'00.00 - Kong Yen Erl, Pm41 (00th)

Women Veteran 30km :
2'18.58 - Hayley Holle (1st)
2'31.29 - Tan Lee Chin (2nd)
2'34.24 - Julia Lim Lee Ching (3rd)
2'34.28 - Yong Lai Chee (4th)
2'40.52 - Carmen Leong Ban Yeik (5th)
3'35.00 - Nik Raiha (00th)

Men Open 20km (Anyone has GPS measurements??) :
1'07.10 - Charles Maina (1st)
1'07.11 - James Maregu (2nd)
1'07.46 - Ruburn Kummar (3rd)
1'15.00 - Mohd Azarizal Bin Aziz (4th)
1'20.27 - Alvin Lim Guo Hua (5th)

1'23.04 - Khoo Yit Kiat, Pm28 (6th)
1'35.39 - Meyappan Manickam, Pm58 (00th)

1'37.28 - Suresh, Pm47 (00th)

1'39.56 - Adam Loh, Pm29 (00th) SB!

2'04.10 - Kelvin Ng, Pm2 (00th)

0'00.00 - Daniel Tan, Pm3 (00th)

Women 20km Open :
1'35.06 - Naiyana Rakkhaphan (1st)
1'38.11 - Haslinda bt Dolah (2nd)
1'43.45 - Seah Bee Lian (3rd)
1'44.15 - Michelle Looi Mei Yan (4th)
1'46.01 - Sally Margaret Purser (5th)
2'16.13 - Carrie Teong, Pm61 (00th)

Men Open 10km (GPS - 10.5km) :
42.43 - J Karthik (1st)
42.44 - M Thanasekaran (2nd)
43.58 - Wong Jiunn Jye (3rd)
45.20 - Fauzan Ismail, Pm24 (5th)
49.40 - Wong Kei Ming, Pm55 (11th)
50.00 - Nazib Ngainin, Pm14 (00th)
68.00 - Lee Yin Fook, Pm40 (00th)
00.00 - Calvin Chan (00th)

On other note, there some complaints from the 30km runners that they ran the wrong route. Even Don had argued with the marshall on bike that he is going the wrong way, but insists that he was right. In the end, he and a few runners with him decided to use the route they thought was right. Even Casey also claims that he had ran almost 40km. I saw he was of the lead runners during my run. Not too sure what position he was in after run, didn't want to ask him, cause he look really pissed off. Don was pretty pissed off with the marshall too. Well lets see what the post mortem of the race will reveal (if there's one).

Photos courtesy of Runwitme & KK Pacer.