The last triathlon that was held
in Penang was probably 10 years ago. Based on the experience of some of veteran
athletes, the sea was infested with so many jelly fish that many could not
finish the swim leg. However, last year, a group of dedicated athletes and pioneers
pitched the proposal to our CM and fast forward all the crazy time consuming
hectic meetings. 800 plus athletes are now being able to enjoy the fruits of their
labor. Knowing partially of all the challenges they have to go through to make
this event a memorable and a successful one, I really salute and thank them for
the bottom of my heart. Congratulations and a hell of a great job done! Of
course there are still rooms for improvement. =)
I couldn’t make it for the race
briefing and carbo loading dinner at Bayview Beach Hotel because I had to
attend Jason’s birthday cum farewell party. So I might have missed a few key
information regarding the race. I arrived at the transition area only to find
out that no basket was provided to put our personal belongings in. However, I
was damn fortunate to have a damn good spot. I have the ‘corner lot’ of the
bike check in area as this gives me more space to put on my shoes at T1 and T2.
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| Blowing the candles |
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| Jason and I |
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| Spacious area for me =) |
Body marking was a bit
meaningless, as my number faded even before I started my race. As I make my way
to the swim start, I didn’t know how the direction of swim was gonna be. From
the race information booklet, it was suppose to be a triangle but I think I saw
a curve line which was different from the illustration showed. I asked one of
the triathletes there and he was kind enough to give me a short briefing. After greeting one or two familiar faces, it
was go time.
We were released at 7.30am sharp,
my main concern was the jelly fish. But when we started the usual chaos of
kicking and getting kick in the water, jelly fish did not cross my mind at all.
I was way easier swimming in the sea due to the buoyancy and the little waves.
I was right behind this ‘ang mo’ girl the whole time of the swim, just trying
to stay with her for as long as I could but I lost her in the last 150 meters.
She had a temporary tattoo on the back of her left shoulder stating, ‘He has
risen’. I really hope I cut at least a
few minutes of my swim this time. I quickly check my watch to see how I did but
the screen on the watch tells me, ‘Low battery’. >< As the swim is
completed in two loops, you need to collect a ribbon on the beach before you
get into the sea for the second loop.
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| Corner lot |
As I finished my swim, I quickly
make my way to T1 and prepare myself for the cycling leg. I had to prepare
mentally to overcome the first climb, which was before the Teluk Bahang dam and
the climb up till 800. When I got out into the main road, I saw the ‘He is
risen’ ang moh just in front of me, I overtook her before Escape and continued
on with the others. My weakest is going downhill and I got overtaken by many when
we are going downhill. Not more than 5k into the race, we were alerted by Marshalls
that an accident has occurred. I saw a man sitting by the road side with lots
of blood on his face, I was told that a car from the other side of the road hit
him and he broke his head. That gave me chills as I rode pass him, I became
more stingy with my speed during downhill. Even though drafting wasn’t allowed
in this race, I could still see riders forming a speed train cruising away. I
was fortunate to stay with a cyclist 80% of the way (of course at an allowable
distance). My goal was to be discipline with my ride, be conservative and don’t
fall into temptation of following a faster rider. I’ve read that if you fail to
perform a good run due to excessive energy consume at the bike leg; then you’ve
not mastered the art of triathlon. I kept that in mind throughout the bike leg
and I was glad I did that. I think the cycling route is easier as compared to
PD or LK, probably it’s because I’m familiar with the route.
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| Finished |
As I got into T2, cars were starting
to pile up along the road due to ‘Cheng Beng’. However, the traffic was under
control by the authorities. Coming into T2 was a little confusing due to the
way it was structured. I don’t know how to explain it but I lost a few precious
seconds due to the wrong direction I went to. As I prepared my run, I had a
little chat with Aethel who was there to motivate me in my run. I got to know
that Jason was involved in an accident. I was shocked and speechless. But
Aethel told me that is he ok, that was a great relief.
Said bye bye and I my first time
to the grueling 10k run. Sun was up so was the temperature. The road heading
towards the dam was un-shaded. You could see the ‘kek sai’ faces of many
participants as the run along ‘energy lab’ (only triathletes would understand
this). I too started to struggle as we climb that crazy slope up to the dam. I
walked and jogged along the way. After the water station, I met Karen, she doesn’t
know me but I know who she is. She is the owner of my Triathlon shop and she is
a darn good runner. That was the best opportunity to pace her and finish the
race with her. Reason being, she gets a lot of motivation from people around her
because she is ‘famous’. So I assumed those words of encouragement was for me
too. Haha! I might have more photos this round and most importantly, a good
running time. We didn’t say a word to one another throughout the whole 8k or so
together. But she was really strong! I really didn’t feel tired like I did in
Lake Kenyir 3 weeks ago. The inspiring thing about following a great athlete
like Karen was not only she gives thumbs up, high fives, etc to other slower athletes,
but as she overtook a competitor of hers, she asked Karen to keep going, and
encouraged her. That really struck me, how often one would tell his/her ‘enemy’
to keep going and get the prize from her. (Karen got 2nd place and the
other lady got 3rd) Only till the last 1k, I felt my legs requesting
for cramps but I told them NO. She picked up speed as we approach the finish
line, I gave all I’ve got in my reserved tank and sprinted to the finish line.
I could have overtaken her but she deserved to cross the finish line first, as
a sign of respect and sportsmanship; I slowed down and gave her the victory
celebration she deserved.
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| Can you see me behind? |
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| My turn |
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| The pain. wohoo! |
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| Packing |
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| Hot hot hot |
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| With Darien, future elite triathlete =) |
I’m glad I did a sub three race
and I’m just a proud Penangite being able to enjoy the things I love to
do in a
place call home. All glory to Him, for His protection and strength in times of
need.
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| With <3 and="" br="" for="" motivation="" support="" thanks="" the=""> |
Now I make it a ritual for me to go for a full body massage after my race. Just to pamper my body and it does make me recover better. I choose Leia because it is affordable and no hanky panky business there. Why I'm so sure? Because this is pasted all over the wall:-
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| No sex here =P |
