How I Relaxed After My 21km

1. Breakfast Buffet style. Yes we were pigging out right after the race. Each having 2-3 plates of hot Asian and Intercontinental dishes! We were there till they had to close off the Breakfast at 10:30AM. This was part of our hotel package so at least we didn't spend more for this.








2. Lying in Bed. I had one hour sleep and just watched TV or read for the next two hours. I didn't want to move anymore after running for more than 2 hours.





3. Go to the Pool. For a dip and to cool off. I also used this area to stretch some more and did a little bit swimming so my muscles will be back in shape by tomorrow. Not that I am running or anything! Sitting on my room balcony with this view calms the mind as well.

4. Hot Shower. I admit it took me a while to finally shower as was really drained by the run but by the time I did, I welcomed it. :)

5. Booze. Drinking cold beer on a hot day definitely makes my day!

6. Buffet Dinner. Again we all had buffet dinner at Hyatt Hotel in Kota Kinabalu. I skipped lunch so was hungry again by the time we got here. I didn't feel any guilt on this because of the xxx number of calories I burned this morning.

7. Foot Massage. To end off the day, all 6 of us had a very nice one hour foot massage near our hotel. It helps relieve some of the muscle pains around the thigh area.

8. Go Shopping. To reward yourself for the hard work you did in the run. 6 people = 6 Oakley Shades! Price was significantly lower than in the Philippines so quite a good deal. Mine was at least 25% off from retail prices here. A lot of them got the Ducati one but being a runner, I opted immediately for the Livestrong one.

This was done the next day at 1Borneo Mall, 20 minutes away from Pacific Sutera Resort

9. Prayer. Most important of all for me for thanking God that He protected me from harm in this race and all my previous races.

Borneo Marathon (post- race)

This is it! The race I have been planning for a couple of months now. My very First 21k. Kota Kinabalu's very First 21k and it is finally happening on this day, October 12, 2008, Sunday at 6:00AM at Likas Stadium Complex.

Rewind to the night before at the Pasta Party at the same place where I saw two women seated in front of me with the Sabah shirts "Are You Tough Enough?". It made me wonder then if I am tough enough to finish race and at that time, I thought to myself, "Yes, I would think so. I have done my long runs except for the last two - three weeks so I can taper for this race. I would eat well tonight to prepare for tomorrow. I have done a 15km and a 16km race before and finished all at good time with no or very little pain so this is just 5km more. I am prepared for this race and excited for it!"

I may have been too excited as couldn't get to sleep the night. I was in bed by 10pm but was just restless the whole time. Just counting the hours till it was time to wake up at 3:30AM. Shuttle was going to pick Benny and me up at 4:20AM. Ben was at the lobby by the time I got there and a few minutes later, the bus came along to get us. Inside were already two runners: a Singaporean girl and a European guy. We picked up a few more runners before we all headed to the stadium.

And what a stadium! It was like the Beijing Olympics or the FIFA World Cup as very well lit and huge (at least for me). Runners were slowly coming in and place was getting filled up.

At that time, it was only the half marathon runners who were here as the full marathon had already started at 4:30AM and the 10k race will still start at 7:00AM. Half marathon race will start at 6:00AM and we arrived there around 5:20AM to check in our bags, do some stretches and warm ups and hydrate ourselves for the big race.

A runner checking the chip timer blue mat. Your official time begins when you step on this thing so got to step hard to make sure your time registers. Haha!

The instant photo booth with a lot of photographers.
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5 minutes before race official time of 6:00AM, we were all at the starting line waiting for the Go Signal. Catwoman was there and also this girl in a pink wig. There were also a lot of AirAsia runners here too. The race was divided into three segments: those who think they can finish in 2 hours or less, those who finish in between 2 to 2 and a half hour and those who think they can finish at a latter time. Naturally, the Kenyan group went off to the very first line. Ben slowly went to the front as well while I was comfortable at the back part.

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Then the 10 second countdown began and the race started! At that time, the sun was up already but nothing we can do about it. I was just glad it didn't rain hard like that of the previous night or I will get a lot of blisters before my run is finished.

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The runners took off almost immediately and we ran out of the stadium and into the city. It was very tight at first as we shared one lane only and shouldn't cross to the next lane. Pink plastic cups serve as markers for our run. Pretty soon, the roads got wider and there were better sceneries as there were trees and parks and we ran beside the harbour too. I pretty much realize how fun it is to run in an unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar faces vs doing the same run over and over again. I was curious in all the places we ran on, never setting sight on them till this morning only. We ran to the slightly stinky market and we ran to the shopping area of Centerpoint before we headed off to Sutera Harbour Resort.

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At that time, I was pretty much comfortable with my pace and foresee finishing the race at a good time. I eventually passed by my hotel and went along the road for another chip timer mat marker. Wow, I wasn't used to the chip timer mat and was expecting ribbons or straws to be handed out to me by the marshals to prove to race organizers that I didn't cheat. This is technology at work!

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There were ample water stations here and I even had a banana at the half leg of race. Too bad I couldn't get a hold of a Powergel as guy watching over it said it is for the full marathon runners only. My 10km was at 1 hour and 4 minutes. Not bad actually but then I hit a snag on the 2nd half.

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The sun was fully out and it was extremely hot! I am used to running in Philippine hot weather but this was worse. I push myself to run more and more just so that I can finish this race and get it over with but the heat just took the energy out of me. By 15km, I was walking most of the way doing only 2-3 minute runs before I had to walk again. My runs became shorter and my walks longer. I felt every step I made was like walking in the desert as my feet felt like they were on fire. There were a couple of times where I thought I should completely stop from the run, sit down, remove my shoes and see if my feet were burning or not. It was that bad!! But I always put that thought behind me as I know if I acted on it, then I won't run anymore and will just quit from the race. So I push on with a fear on what is happening to my feet and always on a look out for a water station nearby.
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It was a long road back to the stadium with limited shade and sun blasting fully on me. I was sure I was sun burnt already. Or maybe it was my mind playing games on me. Either way, I wanted this to end so badly and couldn't imagine doing a full marathon in my lifetime. At last, the stadium was in sight and even then I couldn't run all the way there. I was so glad when I finally entered it but then I saw that I had to run a half loop around the track to cross the finish line. With it just 200 meters away I pushed myself to run all the way there.

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It was a blur crossing the finish line as I stopped my timer watch, had a finisher medal put around my neck and asked immediately for a chair to sit on. Once seated, I immediately took off my shoes and socks and took a look at my pounded feet. No blisters, no injury,no cuts, nothing! And I was so glad for that! I just sat there the whole time watching runners enter the stadium and cross the finish line. I just didn't want to move at all. I was thirsty too but prefer to just sit rather than look for water. I had to constantly blink my eyes to clear my vision, always afraid that I would faint from the heat and collapse right in front of everyone. That didn't happen as my pride wouldn't let me.

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A few minutes later, Ben came to me and said there was a Milo booth nearby and I could just lie on the grass there to rest myself. That was enticing enough to leave my sanctuary chair! The Milo was very good and after having a few cups I was back to normal again. I count myself lucky not only for finishing this race but for surviving it.

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Which brings me back to the original question : ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?

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I guess I am but just barely...

After 30- 45 minutes of crossing finish line, I got my strength back to take my finisher photo.

The grand prize for me! And I am so happy for this because of the difficulty in getting it!

A very exhausted Running Fatboy (less his shoes) drinking his secret stash of Gatorade!
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On a final note, the race was very organized as there were really a lot of water stations and energy drinks all throughout the race. But I guess the heat was just too strong for me even with that benefit.

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I ranked 63rd out of the 117 runners for the Male Open Category, about mid-point area. I managed to finish race just below 2 hours 30 minutes so still quite pleased with my time as my goal was between 2 and a half to 3 hours.

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Ben, on the other hand, had a very fast finish of 2 hour 7 minutes! He ranked 36th out of 85 runners in his category.

Bormeo Marathon - Pasta Party

The Pasta Party was held as Likas Stadium on October 11, 2008. This would be the starting point for full, half and 10km race the following day. It was also at this site where we picked up our race kits.

We got here around 730pm and immediately went to look for the registration area. They were very organized and our names were already on their lists. It took just 5-10 minutes to collect all our kits and proceed to the badminton court for the free dinner.


Registration Area


At the indoor area, the place was already filled with runners, most noticeable was a group of Kenyans seated in one section. A lot of runners were wearing their finisher singlet that night. I saw one wore Singapore Marathon Finisher shirt, another who wore HK Marathon Singlet, and two more runners who wore the Singapore Night Marathon Shirt. It seemed like a good place to show to other people where you ran in already. I am in awe of all these people who have completed a full marathon and hope I can be one of them as well in the future.

There was a short speech by the organizers after which dinner was started. On one side of the room is the Eastern cuisine which had rice, noodles and Asian dishes while on the other side was the Western section with pasta and pizza. Benny and I went to the pasta section after having our fill of Malaysian food for two days now.

Part of the buffet...

.... And the line leading to it!

Running FatBoy's carbo loading time! Good food and bottomless drinks as well ! Yummy!

The most photographed runner that night is this woman in Catwoman costume from SingaPURR (Sorry, couldn't resist) !! She will also do the half marathon race.

There was a cultural dance show on stage so we can see some traditional dances. After enjoying the food and the show, Ben and I tried to get back home. Problem was that there were no taxis in this area !! In the end, we ended up hitching a ride with one of the organizer and she was kind enough to drop us off at our hotel. Phew! Lucky us and big thanks to the good samaritan!

In my hotel room, I checked what's included in my kit.

I got the following things: Adidas discount coupon, two bib numbers, chip timer and Adidas singlet. This is the best singlet I ever got in any race ! So happy with it and will be sure to wear it in my future runs ! :)

Final task for the night was attaching the chip timer to my shoe...

And I am ready for my very first 21K race! GRRRRRRR !!!!

Top 10 reasons to join Borneo Marathon

10. Food stalls and shops at stadium: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf., Adidas, Photography Stall, Haagen Dazs Ice Cream, Nestle and Stadium snack/cafe selling local dishes. Makes you want to stay longer after the race with all these things to keep you busy (and your tummy full) !

9. Photos: All runners will be photographed at the finish line and photo (4 x 6) will be available for sale for MYR 10 in a special Borneo International Marathon picture frame. I am definitely getting this product!

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Avicraft will also be taking pictures during the race and all their pictures will be uploaded in their Facebook account for general viewing pleasure. If you have Facebook account, you can even tag yourself for your friends to see your running picture.
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There is also a photo contest that you can do after the race or your non-running friends can do as part of competition.

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8. Pre-race Food party. Best of is that it is free for all runners! Yippee! Friends and family can also join but will be charged for it (but an affordable rate). There are pizzas, pasta, rice, noodles so plenty for carbo loading!

7. Power gel/ fruit station: The Power Gel station is located at 11km mark for half marathon race while the banana station is located at the 15km mark for half marathon race. In between are various water stations, isotonic drink station, toilets and first aid stations. Don't think there will be a problem with dehydration in this race.

6. Kilometre markers: Are positioned every 1km of the course with the last 10km showing "Km to go" signs. Very nice! Especially like the last 10km signs to motivate myself!

5. Helicopter ride at finish line. With a fee of course but at a special price. Basically, it is a 10-minute copter ride on top of Kota Kinabalu city. Perfect to take loads of pictures and can take shots of where you ran on.

4. Chip Timer. To find out your real race time instead of gun fire time.
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3. Massage Service: A free 10 minute foot massage for all half and full marathon finishers via coupon given out at finish line. I pity the massagers who have to massage our dirty smelly feet though...

2. Instead of Borneo International Marathon Singlet given to half marathon racers, an Adidas singlet (originally reserved for Full Marathon runners) will be given out to all racers. Yippee! It's like being part of Philippine's Adidas KOTR race.

1. The finisher medal for half and full marathon finishers. To prove to others that yes, you did finish this race.

So excited for this race!! :)

Borneo Marathon - October 12, 2008

As most of the runners here in good ol' Philippines will join the Adidas Run on October 12, 2008 to be held in Fort Bonifacio, I will be doing my run in another place and in another country.

The Borneo International Marathon is happening on October 12, 2008 in Kota Konabalu. Since I do not have the confidence yet to do a Full Marathon (my longest race so far was the La Salle 16KM), I will do the Half Marathon instead.

This will be my very First Half Marathon and apparently Borneo's too as this will be the first race conducted here.

Some other Firsts for me:

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1. First time to use a Chip Timer. I still don't have an idea on how to attach this device to my shoe!

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2. First time to attend a Pre-race Pasta Party. Initially, I backed out of this as wanted to explore the other eateries in KK, but upon learning that this was the only venue where I can claim the race kit and that they will make this dinner FREE for first 1,000 runners, I immediately signed up for this event. Can't resist anything that is FREE! Thanks Sabah Tourism Board! So lots of carbo loading for this run!

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3. Should I finish race within the cut-off time, I would get my First Finisher Medal.

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Aside from the items above, the race kit would also include a Borneo Marathon singlet, a marathon bag and RM50 coupon for Adidas shoes. Hmm, I just might buy one pair to reward myself! There would also be a 10 minute free foot massage after the race so looks like I am going to be a very pampered RFB!

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Race Organizer Shan was very prompt in all queries that I had with regards to this. Best of all was the Runner's Special Hotel Package they had with some of the best hotels in the city area. Through this package, we were able to get discounted room rates for three nights stay, which includes the following perks: Free Breakfast every day and breakfast as early as 4:00AM on race day, free airport pick up and drop off from hotel, free shuttle service to the starting line and shuttle service back to the hotel from the finish line. I applaud the race organizers and that of POLAR EXPRESS TRAVEL for making this event very convenient for us foreign runners.

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The race would start at 6:00AM for the half marathon. Cut-off time to finish it is 3 hours and 30 minutes. I'm hoping to conquer this at 2 hours and 30 minutes but even at 3 hours, I still do not mind as I am here for the race experience.

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The race route looks relatively flat and will go through the city center. It was slightly revised from the one sent out earlier but this one is better for me as it will pass by the hotel I am staying at. There is a small chance that my non-running friends would be up already by the time I get there.


Very excited and looking forward to this. Now, all I just need to do is work on my long runs, which I really, really, REALLY hate!
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Registration is still open for all categories and you may visit http://www.borneomarathon.com/ for more info.

Borneo International Marathon - October 2008 (Part 2)

Talk about expenses! After getting all those gears related to running such as rubber shoes, clothes and now a Nike Sports Band, the latest expense is the round trip plane ticket to Kota Kinabalu to run the half marathon there!

Booked at http://www.cebupacificair.com/ dates as follows:

Oct 10, 2008 depart Manila, 4:40PM arrive KK 6:30PM

Oct 13, 2008 depart KK, 7:00PM arrive KK 8:50PM

Total Plane costs Php 7,347.00!!!

Borneo International Marathon - October 2008

The first Borneo International Marathon will be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (phew, long name) on 12th October 2008.

After having gone to KK for three consecutive years now and visiting the canopy walk, climbing to the peak of Mt. Kinabalu, looking for the weird looking Proboscis Monkey (blunt of so many green jokes), searching for the huge Raffleasia flower, relaxing at Manukan Island beaches, and eating at the famed @tmosphere Restaurant, this Fatboy felt that there was no reason to go back to KK. At least not this year...

But then, news came out that there will be a Marathon event there and I was curious enough to check it out. Seeing as they will do a half-marathon run, I looked at that route first. Course there begins at Likas Sports Stadium, going through the city centre and making the 10.5k midway turn near airport area to head back to Likas again. Race will start at 6:00AM with 5:30AM report time.

Entry fee for 21k event is RM 40 (US$14) for those who made the Early Bird (with cut-off May 31), RM 55 (US$19) for Early Follower (with cut-off July 31) and RM 70 (US$24) for Normal rate (with cut-off Sept 28).

Aside from full marathon and half marathon races, there will also be a 10KM, Kids 400m and Kids 800m run. Fees cheaper if shorter distance.

Registration Packs for full and half-marathon are basically the same (race bib, discount coupons, marathon bag) with the exception that for full marathon, it will be an Adidas running vest given out whereas for the half marathon, it will be a BIM running vest.

As luck would have it, friends Peter, Timmy and Ces are already booked to go to KK that same weekend via Cebu Pacific's P0.00 fare promo so at least I won't be there by myself. Peter has also decided to join half marathon event ,so now I even have a running partner!!!

Online payment (via VISA/Mastercard) has not been installed in their website yet (http://www.borneomarathon.com/) but race organizer Shan has been kind enough to take our registration forms first to meet cut-off date for Early Bird rates, and allow payment once facility has been set up.

This seems to be a very well organized event, wherein people behind it are working with hotels for runners' special discounts and shuttle bus services are provided at a minimal fee for pick-up and drop-off on race day. On race course, there seems to be ample water and power drinks stations (every 1.5KM), portable toilets (every 10KM) and first aid stations (every 6KM). They will also be using a chip timer, which measures the actual time from when the runner crosses the starting line to when he crosses finish time. Without chip timer, starting time of runner will begin once race commence even if he is located at very back of the line. Chip timer will be attached to runners' shoes and returned after the race.

Added incentives for runners finishing race within required time (3.5 hours for half marathoners and 7 hours for full marathoner) will be a finisher medal which each runner will get for bragging rights.

As an added experience for my first International run, I have registered for the Pasta Party (US$8) held at Likas Stadium the night before the race. This is an all you can eat buffet for a runner's much needed carbo loading.

Looks like its KK 4 years in a row for this Fatboy. Wonder if I will be back again next year (for full marathon?).. hmmm... :P

P.S. My sister Carolyn will be doing her First International half marathon as well at the same weekend as this one but hers will be held in San Francisco for the Nike Women Half Marathon. Their slogan is "Run Like a Girl" with 90% of runners women. Instead of finisher medal, they will get a Tiffany necklace.

Good thing I didn't join that one as didn't want to Run Like a Girl (not to offend girls but more on because this Fatboy can't handle their speed).

Bad karma as now I have to Run Like A Baboon (based on BIM's logo). . . hehe