Marathons are for mad people! That’s what I’d always assumed. And I didn’t fit that club until one day, I signed up for my very first half marathon. And Hell-yeah- I am only half insane! LOL-Segar Rajoo, my ‘sole’ mate became my running mentor. My Yoda. He would be the one to picked me up and pulled me along at every setback offering support and advice. It became clear early that to be a runner it wasn’t as simple as putting on a pair of shoes and running, unless you are Kenyan, of course….anyway……
This race is often a “bucket list” marathon, and rightly so! Given its location, the race organization, the course, the beauty, the amazing Bali, it is certainly one to run!
On the 27th August, 2023 I ran the 21km Maybank Bali Marathon. My Hubby and I stayed about 30km away from Bali Safari and Marine Park, Gianyar. It took us about 40 minutes to reach there. We rented a car and self drove to the race venue. Designated parking venue/points were provided for runners and upon reaching the starting point area, we ate our packed breakfast provided by our Hotel , in the car before we walked to the starting point.
There wasn’t many parking, and if there were, it will be by the main busy road. Assuming that you take a cab or Grab to the race start, you will have problem getting one to get back where you came from however, motorbikes are not a problem. Luckily, the race organiser made proper arrangements for transportation and shuttle buses for participants with various pick up point around Bali.
There was great vibes in the air, with lots of excited, runners and walkers ready to discover where the Maybank Bali Marathon, new venue and new route would take us.
The Race
I experienced a whole range of emotions! In the morning I was completely hyper. I felt both nervous and ecstatic at the same time. We parked at the designated parking area for runners, walked about 15 minutes from the starting point and were greeted with literally hundreds/thousands of people.
You know the drill…wait in line for port-a-potty, do your thing, get in corral and wait. That’s exactly what we did. Standing there at the starting line was an overwhelming experience. There were 15,000 people ready to run. It was still dark.
Looking straight ahead all you could see was the “countdown” to the start. The organisers got hype music to kick-start the event. My heart was beating so fast. The music was playing, energy was soaring. Some were crying, others were laughing, some were still “membawang” (gossiping) and still others were just mentally preparing themselves as well!
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1….
And we were off!
I paced myself well and just kept moving.
There were some dark areas for the first 30 minutes. But once the sun rises everything goes well. Plenty of marshals and plenty of police officers. Not all roads are closed for the runners. There were few instances where runners only get half a lane and only 2 runners can fit side by side.
My endorphins had kicked in and I was feeling on top of the world. My confidence and ‘runner’s high’ rose exponentially. I wasn’t doing so bad. Fewer runners were passing me, of course, that wasn’t really surprising. We were bound to run out of people sooner or later. Nevertheless, the children, the local villagers, groups of supporters/cheerleaders along the route made my journey awesome! Thank you, Your voices, your cheers brought joy and encouragement to all runners.
Motivation Booster
Balinese traditional art performances enlivening the race course become one of Maybank Marathon’s many charms. School children dressed in Balinese traditional attire also cheered the runners as they passed by the villages. Villagers performed “The Kecak’ dance along the route as well! “The euphoria is Maybank Marathon’s charm”. It is what sets its apart from other events.
The first few KM of this race were pretty chill as they featured a lot of flat and downhill. This was a huge tease for ALL.THE.HILLS that you have to run to get back to the finish line. No matter how you slice and dice it, you are going uphill to get back. The hill steepened. It was definitely a pace killer. A series of other small hills after that made the thought of that finish line even sweeter.
Most of the course took us through padi fields, villages and residential areas. Bali Oh Bali is amazing and fun because you see so many different runners from all over the world out on the course, either spectating or running. I loved the serenity in the early miles. The light was beautiful, all was quiet except the pounding of runner’s feet and the air was crisp.
Along the way, there were sufficient water stations filled with awesome volunteers who helpfully spilled water and POCARI on your expensive running gear. NOOOOOo, seriously, Thank you, dear volunteers! Be sure to thank them for this, dear runners because I don’t know what would possess somebody to get up at an ungodly hour, travel across town and stand around for hours handling cups to thousands of sweat covered smelly runners! Thank you! Terima Kasih! You guys rock!
The route was tougher in the second half of the race, but I was able to negotiate those pretty okie. The morning was cool but a little humid so the plentiful sponges were really helpful.
It’s an amazing experience to set off with so many people who all have the same goal. It took me a while adjust to running in a crowd, but the running itself went quite well for most of the race. I found the last 5 kilometres very difficult. There was so much going through my mind. Besides being physically demanding, running a half marathon is also mentally challenging. I kept thinking, “I can’t go on. I have to stop and walk for a while.”. But when I saw how many people were overtaking me, my inner dialogue changed to “Run Chrisy, run! Everyone is overtaking you!” This kind of self-talk is constantly going through your head. It’s an amazing experience to run with so many people at the same time, but the truth is you have to run all 21 kilometres on your own.
At the 16 km, OMG! It was like stairways to hell…and the hills are alive!! Like a lot of things in running, it is mental, your legs will run up that hill if you tell them too! Seriously, it was lots of hills and stairs! “Learn to love hills”- sounds crazy eh, but if you say you hate hills, they will be mean and evil to you…..Balinese believe in KARMA, So, I embraced the hill, said I loved it, talked myself up and over it. All the way up that hill, I said things like ‘nearly at the top’, ‘Good girl’, ‘it is not so bad’….I may be running or walking slowly, but at least I am still moving- This part was like “The Tortoise and the Hare” mentality. I passed so many runners on my slow crawls leading to the the last few kilometers because they were walking and then off they went down the other side like the hare passed me like a gust of wind…It was all about mental strength!
The last 3 km was a struggle! The route was tougher in the second half of the race, but I was able to negotiate those pretty okie. The morning was cool but a little humid so the plentiful sponges were really helpful.
Sometimes, race day is a funny thing. Most runners aren’t competing for first place. They are competing against themselves, either for a better personal time or simply to finish. Life is similar, while it may look like a race against others, the only real competition is yourself!
The route had something for everyone with some crowd lined closed roads, an idyllic rural village section through Gianyar, Bali. Seriously! Just do it! Ditch the elastic, hair bands, pretty clips and let your hair wild as you run Maybank Bali Marathon. Ohhh don’t forget to unplug your headphone and listen to the birds chirping and the people/villagers cheering, dancing, high fives and playing. How refreshing to run with true awareness of your surroundings. Allowing my body fall into the rhythm of the natural soundtrack.
Then I heard, ‘sprint on it! I looked to my left and saw my hubby, just 1KM to go! He finished the 21KM half marathon and clocked 2.07 minutes and He grabbed my hand and ran with me towards the finish line with pride and joy, carrying the Malaysian flag! Sprint on it! You can do it! “Malaysia Boleh!” Cheers and shouts along the sidelines in my direction. Sprint on it?? Were they trying to kill me?? I wasn’t sure at that point I could crawl in. Blinking the sweat and rain drops from my eyes, somehow I sprinted to the finish line, I smiled for the camera, JUST GO…FINISH….and finish, I did..I threw my hands up in the air, like I just don’t care, as I crossed the finish…I got my awesome medal and my legs felt like dead. But I just ran a half marathon…For someone who running does not come easy for, I was (am) unbelievably proud of myself. It was a really nice feeling and It gives me a great sense of pride and honor to be part of MAYBANK BALI MARATHON.
I can’t wait to do it again. My favourite part of the race- EVERYTHING! Overall, the hype, the people, the the children, the villagers, the volunteers, the crowds and the emotions…”Remember when you thought you couldn’t do this?” I do……..But I just did it and now I feel unstoppable. It was truly a once in a lifetime destination race and even though I wasn’t able to “RACE” it, just running it was such a gift!
chrisywong.com 