And truth be told, my training for this half marathon failed to catch fire at any point. I had rarely ventured over 10k. With the fasting month of Ramadan and then Hari Raya Aidilfitri and school holidays, getting a PB seemed a tall ask, so I let go of ambition and set about an enjoyable Twincity Marathon race day….
CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEYJOM
Race day always dawns early. I never hear my alarm the morning of a race. The adrenaline takes over and I’m awake, counting down the minutes until I leave the house. This year, Twincity Marathon 2024 added a little extra special zest because my 19th year old daughter, Amisha Wong Rajoo and my running team mate Vishalini Selvaraj was about to attempt their first “virgin” 21km Half marathon. At some point, I guzzle down a latte and shared a peanut butter sandwich with my “sole”- mate a.k.a hubby. I’m calm but my anticipation is building – I only need to look at my heart rate monitor which reads 15 beats per minute above my resting average to know that the start time is near, not nervous for me…..but for Mia and Visha! As for Mia, she was as cool as a cucumber, no emotions, no feelings…hmmmm
Race HQ is at Persiaran Flora, Cyberjaya. Managed to secure a safe and designated parking spot, we walked to the starting line. Bumped into Visha, took some photos and few minutes later Harvinder, another teammate who took the challenge to run 12km met us and took some photos with us and wished us good luck and off we went to the starting line. “I can’t believe we’re about to run 21km. This is insane,” were Visha’s last words before we took off running and I was soon by myself, trying to soak it all in.
My expectations are low. Expect nothing. Experience everything. Write the story later.
The start line awaits.
(CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEYJOM)
I offered some sage advice to Mia before setting out – don’t go off too quickly. You can’t race for 21km. Use the first 5km as a warm up. We told each other good luck and then we took off. Gun went off and we were too. There weren’t so many runners that you had to people dodge, I like when there is enough room to run, for all of us, the quick, the not-so quick, the walkers too! Sharp 5.30am we were flagged off, had a nice touch with the sounds of the beating of the dhol. No crowds, no shouts, just the rhythm of 3,200 thousand pairs of feet finding their pace. The weather was relatively kind for an April morning but, given that we are in the middle of lots of tall buildings, there is a headwind on the way out. As we run through the first 5 KM, I’m neatly tucked in to a group as we silently work away. I try to resist the urge to up the pace too soon – I always run as even splits as I possibly can. On we go, ticking the miles off. Keeping the pace steady. Another 5 KM ticked by without incident, then a short climb provides the only test of a straightforward course. My focus sharpens.
The next 5KM section took us through the PutraJaya/PICC, which is part of the change to the course. There was quite a lot of support here and a couple of friendly runners, marshalls were energetic and friendly with high fives, cheering on “sloth”, I mean “slow” runners like me, which really lifted the mood. The strangest thing happened at the race, while I was running, I focused less on the finish line. I started appreciating the run itself. Many of life’s regrets come when we look back and realize we were so focused on reaching a destination that we forgot to appreciate the journey. We’re so busy trying to get to the next stage or reach the next goal that we miss out on the journey. Don’t get me wrong. At every stage in life, we should be growing and moving towards a goal but unless you stop to appreciate where you are, you’ll wind up missing the whole experience!
CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHY: LEEKY
The course for TwinCity Marathon 2024 slightly changed this year, however the course had tons of volunteers/marshalls handling water and energy drinks and not forgetting the chilled cold Pepsi. You are also never alone during the race as there are always people of the same pace no matter what your pace is. A nice little surprised awaited the runners at about 17 KM, cakoi, food trucks! Glorious food yummy-li-cious!! Many runners made a pit stop to reload and it was a very interesting sight to see during a marathon race. TwinCity marathon Rocks! I checked my watch and I knew Mia, Visha and hubby dearest would have already reached the finish line by now, drinking and sipping chilled isotonic “BOOM”, eating fried bee hoon and resting.
The few last Km were a struggle. If you’ve ever heard a runner talk about “hitting the wall” or “bonking” , that was exactly what happened. My body just quit on me. My lower legs felt fatigued and my legs became heavy. It was then I understood the mental aspect of endurance running. I would have to dig deep within myself to reach the finish line. Then I bumped into James, a 60 year old Veteran runner and we ran and walked and chatted all the way to the finish line.
CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHY: LEEKY
You will be amazed, how much more you can align your thoughts and feelings after a run. Something happens out there on the road…..on your own! It all calms down and yet all comes together. Life just doesn’t feel as scary after your run. You come back refreshed and adjusted!
The crowds with 500 meters to go were incredible, and I ran with a massive big smile right across the line and under the finishing gantry. I did it. Had no idea of time and I didn’t really care…this one was for the experience.
I’m generally happy how the race was organised. With about 7000 participants running, TwinCity Marathon did a good job keeping the race safe and providing water & electrolytes on the course. The course was quite flat, maybe a bit too much packed into the same streets, with dual-way running.
As far as the rest of the course goes, there are plenty of signages displaying the directions and the mile markers were clear and easy to read. The halfway split from the marathon, the 12KM and the half marathon was very simple to follow.
Om-course support was plenty and energetic. There was an exorbitant amount of water stations and the volunteers were beyond encouraging. Music/buskers from some of the speakers onsite added some extra motivation.
I got the opportunity really reflect on why I do this, why I subject myself to 21 KM of potential discomfort. And the truth is, I do it because I can. And in that “can,” there is so much beauty and achievement. The experience itself wasn’t pleasant by any normal measure of pleasantness. It was hot, humid and exhausting. But it was such a joy at the same time. Joyful to feel the strength of my body and spirit. Joyful to choose to enjoy the experience while it was happening – in spite of the less than ideal conditions. Joyful to be alive and able to get outside and enjoy the camaraderie of enduring something challenging with a few thousand other intrepid souls.
The true moment where I realized no matter how bad I may hurt, no matter how tired I am, I will be crossing the finish line. Just run! It’s a personal taste of freedom only a runner knows when you have crossed the hump and will know that you have finished strong. Perhaps it’s called the runner’s high.
Grinning like an idiot and just loving every second of it and yet letting every second go by in a blur. All I knew at that point was just to keep running. Then I saw 500 meters to go, I really wanted to kick up the pace and let Hell break loose. My legs disagreed and we kept a nice even pace. Around the corner and there it was. I was staring at the finish line maybe about 200 meters away and I never had such an urge in my life to just stop and walk. But no way in hell was I going to give up now! At this point, I was just hoping I didn’t trip right there at the end…..I crossed the line and I felt truly victorious. Sun beating down, fatigue increasing, but I was focused and motivated by the fact that I just crossed the finished line! My race, my pace, my medal, my city- Yes! I have conquered the Twincity 21KM Half Marathon and I was greeted by Mia and my hubby.
A huge kudos and congratulations to each and everyone of you for actually being out there running, walking or crawling instead of just sitting on your couch….YOU ALL DID AWESOME!
Running is an individual sport. We each have our individual speed, stride, goal. It depends on us only to get to the finish line, to put in the miles. no one can do it for us. But, at the same time, the running community is one of the most supportive, most encouraging communities you will ever find. Where else will you find people of different ages and backgrounds supporting each other? We all meet at the parks, at the trails, at the start line and yes-at the finish line. When running a marathon, you often see runners helping and pushing each other to move on (even if it will affect their time). Because no matter how strong or fast one is, we all go through tough times, and we all need a helping hand, that encouraging voice that reminds us how strong and capable we are. This you find at the marathon course and yes, again, if you are lucky, in life.
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