Activity 14/2010 - 30 August - Penang Merdeka Fun Run 2010

What : Penang Merdeka Fun Run 2010
Organised by : Belleview Group, Prangin Mall JMB, Prangin Mall Merchants Association, and PDC Setia Urus,
When : 30 August 7:00pm to 12:00 midnight, Flag-off at 10:00pm
Where : Lebuh Lintang between Prangin Mall n 1st Avenue Mall
Distance : 2.5km

This was one of the events held in the state in conjunction with the Merdeka celebrations. More than 50 runners from our Group participated in this event which coincidentally also set an ideal occasion to hold birthday celebrations for SK and Jen whose birthdays fall on Merdeka Day.

By 6:30pm Cupido Kelvin, Adrian Ho, James Lee and later Jen were kind enough to give their helping hands to collect the T-shirts for all the participants at the Start, our thanks to them. This event must be well sponsored as only a token of RM2.00 of registration fee was collected from each participant.

I arrived at the Start at 8:30pm but there was already a carnival atmosphere with noises, photo taking sessions and loud music played over the speakers on a specially built stage. The run was scheduled to start at 10:00pm and 10m minutes before that the organisers did a perfect arrangement by having a warming up dance-exercise performance led by 3 instructors on stage with hot music and the crowd enjoyed it.

The race was horned off sharply at 10:00pm by YB Tuan Ng Wei Aik in the direction of Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, Lebuh Carnovan, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Lebuh Chulia, Penang Road, Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, Jalan Ria, Lebuh Lintang for a distance of 2.5km. It was an unique fun run under street lights and moon light with most runners holding a Merdeka flag each and we could hear some shouts of "Merdeka", "Merdeka" along the streets.

Upon arrival at the Finish it was the climax of the carnival with cultural dances and performances by various ethnic groups followed by lucky draw prize presentations of very attractive including sports bicycles and hampers

Meanwhile our Group had our birthday celebrations for SK and Jen and thanks to MLing who prepared a yummy Merdeka cake to bring this occasion more joy.

Wish to express our thanks and appreciations to all those who had contributed their kind assistance in the participation of this event, especially to Andrew, Jin, MLing, Gan and to our photographers Adrain, Leng Hin, SK and all others

Our runners were surprised that prizes were in fact awarded to the top 5 finishers when the announcement made by the MCee was that all prizes were allocated for lucky draws only, anyway this event was well organised and we thank the organisers.

click here for an album of photos courtesy of Mei Ling

click here for an album of photos courtesy of Adrian Ho

Berlin..Berlin...Berlin......

Berlin..Berlin...Berlin......

RICE - Treatmet Tips for Sports Injury

If you suffer an injury such as a sprain, strain, muscle pull, or tear, immediate first aid can prevent complications and help you heal faster. One of the most important acronyms to remember if you get a sports injury is R.I.C.E.
R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Using these 4 immediate first aid measures can relieve pain, limit swelling and protect the injured tissues, all of which help speed healing.

When an injury occurs the damaged area may bruise, swell or bleed (externally or internally) and become inflamed. Healing occurs as the damaged tissue is replaced by collagen, perhaps better known as scar tissue. In most cases the tissue needs complete repair before you should return to sports.
The R.I.C.E. Method of Acute Injury Treatment

* Rest: Resting is important immediately after injury for two reasons. First, rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. Second, your body needs to rest so it has the energy it needs to heal itself most effectively.
* Ice: Use ice bags, cold packs or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area. Cold can provide short-term pain relief. It also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area. Keep in mind, though, that you should never leave ice on an injury for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. Longer exposure can damage your skin. The best rule is to apply cold compresses for 15 minutes and then leave them off for at least 20 minutes.
* Compression: Compression limits swelling, which slows down healing. Some people notice pain relief from compression as well. An easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage over it. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser.
* Elevation: Elevating an injury reduces swelling. It's most effective when the injured area is raised above the level of the heart. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows.

Excerpt from about.com

Preparing for the Long Run

While completing long runs can be sometimes difficult, preparing properly for these training sessions will make this important workout much easier to accomplish. Listed below are areas of concern that require your careful preparation prior to, and during your long run. Let's assume that your long run is scheduled for Sunday morning.
Rest

* Get lots of rest Saturday night, aiming for 8 hours sleep.

* Make either Friday or Saturday a complete rest day for the legs.

* If you do train on Saturday, make it a very light workout on the legs.

Nutrition

* Drink lots of water all day Saturday.

* Eat meals high in carbohydrates for lunch and dinner Saturday. Selecting the "right" foods is an important area of experimentation.

* Avoid foods high in salt and excessive protein and/or fat all day Saturday.

* Drink about 16 ounces of water Sunday morning prior to your long run.

* Eat a light snack Sunday morning prior to your long run. This is also an important experimentation area in regard to food selection.

* Drink lots of fluids while running. Be sure to stop for water frequently throughout the run. For runs longer than 90 minutes, you MUST drink sports beverages (such as Gatorade, PowerAde, etc.) at every two to three mile interval. Drinking on the run requires careful planning of the route (making sure there is water frequently available along with places to stash sports drinks).

* Consider trying gel carbohydrate replacement products. Be sure to chase these supplements down with water to avoid stomach cramps and insure absorption. A final thought: Please dispose of gel and energy product wrappers properly by throwing them away in trash receptacles or placing them in your fanny pack. Let's all work together to keep the environment clean!

* After the run is over, continue to drink fluids (water, sports drinks, and/or juice products are all great choices).

* As soon as possible (ideally within 15 minutes), grab something nutritious to eat to replace your depleted glycogen stores. Research indicates that to avoid muscle fatigue the next day, carbohydrates should be eaten as soon as possible following long duration exercise

Excerpt from: Marathon Pal

2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon approaches - Athens Classic Marathon 2010

Every time someone runs a marathon, they metaphorically retrace steps taken during one of the most momentous events in world history, the Battle of Marathon in 490BC. A few thousand Athenian and Parthian soldiers, led by the warrior Miltiades destroyed a huge force of invading Persians on the plain of Marathon, a victory widely acknowledged to have ensured the democratic legacy of Western culture.

The tale that most people know about events in 490BC is that a messenger named Phillipides or Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, then collapsed and died. Out of that legend, the marathon race was born.

But the original legend, whose first report was 600 years after the battle (thus highly questionable) was that the messenger first went to Sparta to ask for help, was rebuffed, and ran back to Marathon, before going to Athens to announce victory.

2010 is the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. And the organisers of the Athens Classic Marathon are preparing for another invasion.

Excerpt: iaaf

The Above event will be held on 31 Oct

Highlights of The History of Athens Marathon

The modern Athens Marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C., bringing news of a Greek victory over the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died, thereby setting a precedent for dramatic conclusions to the marathon.

When the modern Olympic games were inaugurated in 1896 in Greece, the legend of Pheidippides was revived by a 24.85 mile (40,000 meters) run from Marathon Bridge to Olympic stadium in Athens
At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box. This added two miles to the course, and is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" (or other words relating to the Queen) as mile post 24 is passed. After 16 years of extremely heated discussion, this 26.2 mile distance was established at the 1924 Olympics in Paris as the official marathon distance

Excerpt from : http://www.athensmarathon.com/marathon/history.html

Things To Consider While Running Long

# Run at a conversational pace by starting out slowly to conserve glycogen.
# Running at an easy pace reduces the possibility of incurring an injury.
# Stay loose by shaking out your arms and shoulders regularly.
# Carry your arms close to your waist or hips to conserve energy. Also avoid unnecessary arm swing, particularly laterally across the body.
# Realize that long runs will sometimes be difficult to complete and that you may experience some "bad patches" in the later miles. Persevering through these stretches will develop mental toughness, an essential skill that will be needed during the marathon.
# Use imagery, mental rehearsal/visualization, and self-talk to develop mental toughness. Mentally break the course into sections.

Excerpt from:www.marathontraining.com

Know Before You Run

REMEMBER:
Don't be a hero, if it hurts, STOP
INJURIES don't just go away, they have to heel
Today's ache can be tomorrow's INJURY
PAIN is your body's way of saying you are running too much
Nearly every INJURY responds well to REST
When in doubt, ICE the injury
Don't try to make up for missed training by running MORE


Excerpt from: MARATHONING for MORTALS by John Bingham, Jenny Hadfield

Pace Chart

Click to enlarge

Upcoming Activities

1) 30 Aug - Merdeka Fun Run 2010 - 10:00pm - at Lebuh Lintang (next to Traders Hotel)
2) 31 Aug - Birthday Celebration at Penang Hill - 7:00am assembled at Botanical Garden
3) 16 Sep - i-Run Bowling Competition at Penang Bowl
4) 25 26 Sep - Newton 12km/25km Run KL http://www
5) 3 Oct - Tanjung 10km Run, Polo Ground
6) 17 - Oct - KWYP City Run 8km, KOMTAR http://www

Activity 9/2010 July 4-Kwong Wah Penang Hill Climb 2010

More Photos:http://picasaweb.google.com/tacjin/KwongWahPenangHillClimb2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMeXn5W1prnJpwE#

2010 Marathon Calender Outsisde Malaysia

January
02 - Xiamen International Marathon 2010 -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.
22 - SC Dubai Marathon
24 - Khon Kaen International Marathon Thailand http://www.
February
28 - Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2010 http://www.
28 - 2010 Tokyo Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.
28 - Koh Samui International Marathon, Thailand http://www.
March
21 - Los Angeles Marathon http://www.lamarathon.com/
21 - Seoul International Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://
April
11 - Marathon International de Paris -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.parismarathon.com/
11 - Fortis Marathon Rotterdam -- (IAAF Silver Label Road Race) http://www.fortismarathonrotterdam.nl/
19 - BAA Boston Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.bostonmarathon.org/
25 - Virgin London Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/
18 -Dalian International Marathon http://www.dlmls.org/main_en.jsp
Mar/Apr - Zhengzhou-Kaifeng International Marathon , Henan, China
May
29 - Adidas Sundown Marathon Singapore http://www.sundownmarathon.com/
30 - Hatyai Marathon, Thailand http://www.hatyairunner.com/th/
June
13 - Laguna Phuket International Marathon, Thailand http://www.phuketmarathon.com/
July
04 - Gold Coast Marathon, Brisbane, Australia http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/
18 - Pattaya Marathon, Thailand http://www.pattaya-marathon.com/
25 - San Francisco Marathon http://www.thesfmarathon.com/
August
08 - Hatyai Nature Run 2010, Thailand http
29 - Hokkaido Marathon http://www.hokkaido-
September
19 - Sydney Marathon http://www.sydneymarathon.org/
26 - real,-Berlin Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.real-berlin-marathon.com/
October
10 - Bank of America Chicago Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.chicagomarathon.com/
10 - Melbourne Marathon http://www.melbournemarathon.com.au/
16 - World Half Marathon Championships, Nanning, China
17 - Amsterdam Marathon -- (IAAF Silver Label Road Race) http://www.amsterdam
17 - Toronto Marathon http://www.runtoronto.com/
24 - Beijing International Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.beijing-marathon.com/
31 - October - Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.frankfurt-marathon.com/
31 - October - Athens Classic Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://
November
07 - ING New York City Marathon -- (IAAF Gold Label Road Race) http://www.nycmarathon.org/
28 - Shanghai Marathon http://www.shmarathon.com/home_en.html
?? - Hangzhou International Marathon http://www.hangzhou-marathon.com/Default.aspx
21 - Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon http://www.bkkmarathon.com/eng/index.php
December
05 - Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore -- (IAAF Silver Label Road Race) http://www.marathonsingapore.com/Home.aspx
05 - Fukuoka International Open Marathon -- (IAAF Silver Label Road Race) http
26 - Chiangmai Marathon ......http://www

2011 Marathon Calender Outside Malaysia - click here

2010 Event Calender

February:
06 - Putrajaya Night Marathon
28 - Penang Cross Country , Teluk Kumbar
March
13 - KL Towerton (night) 2010
14 - Bareno Run, Stadium Nasional, Bk. Jalil
27 - Energizer Night Marathon, Putrajaya www.energizernightrace.com.my/
April
18 - Round the House Relay, Penang
24 - Marathon : KL - Maran 2010 (Distance 204km)
25 - Bidor Half Marathon
25 - Larian 10km Subang Jaya
May
02 - Larian Bomba, Dataran Merdeka KL
02 - Borneo International Marathon, Kota Kinabalu http://borneomarathon.com/
08 - SAS Intl. Eco Challenge 2010, Pulau Tioman
09 - Kuala Kangsar Double Bridge Run, 15, 12, 8, 5km
16 - New Balance Pacesetters 15km, Tasik Perdana http://www.pacesetters.com.my/
16 - Ekiden Relay 2010, Putrajaya
2x - XTERRA Malaysia Championship, Kuantan
30 - Malakoff 26km Penang 2010 http://www.malakoffrun.com.my
June
05 - Relay for Life 2010 Penang, Youth Park
05 - SP Setia ECO Half Marathon, Shah Alam, 21,10, 4.5km
19-20 - Malaysian Masters Open Athletic Championship, Bukit Jalil
27 - Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon http://kl-marathon.com/
27 - Baling International Duathon 2010
July
04 - KWYP Penang Hill Climb
18 - Siemens 10km Run 2010, Dataran Merdeka, KL
11 - Centro Klang 12km Run 2010
11 - Seremban Half Marathon 2010
18 - Ipoh International Run 2010 http://www.mbi.
23 - ASJC Run, Alor Star. info
24 - Shape Run , Putrajaya
25 - Peace Run, Youth Park Penang
25 - Taiping Heritage Run, 7km, 15km
August
01 - Tanjung 10km Run, Penang - POSPONED to 3 Oct
08 - Merdeka Run, Esplanade, Penang
15 - Chung Ling Old Boys Association Run, Penang
30 - Penang Merdeka Fun Run 2010 4-5km Georgetown 7:00pm
.....http://www http://www
September
26 - Newton 25km n 12km Challenge Kuala Lumpur http://www
October
03 - Tanjung 10km Run, Penang
03 - Adidas KOTR Shah Alam 2010 - CANCELLED
17 - Mizuno Wave Run, 11km, 5km. UPM, Serdang, Selangor
17 - KWYP City Run, Komtar, Penang http://www
24 - PVAA 10km Run, PISA, Penang - postponed to 14 Nov
24 - Kebun Bunga Charity Run in aid of Mt Mariam Hospital, Penang
31 - Awana Genting TrailBlazer Run
November
14 - PVAA 10km Run, PISA Penang
14 - Powerman Malaysia 2010, Seri Manjung, Perak
21 - Penang Bridge International Marathon -- (IAAF Label Road Race) http://www
28 - Rock to Rock Run, Penang - in aid of Seri Cahaya Welfare Home
December
6-12 - The 16rh Asian Masters Athletic Championship, Bukit Jalil http://www
12 - ASIAN Masters 10km Run 2010, Dataran Merdeka KL
12 - Starwalk, PISA Penang
18 - 1st Inaugural Ultra Marathon 84km, KL/Putrajaya
19 - Round The Island Relay, Penang
19 - Malakoff 12km KL

Activity 11/2010 - July 25 - Peace Run, Penang

pix courtesy of SK Leong

Activity 10/2010 - July 18 - Ipoh International Run

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 8/2010 - June 27 - SCKLM

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Congratulations to the glorious finishers:
Men:
Full Marathon
Chuah Soon Haw ---- 3:21:05 - PB
Wong Kam Yong ----- 3:28:31
Tan Cheng Jin -------- 3:34:07 - PB
Lim Kok Cheong ------ 3:51:53
Tan Kok Chuan ------- 4:05:07
Tan Eng Hooi --------- 4:10:20 - PB
Ying Chee Wei -------- 4:16:58
Ong Leng Hin --------- 4:24:37 - PB
Wong Lai Huat -------- 4:26:12
Adrian Ho Seng Yee -- 4:26:22 - Debut
Soon Boon Beng ------- 4:36:25 - Debut
David Sim Ban Chuan - 4:51:50
Chee Wee Man -------- 4:57:07 - PB
Jason Lim Weng Cheong - 5:27:55 - PB
Saw Ewe Jin ------------ 5:51:57 - Debut

Half-Marathon
Wong Jin Ji -------------- 1:43:09 - PB
Peter Chong Jian Li ----- 1:44:19
Giam Chong Seng ------- 1:49:29
Andrew Loh Lean Hock - 1:54:02
Anson Kiek Eng Li ------- 1:54:12
Ooi Seow Fung ---------- 2:06:46
Looi Kok Eng ------------- 2:21:40
Anselm Gan Bock Heng - 2:44:03
Teo Chin Hin ------------- 2:45:09

10km
Cheng Siew Seng ------- 1:03:59
Choo Cheng Liang ------ 1:13:56
Voon Jiun Wei ----------- 1:14:40

Women
Half-Marathon
Serina Ong Chin Imm --- 1:56:53
Teng Hooi Kean ---------- 2:03:10
Lee Mei Lan --------------- 2:04:07
Chung Mei Ling ----------- 2:24:21
Gan Hoay Woon --------- 2:30:41

10km
Immy Lee ------------------ 1:14:05

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 7/2010 - Jun 5 - SP Setia Eco Fun Run Penang

pix courtesy of SK Leong

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 6/2010 - May 30 - Malakoff 26km Penang

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Results :
2010.............................................2009..........2008
1:50:11 - Chuah Soon Haw............ 1:56:24
1:57:27 - Liew Chien Sioen............. 2:10:39
1:59:54 - Tan Ah Chin (Ah Soon)..... 2:07:24

2:03:13 - Tan Cheng Jin..................................... 2:06
2:11:50 - Wong Jing Ji
2:14:49 - Leong Siew Kee
2:18:11 - Lin Tai San....................... 2:16:02..... 2:09:23
2:18:33 - Soon Boon Beng
2:20:00 - Tan Eng Hooi
2:25:05 - Wong Lai Huat
2:25:59 - Ong Leng Hin
2:35:08 - Andrew Loh Lean Hock.......... 2:29:19
2:35:18 - Loh Soo Hock
2:36:08 - Adrian Ho Seng Yee
2:38:22 - Loh Ewe Chin
2:40:05 - Bok Chek We..................... 2:43:25......2:46:43
2:46:04 - Francis Khor Hock Thye
2:50:21 - Ngiam Kah Huan................. 2:50:03...... 2:48:32
2:53:24 - Chee Wee Man................... 3:05:08
2:54:56 - Kong Fui Loong
2:59:09 - Nicol Ch'ng Yu Wei
2:59:56 - Alvin Yeoh Keat Leong

3:00:51 - Saw Ewe Jin
3:01:42 - Chiang Chee Seng
3:02:15 - Mok Keng Yee.................... 2:49:34
3:10:07 - Choo Cheng Liang.............. 2:40:36....... 2:30:07
3:12:07 - Vincent Teoh Soon Lee
3:16:47 - Jason Lim Weng Cheong..... 3:32:21
3:29:32 - Kelvin Tharm Wai Weng
3:33:04 - Gilbert Goh Hong Soon

Women:
2:14:01 - Ch'ng Lay Khim.................... 2:27:59....... 2:23:17
2:45:11 - Peh Bee Leng
2:46:11 - Gan Hoay Jen
2:46:12 - Teng Hooi Kean...................... 2:56:24

3:01:20 - Chung Mei Ling
3:10:03 - Doreen Tan Lay Khim
3:10:59 - Gan Hoay Woon..................... 3:22:00

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 5/2010 - Apr 25 - Bidor Half Marathon

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 4/2010 - April 18 - Round the Houses Relay, Penang

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 3/2010 - Mar 27 - Energizer Night Marathon, Putrajaya

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 2/2010 - Feb 28 - Penang Cross Country, Teluk Kumbar

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling


The distance of this event was 6.2km for all categories except the Men Open which covered an additional distance of about 2km. This event which took off at 7:30am this morning saw an overwhelming response of about 1200 participants mostly from school children.It was an interesting route including a 1.0km stretch along the beach after 1.2km. The sand was soft n loose which greatly hampered the pace of the runners who had to practically walk besides avoiding the many ropes tied to the many anchoring fishing boats.
The other interesting half of the route consisted of 1-vehicle width (1-way street I suppose) of tar road meandering through a Malay kampung with isolated houses n small fruit/vegetable gardens, runners even passed by a cow-shed with about half a dozen of cows mooing at them!
There was a half km of untarred path.
Well that was an extraordinary experience!! especially for fun explorers......

Our group had 42 entries n had quite an outstanding harvest of top finishers' medals n prizes besides having an outstanding display of happy hours and noise after the finish in the compound, we enjoyed the occasion thanks to William Loh, Andrew Loh, Mei Ling and ALL the participants especially the photographers who help to make this event so memorable, last but not least thanks to PAAA for successfully organising this annual event.

Medal Winners :
Men Open: (8km)
16th - Adrian Ho Seng Yee - 38:09
17th - Wong Jin Ji ------------38:23

Men Junior Veteran : (6km)
3rd - Tan Ah Chin (Ah Soon) - 27:11
6th - Wong Lai Huat ----------- 28:49
11th - Tan Cheng Jin ----------- 29:03

Men Senior Veteran : (6km)
10th - Giam Chong Seng ------- 29:51
11th - Lin Tai San --------------- 29:58
13th - Soon Boon Beng -------- 30:02

Women Open : (6km)
9th - Tan Chai Har ------------- 41:00
11th - Peh Bee Leng ------------ 41:05
13th - Gan Hoay Woon --------- 41:30

Women Veteran : (6km)
3rd - Tan Lee Hooi -------------- 34:23
12th - Chung Mei Ling ----------- 40:30

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Mei Ling

Activity 1/2010 - Jan 23 - 1st USM Open Relay, Penang

pix courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

Click here for a photo album courtesy of Chung Mei Ling

13/2010 - 15 Aug 2010 - Launching of i-Run in conjunction of Chung Ling Run

Dateline: Sunday 15 August 2010 at 7:00am

Venue: Chung Ling High School, Penang

Event: The 53rd Penang All Chinese Cross Country (2010年第53届全槟华人越野赛跑)

It was a Beautiful Sunday unlike this time 7 days ago at the Esplanade when we Listened to the Pouring Rain where the Merdeka Run was held. A shower had stopped a couple of hours ago which made the weather conditions even better for the runners and on what better circumstances do we ask for to launch the new name of our runners' group, " i-Run " on this auspicious day in conjunction of the above event.

This event attracted about 700 participants of which about 10% or 70 were from our group which made up of 31 in Men Open, 19 in Men Veteran and 21 in Women. Most of our participants, photographers, helpers were early at the Start to help in the distributions of bib numbers (given on race day).

The race started at scheduled 7:30am and the route were Jalan Ayer Itam - Thean Teik Road - Batu Lancang Lane - Green Lane - Jln Ayer Itam - Ibetson Road - Batu Lancang Lane - Jln Ayer Itam - Chung Ling for a total distance of 7.63km over tar-road (not really a cross-country race as it is called)

Our group performed well generally with the following came out as medal winners:

Men Open

19^th      Sam Chee Wang

Men Veteran

6^th        陈亚真 (Soon) – 32:31

9^th        Leong Siew Kee – 33:43

14^th      孙文明

15^th      Giam Chong Seng

17^th      罗书福

Women

1^st        黄姗妮 Sunny Ng – 34:19

2^nd       庄丽琴 – 35:53

4^th        Adeline Tan Man Hua – 37:06

10^th      曾伊雯 – 38:29

15^th      Jenny Wong Hooi Cheow

17^th      庄丽慧

18^th      颜慧甄

There were also Team categories based on the times of the top 5 finishers, unfortunately our Women Team was beaten by an aggregate of only 1 point to the second place by Forward Sports Club. That was so close yet so far and we salute and congratulate to our team for for their superb performance.

Celebrations n launching of our new name "i-Run" followed after the race, before the prize giving ceremony, led by our 'CEO' Andrew Loh, Captain Cheng Jin, Chairman Choo and William and our popular Mei Ling who provided the best audio effect :). Thanks to William, SK, Cindy, Adeline, ML, Jen, Gan, Lay Khim, Lay Hoon, Kelvin and others who bring lots n lots of cakes, kuih-moih, drinks, etc for the enjoyable happy hour at the open basketball court. There was another noisy celebration at the prize giving ceremony later.

We take this opportunity to express our thanks and appreciations to all those who had kindly rendered their effort and contributions to the successful launching of our new name and our new running vests. Thank you all the photographers for their kind service. We also extend our congratulations to all the medal winners and to all participants who completed the race. Last but not least we say a big 'Thank You' to Sam, Sunny, Lay Kim, Lay Hooi and others for joining us in our teams.

Thank you Chung Ling Alumni Association Penang for organising this event and we look forward to coming back next year. (Incidentally my 1st participation in this event was way back in 1970 when I represented my school)

Please click here for the photo album of this occasion, courtesy of Mei Ling for which we thank her.

On this day 15 August 2010, " i-Run " is born.

12/2010 - Aug 08 -Merdeka Run 2010 - Raindrops keep falling on my head

pix courtesies of Chung Mei Ling and Kong Fui Loong

This was the 3rd annual event organised by the Kelab Sukan dan Rekreasi Melayu Pulau Pinang assisted by PAAA on the 8 Aug at the Town Hall, Esplanade, Penang.
The distance was 6.52km according to my Garmin watch.

The event was scheduled to start at 7:30am and it was cloudy before the start when about 1300 participants gathered in front of the brightly lighted up Town Hall's majestic heritage building (2nd pix courtesy of Kong Fui Loong). Suddenly it started to rain and some runners rushed to the limited shelters at the building n majority stayed put at the start. The organisers made a wise decision to start the race by triggering a loud Bang at 7:26am against scheduled 7:30am.

The rain continued to pour heavily and by the time I reached Penang Road after more than 1km it was raining like cats n dogs with strong wind and it became drizzling at the half way mark and stopped when I reached the finish.
It was quite enjoyable for me running in the rain for the 1st time.

Our group did well and many members came out as trophy winners:
Men Junior Veteran
2nd - Tan Cheng Jin ------------ 27:30
7th - Giam Chong Seng ------ 28:38
10th- Andrew Loh Lean Hock 30:10
Men Senior Veteran
5th - Liew Chien Sioen ---- 27:28
7th - Tan Ah Chin (Soon)-- 27:43
Women Open
5th - Lee Heng Keat ------- 36:47
10th- Gan Hoay Woon ---- 39:06
Women Senior Veteran
1st - Chung Mei Ling ------ 36:54

As usual we had happy hours in our breakfast party with kind contributions from Mei Ling, William and others to whom we said thank you very much. Many thanks to our photographers especially Ong Leng Hin and Mei Ling for their beautiful shots.

Take this opportunity to thank all the participating members and friends and also to the organisers and PAAA

(雨中跑, 其中乐趣知多少? ; 跑步迷, 风雨不改没问题!)