We went to Kuantan.. did something together.. and we finished it ! We are definitely happy to be part of history ; finishing the Xterra Malaysia which was the first ever edition organized in South East Asia !! Alhamdulillah !!
It all started when Kamal ( who seldom call me on the phone ) gave me a ring and enthusiasticly asking whether we can join this race. He is an MTB enthusiast therefore taking part in a rare MTB race in Malaysia is an opportunity he could not afford to miss ! Otherwise , his MTB hobby he developed when he was in UK would go into shambles and the potential will not realized. The only way we could all join this race was being in a group and we were lucky there was a RELAY event !! ( Me n Kamal not much of a swimmer..and swimming 1.5 km ???? )
Getting Azad to join was not difficult as any exciting adrenaline pumping activities is a must for him. He used to be a certified lifeguard and he did the sprint PD triathlon last year ; thus a SWIMMER guranteed !! Kamal obviously was the MTB man and of course me..the runner. None of us are pros but i guess these are our strengths !
(post briefing with fellow blogger !)
We stayed in Hyatt as we thought that it would be the most convenient place to stay for the race ( besides Azad getting the discounted rate). Driving a bike on top of Kamal's BMW was a real eyesight and grins were everywhere when we passed people on the highway !! hehehehe
When we arrived on a hot Saturday afternoon , everything was in place in Teluk Cempedak and the atmosphere was there! The set up was good and after registration in Vistana we proceeded to check in Kamal's bike at the beach. Wow... memang cool giller..
Kamal was so nervous that he could not sleep the whole night ! Azad was snoring away and I was so and so.. Kamal was puking like he was about to be married the whole morning !! hahahaha ( Jgn marah aaa ) We were ready!! GOOO VOLTRON FORCE !!!
Azad started the race as our swimmer in this swim 1.5km , MTB 30km and train run 10km event. I was initially afraid of his safety and that was why i stayed on the beach to monitor him. I don't want anything bad happen to him however confident I am on his experience. It was scary looking at the whole group swimming across the deep sea. There were few drop outs as they swim and I was stil worried. Azad was cool however.. calmly doing his bit and I was glad when he finished his course !! GO AZAD !! We were not in the driving seat but to survive the 1.5km swim is not an easy fit !! Cayalah bro !!
Kamal was next on the bike and he flew off as soon as the baton was passed to him. He was so determined on going on that he did not smile for my camera. hehehehe I waited for another 2 hours plus before it was my turn to run. During this time , the winner from the pro section arrived and wow... that was Xterra winner ! I dunno how this guys do it..but they are damn fit aah... cayalah...
Kamal came back enthusiasticly; he was speeding along the plank and to the transition area.It had started to rain and Kamal was all mud when he got to me. I was glad to see him and was ready to go for my turn! I was a bit cooled down though because it was only at 1130am that my run began ! The trail was fair with its two loops. The climb was ok the first round but I could only manage to walk up on the second ! I was glad that i took my trusty trail shoes ( Axel..rm60!!) which was a bit heavy compared to my running shoes but reliable for climb up and down! This shoe survived genting trailblazer , G. Hitam and Mulu/Pinnacles ; which in every trip I expected it to rip off for me to throw it away! The shoe remained steady all the way and this shoe allowed me to run down the trail confidently to compensate my walk on the way up! Made in Malaysia !!!
And we survived.. finished it..and happy !! It was worthwhile eventhough it is just a relay event.COngratulations to my fellow Voltrons ; Kamal and Azad who made the trip and experience worthwhile! Kudos to the organizers for a fun event ; you guys rock organizing something international ! Definitely a sign of more good things in the future.. Insya Allah !!
5 comments:
caya lah team voltron! I can relate to Kamal about the extra noises I hear every nite...hehehe!
tuan, thanks for the support.
now you know why i am so addcited to tris. :) it is a natural painkiller. :)
as for the hotel...itu hyatt banyak eksyen...they did not want to reduce any rates. We decided to move away from using Hyatt as the official hotel and instead decided to have PARTNER hotels.Vistana was very accomodating and MS Garden was even better, but MS is a good 9KM away and the best compromise is Vistana.
As fellow racers, we know that logistic is definately one thing we are all concerned...and hence...decided to just go with the hotel that would give us the best rate - just like any other racers would do!
my regards to Azad and Kamal. I hope they enjoyed the race. I had a shock when Azad said hi to me...and my apologies as i was really knackered and tired, which resulted in me unable to race that morning, apart from not feeling too comfy about leaving the fellow organising friends to pick up on my work.
Infact, being the announcer was a last minute decision as we found out we can't count on anyone but ourselves! :) it was a task talking for 5hours...and finally they took the mike away from me as i was just talking too much.
yanti : hahahaha..it was extra loud that nite and very conflicting with his dream .. hehe
Stupe : Bro.. we figured the management's Hyatt - Vistana dilemma based on our past experience as organizers ourselves.If it was not for Azad's discounted rate maybe we would have camped on the beach !! hahahaha seriously!!
Your Emcee"ing" was cool and we appreciated it! I thought you did an excellent job! A natural ! hehehe sapa yg tarik mike tu jealous ! hahahaha
Cayalaah!!! best giler ni!! Boleh buat citer lord of the ring ni...hehehe
you should contact axel, get them to sponsor your next event
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