Event Title: WaterGate 16 Hours
Event Type: Ultra Marathon - Road
Category: Mens - Open
Event Date: 09 - 10 Jan 2016
Location: Taman Seri Empangan, Putrajaya
After my first ultra marathon "Putrajaya 100 Miles" organized by Team Pacat - which gave me a very great ultra experience, I immediately registered myself for "WaterGate 16 Hours" event after knowing that it will be organized by the same event organizers.
Before starting with my race experience - I would like to congratulate all the participants who have completed the minimum commitment distance of 50 Kms and others who pushed themselves till the very end of 16 Hours (proud to say that I'm one among them who pushed till the last hour). Next, I would like to thank all the crew, volunteers, helpers, supporters, medic, and obviously the event organizers for organizing the event in an extraordinary way (why I say this, you will read more about it later in the blog).
When I was packing my things for the event, I chose my gear very carefully along with other necessary things - as I faced issues during my earlier Ultra (Kajang 12 Hours International Walk). I forgot to carry an extra pair of shoes during that event and it costed me a lot of injuries. Never expected rain during that event and unfortunately I had to run in continuous drizzle for more than 2 hours due to which my shoe got wet and I had to continue with them till the event closure - which left blisters and sores in both my feet.
So, keeping those experiences in mind, I have carried additional running shoes, additional running shorts and compression along with power gels and power bars. As the format of the race is in loops there is no necessity to carry hydration bag all the way (which is a good sigh of relief for me).
It was almost 5 PM in the evening and I realized that the race kit collection timings are changed and will be only till 6 PM; so, I rushed myself by booking an Uber (thank god, he is on time) and I reached the venue at around 5:45 PM. To my surprise there were not too many runners out there by the time I reached the place; I could hardly see around 50-60 pax. I went and collected my race kit and dropped my baggage and deposited two water bottles (one for the starting point and the other for the check point - as this is an BYOB event), I have to say - this is a good decision by the organizer. Otherwise there would have been a lot of plastic trash. So, full credits to the event organizer for an environmental friendly decision - Kudos.
As communicated, there was a briefing session on the do's and don'ts for the event by the organizer before the start. Once the briefing is finished, National Anthem was sung in due respect. Just before the start we had a wonderful group picture. The timing system was up and set to 16:00:00 and all the runners gathered at the starting point and as soon as the clock tick 20:00 Hrs the event flag off took place.
Unlike P100 - which is a Single Stage Road Marathon, WaterGate 16 Hours is a course of 5 Kms Loop; starting from Taman Seri Empangan - Place Of Justice - Taman Seri Empangan. This year the timing and lap counts was automated with CheckPoint unlike last year which is manual - good improvement from the organizers.
Not everyone likes to run a long distance formats in the form of loops / lap - sometimes it can be boring for few and for some it's more comfortable as they can see runners all around which gives them more motivation to move on.
The course from the start point to check point 1 and back to start point is not as easy as one thinks - because a few hundred meters away from the starting point one has to climb up the stairs to get onto the most fascinating Putrajaya Bridge and then move till the beautiful "Place of Justice". As the loops / laps getting added upon - climbing up and coming down these stairs became hectic for few runners (I saw few of them having tough time). People who do hill training as part of their running sessions, definitely would not have felt so bad at this place (at least I was more comfortable to move up and down and never had a problem during my course of 15 laps - lesson learnt, hill training is more important in runners journey).
I started running with my Adidas Boost Supernova shoes, which are one of my favorites; but as the distance getting increased the shoe getting tightened near the toe box and I started to feel uncomfortable even though I tried to loosen my laces. Luckily, this time I bought an additional pair of shoes along with me and I changed my shoe after completing my 5th lap and moved to New Balance 1080 V5 - which is broader and has more space at toe box, from then there was no more issue with the shoe. (Lesson Learnt - always carry extra running shoes for Ultra Marathons and hand them over to the organizer if they carries them to a specific check points).
It was like party all night than like running a Ultra Marathon - there were drinks (Isotonic, Coke, Water, Coffee), fruits (banana, watermelon), cakes, bread with jam and peanut butter, potato chips, dates, nasi ayam, nasi vegan and nasi lemak for the breakfast. So, no wonder I can call it as a whole night party.
Around 11:05, I stopped myself for having my dinner (by the time I reached the place dinner was already being served). I took nasi and I was checking with them about the vegetarian dishes, luckily the volunteer told me there was a special food for the vegan and he handed over me a box of nasi goreng. Took rest for about 25 minutes while having my dinner and started with my routine again.
Initially, my target was to complete 50 Kms in less than 10 hours, I told myself - If I complete 50 Kms in less than 10 hours then I'll push myself till the end of 16 hours. Yes, I did complete my 50 Kms in less than 10 hours - by the time I finished my 10th lap the time remaining was still 06:22:41, I achieved my target. Even though my parents asked me to stop after 50 Kms, I still listened to my mind and my commitment of moving till the last hour.
There were lot of runners running for the whole night and even that gave me additional boost and motivation to move on further. All the runners along the course were greeting and cheering each other, I loved the sports spirit.
I bumped into James many time and he was always saying "Good Job" and suddenly I saw him at the check point being treated by the medic team. I initially though he might had some cramps, but when the race got finished I came to know he had pins in his left foot and that caused him great pain, even in that pain he did run till the last hour. I respect his commitment. Not even that, he was running with a cause in this event - raising fund for MIND: The Mental Health Charity and raised an awesome figure of £ 1400/- Kudos to this awesome personality.
I really have to mention about the Physiotherapist (in above pic), she did a fantastic job of giving cheers and massage to the runners and giving them advises during the course. I think around 8 AM in the morning, when I reached this check point, I started to feel some irritation in my right foot and sat there and opened my shoes and all my plasters around my fingers are out of control. She saw my situation and even though I haven't asked for her help, she came to me generously and did massage to both my feet. I respect for the commitment of this Doc.
The sun getting more hot and that's when I decided to change my running gear, moved from my half sleeve compression top to a full sleeve and pushed myself in that hot for another 3 loops of running. I managed to complete 60 Kms in 12 hours, then I decided to go at a slower and much comfortable pace to achieve my target of 75 Kms (3 more laps to go), finally closed my final lap 75 Kms at 11:25 AM on Sunday.
I never thought I could achieve my target of 75 Kms (my GPS trackers both Nike+ and miCoach were showing 84 Kms though). I have no words when I crossed the finish line after the final lap.
Last year the course record was 120 Kms set by Mr AH Siao AwSum, and this year he broke his record himself by adding additional 10 Kms which is 130 Kms - Congratulations to AH.
Finally, the photo session with the medals and with other run mates.
I would like to thank each one of the runner for encouraging me all thru the event. See you guys again in P100 / Water Gate 16 Hours Event in 2017. But the next time the event will not be in Putrajaya.
Event Type: Ultra Marathon - Road
Category: Mens - Open
Event Date: 09 - 10 Jan 2016
Location: Taman Seri Empangan, Putrajaya
After my first ultra marathon "Putrajaya 100 Miles" organized by Team Pacat - which gave me a very great ultra experience, I immediately registered myself for "WaterGate 16 Hours" event after knowing that it will be organized by the same event organizers.
Before starting with my race experience - I would like to congratulate all the participants who have completed the minimum commitment distance of 50 Kms and others who pushed themselves till the very end of 16 Hours (proud to say that I'm one among them who pushed till the last hour). Next, I would like to thank all the crew, volunteers, helpers, supporters, medic, and obviously the event organizers for organizing the event in an extraordinary way (why I say this, you will read more about it later in the blog).
When I was packing my things for the event, I chose my gear very carefully along with other necessary things - as I faced issues during my earlier Ultra (Kajang 12 Hours International Walk). I forgot to carry an extra pair of shoes during that event and it costed me a lot of injuries. Never expected rain during that event and unfortunately I had to run in continuous drizzle for more than 2 hours due to which my shoe got wet and I had to continue with them till the event closure - which left blisters and sores in both my feet.
So, keeping those experiences in mind, I have carried additional running shoes, additional running shorts and compression along with power gels and power bars. As the format of the race is in loops there is no necessity to carry hydration bag all the way (which is a good sigh of relief for me).
It was almost 5 PM in the evening and I realized that the race kit collection timings are changed and will be only till 6 PM; so, I rushed myself by booking an Uber (thank god, he is on time) and I reached the venue at around 5:45 PM. To my surprise there were not too many runners out there by the time I reached the place; I could hardly see around 50-60 pax. I went and collected my race kit and dropped my baggage and deposited two water bottles (one for the starting point and the other for the check point - as this is an BYOB event), I have to say - this is a good decision by the organizer. Otherwise there would have been a lot of plastic trash. So, full credits to the event organizer for an environmental friendly decision - Kudos.
As communicated, there was a briefing session on the do's and don'ts for the event by the organizer before the start. Once the briefing is finished, National Anthem was sung in due respect. Just before the start we had a wonderful group picture. The timing system was up and set to 16:00:00 and all the runners gathered at the starting point and as soon as the clock tick 20:00 Hrs the event flag off took place.
Unlike P100 - which is a Single Stage Road Marathon, WaterGate 16 Hours is a course of 5 Kms Loop; starting from Taman Seri Empangan - Place Of Justice - Taman Seri Empangan. This year the timing and lap counts was automated with CheckPoint unlike last year which is manual - good improvement from the organizers.
Not everyone likes to run a long distance formats in the form of loops / lap - sometimes it can be boring for few and for some it's more comfortable as they can see runners all around which gives them more motivation to move on.
The course from the start point to check point 1 and back to start point is not as easy as one thinks - because a few hundred meters away from the starting point one has to climb up the stairs to get onto the most fascinating Putrajaya Bridge and then move till the beautiful "Place of Justice". As the loops / laps getting added upon - climbing up and coming down these stairs became hectic for few runners (I saw few of them having tough time). People who do hill training as part of their running sessions, definitely would not have felt so bad at this place (at least I was more comfortable to move up and down and never had a problem during my course of 15 laps - lesson learnt, hill training is more important in runners journey).
I started running with my Adidas Boost Supernova shoes, which are one of my favorites; but as the distance getting increased the shoe getting tightened near the toe box and I started to feel uncomfortable even though I tried to loosen my laces. Luckily, this time I bought an additional pair of shoes along with me and I changed my shoe after completing my 5th lap and moved to New Balance 1080 V5 - which is broader and has more space at toe box, from then there was no more issue with the shoe. (Lesson Learnt - always carry extra running shoes for Ultra Marathons and hand them over to the organizer if they carries them to a specific check points).
It was like party all night than like running a Ultra Marathon - there were drinks (Isotonic, Coke, Water, Coffee), fruits (banana, watermelon), cakes, bread with jam and peanut butter, potato chips, dates, nasi ayam, nasi vegan and nasi lemak for the breakfast. So, no wonder I can call it as a whole night party.
Around 11:05, I stopped myself for having my dinner (by the time I reached the place dinner was already being served). I took nasi and I was checking with them about the vegetarian dishes, luckily the volunteer told me there was a special food for the vegan and he handed over me a box of nasi goreng. Took rest for about 25 minutes while having my dinner and started with my routine again.
Initially, my target was to complete 50 Kms in less than 10 hours, I told myself - If I complete 50 Kms in less than 10 hours then I'll push myself till the end of 16 hours. Yes, I did complete my 50 Kms in less than 10 hours - by the time I finished my 10th lap the time remaining was still 06:22:41, I achieved my target. Even though my parents asked me to stop after 50 Kms, I still listened to my mind and my commitment of moving till the last hour.
There were lot of runners running for the whole night and even that gave me additional boost and motivation to move on further. All the runners along the course were greeting and cheering each other, I loved the sports spirit.
I bumped into James many time and he was always saying "Good Job" and suddenly I saw him at the check point being treated by the medic team. I initially though he might had some cramps, but when the race got finished I came to know he had pins in his left foot and that caused him great pain, even in that pain he did run till the last hour. I respect his commitment. Not even that, he was running with a cause in this event - raising fund for MIND: The Mental Health Charity and raised an awesome figure of £ 1400/- Kudos to this awesome personality.
The sun getting more hot and that's when I decided to change my running gear, moved from my half sleeve compression top to a full sleeve and pushed myself in that hot for another 3 loops of running. I managed to complete 60 Kms in 12 hours, then I decided to go at a slower and much comfortable pace to achieve my target of 75 Kms (3 more laps to go), finally closed my final lap 75 Kms at 11:25 AM on Sunday.
I never thought I could achieve my target of 75 Kms (my GPS trackers both Nike+ and miCoach were showing 84 Kms though). I have no words when I crossed the finish line after the final lap.
Last year the course record was 120 Kms set by Mr AH Siao AwSum, and this year he broke his record himself by adding additional 10 Kms which is 130 Kms - Congratulations to AH.
Finally, the photo session with the medals and with other run mates.
I would like to thank each one of the runner for encouraging me all thru the event. See you guys again in P100 / Water Gate 16 Hours Event in 2017. But the next time the event will not be in Putrajaya.
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