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This particular story happened in Penang. Taken from The Star

Devil In Disguise, by Marie Schneider

Beware of evil men disguised as good.

WHEN you are in need of help, the last thing you want is a predator turning up to take advantage of your vulnerability. In the past, I’ve heard so many stories of evil intent disguised as a good deed; stories that have shocked me, but which have also been quickly forgotten. That is to say, until a dear friend had a harrowing encounter with a “Good Samaritan”. Now I’m reminded that we can never let our guard down with a stranger.

It all started when my friend locked herself out of her car at the side of a busy Penang road. One minute she was investigating the strange noise coming from one of her wheels, and the next she found herself stranded. It was late at night, it was beginning to rain, and her handphone was inside the car, along with her handbag and house keys.

Just as she was cursing her absent-mindedness, a car pulled up from behind. Her initial reaction was uncertainty, so she tried to make herself as visible as possible by standing as close to the passing traffic as she could, without getting run over. Surely, no one would try anything untoward with so many potential witnesses, she reasoned.

As it turned out, the driver of the car was friendly and charming. But isn’t that usually the case? Predators usually don’t look any different from the good guys. If evil were clearly etched on a face, we could round up everyone with a certain look and lock them up before they could do any harm.

To gain my friend’s trust, Mr Pred told her that the same thing had happened to him the month before. “It can happen to anyone,” he said, and then he laughed in an easy way that said, “Hey, I’m on your side! I’ve been there, done that, and I can help get you on your way again.”

OK, there’s no such laugh, but my friend felt her unease beginning to melt ever so slightly.

Mr Pred then went to his car and removed a metal contraption from his boot: a device that could be used to open a car door. According to him, he’d had it specially made after he’d locked himself out of his car. “I’m so absent-minded, it’s ridiculous,” he announced. Then he laughed in a way that said, “Come on! I’m just an absent-minded, jolly, middle-aged man who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Or so it seemed to my friend. But as he manipulated the metal contraption through the rubber seal that runs along the bottom of her car window, he also manipulated her.

“I’m just on my way home after visiting my mother in hospital,” he said.

“I hope it’s not anything serious,” said my friend.

“She has been ill for a while now, and the doctor said that it’s just a matter of days before …”

“I’m sorry,” said my friend.

Like, what a nice man to stop and help when he was suffering so much.

As Mr Pred fiddled, he talked at length about his elderly mother. My friend felt herself warming to him. All that talk about the old lady touched her.

After a few more manipulative minutes, Mr Pred had the door open. My friend was so relieved, she could have hugged him. But she didn’t.

“Hey, what do you know! I did it. I was getting a little nervous, because it was taking so long,” he said. Then he laughed in a way that said, “You can see that I’m just a nice man who is eager to please.”

“How can I possibly thank you,” said my friend.

“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could help. But before I go, let me just take a look at that wheel of yours. I don’t want to drive off and leave you stranded.”

It’s the front passenger wheel,” said my friend as she moved around to the other side of the car.

It was there, shielded from passing vehicles that Mr Pred made his move. He pushed her against the side of the car and grabbed her breast. It happened so quickly that she couldn’t respond immediately. It was only when she felt his hand moving beneath her skirt that she scream­ed and tried to push him away.

“It’s just a little fun,” said Mr Pred, pushing my friend so hard against the car that she felt winded.

From within her panic and fear, a little snippet of information floated up. She stopped struggling. So did Mr Pred. And that’s all it took; that one little window of opportunity.

A perfectly manicured finger shot out and poked Mr Pred in the eye. His hands shot up to his face and he took a step back. And that’s all it took for her to escape into her car and lock the door.

Mr Pred is still out there.

FYI, I have never finished a Powerman long distance race under the 5 hr qualifying time before.

In 2006, I finished in 5:01:12. Then, it was held in Lumut, and the race started at 1pm! The few things I remembered about that race is that it was super hot when it started, I started having bad cramps on my calf right after I got onto my bike, and the weather changed from hot to heavy rain during the bike.

Last year, I finished absolutely the last with a time of 5:49:56. I know that I am last because the sweeper bus was right behind me. It started a little bit cloudy, but got really hot at the end. Furthermore, I fell sick the day before, could barely stay up, but still decided to race.

This year, my goal is to finish in under 5 hrs. Breakdown: 1:10 (1st run), 2:15 (bike) and 1:30 (2nd run).

On Thursday before the race, it got pretty cold in my room. Even though the fan was quite low, it got really cold and the next morning I felt like I am going to fall sick. I thought to myself if the same thing last year might happen again. Drank lots of warm water for damage control. Decided to sleep early just in case. Woke up like 4.30am the next morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. Felt a little bit weak, but not as bad as last year.

Packed my stuff and started my journey to Seri Manjung after lunch. For those who don’t know how to get there from Penang, take the North-South highway and exit at the Changkat Jering exit. Head towards Pantai Remis and from there, just continue going straight. Total time should be between 2 to 2.5 hours.

Got my race pack. T-shirt is pretty nice, so is the bag that they gave. This year, I planned pretty early. Paid the registration fees in July to get the early bird price, and booked a room at Lead View Hotel, the nearest hotel to the start. You’ll need to book it really early as it fills up pretty fast. Attended the briefing. Blog friend Haris was there as well, but he’s taking part in the relay. DIdn’t eat much for dinner, and slept early.

Got up at 5.30am, took a warm shower, and had my pre-race meal. It consists of Munchy crackers and some banana. And now to the race.

Took it easy on the run. After the first 2 corners, I looked back and noticed that I was already last, together with a girl. But the girl slowly faded back and I could see I’m starting to approach some people in front. Slowly overtook one at a time. Before I finished the first lap, the elites overtook me, just like last year. I finished the first lap in about 38 mins. Pretty much on target. Ran about the same pace on the 2nd lap. This time they gave a band at the end of the 1st lap.

Not many bikes left as I entered T1. There were a few other runners that just entered as well. One thing I learned from last year is proper nutrition on the race. I didn’t eat that much last year, and suffered. Ate 2 bananas that I had at my place, and drank some 100 plus. From what I read online, one would need about 2 powergels and 1 bottle of isotonic drink per hour for calories. You’ll also need water, which for this race will be provided at the u-turn point.

The first lap of the bike, I felt pretty strong. However, I felt that my calves were starting to cramp up. Didn’t really cramped up, but it were signs that I need to do something. Quickly ate one powergel and dumped in some 100 plus. Luckily for me, it subsided and didn’t had cramps all the way on the bike. Overtook quite a number of people on the first lap. I was quite surprise to be overtaking Sprint participants so early in the bike. I could see quite a number was starting to have cramps, and many stopped at the side of the road to stretch. I also saw a number of punctures throughout the whole bike leg, amounting to about 5.

The climb up the bridge wasn’t so bad on the 1st lap. However, towards the end of the first lap, my feet started to feel really painful. I wasn’t sure it was due to the pounding on the run, or on the bike itself. At the u-turn, I realised that it could be because my shoes were too tight. I quickly loosen the straps, and it started to feel a lot better, but still a little bit painful. I started to struggle on the 2nd lap. The climb up the bridge this time was getting harder, and on the return climb, it was purely mental just to complete the climb. I told myself that there was only 12km back to T2. Pushed as much as I could but was quite exhausted already. A few people overtook me then. Finished the 1st lap in 1:10 hrs, the 2nd lap was 1:16 for a total of 2:26 hrs. 25 mins better than last year.

I entered T2 at 3:45 hrs after start, which means I have 1:15 hrs left to finish the race, which is the same time as my first run! I tried my best to run, but just ran out of energy. The sun was right up there and it was blistering hot. At each water station, I just poured water all over my head and face. Again, walked for the most part of the run.

Unofficial timing:
1st run (11km): 1:13
Bike (64km): 2:26
2nd run (10km): 1:39
Total: 5:24

Well, at least there was improvement from last year, which came from the bike section. I shall train harder for next year, and see you there!

Race organising was quite good. Water station was adequate. Marshalling was top notch. Thanks to the marshalls, policemen and RELA members, and not to mention all the volunteers involved.

However, one thing I don’t quite like about this event is how they prioritise the elites. I understand that the elites give the glamour to the event. But for age groupers like me, I don’t really care who’s taking part. I don’t follow the Duathlon scene anyway. But its the age groupers that make this event what it is. Without them, they’ll won’t have enough funds to run an event like this, and it’ll be sad if they’ll have to stop organising because of this reason.

In the triathlon races organised by Uncle Chan and family, you can feel that people are doing it for fun. Fun but yet competitive. And they’ll wait till the very last person finishes. But in Powerman, once its over 5 hrs, only the volunteers are left behind. I know how it feels to be behind as I was last last year. They were already starting to pack up when I arrive at the water station. When I finally finished, there were hardly anyone left. Only a few volunteers left, who were cheering for me when I entered the finishing chute.

This year, the Awards lunch started at the 5 hrs mark, meaning that the organisers would have left for it by then. There were no announcement and encouragement given to the finishers. And to make things worse, they decided to give the finisher’s cert right after the race itself. Even worse still, they ran out of cert and had people to write down their names and particulars for it to be delivered. It was quite a mess at the finisher’s tent. What happen to the personal touch? For the past 2 events that I was in, it was mailed to us with our timing on it. Isn’t that nice?

I hope to organisers would pay attention to these details. Of course, I don’t intend to finish over 5 hrs again, but there’ll definitely be somebody that will and I know how they feel. It is not a nice feeling.

I didn’t attend the Awards Lunch. Went back straight to the hotel, took a really nice and long hot shower and packed up. Went for my customary celebratory meal at KFC, the nearest being at Sitiawan some 3km away. Who cares about the Awards lunch? My award was waiting for me at KFC

Its been a while since I wrote anything here. 2009 has been a pretty much uneventful year so far. I haven’t taken part in any triathlon race since 2007. The last race was the PD Tri in July 2007. The only event in 2008 was the Powerman, where I finished absolutely last of the finishers, with a time of almost 6 hours. In 2009, I took part in the Baling International Duathlon . Next weekend, I will be taking part in the Powerman again, and then Half Marathon in the Penang Bridge International Marathon on the 22nd of Nov. Initially plan to take part in the Putrajaya Night Triathlon scheduled on the 12th of Dec, but has been removed from the website. So, it looks like no triathlon for this year.

A few months back, I decided to start training for the Ironman Langkawi again. I then realised that it was a tall order to train for the Ironman from practically nothing. Coupled with a health issue that I am having, I have decided to delay taking part in Ironman Langkawi. I have decided to slowly build up my base, as well as to finish strongly then just to finish only.

I have included several overseas triathlon events for my 2010 calendar, to make it both a holiday and triathlon event at the same time. The thing about Malaysian triathlon racing is that the calendar is usually out very late, and that also very often unconfirmed. That makes it hard for many people to plan their calendar, especially those that have to travel from far.

Tentaive 2010 Calendar (Swim – bike – run distance in brackets)

March 21: Ironman 70.3 Singapore (1.9km – 90km – 21km)
May 22: Bintan Triathlon (1.5km – 40km – 10km) – Travel via Singapore
June 20: Bali Triathlon at Jimbaran Bay (1.5km – 40km – 10km)
July: Port Dickson International Triathlon (1.5km – 40km – 10km)
July: Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya (1.9km – 90km – 21km) – See what I told you about Malaysian events, dates TBD
August 22: Ironman 70.3 Philippines at Camrines Sur (1.9km – 90km – 21km)
August: Vietnam International Triathlon at Hoi An (1.5km – 40km – 10km) – I am more inclined to the Vietnam race than Philippines as Hoi An is a World Heritage City and makes a better holiday
November: Lombok Triathlon (1.5km – 40km – 10km)
December: Laguna Phuket Triathlon (1.8km – 55km – 12km)

All this hopefully will lead to an Ironman in 2011, either in Ironman Langkawi or Ironman China (Haikou, Hainan)

One of the rare multi-sports event to be held in the Northern region. When I read about it, I wasn’t sure if I would take part in it. Not sure if I’ll be fit in time. But then, since I have registered for the Powerman in November, this would be a good start to my “racing season”.

When Haris told me that he’ll be taking part as well, I decided to take part as at least I would have some company. He booked a room for us as well as for a friend of his, Kevin.

The race distance listed was 6km run, 36km bike, and then another 6km run. I haven’t had much run lately. Cycling should be a problem as I have been doing round the island a few times lately.

Arrived around 5pm at Bayu Hotel. It is about 1 and a half hours drive from Butterworth. Took the opportunity to take the ferry instead. The drive was pretty straightforward. The hotel seem pretty new. Met Haris and Kevin downstairs. They were doing up their bikes.

Briefing was at 6pm. There were quite a number of Thais. There was a van outside with the word “Thai police” one it. Mostly Malaysians with the foreigners from Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and SIngapore. The run route was a bit tricky, with lots of turnings and looping. Bike route was a litte bit tricky at the beginning, but straightforward once we got onto the main road. Mr Chan keep repeating that we will pass KFC 4 times!

As for the hotel, not that bad I guess. RM150 for a room for 3. A little bit pricey for a hotel in a small town. Worse still, there was some mix up and they gave us the room for 2 only! BUt at least it was clean, has hot shower and the view outside was excellent. Outside the room was a beautiful limestone hill. Reminds me of Ipoh.

Had dinner in a Malay food court in town. Walked in the pasar malam after that as Haris and Kevin felt like eating more. Went back to the hotel after that, got our gears ready and checked. Watched TV for a while and slept around 10pm.

Kevin didn’t really had a good sleep, and woke up around 5. I also woke up around that time, but just lay on my bed while he did his stuff. Got out of bed at around 5.30pm. Went downstairs for breakfast at 6. They served packed nasi lemak, some variety of bread and nescafe. Had a pack of Nasi Lemak. Went back to the room and ate some chocolate bars.

Reached the race site around 7. It was at the vicinity of Dewan Tun Abdul Razak. Just hang around the transition area, did the usual warm up, toilet, and checked out the people and bikes. Race was delayed by quite a bit. Was supposed to start at 8am. Waited for the Lion Dance troupe to arrive for “Good Luck”. Flag off I think was around 8.40am. Usually Mr Chan’s race never starts late.

Took it easy for the first run, since I didn’t have the running base. It was slightly uphill in the beginning, pass the Baling Hospital. Then it was downhill and mostly flat. Ran past the kampung area. Lots of people were outside their houses watching. The scenery was very nice. Started out near the back, but slowly cut a few people. Didn’t really looked at my watch when I finished, but it was around 42 mins for the run.

T1 was simple. The first part of the bike was the same as the run. Then it goes out of the town, turning left in front of the hotel, and then straight for about 13km or so. Mr Chan announced earlier that the bike route distance was about 32km, instead of 36km. The route was undulating, but not really that steep. Pushed quite hard. Remembered to drink some fluid, but forgot to eat something. Wasn’t feeling that hungry anyway. It was a little bit hot, but not blistering type of hot. Was alone most of the way. Towards the end, some guy drafted behind me. The best part of the route was the long downhills. Seems that I went up to 52km/h, which I don’t remember when.

When I got back, a number of people have finished. Bike time was about 1hr 11mins, with average speed of 27km/h. Not too bad I guess. Had problems putting back on my socks (I don’t wear socks with my bike shoes). As usual, had difficulty running in the beginning, and my calf muscles started to tighten up. Stretched a little, and walked up the hill. Started to get the feel of running, but the rest of the way I was alternating between walking and running with more running towards the end. I think my 2nd run, which btw was only 5km, was about 40mins.

Total race time was about 2hrs 38mins. Quite satisfied in general as I know my fitness was not there yet. Haris did in 1hr 57mins, while Kevin was just over 2 hours. Congratulations to them for their excellent timing.

Lunch was provided, and seems to be sponsored by the BN ADUN of Baling. More than 3 hours after the start, the last participant finished. The announcer announced that he was a stroke victim. I noticed earlier in the race that his running posture was a little bit different. Quite amazing actually for him to be able to finish the race. Everybody there cheered when he approached the finish.

My dad recently suffered a stroke as well, and that moment it was quite emotional for me. I was so touched by his courage and enthusiasm. My eyes got a little bit teary.

We got back to the hotel room, took a bath and packed up. I parted ways with Haris and Kevin.

While on the way driving back, there was something wrong with my car air-cond. Whenever it turns on, the car will jerk a little and my car radio will reset. This means that the air-cond is drawing a lot of power. To play safe as I don’t want my car to break down in the middle of nowhere, I decided to turn off the air-cond and drove with my car window open. And man, it was a blistering hot afternoon. Sweated in the car while driving. Decided to take the ferry again. At least got some shade while crossing over to the island.

Overall, it was quite a fun race, especially with Haris and Kevin around. I would definitely do it again next year. Furthermore, I must support races in the northern region, so that it will be organised again in the following years.

I got a number of races coming up. Merdeka Ride For Green on 16 Aug, Cendana Hikathon on 4 Oct, Putrajaya Triathlon on 1 Nov and Powerman on 8 Nov.

Also, I am seriously considering taking part in Ironman Langkawi again, which falls on the 28th of Februrary 2010. This gives me about 7 months of training left. I am starting to get comfortable with my swimming again, my bike base is much higher than the last time, with running my main problem now.

Most of us believe that Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in South East Asia. Since young, from our education, brochures, news, etc, we were told that. Initially stated as 4101m high, a survey in 1997 using satellite technology indicated that is actually 4095m high.

I remember some years back, my father told me that there is actually a mountain in Irian Jaya (the Indonesian side of the island of New Guinea) that is actually taller than Mount Kinabalu. The reasoning that it is not the tallest in South East Asia is because the island of New Guinea belongs to the Australasia continent, and hence not considered to be the tallest in in South East Asia.

I stumbled upon articles in Wikipedia stating the tallest mountains in South East Asia countries. Surprise, the tallest mountain in South East Asian countries is Hkakabo Razi in Myanmar at 5881m tall!

Here is the undisputed list of the tallest mountains in South East Asian countries

1. Hkakabo Razi, Myanmar, 5881m

2. Puncak Jaya, Western New Guinea, Indonesia, 4884m

3. Puncak Trikora (formerly Mt Wilhelmina), Western New Guinea, Indonesia, 4750m

4. Puncak Mandala, Western New Guinea, Indonesia, 4640m

5. Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, 4095m

Now the question lies on how do we define “South East Asia”. Does South East Asia (SEA) mean all the countries that fall into SEA i.e. Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar? Or SEA is defined on the continental plate it is on?

The argument is that Western New Guinea (also known as West Papua or Irian Jaya) is located on New Guinea island, which is actually connected to the Oceania (Australasia) continent. Hence, it is technically not SEA.

As for Hkakabo Razi in Myanmar, some argue that it is located on the Himalayas, which could be classified as located in South Asia.

One argument on classification is mentioned in the comments section at Bisean. Lake Baikal is the largest lake in Asia, but it is located in Siberia, Russia. Russia as we all know, is an European country. But the lake is located on the Asian side of Russia. Even Wikipedia mentioned that Lake Baikal is located in Asia.

So, in conclusion, Mount Kinabalu could still be the tallest mountain in South East Asia, depending on how you classify South East Asia. But among the South East Asian countries, it is only the 5th tallest.

Went cycling this morning. Decided to do something “tougher”, that is to cycle from Sg Nibong to the peak before Balik Pulau via Bayan Lepas and then back. Total distance would be about 40km or so. Somehow, it felt so difficult, as though the brakes were slowing me down. Didn’t manage to cycle all the way up. Halfway, I was exhausted and started seeing “stars”. Rested for a while. I think it could be because I donated blood last Sunday. Well, maybe. I think I would do an easier route the next time, probably on May Day.

If the number of tourist entering to Malaysia this year declines, I think I know the reason. Look what I found when I was searching for some stuff in Google

I dare not click on the link to find out. I wonder what I should do. Maybe I should report to Cybersecurity Malaysia. If any of you out there know somebody in the Tourism Ministry, please inform them. It might be a false alarm, and it needs to be reported to Google.

OK. I haven’t been updating this blog for some time already. So now, I’ll start anew. A new domain name! Welcome to my new blog at twy.my. This site is using the new Wordpress 2.5. Heard it has quite a number of bugs, but what the hell. Importing was pretty straightforward, but the page id wasn’t the same as the old one. So I had to manually change the id one by one to match the old site.

Anyway, so what’s my plan for the year? Since the PD Tri in July last year, I barely trained. Started training a few weeks ago, and boy was I weak. I could barely run 2km, could barely swim 50m (!!!), my breathing rhythm was out, stroke was out, panicked halfway while swimming. Luckily after a few times going to the pool, I managed to overcome my fear and my stroke and fitness seem to be coming back (phew!). Started cycling again. The same. Could barely cycle 15km. Today, I did a relatively easy 20km. Will slowly increase my mileage till I’m confident enough to cycle round the island (about 70km I think, hilly).

That means that I will miss A Famosa Tri on 10th of May. Feel a little bit sad, coz that was where my Tri “career” started. I will definitely go for the PD Tri in July. I would like to go to the Kenyir Tri a few weeks before the PD Tri, but logistics is a problem. If anyone from Penang (or near here) reading this that has space or know someone that is going to Kenyir and has space in the car, please let me know!

The other confirmed race would be the Powerman on the 9th of November. Missed this last year. I’m contemplating on taking part in the Half Ironman in Singapore some time in September, but the cost and logistics is a problem. Hmmmm.. Might decide some time around the PD Tri.

Let’s see… What other events are there. Desaru equivalent-of-half-ironman in August, logistics…. Penang bridge run. Heard cancelled (I think I know why). Probably related to the changes that just occurred in Penang. My just only ex-colleague asked me to go to Singapore for the half-marathon. Don’t like that race, coz it gets pretty crowded. Imagine 20k people on the road, and half of them not really that serious. Cost and logistics, as usual.

If you guys know of any race around this region, let me know. Leave a comment.

Train hard, and train smart!

As usual, my target is 3 hrs. However, going into this race, I didn’t really train that much. Anyway, straight to the race.

It rained almost the entire Saturday, and the Sprint contestants had to swim in really rough seas. Thankfully, on Sunday morning, the rain stopped and the sea was calm. This time I stayed in PD, so didn’t have to rush. Didn’t want another repeat of Bukit Merah.

Due to the large number of contestants, the split the swim into 5 (I think) waves. The elite went off first, and I was in the 2nd wave which was the Men 18-30 category. As usual, started at the back. Some VIP flagged us off. The water was quite shallow for quite a good distance. Although I am slow, I think I am not the slowest. It was difficult overtaking at the beginning. Next time I think I start “near” the last. Actually, I didn’t know the swim route. I just follow the marker, which I have to say was pretty big (which is good). The problem with starting in waves is that after some time, those from the next wave started overtaking me. Lots of kicking, splashing, brushing, etc was going on. Somebody’s hand almost knocked off my goggles, but luckily it remained intact. From then on, it was rather splashy and wavy caused by the large number of contestants. My time: some 38 mins. I am quite shocked actually. Didn’t expect it to be this fast. I thought the distance might be shorter, but Stupe’s blog says it was 1.5km. Well, nothing to complain about.

T1 was quick. Starting to get used to the transition thing. The thing I like about starting in waves is that I am not that lonely anymore during the bike onwards. However, many overtook me, especially during uphill. I think this is where I need to work on. Since it is legal to draft, I tried once in a while, though there’s nobody with the same pace as me. So, most of the time I was cycling alone. Not really used to the drafting thing, as I usually train alone. The route was pretty interesting. It was the road towards Lukut, some small town in Negeri Sembilan. Anything that you’ve ever seen on the road, it’s there. Carcass (all sorts of animals: birds, snakes, iguanas, etc), cow-dung, and lots of other stuff. However, road condition wasn’t that good. Potholes here and there. This time, remembered to eat something. Had 2 powergels and one banana. It rained occasionally. Bike time: about 1 hr 20 something minutes. Close to my target. On track.

T2 again was quick. From a lesson learned in Powerman 2006, when it rained and my shoes got wet, this time I placed my shoes in a plastic bag. So, dry shoes and socks to start off with. My calf was pretty tight in the beginning. Stretched a little, but my legs weren’t that tired. However, still stopped occasionally. Nothing interesting to talk about. The u-turn was just after Avillion. My time was some 1 hr 5 minutes. I think the distance is shorter than 10km, as I don’t think I would have run that fast. Total time, some 3 hrs 10 minutes. Personal best. Quite delighted with my time.

So, overall, it was a pretty good race. 3 hrs seem quite realistic now. Trim 5 minutes in the swim, 5 minutes in the bike, and maybe another 5 minutes in the run.

However, I am sad to say that a triathlete passed away when he drowned during the swim. It is said that this was his first triathlon. I don’t know him, but may he rest in peace.

I don’t know what happened or who’s fault it is, but I want to say a few things about the swim. For beginners, it can actually be quite tense at the beginning. Everbody is kicking, splashing, shoving, trying to overtake each other. During my first sprint triathlon, I panicked and almost gave up. Luckily I remained calm, float on my back and took some breathers. Even at this year’s A Famosa, I had to go to the side and took some breather. For those starting out, it would be better to start at the back. Don’t worry about those announcers asking you to go in. Take your own time, and start swimming when you are ready. The important thing is to keep calm and remember to breathe.

Anyway, took some time off from training after the race. Did some stroke correction and improvement on my swim. Started running again. Sent my bike for service. Side note: it rained almost the entire journey from PD to Penang. My bike rusted wherever it could rust. So, had to send in for service.

Next major race: Powerman 2007 in Lumut. See you there!

OK, this blog is way way overdue. Was busy with some other stuff that I am doing right now. So, straight to the story.

Those that read my A Famosa Report would know that I was kinda late for the race. As for the Bukit Merah race, it was even worse. As to save some money, I didn’t stay at Bukit Merah. Instead, I travelled on Saturday to get my stuff (entry fee is more expensive than A Famosa, but less goodies in the bag?) and travelled again on Sunday morning for the race. And you know what? I woke up 1 hour late! Was suppose to leave the island at around 6am, arrive there at 7am. Instead, I woke up at 6am. Rushed like gila. One thing I learned from A Famosa was to get ready my stuff the night before. Good thing that this time I packed my stuff and bike into the car already. So all I had to do was to to dress up and go straight to the car. Picked my gf up and left. It was raining quite heavily on the way. I was hoping that they would delay the start because of the rain. However, the rain stopped half way on the way there, and I arrived around 7.30am. Quickly unpacked my stuff. Barely had time to warm up.

As I didn’t attend the briefing the night before (was there one?), I asked on Mat Salleh guy what is the swim route. Before that, I looked at the markers and it seemed pretty far. I thought that I only have to swim one lap. But he said that we have to swim 2 laps? I was like Huh? I remember from the Sprint that they had to swim one lap only, and theirs was 1km. Anyway, some VIP, as usual, flagged off the race. As usual, I started from the back. After a while, caught up with a few swimmers. But from then on, as usual again, mostly solo all the way. I forgot to spray the anti-fog onto my goggles, so had visibility problem all the way. I finished the same time as the first women to finish 2 laps! Looking at the results, her time was 31:17. Then I knew that it was definitely 1km per lap. Took a few breathers and went back in. Mr Chan was shouting at me and another guy to go straight into the water. But who cares, I’m the one swimming, not him. Went back in. I was starting to get tired, as I wasn’t prepared for the 2km swim. Came out in 1:05 hrs.

Slow jog to the transition area. However, there weren’t anyone to direct me on where to go. Again, probably I never attend the briefing. Anyway, as I was on the way out of Bukit Merah, the first guy, a Mat Salleh whom I found out later was French, was already on his way back. Man, this guy is fast. Cycling was pretty uneventful, although the route was nice. Pretty much solo all the way. The cycling route was less than 40km, about 36 or 37 km I believe. My time was 1:15 hrs.

As for the run, suffered all the way. It was starting to get quite hot as well. However, I ran more than A Famosa, which is a good thing. Again, nothing much to talk about. Time was a poor 1:15 hrs.

So, total time: 3:37:02. Compared to my A Famosa time, I think I improved a little. Overall, I am quite happy with my time. The swim distance messed things up a little, but nevertheless, it was quite a fun and enjoyable race.

Next up: Port Dickson International Triathlon 2007 report. Stay tuned!