Pacemakers New Year Run (pseudo 'Tanggathon')

Date : 1 January 2010
Time : 0730
Place : Tapak A Lake Gardens
Terrain : Hilly with 170 stairs per round (Elevation 365m total)
Course : Tough and challenging
Distance : 12.69km

This year's event was quite challenging as the circuit included a stairway climb. The total participation registered was at 200 but I suspect that quite a number didn't turn up, perhaps due to overdoing the new year celebration the previous day.

The race started off pretty much on the dot and we were away. Didn't look like anything new....

I did the usual loop around the lake and finally reached the staircase. Man, it looked really far and high. I had already been fore warned on their site that they had incorporated a stairway in this race. Given the number of steps, my strategy was to take on 2 steps at a time at walking pace.

By the time I reached the top on the 1st loop, it was already quite a toll. Just imagine that there were 3 more climbs to do. From the top, it was downhill all the way. I manage to make up a fraction of the lost time, doing the 1km with the stairs in 5:35.

After completing in the first loop, I was still feeling ok, and looking at the pace, I seem to be doing much better than most of the other runners. Even in the 2nd loop, there was already a runner experiencing a bit of a cramp. This was expected with sharp hill climbs at high speeds, so it was best to pace within your expected limits.

The 2nd climb was slower with that km ending at 5:52, with some lethargy building up in the muscles, as well as a strain on the heart.

With 3rd and 4th climb in mind, I hoped to reserve sufficient enough energy for the last dash downhill and decided to pace below my limit. A side stitch on my right was also starting to develop as I was going downhill, hence better be wiser than sorry.

The 3rd climb was done in 5:51, about the same with the previous lap.

The 4th climb was a push, as there was only 1km + to go. I did it in 5:36, similar to the first lap, and managed to start running almost immediately after exiting the staircase.

Pouring on the juice a bit towards the end, I managed to finish the 'tanggathon' in 1:06:10, in 8th place. Pleased as a peach, I milled around, taking in the drinks, banana and nasi lemak.

Another good race done by the Pacemakers and a great start to the year.

Looking forward to a year of more road races, and hopefully more PRs!