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Monday 3 August 2009

Report Baling International Duathlon

Baling is not far from my home only an hour+ driving. Thinking of wake-up and drive early morning, setup a bike, pick up goodies beg, bib number, race briefing a day before a race and etc-etc, then better i stay a night in Baling. Luckily another 2 of my running friends (kevin and twy) from Penang agreed to share a room. I secured a room at official hotel 3 week earlier.



Saturday 4:30pm after pickup Kevin @SP, we reached Bayu Hotel. It is a new hotel. Just open early July. Had difficulty to find this hotel because i thought it locate in Baling town but luckily a motorist offer to lead us.


Briefing @hotel

During registration there no detail on running and cycling route only list of participant. We had to wait until 6:30pm for race briefing by Mr Chan. He told us do and don't and racing map via google earth map. Although I'm local, I still blank on route course shown. Eeemm.. just follow the elites and marshall.


Loading

That night, we had dinner in Baling town and after that we went to Pasar Malam. Kevin and i bought extra stuff for supper or so call carbo-loading - 2 kebab, RM1 of apoms and 1 kilo of dokong. Back at hotel i lepak and share with Yaziz another running friends from KL who are also the Pacemakers members.


Race day.


My kuda kepang

Next morning. Race day.
8am we were ready+line-up at starting line. The race a bit delay until 8.30am waiting for lion dances group and over-sleep VIP to flag-off. Sapa yang terasa.. Come on laarr.. regardless your position or level or pangkat, can we respect the time. 30mins x hundred of waiting people compare to your 30min, which is waste more?


Starting line

Junior bikes

Run.
Actual distance for 1st discipline is 6.2km (Mr.Chan told during briefing). A lap of 1.2km run around Baling town and another 5km heading to kampong road. It is Sunday, a weekday in Kedah so not many penyokong bebudak cheering us along the route. Road busy with cars+buses sending kid to school and daily routine.

It is flat road around Baling town. Next 5km lap got 2 hills. I ran with my own pace. Enjoying the kampung scenery. Old folks enjoy their breakfast, minum kopi, teh tarik and a nice smell of roti canai from stall nearby with a beautiful bukit batu kapor as a background only a few hundred meter. Kevin was 100metre infront with blue cap. Try to catch-up but he was fast.

Bike.
Again actual distance is 32km not 36km. Drafting is allow said Mr.Chan. After got out from transition area we kayuh along 5km running route. Got a lady who is tailing me since start kayuh. At 5km i gave her signs. Twice. Ask her to lead. I know she a good cyclist able to ikut kayuh >40km/h but she refuse to lead. With that, so sorry... I speed up more and do a zig-zag. Left her.

At 10km of cycling, i'm able to catch-up with Kevin. Second hill, i pancit can't follow Kevin's pace but that lady able to draft with Kevin. I left behind. Suddenly 2 cyclist passing by and i ask to join. They welcome me. So 3 of us kayuh as teamwork. Then Kevin and a lady join us.

Still that lady won't take a lead. She likes drafting. Half way of cycling distance we breakaway left a lady behind. After that kayuh until transition area cukup syiok. We did >40km/h on flat road. Meleleh ayeq hidung. Syiok. A few meter before end of cycling we thanks each other and proceed to run discipline.

Run.
Hang the bike. Drink abit. Put my new running shoes Nike LunarGlide+. For first 1-2km was hard for me before my legs could adjust from cycling to running. Plus got 2 bukit between first 2km. I nearly to change to 4th discipline - walking. But that is last resort.

Slowly i did a jog. A slow jog. At water station i took a bottle of mineral water and pour on me then i realised i wearing a not dry-fit apparel. Cehh... felt heavier and slowing down my running. But luckily nobody behind me. So i took my sweet time cross the finish line which is a kilometer ahead.

With load music and the emcee greet us at finish line..
"Nice run 201 (my bib no.) It is Haris from Malaysiiaaaa.."
Fulamak.. gumbira siot. The emcee shout my name. Macam peserta elite la plak..

My time was 2:00.53 - Pap! tepuk dahi. If I could speedup more i could do sub 2.
6.2km run – 30.13
32km bike – 1:02.44
5km run – 27.54

But official timing was 2:00.31. I was rank 26 out of 60 participant in 20~34years old category and 99th finishers

Overall this event running smooth. There were enough marshal and policemen taking care along the road. There no any hiccup in running/cycling in Baling town although here were long queue for cars and lorries. The organizer had done a good job. Hopefully it is a continuous event, an annual event for duathlon sport in Kedah after Pedu Duathlon 2008. Just do it – again.


With Kevin after game over

Errr.. this group.. we call what aarr?




99th finisher - 201

What?! I got 6th!!. Actually it's typo. The winner is 202 - Abdul.. something


Basikal tua


With PakYa family




Pengasas MatRempit

Threesome hehee.. before leaving
Kawan-kawan

Ah Beng from Penang

Mohktar and Twy from Penang

YuSong. One of my blog contributors

PakYa

Kevin. Orang Sarawak. Kerja Penang. Weekend (SgPetani) Kedah.

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