The Adidas King of the Road ½ marathon was held this morning; I guess we should have anticipated trouble from the start with the race being declared a 22.7k Half Marathon! Last year the race was run on the NPE past Sunway Lagoon and was under distance so this year Shah Alam took over. Was that a mistake? Err, having missed out on last year’s race due to illness I couldn’t say but this morning’s tribulations would lean towards a renowned YES.
Firstly, the good things:
PRIZE MONEY: The open categories doll out RM3000 for 1st place winners, very nice. And all age groups and distances get cash prizes 1-10.
Sorry, can’t think of anything else.
Factors that should be taken into consideration for next year:
VESTS: I ended up with an XXL vest, as did most of the other GIRLS of TTH! We pay good money for a nice Adidas vest and would like the correct size so we can actually wear it. Not everyone can collect their vests on the 1st day because some people have to work!
MARKERS: The first distance marker I noticed said 12k to go. Looking at my watch I thought bloody hell I’m supposed to be taking it easy. The second marker said 12k to go. EH up, what’s going on here? Am I running round in circles, having a touch of De-ja-vu or what? The 3rd and final marker said 500m to go. So I put a little kick in, ya know just for fun. Well I can sprint for 4-500m but not a 1000m!
WATER on run: 100PLUS was available at every station however haphazardly located. BUT there was NO water available. This is NOT safe. Were the organisers trying to give St. Johns ambulance something to do??? It’s so simple WATER=hydration. NO water=dehydration. Too much warm 100PLUS= very unhappy runners.
WATER after run: There was none. Oh but plenty of 100PLUS – the organisers must have got a great deal buying in bulk.
FOOD: There was none. NO food = irritable, tired and cranky runners wanting to go home but having to wait for...
PRIZES: Yes they were good. But should winners be made to wait on an empty fuel tank until 11.30am to cash in? WHY was only one person writing names on cheques? At the least there should be a queue for men and women.
THE RUN: Not the most scenic run I have ever completed, but I did learn a lot about the industrial estates in and around Shah Alam...LOVELY!
TTH RESULTS:
Despite the groans it was a good outing for the team:
Julie “Supermum” Foreman (pronounced Julie Foster, they couldn’t even get that right) came 1st in the veteran’s age group. Well done Jules! She received RM1500 for her effort and an Adidas watch. Why the 10k runners received super cool Adidas sunglasses and ½ marathon winners got a watch is another factor I do not understand.
Mariana came 7th in the open. She was also the 2nd Malaysian finisher and qualified for extra cash. Only later we found out she couldn’t have both and had to choose either the open prize money or the Malaysian finisher money and an Adidas watch – what an earth kind of incentive is that???
Emma Bishop stuck to her game plan and started with Bee and Gnae at the back. She did not want to give into temptation and try to run too hard as with the rest of the team her focus is next week. She came 8th so the money made the morning a little easier but she was still grouchy as Emma is not a happy bunny when hungry!
Carmen Leong surprised herself and came in 9th in the veteran’s age group, so the cash made her morning slightly more bearable too. The real target is next week so it was a great solid training run for our Kona bound Carmen.
Congrats also to: Sam (12th men’s senior Vet’s), Bee (13th Women’s Vet’s) & Gnae (14th men’s senior vet’s) for putting in a solid controlled effort in preparation for the scorching (so I am told) asphalt awaiting us on the run next weekend.
Pictures: I hope to blog some, but don’t hold your breath! And please feel free to add your comments about the race; feedback however good or bad can only help to improve the event should it run next year.
Will I run next year? Not on your Nelly, unless there is water on the run and food at the end!
Firstly, the good things:
PRIZE MONEY: The open categories doll out RM3000 for 1st place winners, very nice. And all age groups and distances get cash prizes 1-10.
Sorry, can’t think of anything else.
Factors that should be taken into consideration for next year:
VESTS: I ended up with an XXL vest, as did most of the other GIRLS of TTH! We pay good money for a nice Adidas vest and would like the correct size so we can actually wear it. Not everyone can collect their vests on the 1st day because some people have to work!
MARKERS: The first distance marker I noticed said 12k to go. Looking at my watch I thought bloody hell I’m supposed to be taking it easy. The second marker said 12k to go. EH up, what’s going on here? Am I running round in circles, having a touch of De-ja-vu or what? The 3rd and final marker said 500m to go. So I put a little kick in, ya know just for fun. Well I can sprint for 4-500m but not a 1000m!
WATER on run: 100PLUS was available at every station however haphazardly located. BUT there was NO water available. This is NOT safe. Were the organisers trying to give St. Johns ambulance something to do??? It’s so simple WATER=hydration. NO water=dehydration. Too much warm 100PLUS= very unhappy runners.
WATER after run: There was none. Oh but plenty of 100PLUS – the organisers must have got a great deal buying in bulk.
FOOD: There was none. NO food = irritable, tired and cranky runners wanting to go home but having to wait for...
PRIZES: Yes they were good. But should winners be made to wait on an empty fuel tank until 11.30am to cash in? WHY was only one person writing names on cheques? At the least there should be a queue for men and women.
THE RUN: Not the most scenic run I have ever completed, but I did learn a lot about the industrial estates in and around Shah Alam...LOVELY!
TTH RESULTS:
Despite the groans it was a good outing for the team:
Julie “Supermum” Foreman (pronounced Julie Foster, they couldn’t even get that right) came 1st in the veteran’s age group. Well done Jules! She received RM1500 for her effort and an Adidas watch. Why the 10k runners received super cool Adidas sunglasses and ½ marathon winners got a watch is another factor I do not understand.
Mariana came 7th in the open. She was also the 2nd Malaysian finisher and qualified for extra cash. Only later we found out she couldn’t have both and had to choose either the open prize money or the Malaysian finisher money and an Adidas watch – what an earth kind of incentive is that???
Emma Bishop stuck to her game plan and started with Bee and Gnae at the back. She did not want to give into temptation and try to run too hard as with the rest of the team her focus is next week. She came 8th so the money made the morning a little easier but she was still grouchy as Emma is not a happy bunny when hungry!
Carmen Leong surprised herself and came in 9th in the veteran’s age group, so the cash made her morning slightly more bearable too. The real target is next week so it was a great solid training run for our Kona bound Carmen.
Congrats also to: Sam (12th men’s senior Vet’s), Bee (13th Women’s Vet’s) & Gnae (14th men’s senior vet’s) for putting in a solid controlled effort in preparation for the scorching (so I am told) asphalt awaiting us on the run next weekend.
Pictures: I hope to blog some, but don’t hold your breath! And please feel free to add your comments about the race; feedback however good or bad can only help to improve the event should it run next year.
Will I run next year? Not on your Nelly, unless there is water on the run and food at the end!
6 comments:
hey TTH, the report was nicely put..
my problems would be :
- the markers were a mess
- no water
- no food
- i had my breakfast, around 0430
- hungry waiting to collect prizes
- stitches dressing, around 1200
- lunch, around 1300
- and i had to cash-in the cheque
-_-" they just don't learn..
Thanks Emma for your race report. The points you made were spot on! From my perspective, I was really saddened and angry by the lack of concern for the runners' well-being by the organizer. With insufficient drink stations and no water on the course, this is an irresponsible and unsafe act and I really question the motivation of the organizer in setting up this event. Who was he/she doing this for? Itself or the athletes? While I applaud the magnitude and the depth of the prizes from the sponsor, this must be balanced by organizing a safe race. Safety and concern for the participant must come first and given the complete lack of compassion shown by the organiser in this regard, I will never do this race again.
hey guys, i would have opt for Penang Malakof if I knew what they had in store for me at Shah Alam... All i remember was asking at every water station, where is the h2o??? and how far to go, there were so many directional sign boards, but no distance written on them to help runners... and there was so many roundabouts, the traffic flow was a complete mess at the roundabouts... Sigh! hope next year, the organizers will make the race more runner-friendly...
Nicely written Emma. Another thing that is quite important that the organizer left out. Medic Team. I only see one few hundred meter after the starting point (for what?)and at the round about near the finishing line. In between, I fail to notice any medic team. Traffic control is a bit haywire. And thank god that there are few petrol station along the way. Manage to stop twice to buy some h20.To anybody who cross the finish line. Congrats. You just survive one of the "best" run in Malaysia..
yup, not doing this race again. very shoddy organisation. most critical were the dangers posed.
6peeps weren't able to make it to the cutoff time :(
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