TMMT 2017 was held on 5th August 2017. For the 70km category around 183 runner participated. It was a looped course where runners had to go from the start line (SMK Merapoh) - check point CP4 all the way to to CP9 before finishing near SMK Merapoh. The route takes runner accross beautiful river crossings, caves, palm and rubber plantations, small villages and few stretch of highways. The overall ascent for the 70km category (officially 65.79km) was estimated at 1363m. Cut off time (COT) was set 13 hours after flag off (4:00 AM).
The race also served as a platform to spread awareness on the ongoing conservation initiatve, Save Merapoh Caves.
More info on the race at https://www.facebook.com/runningproject/
plus
http://runningproject.asia/
and on the save merapoh caves initiatve
https://www.facebook.com/SaveMerapohCaves/
Pre-Race
1. The thought of running in/close to Taman Negara, going through caves, made me signed up for this race. This race is one of the iconic ultra races in Malaysia. For this race, I wanted to properly pace myself and not bomb downhill trying to catch up time like I did in Cultra. The goal was to run as much as possible and spend little time idle. Again, only 1 day taper but rested well after cultra and weekly mileage was not that much. So, went into this race feeling a bit better than I did at cultra.
2. Traveled on Friday, bought some food and stuff, collected the race pack and went to put my stuff inside the dorm. Went for the briefing and then KFC, carbo loading with some friends. I planned to sleep around 9PM and wake up around 2AM only for me to fall asleep around 12AM and constantly waking up in between. Maybe I was nervous or maybe I'm just a light sleeper. The dorm conditions didn't help either.
Race Day
(Honestly, I can't remember the order in which i passed through these sections. Caves, rivers etc. So it might be a bit jumbled up).
3. Woke up around 1:50AM and decided to just do breakfast. Same race morning routine, same result. Good. Drove to race site, parked my car, met with friends, warmed up, chatted and at 4 AM sharp, we're off. There were fireworks and people were just happy and it was great start. The lack of sleep didn't seem to effect much with the help of coffee.
4. The first part was on tarmac and I do feel like I could go a bit faster. I let my legs naturally settle into a sustainable pace. I was warming up and although slow, it was early in the race so I accepted the pace. I was moving and slowly passing people. Arrived at the first CP (CP4) and they were serving coffee in a small cup, just nice to help wake you up. Apart from coffee, I had a toilet break and went off without taking anything other than water. Then moments later we were in the trails and the fun stuff began. It was pitch black and I was just following blinkers and guided by other runners in front. We were actually climbing small waterfalls and it was slippery but so much fun. Then it was a bit of trail and then a river. This time quite deep. This is exactly what I signed up for.
5. I tried to wade the river going a little faster. I gained momentum and just maintain the speed I was going and ended up at the front of a small group. So there I was, having to make decisions on where to go. At one point, I observed that there were two way to go , left or right. I went to the right and immediately dunked myself in the water up to neck high. Seeing I was struggling in the water, the runners behind me gingerly went to the left where it was more shallow. I learned my lesson and proceeded the rest of the way following others while chuckling at that funny moment. Wanted to go fast but ended up losing more time swimming in the river.
6. By the time the 1st river section was over, it was runnable trail section. I can't recall what happen at CP5 or how I got there. Then went into some road section in the villages and CP6 where there was a surau and I stopped for subuh prayer. I also changed my socks which was soaking wet. Got some food and really refuel. I wanted to step it up a bit after halfway. So from CP6 to CP7 I increased the intensity and ran the short hills and powerhiked the long steep hills. It was a mix of trails and tarmac and at one point we had to cross the highway which btw totally ruin the landscape of the whole area.
7. Can't remember whether the cave were before or after CP7 but we all had to go into one. It was short but had knee high water. The water was murky but I don't think it was dirty water. Saw some runners on the ledge near the wall which looked like a pretty clever way not to get wet. I also think this was around where we had to go through this beautiful river crossing. People were getting selfies and my kids were the first thing that entered my mind. I wondered what they would say and how excited they'd probably be in that moment. I had to wait to climb up the bank of the river. Some decided not to que and made a new path. It was like 5 minutes queing but I didn't mind waiting in such a beautiful place.
8. After about halfway was when I decided to focus and get on with business. It was on. I was running the downhill pretty hard and kept it steady at the runnables. I refueled both bottles and my bladder. This was a good decision as it feels like forever to get to CP8. It was getting hot and I'm glad I refilled and refuelled properly. I knew I can't f**k up my nutrition if I was going to run till the end.
9. Again, don't know whether if it was before or after CP9 but I continued and we were in another, bigger cave. This was again a jaw dropping moment for me since this was the first time I ran in a cave. I didn't use my head lamp and just use other runners to guide the way. At one point I didn't know where to go and the photographer showed me the way. I was looking around while fast walking but once I saw the cave opening (exit) I concentrated on running again. Getting to CP9 was hard. At CP 9/u turn/last CP I refuelled everything, regrouped, got some food and ran hard again. I was passing runners. I didn't know which category they were but I was adamant to pass as many as possible. These were my main motivation to keep running. I was feeling quite ok but not great, probably just enough to run.
10. In the final palm plantation I grinded it out. I crossed path with the no. 2 and no. 3 runner while they were going to the finish.Then got on the tarmac but I was reserved on the uphill considering I already ran about 60+ km by then which was the furthest I ever ran. I wanted to get to the next CP not totally bonked and push on the last few kms. I also did not want to get passed by anyone and I knew if I slowed down I'd get passed and that would suck especially nearing the end. There are many races where I would pass people and they would later passed me and I would just buckle while feeling a bit embarassed as well.
11. But all of a sudden I heard the mc. My watch showed about 63km. The race was underdistanced and like all other races my watch recorded even lower distance due to the lost signals probably in the caves or obscured by trees etc. No CP then, just the finish line. I was suprised when I crossed it but relieved to have finished. I did it in about 8:01 hrs enough for a 6th place overall finish. Had I known, I would've tried to go for a sub 8.
Post Race
12. I helped myself to the freshly cut watermellons and coconut water. I can't remember how much I ate but quite a lot. I spent at least 10 minutes eating until I felt better and got back to my car. My phone's display went kaput because it got submegered underwater. Went back to the dorm, shower and clean up/wash my gear. Got back to race site, got some food which was delicious. Hang around with friends and also stayed around at the finishing line while watching other runners complete their journey.
Race Notes
13. Race itenerary kind of went like this:
Friday
09:00 AM: Move to Merapoh
11:30 AM: KFC Lunch at Petronas Genting Sempah
01:20 PM: Friday prayer just before Kuala Lipis
03:00 PM: Race Pack Collection and check in dorm
06:00 PM: KFC Carbo load
08:00 PM: Prepare gear and sleep (sort of)
Saturday
01:50 AM: Eat & prepare/put on race gears
03:40 AM: Arrive, warm up
04:00 AM: Race
12:10 PM: Finish Race, rest/hydrate/eat & check phone (phone got submerged)
01:00 PM: Shower and clean gear
02:00 PM: Got back to finish line, hung around and eat
05:00 PM: Went to hotel and dinner
08:30 PM: Sleep
Sunday
09:00 AM: Depart home
01:30 PM: Arrive home
14. The race:
Registration: RM283.60 (including accomodation and admin fee)
Accomodation: RM30
Travel to venue & Race kit Collection: ~5hr
Traveling cost: Conservative estimate at RM0.40/km : 532 km X RM0.4/km = RM215 (plus toll)
Travel distance from hotel to start line: 1km
Waiting for toilet: No issue
Sorting out drop bag: No issue
15. Race Detail:
8:01:17
65km
1,363 D+ (Garmin showed 900+ - wtf garmin?)
6/185 overall
5/140 gender
5/140 men open
Full results:
http://results.checkpointspot.asia/MyResults.aspx?uid=17036-143-2-123635
Race Comments
16. For RM283.60, I think it was worth it for the experience running the course alone. I think I got what I paid for which was running in beautiful places which otherwise would be impossible. Marking was good, volunteers were plenty at CPs and at at junctions/trailheads. Distances between CP were a bit inconsistent I think. Some were really far and some were spaced quite ok. Don't know whether this was just psychology/mental or it is in reality far.
17. Hydration/nutrition were ok and it had coke not some cheap cola which was good. In terms of food, I found that some were not practical especially if you were racing. But water and coke were plenty and I depended mostly on tailwind. The bananas were huge and I think cutting them down to pieces might reduce wastages but at the same time increase the likelihood of spoiling/oxidizing them. I shared and asked people for some of theirs cause I knew most couldn't finish the whole thing. The post-race food was good but I was wondering if there would be enough for those who finished late. Can't really tell. Rice and the fish which was good. I didn't go to the after race dinner. From what I hear and see it was good with BBQ lambs and all.
18. The dorm, hmm.. 30 bucks for 2 days was not that great. I wish the organisers would asked those staying in the dorms to bring their own bedsheet and there were also water issues. But there weren't many mosquitos which was my main worry. But I enjoyed the space afforded. I prepared my breakfast outside and drank coffee in the wee morning before the race which was peaceful. Can't do that in a hotel room. The 2nd night I squatted in my friends hotel and slept like a baby.
19. The course was great. First off, I just don't like highways cause in this race it disturbs the trail experience but it is sometime unavoidable since these roads connect the trails. I don't like them also because of conservation reasons. I know it could somehow help in better connectivity for local people. This is where development goals and conservation goals have to intersect. Seeing that it is being built I assume the local authority already did the Enviromental Impact Assesment on the project and hopefully it does not causes unreversable harm to the surrounding natural areas. We would not be getting that land back. I also don't really prefer running on tarmac in my trail shoes cause it kind of hurts.
20. Now the good stuff, the river sections. I loved it. It feels like a real adventure, sort of indiana jones-eque. I also felt like the kids in the goonies movie trying to find their way to the pirate ship (the reference to 80s movies makes me feel really old). Some rivers were deep and some had small waterfalls which require you to climb over them. It certainly was not "trail running" but those who loves being outdoor would probably loved these. I felt like a kid again.
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| Adventure! The goonies. |
21. The caves was another great experience. Running in one for me was the premium that I have paid for. You certainly would not be allowed (or if common sense were applied) to run in one in normal circumstances. I was trying not to stop much, so I couldn't really enjoy the view and experience the caves. But it was magnificent. We had to go through many plantations but I think it was ok. Soft ground and all so it's good. The climbs were short and sometime steep. Otherwise they were rolling and most of it were quite runnable.
22. Did what I intended to do which was pacing and not stop too much. Decided to finish strong and see where I might end up in the rankings and also in terms of finishing time. This race has validated Tailwind as my main nutrition of choice. Pacing wise, I had a rough idea of the pace I was trying to hit. Before the race I developed my own pace chart based on previous races. I adopted the idea from andrew skurka and it wasn't far off from what I have calculated so while it is not entirely accurate it does gives me an indication of my finishing time.
23. After halfway I went quite hard running uphills and bombing some downhills but at the same time managed to avoid blowing up. Proper refuelling, carrying a bladder, regrouping instead of pushing through when I felt like shit was one of the many small decisions that led to a pretty decent finish for me.
24. Looking at the result, the first runner completed the course in 6:47:39. That's like almost a 1h15m gap. This for me was quite ok at this stage considering the front runners probably went blazing at the tarmac and going downhill. I just don't have the speed/endurance. Moving time was 7:42-ish which was quite good which suggest I didn't stop much. I finished the race feeling quite ok and recovered well the following days. Also had no cramps at all which I attribute to proper race nutrition and pacing.
25. The difference between Cultra and TMMT is quite clear which was the elevation. I struggled on long climbs at cultra and I felt ok in this race. The river crossing also cooled down the muscles. Long climbs and heat is something I'm going to try to address in the remaining (and limited) training period. Glad I did both of these races which totally revealed my weaknesses and also what I can actually do.
26. Kudos for the MC and organizers who were around in the heat near finishing. I also spent a considerable amount of time just looking at 100k runners finishing the race. It makes me question the very definition of racing and competing etc. Ultra running is too long and brutal to be conventionally raced. Based on what I see, to some, it's borderline survival. Same can be said about the 35km finishers finishing close to the generous cut off time. Seeing them still soldiering through the heat to finish was admirable and a bit mind boggling at the same time. This will probably be me at TMBT in few weeks time.
Final Note
27. I came in and did what I intended to do. In terms of gear and nutrition I have a pretty good idea of what to do. I need to practice using poles for the long climbs and also do some hill training and maybe do some of them in the heat.
28. The race was worth the money and time spent to get there. There were a lot going on like rivers,caves, jungly sections etc and time just flies by. It was fun. The objective of the race was to raise awareness on conserving the merapoh caves and to me it served its purpose. I can't stress enough how development if not carefully planned will ruin the landscape and flora/fauna. Plus it also interfere with the natural habitats which houses exotic/rare animals. There are lots of issues like setting up cement factories, the highways, loggings etc at merapoh and I hope we don't have to go through more highways or any unncessary development in future edition of this race. Ironically I also picked up some gel wrappers on the ground discarded deliberately or otherwise.
29. Next up, TMBT 100k (while biting my lips and closed eyes thinking about it).
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