1 December 2019, 60km Brunei Unexpected Kingdom Ultra Marathon

60km is a new distance for me. An ultra runner in the bag. Yay.

Race Pack

We arrived in Brunei by car, 2 hour drive from Miri. Race pack collection was scheduled throughout the week, but the organiser was kind enough to accommodate foreigners arriving on the day before race start for collection. It was hassle free, and we collected it from the hotel we were staying in, Qin Yun guest house, some 450m to race start line. The entire crew were accommodated in the same guest house.

Flag-off

Flag-off was at 12am. Start line was at Taman Warisan Tasik Merimbun, some 60km away from finish line at Bandar Seri Begawan. A bus will take us to the start line. The drive should take around 1 – 1.30 hours. But we were asked to gather from 8pm onwards. The ride only took us an hour. When we arrived, we had to put up with another 2 hours of waiting time. The waiting time and compounded restlessness was tiring. So technically, the race (mentally) started way earlier than the scheduled 12am flag-off time. There was a small wooden house museum where enbalmed tropical insects and small animals were displayed, we decided to take a rest inside. I only managed some 5-10 minutes of nap, as there were too much noise as the crowd gathered. The mandatory kit list where we religiously brought along were not inspected, but only the headlamp, reflector belt, and emergency blanket was necessary for me. It was a bagful of weight and discomfort to tug along for the entire 60km run. On hindsight, the water bottle need not be filled up from the start line. A 1.5 litre of water is a bagful and a handful given the frequency of water stations and the adequacy of water and fuel the organisers have prepared for.

At around 1130pm, we were requested to check in with our timing chip.

12am, and off we go!

My condition

The first 10km was a breeze. And then all hell break loose. I started feeling weak from km 18. My pace dropped to 6.30. It is an unusual situation for me. Just recovered from the bout of cold and cough, i think the body rebelled, and given the time of day, when the body is only used to “resting” it caused me a great deal of mental strength to get from one CP to another. At CP3 (km 32.7) i asked official if i could stop and DNF, they replied encouragingly, “You are #2 in the Women’s Open category. Don’t quit” The turning point was having Ziqq, the bike marshal with me at CP3.

Ziqq, God-send would eventually encourage me, “strategised” with me, never allow space for negative thoughts, played music on his phone, and got me all the way to the finish line. At around km 45, when i was overtaken by the then #3, my pace had dropped to 9.00. Arghh i felt so weak. I could not consume any food nor drinks, and threw up. 2 gels in total for the entire race. I was so tired, and i was only thinking about the damage caused to the body, and feeling rather irresponsible at that point.

As dawn breaks, a glimmer of hope was felt. I picked up speed, overtook #2. Ziqq would measure our gap, “7 lamp posts ahead. Don’t look back. Keep going”. Unbelievably encouraging and motivating. And yes, i made it at the end.

Only to have an emergency at the finish line when i vomited blood (some).

The route and organisation

The pre-race route information was enough and distances almost accurate. The route was mostly on road tarmac and well lit upto km 20 (WS2). We took a right turn towards the “pipeline” and here, it was PURE DARKNESS. Pace dropped, as i focus on the road condition, avoiding potholes (the last thing i need was to sprain the ankle and limp to the finish line). The organisation was aware of the situation, and you would randomly hear the sound of marshals on motorbike riding up the route, lighting up the route. But it was pure agony running in the darkness, the moving lights from the headlamp was causing dizziness.

The CP was well stocked; with Pokka drinks, sports drinks, water, fruits etc. It’s like a mini tuck shop it seems. In the darkness and at drizzles at some stretch, i did not wait too long at the water station, so as not to be too comfortable resting.

The organisation did a good job, from pre race information, water station almost exactly where you expect them (most times mentally necessary), crowd and crew support along the way. I was also thankful for their finish line medic assistance, and post-race, for their delivery of the finisher tee and lanyard as memento having missed the entire finish line agenda after collapsing.