I'm now headed for Water Station 2 at Tambatuan. But for one steep climb, the first half of the course is mostly downhill with some technical sections. I’m taking it easy and being extra careful not to land on my ass. I note that several depressions on the ground, which I made in 2015, remain visible to this day.
But who am I kidding. My ass is well-fortified. The same idiot who slid downhill in 2015 brought RACEPANTS in 2016. Yes, they’re STILL on (I’d forgotten to take them off at WS1) but no matter, I’ll survive.
I’m on the second half of the course and pass through a village. There’s a bit of a delay at a bridge; access is limited to 4-5 participants per crossing so I wait in line with other reasonable folk while the privileged few (“competitive” 30K/50K runners or obnoxious, delusional mid-packers, depending on who you ask) cut queue.
“DUNNN CUT Q!”
… are words that fall on deaf ears, predictably. Pfft. Screw y’all.
I eventually make it across. The scenery over the next couple of kilometers is pleasant and the terrain, varied. There are more streams, stony paths, dirt trails, jungle, hills and paddy fields. It’s all quite beautiful. I pass a hut with a low zinc roof under which I am forced to duck. Being tall, generally oblivious, but a little wiser this time around, I recall what happened in 2015 and seek to avoid a similar fate.
“Bumped my head here last year.”
“Looks like you made it this time!”
I laugh. Thanks for that, fellow runner. Yes – yes, I certainly have!
There’s one final bridge crossing and then a gravel road that leads to the Water Station. I see participants who’ve already cleared the check point, doubling back. Most are all smiles.
I run into Kheng Loh and she’s doing OK. We both are, thankfully!
Restock. Refuel. Retie shoes. Text Angela and it’s all systems go!
Kheng Loh and I decide to pace each other and I’m glad to have her as company. As we leave, we bump into the lovely Lauren and Ellen (two other friends of ours who are doing the 30). They're incredibly cheery and seem to be having a ball of a time. We wish each other well and move on.
Kheng Loh suggests that I go ahead. Our immediate challenge is a hill some 2KM from the Water Station. I tell her that this is where I collapsed last year – the beginning of the end of my race. I remember crouching in the dirt and grass with insects crawling up the length of my arm. I couldn’t so much as swat them away as I was dazed and so, so tired.
Not this time. It’s a hill just like any other. I’m picking up the pace a little and feeling good. It’s mostly single track through the jungle from here on with some double track segments in between. Runnable in large parts and relatively easy. Some 6 KM later, I’m close to Lobong Lobong (Water Station 3). Just one more climb to go.
“Never-ending hill!”
“I don’t how you guys keep talking.”
“The distraction helps!”
I figure I’d join in and distract myself, too. And that’s how I meet Sandi and her friend. They work for NGOs and will be organising a trail run (the BADI run) in Sabah next year in aid of rural communities – cool. We make it up to the Water Station together.
Mission accomplished!
It took me almost 4 hours to get from Tambatuan (WS2) to Lobong Lobong (WS3) in 2015. I was beaten and very close to throwing in the towel then. But also curious if I could “just make it” to the next Water Station at Kiau Nulu (WS4).
Today, I’ve taken about 2.5 hours. There is no doubt in my mind that I’ll make it to Kiau Nulu.
So I rest. Restock. Refuel and text Angela. All systems go!
I set off for what is undoubtedly the toughest part of the course up till this point – a 7.5 KM climb through hills and pineapple plantations. It’s picturesque but the weather is starting to turn; the mountain is shrouded in mist and cloud; it’s getting darker and things are looking rather dismal.
My conservative start however is paying off. I’m handling the climbs better than I thought I would. I’m still eating and hydrating frequently. Still mobile down the hills and flats; still moving past others. After the peak, I’m running for the most of the way to the village at Kiau Nulu.
By the time I get there, it’s pouring. The marshals and volunteers are friendly (as they have been at every Water Station prior). There’s a lady with a kind face who looks familiar. She might be the same lady who talked me out of quitting at this same Water Station last year. I was DONE – or so I thought. But she told me to rest, eat, drink and think it through. So I did and before I knew it, I was off to see if I could “just make it” to the next Water Station.
I made it. But unfortunately, that was where my adventure ended. My quads were busted. I was physically and mentally drained. There were but a handful of participants who bowed out at the penultimate checkpoint (KM 42) in 2015, and I was one of them. A sad and miserable way to end things. On another day, I might’ve struggled through the remaining 8 KM. Others did. I had the time and the terrain was favourable – but my will was gone.
It is another day though and I’m running a different race. I text Angela and leave Kiau Nulu with a sense of urgency. The rain is coming down hard and fast and trail conditions are deteriorating.
THANK GOODNESS FOR RACEPANTS. SWEET!
Not sure why I still have them on, but I can’t complain.
I’m now running where I can; pushing the pace on the downhill course and trying to make the most of the fading light.
Unlike 2015, there is no return to Lobong Lobong and no Water Station to check-in to at KM 42. The course has changed and participants will instead make a detour before the station and continue via trail to the finish.
I make KM 42 in 10 hours and 30 minutes.
I’m reasonably happy with what I’ve accomplished. While I may not have trained as hard as I did in 2015, I’ve certainly run a smarter race and have made it this far, intact. Never a frontrunner but no slouch either – I’m firmly in mid-pack territory and gratified in the knowledge that I’ve not been overtaken since leaving Water Station 2 at Tambatuan.
I’ve 6 KM or so left and some tough climbs ahead of me. I’m confident though as I have the luxury of time – 4.5 hours to be exact.
I will finish this.
Part Seven: The End
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