{"id":4247,"date":"2009-10-29T18:19:52","date_gmt":"2009-10-29T10:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jipp-world.com\/blog\/?p=4247"},"modified":"2012-04-15T20:33:40","modified_gmt":"2012-04-15T12:33:40","slug":"borneo-international-marathon-2009-where-it-all-began","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jipp-world.com\/blog\/borneo-international-marathon-2009-where-it-all-began\/","title":{"rendered":"Borneo International Marathon 2009: Where It all Began"},"content":{"rendered":"

As far as I could remember, I had never run a marathon in my entire life before. Not a single one<\/strong>. So when a friend called me up to ask if I was interested in running for this year’s\u00a0Borneo International Marathon, I was quite worried. I mean, despite my lack of physical training due to my tight schedule, I knew I was gonna say YES. After all, it would all be done in the name of charity.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So, YES it was, I was all set to run for the 21 KM half-marathon. It seemed to be the only relevant category for me. Wait a minute, 21 KM?? I can\u2019t even run any more than 3 full rounds of the running track at the Sandakan Stadium where I do my once-in-a-blue-moon after-work runs! And that is only like how long? 1 KM..?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As the day of the marathon was nearing, the urge of withdrawing was getting stronger and stronger but the more I wanted to do withdraw, the more I wanted to prove that I was man enough to do it. So before I knew, it was already the last day before the marathon.<\/p>\n

OK. I’m gonna be frank here.<\/p>\n

At 9pm on THE DAY BEFORE the marathon, somebody took this photo of me and\u00a0this self-proclaimed rapper\u00a0celebrating a friend’s wedding at the KDCA Hall in Penampang.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At 1am ON THE DAY of the marathon, I was caught doing this. WTH?\"\"<\/a>and 3 HOURS later, I was a struggling zombie. Running for the marathon suddenly didn\u2019t seem to be a good idea at all. \"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was October 11, 2009, 5.30 am. Likas Stadium.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Somehow, I found myself at the starting line, desperately thinking of all the ways that I could possibly do to finish the whole 21 kilometers in one piece.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I tried to think positively by summoning up all of these into my mind:<\/p>\n

I. I am not running for nothing. I am doing this in the name of charity<\/strong>; something that I have never done or rather DIDN\u2019T have the chance to do before.<\/p>\n

II. I am doing this to\u00a0ward<\/strong> off all the excessive pounds<\/strong> that I have accumulated in my body after all the hard partying in the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

III. Some of the participants seem to be either too fat or too old to run. What makes me think I cannot do it? If the overweight Kenny Sia can do it, why can\u2019t I?<\/p>\n

IV. I gotta challenge myself. I gotta prove that I\u2019m NOT that old and I\u2019ve still got THE ENERGY. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n

My ultimate goal was of course to finish the run. My second goal was to finish it in less than\u00a0one<\/span> three\u00a0and half hours\u00a0so that I’d be awarded\u00a0the finisher medal<\/strong>.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first 3 km, I surprised myself by running without a single stop. The dawn was breaking over the horizon in the East and I still had enough energy to savor the beauty of the morning glory at Likas Bay.<\/p>\n

By the time I was passing by KK Plaza, a tinge of exhaustion was beginning to wash over me. I had covered 5 km, and I was still doing alright. It was another surprise.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After\u00a0running past\u00a0the Wawasan Plaza, I was beginning to make occasional stops. Tiredness was beginning to take charge but still, I managed to muster up enough courage to keep going.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Later, I was at the Sutera Harbour and more and more stops ensued. My stamina seemed to be doing alright but my calf muscles were giving me some serious problem. My self-perseverance was being tested to the fullest but I still kept running. People were getting scarce and further apart from each other and somehow I could not even bring myself to look behind me, probably because I was afraid there was nobody to look behind to.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By the time I was reaching the turning point at Tanjung Aru, I knew I had covered half the distance. Now all I had to do was run back to the starting line accept that it wasn\u2019t easy to do.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Going back to the starting\/finishing line had proved to be much more grueling. By now, my muscles were painful and straining all over. I just kept running and running until my calf muscles were too painful to bear then I\u2019d stop for awhile. Then I\u2019d run again.<\/p>\n

Once in a while I\u2019d see a participant being picked up by an ambulance and there were times when I was really tempted to do the same. Really really tempted actually.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the last few kilometers, I knew I\u2018d make it to the finishing line. But then, my calf muscles were so painful that I had to DRAG myself to keep going.<\/p>\n

The moment I saw this, I knew I was ALMOST THERE. I could hear people cheering me on.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By then, my legs were breaking to the point that even a single step was excruciatingly painful to make. I refused to give up. There was a jubilant feeling as I entered the Stadium of Likas and ran towards the finishing line.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And finally.. \"\"<\/a>I touched the finishing line at 8.48am in 21 kilometers in 3 hours and 18 minutes<\/strong>. I had achieved my goals. Not bad for somebody who had never done a marathon all his life.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, it really was a worthwhile experience. Despite my lack of training, I managed to finish the marathon. Yayyy!!<\/p>\n

Apart from that, I got to see a lot of people \u2013 from my long lost friends,\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To one of the country’s most prominent individual in the aviation industry. Meet Mr. Azran Osman-Rani, the CEO of Air Asia X and a avid marathoner himself. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To one of the most recognized bloggers in the country.\"\"<\/a>But most importantly, I got to discover myself in one way or another. Of course, it was just the beginning. I intend to do more marathons in the future.. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

This post is a re-published post. View the original post here. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As far as I could remember, I had never run a marathon in my entire life before. Not a single one. So when a friend called me up to ask if I was interested in running for this year’s\u00a0Borneo International Marathon, I was quite worried. I mean, despite my lack of physical training due to my tight schedule, I knew I was gonna say YES. After all, it would all be done in the name of charity. So, YES it…<\/p>\n

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