Meet Marathon Man - Rifle Range Boy!

First there was MM- The Malay Mail, then Marilyn Monroe, then Mahathir Mohamad and now you have Marathon Man -Rifle Range Boy. RRB has joined an elite population of the world who has completed a marathon - a tradition in commemoration of the fabled run by a Greek soldier Pheidipides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to pass the message 'Νενικήκαμεν' (We have won) and died. 'Fabled' because modern historians actually calculated the distance to be about 300 miles!

I feel blessed to have the luxury of eating carbohydrates for recreational purposes rather than to replenish energy for day-to-day menial work to feed the family. Thank you, God!
Not many people knew about my clandestine training for the Big One. The long runs were run on early Sunday mornings (6 a.m.). The internet is rife with many training plans to choose from, each tailored to your level of competence. 

I decided that the family should remember this momentous moment in style. Thanks to Double Tree (Hilton Group) for their special rates for runners, we decided to stay a day in the Executive suite (with all its privileges).

The day finally came to claim the stake in proclaiming that I had indeed completed the marathon—to say, "Been there, done that"! The anxiety must have been too hot to handle for my psyche, as I hardly managed to catch a wink the night before (Bad mistake). I could feel myself swinging in and out of the twilight of sleep, with no proper slumber for all six hours of it. The adrenaline rush must have been simply too overwhelming.

Then, I made another mistake - I decided to wear the comfortable Injiji toe socks. I forgot the basic run of running - do not try anything new for a big race, which I would later find out the hard, crampy way. After a light meal of Gardenia bun, Marigold carrot juice and canned Nescafe-O, I was off to war. War to fight inner demons and the biggest naysayer, i.e. myself!
The brightly lit multi-hued Federal Building adjacent to Dataran Merdeka rekindled the nostalgia of P. Ramlee's movie 'Labu-Labi'. At the stroke of 5am, the race began with the concurrent starting of the runners' stop-watch and the beeping of the chip mat. I stationed myself along the 4:30 pacers. 

The 3D image of our journey can be visualized in the snippet above, compressed into a dizzying 5-minute trip. In essence... Dataran Merdeka-Jalan Travers-Brickfields-Federal Highway-Midvalley-Seremban turn-off-Sg Besi airport-Istana-Wisma Putra-Dewan Bahasa Pustaka-defunct Edinburgh roundabout Loke Yew flats- Jalan Cheras-Jalan Pudu-Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Bukit Bintang @Indonesian Embassy-Jalan Sultan Ismail @Lot 10-Istana Hotel-Jalan P.Ramlee-KLCC-Jaln Yap Kwan Seng-Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Ipoh-Jalan Kuching-up to Jalan Duta-Langgak Golf-Bank Negara-Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman-Dataran Merdeka!

Armed with i-pod tuned to BFM 89.9, I embarked on the long journey. Like the clear-minded Confucius once said, 'The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step'. The going was good. At 8km mark, I had clocked 1h -right on target. I could the 4:30 pacer balloon just about the whereabouts. Passed my time trying to enjoy the scenery and the serenity of the concrete jungle of KL before the monster vehicles started polluting and terrorizing the city. The signages were placed strategically to ease the run. I almost missed a step when there was a board with the words 'Surau 200m ahead'. I thought it must be a cruel joke or just there to fulfil certain requirements. Hold behold, there was indeed an open tent for runners to fulfill their godly obligations, and there was a runner there (I presume) in the characteristic pose after prayers! Power gel was sucked at 16km.
By 2h 24m, I had clocked 21km. Maybe because I had incited the wrath of the Gods by secretly smiling at the concept of having a mobile prayer tent in a Marathon race, like lightning, the first strike of muscle twitch was felt at mark 24km! I tried to shake it off and gulped a pack of cramp-busting power gel. By 27 km, it was unbearable. I had to stop at a medical tent to remove the Injiji socks and apply Methylsalicylate liniment over the lower limbs. After that, it was the stop-run-stop type of running! 30km @3h 44m. Gulping just enough liquid all the way, I persevered with every ounce of dedication, sheer tenacity and never-say-die attitude of Rifle Range Boy. Giving up was never ever an option.

I dragged along past the route. By the time I reached Jalan Ipoh, I saw the 5:00 mark ballon pass me by, and my heart dropped with the pacer's every stride.

Still replenishing with cramp-busting gels, my spirits rose by the time I reached Langgak Duta. Seeing the familiar terrain that I had endured on many early Sunday mornings with my soul mate, a new zest climaxed for the coup de grace. With the renewed energy, I managed to run again unabated at a decent pace. By the time I reached Bank Negara, it was going go go... To the sound of the song 'We are the Champions -Queen' on BFM, I finally completed my first marathon at 5h39m. We, indeed, are the champions - me, myself and I! 

I felt disappointed but happy at the same time. Disappointed because I should have and capable of finishing it at a more decent time - if not for the cramps. Happy I managed to complete the 42.195km in spite of all the trials and tribulations. Happy for having ventured into new frontiers not explored by average men. Hey, I earnestly earned this bragging rights! Like those in the running circle would call people like me, an FMV (first marathon virgin), I was shaken, stirred and bruised but satisfied at the end of the day.

I decided to reward myself with a generous helping of banana leaf rice, rich, fat-laden mutton varuval, and tripes (kudal), with not an iota of guilt. 

Would I do it again?

In the immortalized words of Sean Connery in the movie of the same movie and from the spokesperson of the Z-generation, Justin Bieber- Never say Never! In the meantime, I will just concentrate on my day job, and as Peter's Principle dictates, the fool will find his place of incompetence! I will run my 'half's and run my day job!

Men's Veteran - Full Marathon (Men)
Rank 560/904    
BIB No: B-02446
Gun Time: 05:39:46
Net Time: 05:39:40
Split 1: 01:11:21
Split 2: 02:24:53
Split 3: 03:48:38