Category: Fitness

Conquering a 100km Trail Race with Confidence

It has been a year since I last toed the line at a trail ultra, and in that time, my focus has shifted toward my business in Kuala Lumpur and my family who now resides in Singapore. When I started this blog back in 2020, it was a way to chronicle my journey toward completing a 100km trail ultra. Now, having achieved that goal and successfully finishing six of them, I find myself at a crossroads, uncertain if I will chase more of these races in the future. This may very well be my final blog post on ultra racing.

Continue reading “Conquering a 100km Trail Race with Confidence”

The Most Beautiful Thing

2-3 September 2023: Instinct – TMBT Ultra-trail Marathon 2023 – Sabah, Malayisa. This year I returned to take on the 109km category.  The race started from Lingkubang and finished at Kundasang, making you climb a total elevation of 5,700m. The TMBT acronym stands for ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’ referring to the majestic Mont Kinabalu. The race course is set over forest ridges, river valleys and village trails around the base of Mont Kinabalu.

Continue reading “The Most Beautiful Thing”

Courage at the Starting Line

It was just before 6 in the morning on 18 December 2021 when the gentle drizzle turned into a medium shower. The first-wave ultra-runners were all waiting at the starting pen, keeping a small distance between each other in compliance with the pandemic standard operating procedure. Personally for me, it took courage just to show up at the starting line.

Continue reading “Courage at the Starting Line”

7 Things Running has Done for Me

I understand that running is not for everyone. I don’t enjoy running as much as I would like to as well. Neither am I considered good at it. In fact this morning I struggled with an easy run and only managed 4km before I threw in the towel. My left hip was a little tight and I was running out of breath even at the easiest of pace.

Continue reading “7 Things Running has Done for Me”

Life can be so Fleeting

22nd May 2021 – Twenty one runners died after an extreme weather descended on a mountain trail race in Baiyin City in Gansu province, North West of China. The Huanghe Shilin (Yellow River Stone Forest) 100km trail race which features winding rocky path along the Yellow River, began that Saturday morning in sunny conditions. But within three hours of starting, the weather condition changed to freezing rain, hail and extreme winds, lashing participants in the high-altitude trail-ultra.  

Continue reading “Life can be so Fleeting”

Growing like the Bamboo

Training for an ultra-distance requires running a relatively high weekly mileage. Accumulating these weekly mileage has somewhat been a challenge for me. The Covid-19 pandemic is taking a toll on everyone. All race events have been either cancelled or postponed to next year. Parks are sealed off and forest trails closed. Social distancing is enforced and we are not allowed to congregate or run in groups. It is not easy to go on training with all these restrictions, especially when there are no race excitements or pressures in the horizon.

Continue reading “Growing like the Bamboo”