Running Couple’s Epic Weekend of 5th & 6th December 2015
Running Night And Day
Given a choice, most runners that I know would prefer to run in the morning rather than in the evening for the following reasons:-
- An exhilarating morning run is a great way to jumpstart your metabolism and keep you alert all day.
- The peace and tranquility of an early run gives you an opportunity to plan-out how to make full use of the day ahead.
- There is nothing more inspiring than watching the first ray of sunlight at daybreak in order to remind us just how lucky we are to be alive.
On the other hand, some runners like running at night because their skins are sensitive to the sun, or because their free-time for running is only available in the evenings.
Personally, I love to run anytime, and recently, I had the rare opportunity to partake in two separate running events which respectively highlighted the best of day and night running together with my wife, Maryati.
Back-To-Back 10km Run Challenge
Maryati and I boldly accepted the invitations to join 3 separate events over one weekend. The plan for us was to run 10km in the ICE Watch Light Up The Night Run in Shah Alam on a Saturday night, and 12 hours later, we would run another 10km on that following Sunday morning at the Amnig Warrior Run in One City, USJ. Our last event on Sunday afternoon was called “Slide The City”, and its drawcard was a 1,ooo ft water slide staged at Precinct 7 in Putrajaya. On paper, Maryati and I were looking forward to this weekend, but in practice, we wondered if we could physically and logistically pull-off this triple feat. I guess, there is a first time for everything, right?!
Saturday Night Runners
The inaugural Light Up The Night Run 2015 was organised by The Marathon Company and their Title Sponsor was the trendy ICE Watch retailer who is owned by the famous high-street Habib Jewelry. On event night, 3,000 participants gathered at the start/finish point of the Plaza Shah Alam parking lot, turning it into a carnival-like atmosphere with music blaring and runners socialising before the race. The advantage of having this event at a shopping mall was that we did not have to go far for food and drinks after the run. Although, we started our night run, sharp at 8pm from the centre of Shah Alam town, most of the route took us along the quieter and well-lit housing areas. There were safety road marshals stationed at each intersection to direct road traffic and to ensure that the runners followed the right course. The night was very humid, and the sweaty runners could quench their thirst at two water stations along the way. Since this was a fun run, we were given a generous 3 hours to complete 10km. Maryati and I finished in the middle of the pack, and when we crossed the finish line, we were dripping with sweat from head-to-toe. Although, the shopping mall operating hours were extended to midnight, right after we gobbled down some energy-replenishing bananas, we did not hang around there long because we had to head home immediately for an early night in preparation for our next 10km.
HERE are more ICE WATCH LUTHR 2015 photos.
Sunday Morning Warriors
After a good night’s rest and having drank lots of water, we woke-up feeling surprisingly fresh and eager to face our next 10km run. The Warrior Run is in its second year, and it is sponsored by Amnig, a local manufacturer and online retailer of sportswear. Like last night’s run, it was held at a shopping mall, One City in USJ. There were ample parking space available, and I was glad that there was a warm-up exercise routine conducted before the run, so that I could shake-off any muscle stiffness and soreness from the previous night. 
At 7:30am, a total of 900 runners were flagged for the 10km and 5km categories respectively. Being a Sunday morning, there were hardly any vehicles on the roads, and the morning coolness and clear sky made us feel very comfortable. Furthermore, the roads were wide and there were hardly any hills to trouble us. At the finish area, each runner was given the customary medal, bananas, buns and isotonic drinks. Since the shopping mall was not yet opened, there were lots of space for us to put our feet up, unwind and enjoy our snacks.
HERE are more AMNIG Warrior Run 2015 photos.
Two Down And One To Go
Having ran 20km in two days, I was expecting to feel some tiredness. However, on the contrary, Maryati and I were feeling rejuvenated and overjoyed. Could it be that we had underestimated our level of fitness? Perhaps, our tiredness had numbed the pain? As it turned-out, not over-exerting ourselves during each run, as well as saving enough energy until the end of our tasks proved to be the right decision. After all, we were not competing to beat other runners, but instead, our main goal was to complete the two runs as a running couple. Indeed, it was a real privilege for us to be part of two such well-organised and enjoyable running events, on any given day or night.
Slip And Slide
To cap-off an eventful weekend, our last activity was to water-slide down 1,000 feet at the inaugural “Slide The City” in Putrajaya which was hosted by my dynamic friend Delon. Delon is the founder and CEO of Monkey Theory who acquired the rights to stage Slide The City events in South East Asia. I was taken aback when I heard that 10,000 people had bought tickets to his two-day event. How exciting can sliding down a waterslide be for grown-ups like me? I was soon able to find-out the answer for myself.
At the registration booth, we were given a wrist tag, an inflatable donut-shaped tube, a water pistol and an event T-shirt. After we changed to our swimming costumes, and reloaded our water pistols, we queued-up for the slide of our lives. I noticed that there were many different kinds of inflatable tubes, and it was funny to see people carrying brightly-coloured inflatable crocodiles, lobsters and even an inflatable slice of pizza! We had a choice to slide solo or in a group. We opted for the former. When it was our turn, the volunteers explained, “You must run first, and then jump on to your inflatable tube.” That was easier said than done, because a couple of sliders would funnily bounce-off their tubes. It took some coordination and balance to get jump on your moving tube without falling over. Once, we were on our tubes, the slide was a fast and hair-raising ride as we laughed and screamed, spun and reached the pool at the bottom with a splash-down. After our first slide, Maryati & I concluded that this had to be one of the most fun things that we have done together, and we spend the next few hours sliding down as many times as we could, We experimented with different sliding techniques – sometime, we would sit on our tubes, and sometimes we would lay face-down and slide down. The easiest way was to hang tight to our dear lives and let gravity do the work. Looking at all the happy faces slipping and sliding, I can say that everyone was having a whale of a time. The Emcee, the speaker music and the food trucks helped create a water carnival atmosphere where everyone seemed so relaxed and happy. Also, it gave adults like me a rare chance to be a kid again without feeling guilty or judged. This was the perfect ending to our mad-cap weekend. And as we called it a day, I secretly wished to myself, “I wish every weekend could be like this!”
HERE are more Slide The City Photos.
Acknowledgements
Our sincere appreciation goes to the teams of The Marathon Company, AMNIG and Monkey Theory for their invitations, and for putting-on 3 splendid fun-filled events which leave us participants wanting more….see you again in 2016 hopefully!
About The Author
Gus is the Chief Entertainment Officer of Running Toons and he is passionate about endurance sports. As a sports writer, he has contributed numerous insightful articles to The Star newspaper, Running Malaysia magazine, Cycling Malaysia magazine, Cycling Evolution magazine, Swim Bike Run magazine and more. LIKE Happy Runner and follow gusghani @Instagram.
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