Nike We Run KL 10K 2011–My Virgin Run

Latest update: Nike Running Malaysia just released the official results of the Nike We Run KL 10K 2011!! I’m ranked at #1144 and my nett time is 1 hour 10 minutes 12 seconds. Way to go, Stevo! *pats self on back* Next challenge will be the Rakan Muda Puma Open 10K in Cyberjaya on December 17!!

Update 2: Aaaaaannnnnnnndd I think I know who that cute chick is already lolol! Feels so jakun! :x

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It was my first ever big running event and I must tell you this: it felt freaking awesome!!

After being in my New Year wish list for a few years, I’ve finally gotten a pair of Nike LunarFly 2. And since I missed out on the first Nike We Run KL 10K event last year, I didn’t hesitate a bit to sign up for this year’s Nike We Run KL.

On the night before the Nike We Run KL, I figured that I didn’t have transport to get to Padang Merbok, KL all the way from Cyberjaya, nor do I have a buddy who knows the exact location. So, I lent my housemate’s car before I tweeted Chapree, whom I eventually went to Padang Merbok with.

Chapree – my running buddy for Nike We Run KL 10K 2011

We parked the car at the Dataran Merdeka car park, and walked to Padang Merbok which is less than five minutes walk away. There were a lot of participants there already when we arrived. God knows how excited I was. And to be honest, I actually slept for only a little more than two hours the night before the run and I’m not proud of it.

I was afraid that I might actually faint while running!

But of course I didn’t faint half way. That’d be really embarrassing. lol.

JJ from Hitz.fm was the emcee that morning. I could hear him speaking early in the morning when we were walking to Padang Merbok. His voice is pretty easy to recognise. #justsaying

Before the run was flagged off, I managed to go around the place to snap some pictures, while Chapree stayed and did some warm-ups.

There was literally thousands of runners in red/orange anticipating for the start of the run. From what I observed, the participants consisted of mostly youngsters, teenagers and secondary school kids. There were also veterans and family runners! :)

In contrast to what most must have believed, there were a lot of girl runners too! So many that Chapree kept reminding me to stay calm and focus during the run LOL.

 

This was taken seconds after the start of the run. Everyone was so enthusiastic and energetic!

Meanwhile, at Padang Merbok…

 

Well, it’s understandable since there’s over ten thousand people running. lol.

We started off really well. I kept my pace with Chapree’s and went over 6 kilometres before I zoomed off to finish the remaining kilos. It was a beautiful morning with so many runners running Kuala Lumpur and thank God the weather was pretty good too.

We ran from Padang Merbok, around Taman Tasik Perdana, towards Jalan Tun Sambathan, before going up to Lebuhraya Mahameru and then turning back to Padang Merbok. I was grateful to have a running buddy. It’s always nice to have someone you know running with you. Companionship keeps you going.

That morning we painted the city orange. There was this funny scene at Jalan Tun Sambathan. When I was running past that street, I could see the buses being stranded there because the road was closed; and I overheard one of the bus driver’s conversation while I was running past him. “Ramai orang baju merah tengah lari,” he said on the phone. He must be explaining to his boss about the road closure at KL Sentral.

Another factor that made the run interesting were the performances along the route. There were performers performing using traditional music instruments at a few bus stops. Some runners even stopped to take pictures with the performers :)

 

 

 

Don’t get me wrong – I did not ‘walk the run’. I actually ran, but when I saw something interesting that I wanted to capture, I slowed down for a few seconds just to get the shot before I continue running.

I was holding a Nikon compact camera with me. No way was I gonna hold a bulky DSLR while running 10K, right? That’s kinda crazy but there was actually people who did that!

 

TO THE PARLIAMENT!!!

In long runs like this, it is important that one keeps his composure and be consistent with his running pace. For me, I kept my pace low and consistent over the first six kilometres with Chapree before I started running faster towards the end. Imagine that if I were to have started the run with faster pace, I would have been knocked out by the time I reach 4-5 kilometres for sure.

Final stretch, let’s go!

Because let’s face it, I’m new in running long distance and I don’t run very often apart from during my futsal games. So, during my last few kilometres which I actually increased my pace, it was actually quite tiring but I kept on going at consistent pace until I finally see 800m….600m….300m….

You know, when you see road signs telling you ‘Hey look you’re x hundred metres away from the finishing line!’ you just get really motivated to finish it quick. If it never happened to you, it’s okay, at least it happened to me.

In my last few hundred metres, I started sprinting like I was running home. At that moment, my limbs felt light and all I wanted to do was to finish the run like a boss, which I did. And it felt great to take over those who were still taking their sweet time to the finishing line. lol.

 Managed to slow down to snap this picture before I went across the finishing line.

10K finishers were given a bottle of mineral water, a banana, and a finisher’s gift each. This year’s finisher’s gift is a cute little keychain like model of Nike LunarGlide 3.

Anddddddddddddd this cute little thing is actually a 1GB thumb drive!!

 

Looks so cute, rightttttttt haha!

We Run KL isn’t just about running KL. Nike Malaysia also prepared other awesome stuffs for the participants such as the photo booth, where the runners could have their pictures taken and uploaded to Facebook directly!

Snap here…

 

Then upload here!

You gotta admit that it’s pretty cool. Also, Nike Malaysia invited Mizz Nina and Joe Flizzow to perform for the exhausted runners.

Mizz Nina took the stage shortly after I finished my run.

Followed by Joe Flizzow’s performance.

10K finishers enjoying the shows

I had the VIP privilege that morning all thanks to Chapree and well, what can I say but I totally didn’t see it coming.

The best part of having the VIP tag is the FOOD! And I guess that’s about it. lol.

 

FOOD FOOD FOOD and a bit of teh tarik which I didn’t fancy gulping after a long, tiring run.

Oh, after the run, I met my primary school friend, Yenshen, too!

Never have I thought that I might bump into any of my hometown friends. Haha! It was good to see you there bro :D

Speaking about inspirations, there was this guy who have always been running in his sarung. To some it might seem ridiculous, but I don’t think he’s crazy. I think he wants to be different and he is different. I didn’t ask him why he ran in sarung though, just said hi and took a picture with him. Haha!

 

He’s awesome alright! :)

So, after that Chapree and I hung around the field before leaving the place. It was such a fantastic run and such a great event by Nike Malaysia. I’ll surely sign up for Nike We Run KL 2012 if there’s one!

It’s my city. I ran it. Once. Run it again, I MUST!

Not exactly my city ‘cos I still love Kuala Terengganu my hometown tercinta but well… you get my drift :P

Before I forget, there’s this cute girl who was interviewed by the media after the 10K run. She looked very familiar but I just couldn’t tell who she is.

Do you who she is?  :)