Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 Set To Take Off In June With The Aim Of Being Sustainable

RM 350,000 biggest ever cash prize for a marathon in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 20 January 2009 – The inaugural Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 is set to place Malaysia on the global map of marathons by being a sustainable event. Following in the footsteps of eight successful Standard Chartered Marathons spanning four continents, the Race offers the biggest prize money ever for a marathon in Malaysia (RM 350,000) with a guaranteed prize pool for Malaysian runners.

Octagon, a division of CMGRP (M) Sdn. Bhd and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad officially launched Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009, today. The launch was officiated by the Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob. Endorsed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 is also sanctioned by the Malaysia Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

YB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri said in his speech,

“Our vision at the Ministry of Youth and Sports is to develop an active, healthy and energetic community. Specifically, we aspire to realise this by making running an accessible sport for all to enjoy.

A world-class, international race such as the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 lends support to this goal by fostering the spirit of excellence not just among professional athletes but among all Malaysians, from the youngest to the oldest of them.”

Octagon who are specialists in sporting events worldwide, aims to attract 12,500 participants for what is expected to be the marathon of the year. Ivan Brixi, Managing Director for Octagon in Asia, elaborated,

“We aspire for this race to become a race for everyone – professional athletes, amateurs, families with children, corporate and NGO bodies and anyone who wants to be a part of something fun and inspirational.

We have every intention to make this Marathon a sustainable one – both by “greening” it and through the charity element. This means we will do our best to use recyclable materials where possible for the runners’ giveaways and encourage KL to become a car-free zone for the day. Indeed we will do everything in our power to reduce the carbon footprint of this event.

The Race will start from Merdeka Square on 28 June 2009. The route for the marathon will showcase some of the capital’s most famous landmarks, making it an ideal attraction for tourists and out-of-towners.”

Julian Wynter, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad said,

“We are very excited to add KL to the Standard Chartered series of marathons. In all eight countries where we sponsor Marathons, each has created a real buzz amongst the marathon-running community globally and we know that Standard Chartered KL Marathon will be no exception.”

“Standard Chartered Marathons characterise the values and attitudes we believe in and live by every day – having a can-do attitude, the courage to try, and the stamina and determination to go the extra mile, no matter what. They also embody our Right Partner promise to our governments, our communities, and our people – to help our communities grow and prosper.”

Octagon’s goal is to establish the Standard Chartered KL Marathon as the best in the region and to ultimately achieve the Silver and Gold recognition from IAAF within the next 5 years.

Octagon proudly welcomes Standard Chartered Malaysia as the Title Sponsor and MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd as a Gold Sponsor in the Insurance category. More sponsors will be announced in the coming months.

The final runs of 2008...

Compilation of December 2008 running pix

Malakoff 12Km...which is actually 11 something km from runners' GPS
Thanks to CCube for the pix. Downhill was a breeze but uphil.....%$&*!!!

My very BONDING number....007...which gave me a PB! James Bond : Martini, shaken not stirred
Runners : Malakoff, running not jogging!


Kuching had a Maal Hijrah run just after Christmas. Being a religious Islamic run, we had no choice but run with our 'aurat' hidden from sight.


KhooYK with my triathlete uncle Frank. He's making a comeback....hopefully...after years of retirement.
Youngsters with veterans

Ending 2008 with a 1 mile dash

The Lord Bless You & Keep You

Our church introduced a new practice for the close of our traditional morning worship service. We turn to one another and sing the familiar Aaronic blessing the Lord gave to Moses to give to Israel: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you . . .” (Num. 6:24-26). Our hearts are uplifted as we mutually catch the eye of a fellow believer and extend our blessing to him or her.

One Sunday, I noticed a heartwarming and special exchange that has now become a weekly event. In a pew near the front sat Oscar and Marian Carlson, faithful followers of Jesus Christ and devoted partners for the 62 years of their married life. When we began to sing, Oscar reached over and took Marian’s hands in his. They sang the opening words of this special blessing to each other before looking to others. Everyone nearby sneaked a peek at the look of love and tenderness on their faces.

A benediction is not simply a ritualistic closing; it’s a genuine prayerful wish for God’s goodness to follow the other person. In offering it to one another, Oscar and Marian exemplify its warmest and deepest meaning. In blessing others, we express gratitude for what God has done for us through Christ’s death (Heb. 13:20-21). — David C. Egner

Bless me, Lord, and make me a blessing;
I’ll gladly your message convey;
Use me to help some poor needy soul,
And make me a blessing today. —Anon.

God gives blessing to us so we can be a blessing to others.

GONG XI FA CAI !!!!

So long little mouse for the ox is charging in.

Wishing everyone a Happy, Peaceful, Wonderful & Blessed Chinese New Year !!

Scandal...fling...affair!!!!

Yesterday I had an affair...

She's a red head.

Her name is GT.

We had a fantastic time together. I couldn't help it...it was love at first sight. There are no words to explain how I felt when I took her for a ride. It was fast...it was furious...
But sad to say today was my last fling with her. We went for another ride....a long and slow ride out of town. Somewhere far away...where it's only 2 of us...Sweet memories will be etched on my mind forever.

Ya lah...GT is that MTB!! what were you thinking of?...hahaha!
This GT Avalanche1.0 belongs to my friend. Tried to get him riding but he sort of semi retired. Dumped his bike on me and after a simple bike makeup, I took his red head for a ride lah...

Mine was not a red head but a blonde! :P GT Avalanche 2.0
Nowadays my dad uses it to have his morning coffee at nearby kopitiam. If you look closely, there's a lock on the handlebar. Yeah, it locks the frame & rear wheel...but...but...front wheel...err...well...it's still there....hahaha!


This trip back to Kuching was filled with surprises. One of them is my uncle entering into the cycling world!He just got himself a MTB last week and he's been riding everyday. He's a runner...a 'kaki' podium! ...a senior veteran who outruns me but sadly his knee is showing signs of giving up. No running and here comes riding!!
Btw, my uncle is having kolo mee in the pix. That's the 'secret' supplement that gives you the extra boost in your runs and rides....hehehe!

Today the sky was kind enough, clouds hanging around but no rain...for 4hrs! Managed to do 3hrs on the red head and that 'far away' place is Bau, a small town 25km from Kuching.

After a satisfying ride, it's chillout time....watching Australian Open...and hoping...hoping... Tour Down Under will be shown...

Ironman?? Hujan...man!

Here in catcity, Kuching, it's more like HUJAN...MAN!!! ... so Ironman here doesn't have anything to do with long swim, long ride, long run. Ironman here means CNY is coming so it's time to iron your shirts!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, it's monsoon season here in Sarawak and that means rain rain rain...flood flood flood.

I've been so frustrated when my mind is in a IM training mode. No long rides, no long runs...only long rain. Doing sprint is the best when the sky turns blue as dark clouds are never far away.

On wed morning, I only managed a 30km ride on my MTB and that was so bloody heavy! Did
10km run in the afternoon hot sun before a short swim in KMC pool.

CNY Tri simulation

A Tri simulation under guidance of coach Tony will be held in Putrajaya on 1st Feb 2009.

The location will be at Precint 6, Putrajaya Public Pool car park.

Time 8.15am
Race start at 9am .

45 min swim (in swimming pool near PICC...not in the lake! and no skimpy trunks & swimsuit)
5 hours bike
45 min run

For those who just wanna do 1 discipline instead of 3, you are most welcomed!

Small token for drinks & fruits will be collected.

Please let us know if you are interested.

Langkawi Ironman 2009 Team Rookie

Team Rookie : (from right) Jason "Captain & Manager", Lee, Coach Tony, Michelle, Juliana & Tomatoman Ray

Rookies aim for perfect debut

Point of no return: (From left) Quay joining the triathletes Looi, Juliana, Ng and Thiang in a stretching session.

Powering up: Quay (right) sharing a light moment with (from left) Thiang, Juliana, Looi and Ng.

THERE is no turning back for four rookie triathletes in their bid to complete the Ironman distance at the upcoming Langkawi Ironman on Feb 28.

For a perfect debut, the quartet of Jason Thiang, Raymond Ng, Nor Juliana Ali and Michelle Looi are aiming to complete the race, made up of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run, within 17 hours.

But, the team’s coach Tony Quay is optimistic that his charges are capable of accomplishing the task in 15 hours.“After the change from cycling to running, the first quarter of the 42km run is the most crucial part of the race. It is a difficult period because they need to get into the rhythm using different muscle groups in the lower body.

“It will determine whether they have set themselves in the right position to finish the race.“Their training routine over the weekends includes long rides between 100km and 120km before switching to running for 35 to 45 minutes on Saturday. On Sunday, they will be clocking the mileage ranging from 25km to 30km in the running segment,” he said.

The Great Eastern Pacesetters’ 30km run scheduled on Jan 18 will be a platform for them to gauge their ability to complete the final leg of the marathon distance run at the Ironman.

Juliana, who bagged the National Female Duathlete of the Year title, said it was a natural transition to step up to the next level.
The 26-year-old psychology student received the recognition based on her consistent performance at the three-leg Malakoof University Duathlon Series held at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia.In the race for the Best Women Triathlete of the Year, she also settled for fourth spot behind Stephanie Chok, Carmen Leong and Looi.Juliana only featured in sprint races covering a distance of 500m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run at three meets at A-Farmosa, Port Dickson and Desaru in her first season competing in triathlon last year.“In fact, it happened by chance. Initially, I wanted to accompany a friend for the meet in A-Farmosa. But, I decided to sign up and took two weeks to prepare for it. It will be great to inspire other women to come out and have a go at it,” she added.In her stiffest test thus far, she clocked 6’25 over the half Ironman course of 2km swim, 90km cycle and 21km to finish 11th overall in the women’s 20 to 29 years category at Desaru this year.

“Running is my strongest discipline and I need to work on my technique in the swim to do better in Langkawi,” said Juliana.Looi acknowledged her training partners’ contributions in keeping her on the right track to shape up.A respectable performance at the Chin Woo Biathlon last year spurred the 29-year-old programme analyst to take up more demanding assignments in triathlon.“Although I’ve always been fond of outdoor activities, I did not start competing seriously until this year. I am pleased with my progress in four (A-Farmosa, Kenyir, Port Dickson and Desaru) of the five meets in the local competition calendar last year.“My training partners are pushing me in the right direction and I am determined to keep up with them during training,” she said.

In contrast, Ng is not going to let the pressure of achieving a specific target to ruin his outing.A year after recovering from brain aneurysm, Ng took up physical pursuit as an healthy way of life in 2006.The 33-year-old said he never thought he would have so much fun combining the three disciplines — swim, cycle and run — in triathlon.“Considering that I was fighting for survival in 2005, I just want to go out there and enjoy the occasion because I have been given a second chance to live,” he said.

After priming up with several races over the Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run) and half Ironman this year, team manager Thiang is also sharing the same aspiration for a memorable outing at the Ironman. Recently, the 50-year-old Thiang convinced PowerBar to support their quest with supply of the brand’s endurance and recovery supplements. Nestle Nutrition business development executive Shahrulniza Othman said they were impressed by the ordinary people taking up the challenge.“Completing the Ironman distance is a personal achievement. They might not be the top performers going for podium finish but they play an important role to influence others to take up a similar challenge,” he added.

- Star Metro, Friday 9 January 2009

A picture paints a thousand words...

Need I say more??...

2009

Year of Hope

We should begin this year with the real Hope that comes from God and not from the secular world that is in great financial crises.

We need to ask ourselves, “How can we put God at the centre of our lives and live more meaningfully in our daily decisions?”

This is real hope.