Azhar’s Story

We all need inspirations, this is a story about a guy running sub-4 Virgin Marathon in the recent Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, he once weight 120kg and went through hell and back just to get where he is now.

Truly a mind-blowing and pure inspiring story.

Thanks Azhar for sharing this in DM.

What do I need to brag about this maiden full marathon..? Haha..

First and foremost, I need to mention that this run is dedicated to my grandmother who has been bed ridden for almost 10 years due to Parkinson's. So here's to you Nenek!

As you guys know that I was injured during the training for this run. So I wouldn't want to mention about it because I would write a damn long story about it! haha.. Just say that I got injured about 2-3 weeks before the run and I was having cold and coughing like coughing fit for the last 1-2 weeks.. until today. I am almost not going to run because that I am under-training and sick. I could stand running with a flu-like but coughing is always not a good idea since I have asthma, coughing will induced the asthma.. I'm so worried. I haven't been running for close to 3 weeks after been told my the sport doctor to rest.

But since everything is already paid for, I decided to go to HK for a vacation more like running. But I did bring all the gears just incase that I would go mental and run the marathon, on later case, I DID WENT MENTAL AND RAN A MARATHON!

I only decided to run on the last day before the D-Day where, I was shit like sick in the morning, lost a part of my voice and coughing the hell out of me. Decided to go to the pharmacy to get some medicine.

Early morning, well I did the usual ritual. Lucky that Cynthia (I owe you one here!! Thanks a lot!!) has some extra kinesio tape that I planned to buy but didn't managed to get. I tape-up my injury wishing that at least I could hold it for few hours.

Did a morning stretches, trying to warm up the body at the bone-chilling weather. Gosh! I hope this wouldn't induced my cough. I did take 2 coughing pills and cold medicine with hoping to help me to reduce the cough. On the way to the starting point managed to see Alexander and his friend warming up. We gave each other all the best wishes and I jogged to the starting point.

Since I am starting earlier than the rest of my other friends, I was definitely feel like lone ranger. Standing in the crowd in that cold morning. Looking around, being among the runners, it make me feel comfortable. I am telling myself that don't worry about the timing, do what ever I could just to run. If I can't finish it, at least I tried.. but only when I got into really pain or asthmatic. My plan is not to do my own timing, as the buttons for my watch are malfunction a day before I departed to HK. Planned to get a new one, but I didn't. My planned is not to time the run. As if I did, I will push myself to run within what I have targeted before. So I didn't bother to set the timing and all.

As we flagged off, I am pacing so slow about 10 minutes or so. Just to feel easy. I don't need to push myself this time. A lot of people overtake me, but I didn't bother. As my body feels warm, I started to run with my comfortable pace. As for the whole run, I keep my pace consistence. Every time, when I saw the kilometer marker, I just take note but do not look at my broken watch. I keep on running. But I do take time to drink at all the water station from KM 3.. And they have plenty of water stations!

The route was on the elevated highways most of the time. So there's inclined and declined all the way. Pretty tough route.. But I guess I've been running on treadmills on incline at all time, it helps a lot! So far so good. I could breath easily but I do have to blow my nose every 10 minutes. At one point, trying to get ride the thick phlegm out of my throat.. My right leg was good..

On the first half, this is the only time I checked on my timing. And I way too fast.. It was around 1:50 or something. I knew it.. I ran too fast. So I decided to slow down. So I won't get negative split but well since I don't care about the timing, I just ran.

Since I didn't sweat as much as I ran here in Malaysia, I do need to go for loo.. Stop at after the first half.

I started to feel that I have to stop running and walking when I was around at 28 km mark, I am having a cramp on my left calve and my right injury start to feel that I needed to stop. I decided to walk! I took another toilet break shortly after that. After the break, I told myself, that's it! I saw the double decker bus just right next to the drinking station. I stop walking and gave myself a calve stretch for a minute. I plain ignored the medic support that offers me the ointment. I just keep on walking and take a drink. I walked for at least 5 minutes and start running again, slowly. After less than 10 minutes I had to stop running and walk again. I kept on this until I saw that we are going to the last tunnel. That's where I knew I will having a lot more problem. Gave myself 2 gels and drink at the last water station before we are going to the tunnel. I started to run, and trying to maintain the run as long as I can. This is where I start to think, that if I finish this marathon, how inspirational this run to me. I start to think about my grandmother, thinking about her suffers throughout the last 10 years. I told myself that I only need to suffers for few more hours to get this run over while she is been bed ridden for the last 10 years. That thought keeps me going. I kept on running until at the climb on the exit of the tunnel. I started to walk. I walked all the way out. Started to run again.

Slow run all the way till I saw the last short cross-over bridge where we are declining quite steep. Decided to walk and run climbing. That's when I knew it's almost over. I feel overwhelmed. There's one lady that cheering on the side, saying in Cantonese, gave her hardest clap and looking straight to me. She was practically shouting. I gave a big smile and two thumbs. That had pushed my to keep on running. As we are running toward the end, the route was getting narrow. A lot of cheers coming on both sides. It's just beautiful. I feel so proud that I made this far. I was overwhelming. I did tear-up thinking about the outcomes and challenges and my grandmother.

When I saw the GREEN carpet, I saw that BIG CLOCK telling me that I am still under 4 hours, I gave myself a final push and run, I kept running towards that big clock! Held my arms up and smile all the way! I made it! I made it! I was overjoyed and cried. haha sometimes it took a man to cry in public.. haha.. One thing I learned from this, is that I never gave-up on it. It's been a long journey. I dreamt of running marathon and now I am a marathoner.

I only started running long distance less than a year, being overweight for whole life and I made everything sounds easy. Go work hard on things you have been dreaming for!

I would like to thank everybody for the supports especially Barefootdzul and wifey and Fiki Z. for the relentless supports that I much needed from the beginning.. Thank you so much!!

Thank you everybody here in DM local and abroad, especially Malaysia mates and Singapore's the A-Team and FB for all the motivations and well wishes.. Love you all very much!!!

Congratulations to all the runners as well.. seems everybody did their personal best! CONGRATULATION!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!