Chiang Mai Marathon (Maiden Thai 42km)

“Nothing worth doing if it’s easy”

 

I didn’t plan to run this Marathon at all, but managed to registered at the 11th hour after a quick chat with Ms. Ruby.

I guess it was fate! I was looking for that perfect Marathon experience.

PBIM was a disaster, during this Marathon, i threw up, walked and end-up with a PW (5:56).

SCMS is another fiasco, they gave me the wrong coloured bib, the new given bib had a malfunction timing chip, as a result i didn’t get my result/timing, plus i hit the wall as early as 29km – threw up again, walked further but managed to completed in new PB 4:39 – still far away from my idea of a perfect Marathon.

After SCMS, i was thinking that the nearest Marathon would be months away, either April’s Energizer Nightmares Run or BIM in May. I was on top of my game at this moment, fit and adequate Marathon training, i was just unlucky that i had the run of bad luck during the previous Marathons.

Now or never! Chiang Mai Marathon was the nearest Marathon after the SCMS, if i didn’t do this, i will always wonder if i could ever be a sub-4 material Marathon runner.

I was glad that i jumped and made impromptu decision to run Chiang Mai Marathon – my 1st Thai Marathon (life changing Marathon experience).

Coincidently the 6th Edition of Chiang Mai Marathon was my 6th Full Marathon to date – it’s destiny.

The registration for this Marathon was done by sending a simple email to the organiser with attached application form. You only pay the entry fee once you collected the race pack a day before the race at Tha Pae Gate (Chiang Mai).

The Full Marathon started at 4:00 am from Tha Pae Gate, the weather was perfect – cooling and refreshing at 15 degree. I could feel the confidence growing inside of me, earlier before the race; KA asked me “how are you i feeling this morning?”. “Could you get that targeted sub-4 finishing”, he further added. My replied was short – ask me again at 30km. I knew from my past Marathon experience, the 30km mark will make or break my race.

I'’m glad to run this Marathon with a large group of very familiar faces from Malaysia and Singapore – the Chap Ayam Runners and the Mohan Marathon Singapore’s clan. But most of all, Karen was there to run and break the sub-4 timing together with me. Hopefully both of us will break that record today and Yim would be a good pacer to hang on for that elusive PB.

Estimated about 500 runners ran the Full Marathon distance that day, which would be a great contrast to the jam pack SCMS. I most welcomed this small number of runners – made running Marathon an exclusive affairs.

 

The first 7km, the route made us run around the old fort (moat) before leading us runners to the road which later connected to the highway going towards the Chiang Mai Airport. At the start of the race, i was hoping and praying that i would find someone fast to pace with – my prayer was answered when i saw the barefooted Rich Chai in front of me. Without hesitation i made him my pacer at that early stage, then another runner came by and decided to join me pacing Rich Chai.

To my surprise it’s none other than Mr. SarongMan himself – Yimster. I pinched myself as i ran the first 7km side by side with them – never that i thought that i could maintained a running pace with these amazing runners. Well i could only maintained that pace for so long – after 7km when i slowed down to gulped down my Power Gel, Yim decided to upped the pace while Rich Chai stopped to refill his water bottle. Dang! Now i got no pacer to run with…

My heart sank when i saw my timing when i reached 10km – 1:04; damn i was too slow! Another look at Ijam’s Garmin it’s showed me 12km NOT 10km – alrite, i’m on schedule! In fact i was faster 4 minutes than the target time.

Before i forget, thanks a million Ijam for lending me your expensive Garmin Forerunner watch. As a friend, thank you brother for your undivided support to me in chasing my dream – not everyone welcome the idea of you breaking their PB. But Ijam is different kind of species, he wanted so much for me to break that elusive sub-4, he’s willingly gave his watch to use during the Marathon – which helps a lot if you’re chasing a good finishing timing.

I was running alone after that – pacerless, then one by one lanky Caucasian runners overtook me, either i’m getting slow or these runners getting faster. At 18km Water station, i was slowing down and decided to have a walk break; then i heard someone shouted “hey don’t walk now, keep running!”. Two Caucasian runners came passed me by, i guess i don’t need second invitation to pace with these guys.

One of them was a male runner from London and suitably wore a Santa red hat to celebrate Christmas;  the other one looks strong with her long and steady strides. Kat was from Indiana, USA and was spending few months holidaying, travelling and running Marathons around Thailand. This was my second wind, glad i caught up with these guys – else my sub-4 dream would be dead and buried. The weather was cold and the sweats from my body made it colder, i could feel my arms going numb from the cold. Note to myself – get an arm warmer next time racing in cold weather!

I think i broke my HM PB during the race, i guess it was about 1:50; couldn’t be sure coz the timing chip was located at 26km. At this moment the guy from London was struggling to keep up with our pace – actually with Kat’s blistering pace. I looked at the Garmin and it showed 5:20 pace, dang! I never ran this fast pace at Full Marathon distance before, i wonder if i could maintained this pace till the end. I found out during our run that Kat was a Boston qualifier – no wonder she looks strong. At the turn around near 22km marks, the London gut was gone – left behind. I kept on hanging to Kat’s pace – hoping she would lead me all the way to sub-4 finishing.

At 26km checkpoint, i clocked 2:23 – 5 minutes under the target, still maintained that beautiful pace. Well all good thing must come to an end, by the time we reached the Royal Flora round about, i was slowing down and Kat was steady rocking her pace. Later i found out that she finished 2nd in her category, 30 seconds after the eventual Champion.

KA and the other said that the Royal Flora area was extremely beautiful, picturesque view they said. I couldn’t see a thing coz it’s still dark when i arrived there, i could recognize Karen on the other side of the road when i left the Royal Flora – she was giving me thumb up! and she was not far behind me.

At 30km, the Garmin showed me 2:59 , i was slowing down and 8 minutes over the target time. I guess my fuelling strategy gone wrong! I brought only 4 gels and was hoping for a free gel at 30km – no free Gel here! The Water Stations only served plain water. I was getting weak and hungry, with no gel to booster my pace, i was left with the only option - maintained this pathetic cruising pace.

At 30km, with low energy level and no pacer, i guess the sub-4 dream was dead. I can salvage this Marathon by finishing under 4:15 or 4:10 and it still would be my new PB. It was boring flat route overall, and reaching back the highway running towards to the town my feet was hurting. I bet it was due to the hard concrete under the highway – felt like running on the SIC during the Energizer Nightmares Run.

I clocked 3:16 at 35km check-point mark, amazingly i ran with economical strides that managed me to get 3 minutes under the target time. Now experiences running Ultra does have it advantages – but by now, i was getting slower, weaker and famished. Plain water at the water station just don’t cut it – it doesn’t gave me the extra calories needed to fuel my run faster.

After 37km, the route took us back into the old town. It was bright now, and the quiet town has woken up into bustling Sunday morning traffic. I was pretty glad entering the moat / fort after the Petronas station and the 39km mark, it’s just another 3km to the finish line. The energy level was just enough to finish this race, i remembered the mantra echoed by Rozmi in FB “pace, pace, pace and finish strong”, the pace part was excellent but the “finish strong” part i don’t think so…

It was the longest 3km of my life, i ran and ran…and ran further, still the finishing line was out of sight. Finally, i came to the final stretch of the finish line and put my best smile for cameras and completed my 6th Full Marathon with a new PB – 4:09:52 at position #23/56 (age category), #81/236 (overall); my final Marathon under Men Open category. My puzzle earlier was answered upon completion of the Marathon, the Garmin watch showed a distance close to 43km, no wonder it felt so long, it was an over distance Marathon race and nevertheless i completed it with a PB to boot.