Moving forward 2013

North-South Expressway near Ipoh, Perak. A nice shot for "Moving forward in 2013". 

The start of a new year. Another strings of new year resolutions? Well, I finished my first marathon. So what's next?

After the confidence of running the first, I will be back for more agony and joy of running another marathon. I was planning to run the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon on 30 June 2013. The registration for this event has not been opened yet. However, there was a more interesting marathon that came out a few weeks back i.e.  The Marathon Series 2013. Two marathons at a combo price. The Island Ocean Marathon in Langkawi and The River  Jungle Marathon in Hulu Langat.


My final decision was to run in The Island Ocean Marathon on 21 April 2013 as I just could not resist the temptation of running the scenic route in Langkawi especially with Andrew keep tempting me to run and he will make all the transport and accommodation arrangements.  In addition, this will be the first marathon in Langkawi. The organiser for this  marathon get very good reviews for their River Jungle marathon.

Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah and a duty-free island.  We used to make fun of it naming the island "Lamkaoyee" (which mean "Hugging a Chair" in Hokkien).

How about the River Jungle Marathon? Currently, not decided. But highly unlikely. As I have a overseas trip in September.

I have been to the island and the offshore islands of Langkawi several times and have never got tired of it.

My first visit to Langkawi was in 1987 where the island has just been promoted as a tourist destination by giving it a duty-free status. Three quarter of the island is still covered with rubber plantations and you have to drive to travel around the island. We did not even arrange for the hotel accommodation as we assumed a past colleague was arranging it for us. We end up staying in a hotel room with 7 persons as that was the only decent accommodation we could find for one night. The other nights we end up staying in a house in a rubber plantation. An unforgettable experience.

One of the offshore island of Langkawi is Pulau Payar which you can travel directly to Pulau Payar from Penang on boat. Pulau Payar is also a marine park. I remember my first visit to Pulau Payar many years back when it was organised by my friend's company. He just asked us to join the trip. Such an amazing experience then ! Have you try diving down catching lobster at night with your bare hands carrying a torchlight with only a snorkel?  I was swimming without swim fins and step on a sea rambutan in the dark. My right leg just got numb after that. So I have to basically swim with one leg after that. A really scary experience !

Most runners for this Langkawi marathon will be going for the scenic route and taking pictures along the way. Running fast does not seems to be on people's mind. It is not a complete flat course based on the elevation of the route.

Another run I have signed up at the end of last year is The Malakoff Run 2013. A 17km run on 17 March 2013. I could not particpate last year as I have just started my training for my first marathon and was trying to concentrate on the training. It will be pretty flat course. However, the running map has not  been provided yet which is strange. And it will be nice pre-run before the Langkawi marathon. Although I would very much preferred a half marathon.

Some of heritage buildings whch we will see for the Malakoff Run at Esplanade