Last year I thought THIS VIDEO was very cool when I first saw it.
This year I get the chance to be in the bus for the "making of" SCKLM 2010 Route Tour video. :)
A special route tour was organised by SCKLM on last Wednesday (23 May 2010) for the media to preview the newly improved 42.195 route, showcasing the country’s historical landmarks and tourist attractions.
We were asked to meet at Stall No.6, Kompleks Makan Tanglin, Jalan Cenderasari around 9am.
What a peculiar meeting place, eh?
It turned out that the organiser wanted to feed us first before the tour. With the famous Nasi Lemak Tanglin! Yum!
It was my first time there. Yup! The nasi lemak was fantastic! Fluffy rice and rich sambal to start off the tour!
While tucking in the delicious nasi lemak, I also chatted with Kak Azura and Kak Khadijah from Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam (YAWA) and learned something about preserving the environment. FYI, YAWA is one of the 5 beneficiaries of the Run for a Cause program in SCKLM 2010.
Here's our tour bus.
I was expecting an open top Hop-on Hop-off bus, which is less confining compared to the normal coach.
Anyway, the plus point of this bus, we get full air-con comfort.
The tour officially started here.
Familiar building eh? If you have been a fan of road races in Kuala Lumpur, you would know that almost 90% of the races start here in front of the Dataran Merdeka and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
Our bus was flanked by three Malaysian traffic police motorcycle outriders.
Along for this first hand glimpse of the route was Mark Williams (extereme right), the Official Running Coach of the marathon, provided insight into the various running techniques and tips to be used along the many surfaces along the route.
He was joined by Rex Musadek (extreme left), Radio Announcer and Full Marathon runner, who played tour guide and pointed out the various landmarks along the route as well as share its historical and touristic significance to Malaysia.
The guy in the middle is Rainer Biemans, the Operational Director for SCKLM 2010.
And now, a karaoke rendition of Iron Maiden's The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner....LOL!
OK...Who's up for Whitney Houston's Run To You?
The new route promised to be a major improvement from the previous year. There will be water station (every 2km), isotonic drinks (every 4km) and sponges (every 4km).
Medical station (12 in total) at every 4km.
A banana buffet station at 16km. Runners, eat but don't throw the peels on the ground!
And for the final boost, Power Gel Station at 30km.
Our official photographer at work.
It's tough being a photographer, no?
OK, here's the list of landmark to watch out for in the 42km route - Dataran Merdeka (0.0), KL Railway Station (1.0), National Museum (1.5), Sg Besi Airport (7.5), Badminton Stadium (16.5), Standard Chartered Tower (22.0), KLCC (24.0), National Library (25.0), National Art Gallery (26.0), Istana Budaya (26.5), PWTC (28.0), Bank Negara Malaysia (39.5), Menara DBKL (40.0) and back to Dataran Merdeka (42.0)
KL Tower...You can see it from various spots on the route.
KLCC...Sorry, can't get a full pic of it since I was confined to my seat. :(
Guess where is this place?
Jalan Ipoh is famous for its bridal shops.
You get to enjoy the whole stretch of Jalan Ipoh in your marathon and it's a long long road....if you get tired, just look at the beautiful brides on the billboards....
Traffic update, Rex? Heheh!
The route can be described as undulating....to have a wavelike appearance or form. There will be no steep hills to tackle. But of course after running like more than 30km, any gradient is going to take a kill on those muscles.
Please reserve some energy for the "hilly" parts at Jalan Langgak Tunku. (km 37-39).
We saw a lone runner here. Training for SCKLM perhaps? :)
The tour finished in about 1 hour by bus. Last year, it took champion, JULIUS NDIRITU KARINGA (KEN) to complete the whole 42.195km in just 2 hours 17 min!
One for the album before the end of the tour at Dataran Merdeka.
Watch a short video clip of what Rex's thought of the new improved route HERE.
Download the route maps HERE.
The road tour video like THIS will be uploaded soon to KL Marathon website. We will embed it here too when we get the link. Please come back for updates.
Acknowlegments: Thank you to the organizers and promoters of the marathon, Golazo Sdn. Bhd., and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for the nasi lemak and tour. ;)
2 comments:
Nice, thanks for this! Photographers sure go all out just to get the pics. Need to be trained in aerobics eh? Anyway, looking forward to this new route!
Hi ... thought your readers might be interested to see this?
http://www.kualalumpur-fitness.com/how-to-run-your-first-race-seminar/
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