MR25 Progressive Run Series 2012 - 15km

Last sunday which is 6 May, the MR25 Runners organized held the second run in series of four progressive runs. The total distance was 15km, which consists of route through Macritchie Reservoir and along the Lornie Road. Me and my friend Ariffin Sha, which is one of the contributors to this blog, ran 15km along with me too. He did not achieve his target timing, but I believe one day he could make it as he is a determined guy.

(The route)

The flag-off was held at 7am sharp. Everyone was anxious to run except for me. I didn't had a good time since that following morning, as I had a bad stomachache and things did not go as well as expected even after I reach  Macritchie. However, that did not stop me. I told myself to run and complete the race even if my timing was bad.

Everyone started to run fast after the word 'go', but I told myself not to run the same pace as them as I might end up dying since the whole route is 15km and it is not a simple task for someone who is having a bad stomachache. I died out during the first 3km even though I did warm-ups the night before and before the flag-off. I guess the warm-ups weren't a solid one for me.

I stopped at a Ranger station at the 2.5km mark and went to drink some water. I was almost going to give up and is aware of my timing as I was walking instead of running at some places. However, I always tell myself one thing which is to continue and don't give up. As long as I reach the finish line, even if I am the last, I still completed something a young 14 years old cannot do.

So I started running and when I reach the 3km mark, I started to enjoy running. I enjoyed the breeze, nature and trail. I managed to maintain a steady pace until 12.5km, which is the last water checkpoint for this run.

The adult volunteer shouted at me: 'Young man, cmon!'. I went to drink 3 cups of water to quench my thirst after 6km+ without drinking any water. The guy then talk to me, saying that I am really slow at this age and that I was the last runner. I felt sad and demoralized at that point of time because everyone will definitely feel the same way like me if they are called last. I told myself not to listen to his nonsense and start running like a real man, a hero. I brought my feet up and start running again. 

Along the last 2.5km, I had muscle cramps and fell down in the middle of the trail. All in my mind was to complete the run but still, I got to run slow and steady to prevent often cramps. And finally, I completed the race with a timing of 2:20. Like what I've said, it did not turn out as expected because my timing could have been lesser than that and might be because of the slopes that caused me to be tired.

The moment I crossed the finish line, I told myself that I did it. That's why we should never underestimate or look down on anyone who tries to give their best because those who are willingly to cross the starting point already won compared to those who do not even wants to try at all.

I am a winner.