15k or KO 15x?

It was a nice and cooling sunday morning. Me and my marathon buddies(3 of us only), decided to join the New Balance Pacesetters 15km run! Should have known that any run with the word Pacesetters in it, is not for the ordinary. And that i found out the pretty soon...

We arrive 20 minutes before time(starting time is 7am). Was suppose to get our starting ribbon but it was finished and unavailable(bad organizing skills). After rummaging our way through the crowd looking for a person supposedly distributing the ribbons, the race had been flagged off without prior warning. So we just started running and saw one of the officials saying just run, "Ribbons are finished"!

It started off from Padang Merbok and straight up the hill! I have been reading about this run through the net and been hearing from ppl about this run, the so called Double Hill! but i found it more like the INFINITE HILL RUN! SO we started off with a run up the hill, and made a left turn up a slope, took another left into the National Monument area and back down the slope to Jalan Parliment where we would pass Padang Merbok.

Took another left at the traffic light and turn into Bank Negara up another slope(i overheard some veterans saying, this is not up hill, its just a slope!) and down and right turn into Bukit Tunku. This is where they call it a double hill! It was uphill for a good 2-3km until we were nearing Jalan Duta but did not take the Jalan Duta route but instead detoured to a treacherous up and up and up and up hill/slope way.

I was nearly burned out after about 5km and i make a 1.5km run to catch up for lost time walking. After making that dash, i tot i was to see flat ground but no, there was more uphill/slope and from there onwards i walked alot, really alot!

Finally we came out to Lebuhraya Mahameru and opposite the road is the 10km drinking station. Was so happy to see the 10km mark and drinking station but it was like 1km on the opposite side. Walked and jogged all the way to the drinking station and tot that the last 5km i could power my way to victory.

After the drinking station i started to run slowly to gain momentum again into Jalan Sultan Salahuddin but it was another up hill. And we took the same route into the National Monument which is an uphill and then downhill! Thinking that i knew the route, the finishing line should be just around the corner. So i sprinted all the way running as fast as i could and when i reach Jalan Parliment and the Padang Merbok turn off, the RACE WAS NOT OVER YET!

There was like another 3km left and time was running out. So i walked again cause i just RAN like 1km! Came to the Bank Negara turn off and thinking that i was near the finishing line but to my HORROR, we were to turn right behind Bank Negara for a last round of UPHILL torcher and that really killed me. I could not push anymore and just walk as fast as i could and try to over come the hill! Finally i reached the straight line to the finish line and was so happy but i could not push anymore.

I slow jogged all the way going down the hill and reaching the end of the line, which was not really the end as well. They still needed you to run in a zig zag to come into the finish line! My legs were crying for mercy! hahaha.

I think i finished the 15km run in about 1hr 45m? Will know the official time in about 3 months time. It was a food and drinks fest after the race. Had nasi lemak, cendol, lots of power drink, milo and watermelon. Well the highlight of the race was not how i suffered during the race or how much food was provided but how one of my buddies came in last and was announced through the PA system, hehehe.

Actually there were others slower than my buddy but they took a short cut and did not complete the full race route due to time constrains.

Oh well thats all for this marathon, till the next marathon - 21km?