TransLantau100 2014

Other than BTS100 which I really tried to understand the elevation and the difficulty of the terrain that I was doing, I did not study the rest of my ultra-races. Doing as such meant a shocker for me for the first 22km up till CP2 of TransLantau 100 (LT100). In fact the difficulty started before the race.

To begin, let’s start on Thursday 13 March 2014. The work day started just like any other, but with the motivating knowledge of a trip to HK for the weekend. Quickly got back after work to pack my stuff for the trip and race, before meeting YMT at the airport. Did not even manage to get HKD which YMT confirmed that he should have spare.

Carbo-loading

Carbo-loaded at the airport lounge before boarding one of the oldest planes from CX. Poor food onboard, hot & stuffy and pretty noisy. Got maybe an hour of interrupted sleep after the inflight meal and finally reached CLK.

Roaming the streets and eating 'Lap Sap"

We cleared customs about 6am and joined Fia and Perry roaming and eating about HK streets before heading to Lantau at 1-2pm to check-in. We reached Silverview Resort to find out that we had no room as there was a mistake by the person who replied my email few days before that my room was confirmed. YMT was irritated already, so was I, but the hotel offered an apartment that was 10min cycle from the start point. We had no choice but to accept the apartment and when we finally settled down to rest, it was about 4pm and in less than an hour, Bain and Sam joined us and with noisy neighbours and dogs barking, we got little rest and subsequently headed out for makan with Fred, Terence and Patrick. 

Makan before race - Crazy good honey chicken wings

After dinner and back for 1 more hour of rest, we headed to the start!

We got ourselves checked-in and with some lion dance performance, the race started.

It was the beginning of the first ‘2 checkpoints’ and it was here that I realized that elevation was not the only thing to look out for, but the amount of continuous up/down between each CP that really mattered. The 750m up Sunset peak and the immediate decline thereafter really sapped me (like as if there was anything left of me after not sleeping for the 2^nd night at this point). I was really sleepy, exhausted and doing Zombie-walking already. After CP2, I knew that this will be the CP where most runner will DNF other than the mid-point which was more convenient for transport and also at least to ‘complete’ half. 

Taking a photo from the rock I slept on

500m from CP3, I decided to lie on a huge rock and took a 30min nap. 

I was awaken by a concerned runner and I was freezing. I started off shivering until I reached CP3 to grab some hot noodles to warm up and rested just abit more before feeling refreshed. 

CP3

Trust me, from CP2 to 3, the struggle to keep awake and not DNF to just go back hotel to sleep was so strong. I knew I could complete this race, but I didn’t want to fight sleeping. It was tough, but I have been to such a situation – tougher and colder before. It was good weather to do this race for someone that can’t take cold. I just wanted to be back, well-rested and be with my girlfriend for breakfast/lunch since she was the Sat morning, 6am. It was my first ultra-race that she accompanied and I was willing to DNF to accompany her since her birthday few days before fell on the day she left for Thailand and returned on the day I left for HK. In fact I drove to Changi Airport to coincide her arrival from ChiangMai so that she could drive home while I awaited my flight. 

To keep things short, refer to the below PrintScreen to the main reason I completed, coupled with the Whatsapp support from SG friends that I didn’t want to disappoint. 

Respect nature/the terrain by being prepared and well-equipped for the race, but even more so, respect yourself by training hard and racing easy. Know that you can never be fully prepare for every situation, but in spite of (injury, weather, …) many have overcame and triumphed. The race is tough only after you have trained hard and gone through it, not when it has yet to begin!

Below are some pics between CP3 and 5 to have a feel of the view and the terrain. 

I concluded that this race like Vibram HK100 should be divided into 2 parts, one being difficult and the other easier. For VibramHK100, it was easier on the first half and LT100 should be easier on the 2^nd half just because my mind wouldn't comprehend a more difficult part 2. With that, I decided I was going to find out what laid ahead and I wouldn’t want a DNF knowing that I was right and missed that chance of cruising through part 2.

Me, before reaching Tai O CP (I think)

Somewhere before CP5

I Reached Tai O at 57km, caught another 30mins of eat and sleep and I was back on a relaxed pace until before the climb up Ngong Ping where I met fellow Singaporean Runner Calvin Kuan. 

Calvin Kuan at the Cable Car Station

It was an enjoyable and chatty climb up followed by a deceivingly long 5km before I bode him farewell after CP7 to try to finish before the end of Saturday and not to let the girlfriend wait too long. 

Wisdom Path

Gate to no turning back!

Lantau Peak

Misty Mountain

From CP7 – 8, which was relatively downhill, it was pretty quick.

CP8 – 9 was relatively flat but somehow felt longer than expected. In fact I was getting concerned almost finishing all my water and meeting runners along the way who were clueless about how far more the next CP was.

Upon reaching CP9, I thought of just running past after refilling water, but decided to eat a little, just in case there was no food at the end or stalls were already closed at this late hour.

I checked that the last 5km was flat all the way to the end, but ultimately realized that there were quite a bit of rolling hills. I decided to do this 5km stretch at tempo pace, held back from going all out just in case I somehow have to walk the last part of it. It went according to plan and I overtook all that I could see along the way back. 1 km from the end, suddenly a slightly more senior HK runner ran past me. Hmmm, a quick finish was  going to become a sprint finish I guessed. I followed his pace, he opened his stride, I opened, keeping the 1m distance. Every about 150m, I felt that he tried to pull away, but I was going to keep this exciting for both of us by completing the race together at such a pace. It was fun, but I wasn’t sure where the end was, although everything was familiar now. I just followed until about 300-400m from the end, when my feisty competitor checked back on me twice and tried to break away. Then I knew game on, it was going to be either me or him in this race. I checked my breathing just in case and knew that I got spare. When he finally slowed, I sprinted to finish!

                                                                                                    

My friendly competitor, whoever you are! Kudos to you for making me go all out at the end of a 100km. To me you are the winner, because me being a junior came back just seconds ahead of you =) Respect!

TransLantau 100 2014 Results

Notes

Train lotsa steps, climb 2-3 steps up as well as down.

Vibram HK100 1h30m – 1h40m between CPs  with 300 – 500ml of water

LT100 2h-2h30m between CPs with 500ml – 900ml of water
Rumour has it that race director intends to increase the difficulty of this race each year.
Race is mostly up or down and seemed to have only 20% flats.

Shoe
Salomon Speedcross - first 60k toe rub against front of shoe that went away after I started getting pacy. Running slow may have affect run gait, since I did not face this problem during training. This shoes since day 1 haven't been stable for me, causing sprains, but I wore em for Lantau just to finish 'using' them.