This year, I set my New Year’s resolution to run my first ever full marathon (42km). So when registration opened for the Score Marathon, I signed up straight away—even though I knew a newborn was on the way, my project at work was reaching a hectic point, and I probably wouldn’t have time for proper training.
Before this, the farthest I’d ever run was a half marathon (21km), which I’d done a couple of times. I knew a full marathon would be a totally different ball game.
Still, I kept training, squeezing in whatever mileage I could—even though I knew it wasn’t enough. Early on, I was targeting a sub-5-hour finish, but looking at how training was going, I lowered my expectations to somewhere between sub-5 and 6 hours.
As race day approached, I started regretting my decision to sign up for this madness. I even considered selling my bib. But with the support and encouragement from my family and friends, I kept going.
So here’s how the run went:
KM0 to KM24 – I managed to maintain a pace of 6:30 to 7:30, even through the brutal rolling hills of Putrajaya.
KM24 to KM30 – My pace slowed down. The cramps were catching up, but I kept going (sometimes just walking).
KM30 to KM39 – I could only walk. I couldn’t feel my feet, and pain was everywhere. Every step felt like stepping on sharp glass. I emptied my mind, tried not to think about the pain, and distracted myself by thinking of my happy place.
KM39 to KM42 – I met the sub-6 pacer. So I just followed them and dragged myself to the finish line.
I completed the run ngam-ngam under 6 hours—official chip time was 6 hours 3 minutes. Strava recorded a moving time of 5 hours 49 minutes (excluding stops for solat, applying Counterpain at water stations, checking if there were rocks in my shoes—there weren’t, it just felt like it).
Thank you all for the support and encouragement, and congratulations to all runners. Next up: KLSCM Full Marathon.
