10k Challenge 60 Years MPIB: Larian Nenas Gergasi

While I’m very grateful that the running circuit in Johor becoming more vibrant compared to the last 5 years when I started running, I found that running in Johor Bahru have become a norm that bordering on boring.

If last time I found that the running events in Kuala Lumpur always being held at the Dataran Merdeka, the most popular route that organizers in Johor Bahru like to choose is the Nusajaya Educity roads.

One of the thing that can make it interesting if I have someone to run together with. This time at the MPOB run, I was very fortunate when Zainuddin and his wife also joined the run. Zainuddin have started out running when I had introduced him with KPJ Johor Run back in 2015. After that he had joined running events here and there together with his family.

This run supposed to be a huge event by MPOB. That is why I’m not surprised by the number of runners that turned up that very morning. It was just a mild surprise that they didn’t use running chip for this event.

The last 10km that I had run turned up quite a very pleasantexperience. I expected this run to be the same. Then I realized that the last run was a night run while this MPOB run is a morning run.

I’m not particularly great with morning run, especially when if it is in Nusajaya road. The roads are particularly quite hot. When the 10km runners had been released at 7.30am, the temperature had climbing. I halved my expectation after realizing all that.

As I found out during this run, Zainuddin is the same type as Iqbal. Small and round, he is quite a fast brisk runner. He is always one kilometer ahead in front of me throughout the run. With his small towel neatly tucked at his neck, his steps never stop. 

Either that or I’m really slow. I’m not even going to deny that.

The first 5km were hell. It is as though the roads stretched itself because I thought I had run an couple extra kilometers when I reached the junction separated 10km and 5km runners. But nooooo….. It is just only 5km dear. Please go ahead and continue running…

After holding out as long as I could, it was at 7km when I finally bowed down to the might of the heat.

Surprisingly though, the last 3km walk back to the finish line doesn’t seem so long. I’ve tried to have some small but fast walk to end this torment as fast as possible. The smooth cool air along the end pushed me along. Guessed both of them worked.

While I’m all punished by the heat along the 10km route, I found that someone else was having a worse condition that all the runners.

Imagine being in a giant pineapple suit in 35^oC and having people keep pushing to have pictures with you?