Adventures of 2017

Adventures of 2017

Let's see. Where do I begin? This is the year of several firsts, and many ambitious back-to-backs on red-eye flights and long distance buses, maximising all hours. Could not have experienced all these without the generosity and support of so many of you (spot yourselves in one or more adventures 😉). Grateful for the opportunities.

• January kicked off with my favourite HK100 race, and three days later I was in Argentina. Glad the Aconcagua summit did not evade me this third time. 🙏 • February saw me attempting the TransGrancanaria 125km in the Spanish Canary island, and my first DNF of the year. 🤦‍♀️ • March offered a hiking through the Big Bend national park in Texas, soaking in the vastness of the land and being so so close to the Mexican border. Plus a weekender to Quebec and Montreal to catch the Hotel de Glacé (ice hotel). Discovering my name on #27 of the new Ultra-Trail World Ranking was a surprise bonus perk-me-up! • April was a crazy month, presenting my second 100-miler at Zion100 - a breathtaking scenic meandering through the canyons just outside the Zion national park. A week later, it was The Boston Marathon, my very first! Followed by bucket-list Peru to gasp in wonder at the Machu Picchu ruins and trekking up the amazing Rainbow mountain. • Then Melvin came over to NYC in May where we went snow-shoeing in Colorado, and ran the TNF NY Bear Mountains - got my second DNF of the year. 😂 Graduated from my Masters programme with my family in attendance, and finally home-sweet-home to SGP. 😍
 
• June was the Muar Camel Run 22km, finished 9th place with loads of otah. Then a Krabi chill rock-climbing weekend. • July had the MSIG SG 50km, which was cut short by a thunderstorm, followed by a Malacca weekend drive. • August's poison was my first Craze Ultra 100km, where longans and coconut juice got me to 2nd place. Two weeks later was my first ever win at any event - the GreenRace 60km. • September squeezed in a recee training at Mt Kinabalu, a feeble attempt to "dash" up the mountain. A week later, it was off to Sapa for the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100km. • Early October was my third Chicago marathon, good to be back in the Windy City. Followed by my first Mt Kinabalu Climbathon - glad I survived it. Loving the high altitude events. • November was relatively low-key, with only the Swissotel Vertical Climbathon, over in like 11min and finished 4th. So I basically chilled for almost two months, which felt like an eternity. • Glad to end December with a local favourite MR Ultra. Soaked up the camaraderie in my favouritest playground, had loads of fun, ran my eight loops with the support of several people, and closed 2017 with a 3rd placing.

Amidst all of this, read a tonne of books and journals and articles, juiced a couple of brain cells, wrote a stack of papers and assignments, organised a conference, completed my studies, re-adapted to work and picked up new skills, and connected with many new faces in our running community.

May 2018 be another year of exciting opportunities and adventures. Looking forward!

Vietnam Mountain Marathon (18 - 22 Sep 2014)

This is a long overdue post about my first participation at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) (20 Sep 2014). [Facebook page] [Ahotu news report]

It was the second edition of VMM and the sign-up from mostly international runners was very encouraging. Approximately 400 runners from 40 nations came for distances ranging from 21km, 42km and 70km. There was also a charity 10km that saw international runners pitted against the locals from minority tribes living in the Sapa mountainous region.

My journey to VMM was a rather impromptu opportunistic undertaking. Browsing the internet for races in the months of Sep and Oct 2014, I chanced upon the VMM listed on UTMB's website. The race dates and its nearby location was a great draw, with the 2pts UTMB qualifying race an added bonus. Familiarity with Sapa, having just been there in Dec 2013, was another comforting factor, such that I mentally knew what to expect in terms of travel and logistics. So I wrote in to the organisers a day after the closing date and managed to secure a slot for the 70km race.

The race organisers, Topas Travel, were very professional and proficient throughout my entire trip planning. I took the travel package, which included the overnight trains to/ from Sapa, accomodation in Sapa, race registration, various ground transfers etc. That saved me a lot of hassle in sorting out the travel logistics, and all I had to do was purchase my air ticket from Singapore to Hanoi. I was also very eager to squeeze in a trek up Mt. Fansipan (3,143m) - the highest in Indo-China - having heard about it for some time. Staring at the race schedule and trip itinerary, and after much consideration, I finally decided that I could do the trek on Sunday, the day after the race, and get back in time for the overnight train out to Hanoi. [On hindsight, it was quite painful. Would not recommend this back-to-back attempt to someone less accustomed to ultra-trails and trekking. More on this later.] I was prepared to do this by myself, in case I delayed other people from their departure trains or be delayed by others. Topas Travel took in my request, made some arrangements, and even helped to keep a lookout for other runners who might be interested to join in the trek. I was extremely impressed when post-trip, Topas Travel refunded me the 'excess' payment because I ended up with two other guys on the trek! Great integrity and customer service there.

Back to VMM... so I flew in on a Thursday to Hanoi and did a short city tour with some newfound friends from the same flight - Ben, Alan and his mum. All the runners then took the overnight trains to Lao Cai, from where we were then transferred by vans to Sapa town. One can imagine the logistical nightmare of sorting out more than 400 people (runners and supporters) onto their correct trains and vans. Kudos to the organisers and volunteers! The overnight trains are fairly comfortable - 4pax to a cabin of bunk beds. I shared a cabin with 3 girls from Hongkong who were going to the race as part of their Vietnam holidays. We struck up a chatty conversation overnight. Upon arrival in Lao Cai, we drove for about an hour to Sapa town. Some runners opted to stay at the race start/ end resort - Topas Eco-lodge (another 1h drive away), and the rest stayed in tourist hotels in Sapa town. There are pros and cons for each place. Topas Eco-lodge is a very beautiful resort set in the mountains, a little self-sustaining place, power, water, food etc. (More info on accomodation and race schedule on the VMM website) For convenience, this is where the race registration and briefings are held, the start and end points. However, there are no shops or other 'town' amenities, everything is contained within the resort. For those of us staying in Sapa town, the rooms are nice and comfortable, one gets to wander around the town a little, take in some of the daily sights, get a massage etc, but suffer the pain of waking up early for the transport to race start point.

Race day morning, I woke up at around 2am to prepare and catch the shuttle bus at 3am. The buses were a tad delayed, but we still managed to be flagged off a few minutes after 4am. It was dark and drizzling as we started the race, but thankfully it was not cold. I was in a normal Nike running vest and 2XU compression tights, armed with my trusty Black Diamond poles and my new TNF running rainshell. The first km was on tarmac before we veered into the trails. VMM took us on "trails beaten by buffaloes" and it was quite literally because we ran through endless paddy fields and farms, and came up close to these strong animals themselves. The rain continued throughout the race, sometimes a sprinkling and sometimes a drizzle. Eventually I gave up putting on and taking off my shell, and just went without it, because the drizzle would start-stop within 5-10min. The result of the wet weather though was countless mud pools, clay ponds, flooded fields and some stream-crossings. The mud came in all assortment of colours - black, grey, reddish, orange. Some came all the way up our calves and knees, others soaked and re-soaked our shoes. Staying clean was never an option.

Then there was the challenge of finding the reflective ribbons and marking strips along the trail. It was fairly easy to miss a marking, given how obscure the route was and how easily the markings could fall off. The VMM trails were considered technical as they were often not run-able. Imagine those picturesque cascading paddy field-steps that we see in postcards. Now imagine 'running' on those steps. Most times we trodded along the banks of those step-fields, which were about one shoe wide, with the next level down on the one side, and a flooded pool of rice plants on the other. At some other parts, we were walking along cement drains that were not really meant as footways. One must remember that this is a part of the mountains and village life that is not typically open to foreigners, and only the local minorities live there. Yet along some paths, we were squeezing ourselves through narrow paths lined with high shrubs, that the locals use for daily commute as they went about picking firewood or bringing harvest and produce out for sale. Such conditions meant that the race markings often get torn or dropped because people and animals brushed through the narrow paths, or local children found them fascinating as head and waist bands and made games out of them. Along the way, I picked up several torn ribbons and tried to tie them back for the benefit of runners after me.

The aid stations served only plain water and bananas. I must have eaten my year's quota of bananas on this race! The stations were usually situated next to little provision shops owned by the locals, where one could purchase drinks and biscuits/ snacks and support the local community. The sign-in and clocking of times was done by runners ourselves, marking out on a laminated recording sheet based on integrity. I was starting to love the race, with an emphasis on involving and benefitting the local community, trusting runners to self-police, and generally getting an enriching race experience. Or perhaps that was just me and my mindset going into the race. Granted there might be a couple of runners who were going for speed and timing, but I think the majority was there to soak in the adventure.

The route was revised from the first VMM edition, and the organisers inserted a 'hill' climb at the last segment of race. All three categories had overlapping routes from the end, ie. the 21k runners did the same last 21km as the 42k and 70k runners; and the marathoners did the same last 42k as the ultra-runners. Even though there was the new climb, I did not find it as steep as those in HK ultras (for those of us who are familiar with HK trail terrains).


The DNF rate for the race was pretty high, where folks either gave up due to the unpleasant weather and running conditions, or got cut off at various checkpoints. The last bit was finally on tarmac, winding our way back to Topas Eco-lodge, and I finally made it back in 16h exactly. Happy with myself for persevering because it was quite daunting after endless trekking and stream crossings. After getting some dinner at the lodge and the shuttle van back to Sapa town, and washing up etc, I finally crawled into bed past midnight, mindful that I still had a Fansipan trek to attempt in a few hours. Good golly.... (to be continued)....

Nepal EBC Trek

I managed to convince a couple of friends to go on an Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar trek with me over the Dec hols. I had been there about ten years ago, and I had unfinished business to complete. There were five of us and we decided to maximise the time we have in Nepal and chose to skip the annual Singapore marathon. We flew off that morning as many of our running friends were chugging their lungs out. I was very much looking forward to the trip, it had been many long and stressful weeks leading up to this.

A trek to EBC and Kala Pattar takes minimally 12 days. Throw in a buffer day for the weather, and another 2 days to fly in and out of Nepal, and we are looking at a 15-day (minimal) itinerary:

4 – 18 Dec 2011  ITINERARY:

4-Dec: Day 1 – Arrive in Kathmandu

5-Dec: Day 2 – Fly to Lukla (2800m) , Trek to Phakding (2650m)

Day 3 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3400m)

Day 4 – Namche Bazaar rest day, short acclimatisation hike

Day 5 – Namche Bazaar to Tyangboche (3900m) and Deboche (3700m)

Day 6 – Deboche to Dingboche (4200m)

Day 7 – Dingboche rest day, short acclimatisation hike

Day 8 – Dingboche to Lobuche (4900m)

Day 9 – Lobuche to Gorakshep (5150m), then Everest Base Camp (5350m) after lunch

Day 10 – Gorakshep to Kala Patthar (5550m, highest point), descend to Periche (4280m)

Day 11 – Periche to Namche Bazaar

Day 12 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Day 13 – Spare day (for flight delays or extra rest day)

17-Dec: Day 14 – Lukla fly to Kathmandu

18-Dec: Day 15 – Depart Kathmandu

This itinerary allowed for proper acclimatisation, but our descent was a bit of a rush. We actually got to Lukla by Day 12, but could not get onto a flight out to Kathmandu. For those 'proven' above 5,000m, you could potentially remove the rest day at Namche. Some people chose to climb Kala Patthar after lunch in Gorakshep on Day 9 and trek to EBC in the morning of Day 10 instead.

We were very lucky in that we could fly out to Lukla right on schedule. Flight delays between Kathmandu and Lukla are very common because of the fog. When a small window of clear weather opened up, all the airlines scrambled to send flights out on the 35 - 45min flight. The flight is memorable for first-time visitors to the Everest region, the aircraft is a dodgy-looking propeller plane, squashed and tiny. But don't worry, the pilots are amongst the most experienced in the world, simply because the Lukla landing strip is such a short one, any miscue and one would overshoot into the mountains or off the cliff. :) The runway is deliberately sloped so that the planes make use of gravity to brake or takeoff. (Tip: If you are flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, sit on the left hand side of the aircraft so that you can see the mountain range as you approach Lukla. On the return, sit on the right hand side.)

In the initial days, we were greeted with lush greenery, endless suspension bridges over rapid rivers (shudders to think how cold the water would be) and many stupas and prayer wheels. Nepalis walk around those objects of blessings in a clockwise manner. We were on a teahouse trek (ie. staying in the lodges rather than outdoor tents). On our first day's trek to Phakding, our porter overshot the lodge and almost reached Namche. He had my and WH's duffels and had all of us worried when it was nearing sunset and our things were nowhere to be seen. Our assistant guide and another porter went back down towards Lukla to look for him, while our guide went upwards towards Namche. Someone finally found him and it was a huge relief when he showed up with our duffels. 

The food in the teahouses was generally the same. One could get the usual dal baht (rice with veg and lentil soup), fried rice/ noodles, momos (like gyozas) toast (if there was bread), eggs, pizzas and chicken or yak steak if there was meat. The menu was the same over 12 days, the only difference being the prices in the right hand column. Things got more expensive as we trekked higher, since everything had to be manually transported from Kathmandu to Lukla to wherever the destination was. It was amazing to see teenage boys carrying supplies up the mountainous trails, their steady cadence and assured footsteps putting us to shame. I saw one boy who had 2 boxes of Pepsi on his back, each containing 9 x 1.5L bottle, amongst many other things. The Pepsi alone weighed close to 30kg. On the average, each porter carried 50 - 60kg of duffels (approx 2-3 bags), and easily outwalked anyone of us.

Anyway, back to the food. After a few days of staring at the same menu, we ran out of options and appetite. The comfort food we brought from home offered much relief. Ikan billis, preserved olive veg (the kind that goes with porridge), green chilli (no sambal in case the stomach churned in high altitude), Japanese sesame seasoning flakes, preserved bean curd, and lots of savoury chips and nuts. Bah kwa would have been nice but we forgot to pack it in. Oops.

We trekked through awesome scenery and up-close views of famous mountains like Ama Dablam, Chola East, Lobuche, and of course Everest. At one teahouse, my window had a perfect view of Ama Dablam (I called it my ice-cream cone because it was shaped like a semi-licked Mac cone!). We got to Gorakshep in the afternoon and decided not to attempt the Kala Pattar summit in case we did not have enough time. We opted to trek to the Everest Base Camp instead. Our guy gave us a turn-around cutoff time of 3pm so that we had enough sunlight to get back to the tea house. It was a mad dash, literally! But we made it the base camp in about 2h, a lot less time than usual. So I finally saw what EBC was like. That was the closest that I had gotten to Everest. *dream...*

The next morning, we set off for Kala Pattar at 430am. Kala Pattar meant "Black Rock", so there it was, a rocky peak at about 5,500m. There was enough moonlight but it was cold. I wore my down jacket and shell. Not as windy or brutal as Aconcagua, but still enough to numb my toes. We got to the summit just slightly after day break. The last stretch to the peak required some scrambling, and it was only a small area to house so many trekkers. Unfortunately, we missed the snow on our trip. Typically, the EBC would have been all white and snowed under. One would have witnessed snow from Tyangboche or Dingboche. But that year, it was zilch. EBC was exposed rocks, brown and grey throughout. Kala Pattar was similarly drab. :(  Perhaps that was why the weather was so chilly, the cold before the snow.

The summit day was a very long-drawn day. After descending to Gorakshep and getting some lunch, we rushed downwards to Periche. We arrived there close to 5pm, a full 12h cycle since we started off in the wee morning. One of my friends enquired about horse riding the rest of the way, and it was a whooping USD300! So we walked on and took about another 2 days to trek out to Lukla. However, there was a backlog of flight delay and stuck passengers who were waiting to fly out. So we had to stay an extra night and could only fly out to Kathmandu 2 days after reaching Lukla.

It was a very fun trip, especially when the company is good. You learn a lot of things about one another that you don't get a glimpse of in urban fast-paced Singapore. I was pleased that we ended the trip with more converts and fans of the mountains, and we started to dream of our next destination. Ahhh, put me in the moutnains any day! :)

You can view our trip photos online. 

Bt Timah Trail Sauna

I took my pair of brand new Leki Makalu Ultralite anti-shock trekking poles to Bt Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) for training. They were my birthday present from a bunch of great friends, and really came in handy now because I misplaced my existing ones.

It was my first time back at BTNR in 1.5 years, gosh! I hoped I remembered the routes and circuits. To save time (because it was already noon, oops!) and up the intensity, I decided to do 3 sets of the same steps, followed by a loop. I had a new Halo headband on my forehead and it did a terrific job of keeping away the sweat and hair from my face. The amount of perspiration from stairs and trek training was amazing (coming from someone who sweats minimally). I was toxically drenched in no time.

Training
Summit Path x 3sets - Fresh and perky
Rengas Path x 3sets - Lactic started to set in, legs turning into jelly
Jungle Fall Path x 3sets - Low sugar, legs turning into stone
Dairy Farm Loop - More wooden steps!

My legs were jellied and shoulders ached by the end of it all. My 15-16kg backpack now felt like a 18-20kg pack, pressing down against my shoulder blades and back. My Marmot pack hip belt was tightened to the max, and so were the shoulder straps. Ouch, there was a slight abrasion on my hip.