MIRI - 2nd Last

Yes I came second last overall in the Olympic distance race on Sunday with a time of 3 hr 20 mins.

Friday

Left on Air Asia at 0725 hrs, so you can just imagine what time we woke up. Also on the same flight was Mr Chan, Eugene, Ah Meng etc., the Navy Triathlon Team, Major Kalam, Ruslan (MC), Sharom Awea, Cecil, Emma, Pro Elmar etc, so it was actually quite a crowd.

AIR ASIA

Air Asia charged me RM215 for the bicycle. RM35 is for sports equipment (apparently even a tennis racquet is a "sports equipment"). Then add 12kg (27kg - 15 kg) X RM15. I wasn't allowed to combine with my wife. Apparently Yusran, Cecil and other Triathletes got caught the same way for Langkawi. Luckily no other triathlete paid more than RM35 as they packed their bikes in light cardboard boxes.

For the return flight, Air Asia charged me only RM80 as this time I could combine my allowance with my wife's (15kg each). So be careful of Air Asia.

The Military triathletes get a special 40 kg allowance each and they also get priority boarding, well lucky them.

FRIDAY MIRI

The Sarawak Tri people and the army cyclists were waiting at the airport. We were taken to the hotel which is only 25 mins away. So a very pleasant start.

The hotel rate was RM150 per night with breakfast. Its good value for money, nice view, gym, pool, good breakfast and they are very used to Triathletes.

We had a simple lunch at some shops nearby nearby a swank Chinese School.

Miri is flat, has nice roads, being beside the sea can be very windy, cloudy, clean, modern town and is getting more effluent.

My wife went visiting her friend so I went to the gym and pool. Its not a good idea to use the gym before a race, but I have not been to one for at least one year, so I was just itching.

Kimberly was in the gym. Miri is her home town. She is a lovely person. She was smiling, bubbly, polite and talking to everyone throughout the race weekend.

Kimberly of course won the Sprint and Olympic Distance races (Open and Swak Closed). In her, Miri have a double SEA Games Gold medallist they are proud of. She has lost some weight, every triathlete wishes her all the very best in her triathlon career.

Dinner was at my wife's friend house. They were very very nice to us. The husband is a British/ Canadian Pilot, the wife is Thai. Their daughter (Jasmine) took a strong liking to me (because I threw the balloon at her).

SATURDAY

By the time we went for breakfast, Razani and his group had already arrived. As usual he is very obliging and did a magnificient job on my bicycle. He has a cartridge thing that u use to inflate a punctured tubeless tyre. It patches small holes automatically (i.e. you don't need to remove the tyre in a puncture).

Race registration was between 10 am and 12pm. So reunion time, simply marvellous. One long lost friend was having treatment at the National Heart Institute, so count your blessings.

Race briefing was at 12 pm. Mr Chan gave his usual humorous briefing. A mom had to take her crying baby out.

No lunch as Sprint Race start was at 3 pm.

SPRINT RACE

The race start is about 1 km from the hotel. The run finish is at the hotel. So everyone had to walk back to get their bicycles (not really a problem).

The swim is in an enclosed boat Marina. The water is perfectly calm but absolutely filthy. There is no outlet for the sea water to escape I think. I developed body rashes and was actually sick for the Olympic distance race. Everybody else was OK though. Perhaps its because I wrapped myself around a rusty pier pile whilst adjusting my goggles.

Its a nice swim, much more buoyant than A Famosa. On the bike everyone just blew by me. I finally could manage to draft a huge girl who was going at 33km/hr. The bike route is flat except for one hill which has to be done both ways.

For the run I did my damnest to keep in touch with the huge girl. I finished one place behind her in 1 hr 28 mins. She also has a lovely bubbly personality. I actually had a good race, came in 8th in my category and won a whopping RM100.

DINNER

We went to a nearby place beside the beach. There was Razani, Dino, Wong Ah Thiam, Awea, Stephanie, Zafrul, Neeza and my wife. The food was bad and expensive. It was my pleasure to pay the bill bearing in mind the illustrious company I was with.

Sunday Olmypic Distance

Start time was 7.40 am I think. I had body rashes and was feeling disoriented. No way I came all the way and not race. The swim was OK, I came out with Carmen. Everyone else has a fast transition except me.

Emma, Lea and everyone else blew by me on the bike. One big girl also blew by me, I thought I had missed my train. Luckily a smaller girl with running shoes was going at 33km/hr. But she was so thin and it was a struggle to draft her. My big girl from the previous day only arrived at the end of the bike.

The moment I started the run I knew I was in big trouble. The thighs, legs and feet felt absolutely tight from the gym and Sprint race. The big girl was quickly out of sight. So it was mostly walking (yep) and plodding along. the last 2 km I did with Scalo (Albert Chong from Sibu). Only one person was behind me (no names). The Miri race only attracts the serious crowd.

Results that i know

Elmar was overall winner for the Sprint (by only one minute) and the OD. Kimberly was the overall female winner for both races too.

Second overall for the Sprint was a very young Swede first time racing in Msia.

Lea was the sprint champ in her gategory I think.

Carmen, Fiona, Dino, Awea didn't do the Sprint.

Fiona won her category in the OD beating Carmen, Lea and Emma. She must be very pleased. The other strong girls were Stephanie, a Navy woman (Puan Geoffrey)

Sam won his group. Jap Sam came in third in the 50+ age group and won RM1,000.

Eugene is the first Msian male in the OD. Razani won the veteran's Sprint and OD. Some very strong triathletes from Macau were also placed well.

On the flight back (Monday morning) I got to know the Navy boys quite well. The joys of doing Traithlon.

Overall its a good race. Be prepared to fork out about RM1,000.