SCORE Warzone: Urban Assault kicks off

Update: The SCORE Warzone has been postponed to 20 Jan 2018. 

Another obstacle race is entering the Malaysia OCR scene with an exciting line-up of four different terrain races for OCR junkies to participate it. Established for their Zumba and running events, SCORE now ventures into the obstacle racing field with SCORE Warzone, a four series OCR events that kicks off on 18 November. 

Signing Up for Hurricane Heat KL

Why do I keep doing this to myself?, I asked myself over and over again. Kyoto Marathon (no regrets), Mount Fuji (no regrets), Spartan Stadium Combo - Tough Mudder - Melbourne 10km run (no regrets) and the list goes on. I think I need an intervention.

You see, I have just signed up for Hurricane Heat organised by Spartan Race, this time in Klang. Granted, it's a 2 hours Hurricane Heat but it's the first I am joining. I spent the whole of 2015 chasing my Spartan Trifecta and now that I have it, where does that lead me? Hurricane Heat seemed like the next natural course of action.

What is Hurricane Heat and how does it differ from a Spartan Race?

OCR How to: Rope Climb for Beginners

Ah, the rope climb. The immortal enemy of many Spartan racers worldwide.

So far, all the Spartan Races I have taken part in have had the dreaded rope climb. Sometimes, even two. Basically you can always count on Spartan to have its signature rope climb obstacle. Fortunately, this is an obstacle that can be defeated and conquered by learning the proper climbing technique(s).

Spartan Sprint Singapore 2015

I missed Kuala Lumpur's first ever Spartan Sprint in October due to my adventures in Sydney-Melbourne (which I have yet to blog about. Stay tune!). The busybody in me wanted to see what a Spartan Race in Asia was like so I registered for Singapore's first ever Spartan Sprint which took place on 15 November 2015 alongside Nicoll Highway.

Some initial impressions based on prior obstacle races I've done in Singapore: Singapore is too urban and clean for it to be a Spartan Race experience like Australia and at the same time, have a lot of rules to abide by when it comes to cleanliness. I figured these factors would affect the race setup and indeed it did.

OCR How to: Spartan Spear Throw

If there was one obstacle that sends shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned Spartan Elites and racer, it would be the spear throw. All Spartan race regardless if it is a Sprint, Super, Beast or Ultra Beast, have a spear throw obstacle (or two) somewhere in the course.

The rules of the spear throw are simple.
1. Pick up the spear
2. Throw it.
3. The aim is to make sure it sticks in the target or goes through the center of the tire as done in Australia.

Australia: Tough Mudder Melbourne 2015

Tough Mudder oh Tough Mudder. You hold a special place in my heart. You were the first obstacle race I ever signed my life over to, the first obstacle race I tackled abroad. The first of many to come. The start of the depletion of my retirement and investment funds....

So anyway, a week after Spartan Stadium in Sydney, I flew to Melbourne to take part in Tough Mudder which took place in Broadford State Motorcycle Complex. An hour's drive to the race site consisted of driving within the speed limit, slowing down at speed traps and praying for a sunny day out. The last time I did an obstacle course in Melbourne, I nearly froze to death.

Spartan Race Kuala Lumpur Kicks Off

One of my favourite obstacle course races, the Reebok Spartan Race has officially landed on home turf and I AM NOT AROUND TO JOIN IT!

In all due fairness, I had already waaaay beforehand, booked and paid the super expensive registration fee for Spartan Race Sydney Super and Sprint in pursuit of completing the Trifecta this year. So on the very same day, I was in Australia killing myself in their crazy new innovative 300 obstacle (which you can read about in the links at the bottom of the post), Malaysia got its first taste of a Spartan Race.

Journey to Trifecta: Spartan Stadium ANZ Sydney - Super- Sprint Combo 2015

5 weeks prior to this event, I was in Melbourne for just one weekend to race in the chilly temps, all for the Spartan Beast medal, the first piece to the end game: the elusive Spartan Trifecta. You can read about it here. It was an end game that finally bore fruit in Sydney at the iconic ANZ Stadium where not one but two Spartan races were held; the Super and the Sprint.

Getting the Trifecta was the objective of this race but Spartan Sydney this time also had lured me in with the world premier of the stadium combo – the Super and Sprint in one as well as the exclusive Spartan 300 - a series of ninja-warrior like obstacles that flows into one another without giving participants rest as the main finisher. And I got to try it twice.

Journey to Trifecta: Spartan Beast Melbourne 2015

Eight months of training finally came down to this. The first pit-stop to getting my Spartan Trifecta was the Spartan Beast Melbourne. Located at the scenic Lake Dewar, we anticipated lovely trails, challenging obstacles, refreshing lakes to swim in and a cooling weather to race in. We got and loved the first two, the last two not so much.

After Spartan South Korea's unfortunate postponement due to MERS, my team and I had little choice but to sign up for the Spartan Beast in Melbourne in order to get the green piece of the elusive Trifecta medal. Already short on leave days from work and quickly depleting finances (say bye bye retirement fund), Melbourne was a short trip. So short we literally only spent a night at Lake Dewar YMCA hostel, a stone's thrown from the start line. We flew in the day before the race and was out on the night after the race.

Call us crazy but only crazies would dedicate a year of training and shuffling around travel plans to chasing three pieces of metal.

Viper 2 Four: Challenge Yourself

So you have conquered the Viper Challenge, Arena Challenge in the Dark, King of the Mountain and almost every obstacle challenge there is in Asia. Now it's time to challenge yourself by going longer and harder.

Introducing Viper 2 Four.

Brought to you by the organisers of Viper Challenge, Viper 2 Four is Asia's only obstacle endurance event where participants can compete individually or in a team of four. All one needs to do is complete as many rounds of the course as possible within a 24 hour time period. As daunting as it sounds, it doesn't need to be when you have a team and/or support crew to rely on for support. The top three in each category of male, female and team will stand a chance to walk away with cash prizes.

Giveaway Winner: Spartan Race Singapore

Hello hello people!

It's time to reveal the winner of my Spartan Race Singapore and after much consideration and deliberation, I am pleased to announce that the winner is... Lavania Krishnamurthy!!

"This race is part of my "Race to join by 30!" bucket-list. Unfortunately, my finances hasn't been cooperative for me to join. This would be the first time i had ever joined any race in my life. It is a personal goal for this chubby girl to test her endurance and limits." 

Ms Krishnamurthy, I totally know how you feel. Time to start training hard because you're going to Spartan Race Singapore on 15 November!

Keep an eye out for an email from me with your entry code.

And to everyone else who joined the contest, thank you for your participation. It's still not too late to join the race as it's still open for registration.

For more training and gears tips, stay tune or just drop me a comment and I'll be more than happy to assist anyway I can.

Inov-8 Roclite 280 trail shoes review

I got a new pair of Inov-8 trail shoes for my birthday last month and I am super excited to review it! Since starting OCR, I've only heard good things about the brand and have been on the lookout for a pair for myself. However unlike Reebok and New Balance, Inov-8 aren't sold everywhere except at Key Performance outlets.

My first pair of Inov-8 is the roclite™ 280 in black and pink.

According to the brand website: The roclite™ 280 is a great value all round off-road training shoe. This highly cushioned and lightweight model offers excellent levels of upper durability and protection. Featuring inov-8's on-the-shoe gaiter pockets, so the inov-8 race ultra™ gaiter can be attached and all debris kept at bay.

So after a month of testing it at bootcamp, on the trail and at a few Spartan training sessions, here's my verdict.

Spartan Race Singapore Giveaway

Harloooo, people!

In November, I'll be heading to Singapore to take part in the Spartan Race Singapore! This is the first time Spartan Race will be held in Singapore and also Malaysia! I've blogged about Malaysia's Spartan Race already which you can read about it here.

The Spartan Race has been major factor in my life this year as I am pursuing the elusive Trifecta medal so joining Spartan Race Singapore Sprint only seemed like the natural thing to do. I've been training and dieting my ass off for my races and after a year or so, I think I can ready to conquer that damn rope climb obstacle! Yeh!

New Balance 610v3 Trail Shoes: For trail & OCR

Kind of a long overdue post but after a painful hike on Gunung Ledang, I believe I've tried out my New Balance 610v3 shoes in every condition there is to push it to its max performances. I've used it for trail running, obstacle racing and of course, hiking and can now make a fair review on it.

The New Balance 610v3 was the successor of my former trusty pair of two years, the New Balance 610v2. It even looks alike save for its more vibrant colour.

It shares the same sole as the v2 with some rather toothy lugs combined with road friendly prints that offers just the right amount of grip for trails, road and even on obstacle courses. The grip was impressive as when on trail, I often felt sure-footed and very rarely experienced loosing my footing or grip on the trails. These same soles even helped me survive the obstacles of Viper Challenge and Viper Arena although upon looking back, I realised it was more suited for Viper Arena due to the shorter distance combined with the variety of obstacles.

Choosing Your First Obstacle Course Race (OCR)

The year I discovered obstacle course racing was the year my life changed. As cliche as that sounds, it is the truth. It started with my bootcamp friends convincing me to take part in Tough Mudder, a 21km distance run with an exciting and terrifying combination of obstacles - Artic Anema, Electroshock Therapy and walls...oh god, the walls.

Needless to say, I was hooked.

But taking the leap (sometimes quite literally) from pure running to obstacle course racing was no less daunting for many. If the 10ft walls and 15ft plank walk hasn't frightened off some, the distance might. However if one has been working out consistently and has the right can-do attitude aka YOLO, completing an obstacle course race can bring about a euphoria unlike anything running can bring about. I think it has something to do with the obstacle element of it. Being able to overcome a physical or mental challenge in the form of an obstacle had rewards of its own.

Reebok Spartan Race Coming to Malaysia?

Is Reebok Spartan Race coming to Malaysia?

Quite possibly!

I was excited to hear that the creme de la creme of international obstacle course racing might be setting up right here in Kuala Lumpur because that would mean...not having to spend thousands of ringgit jetting to Australia, UK or America just to get three big-ass medals and one elusive tri-colour medal reserved solely for the Trifecta tribe of Spartan.

Firstly, what is Reebok Spartan Race? It's a series of obstacle course race with three different categories of distance and total of obstacles consisting off Sprint (5-7km), Super (14km) and finally Beast (21km) or for the insane, the ultra Beast (42km). Completion of all three within a calender year will earn you the Trifecta medal. That stupid glorious chunk of tri-coloured metal.

Last year, I flew to Gold Coast (thanks to Airasia X's reasonably priced flight tickets) to take part in Spartan Beast. It was a killer with over 30 obstacles, a challenging terrain and the punishment of burpees for each failed obstacle but I was addicted. Just holding that palm-size medal in my hand...it was the most satisfying thing ever. You can read about my Spartan experience here.

After the recent Viper Challenge, it seems like Malaysians are more willing to challenge themselves beyond just running the distance. However, are we ready for a Spartan Race? Will we actually do the punishment of 30 burpees for each failed obstacles? Will we honour the spirit, sportsmanship and ethnics of this race by not cheating, cutting queues, complaining and giving up? In all honesty, after what I observed at Viper, no. Heck, I saw many people shoving and pushing and cutting queues, I saw people taking short cuts across the route.

So no. Many of us aren't ready for an obstacle race like Spartan. But those who are and/or have done Spartan honorably, well, they are the ones who understand the value of owning one or two or three or all of those medals. So for the sake of those Spartans in Malaysia, I hope Reebok Spartan Race does come here and by God, I hope we Malaysians don't make a mockery of it.

So yeah...With a Spartan Malaysia in the works, my dream of getting the Trifecta medal have just became a step closer to reality. Otherwise...it's back to continent hopping all over Australia for me. And it's bye bye retirement fund.

So Spartans within the region, if you want Reebok Spartan Race to come to Kuala Lumpur, just pre-register here so that the organizers know that you are keen and just dying to do burpees!

Aroo!

Read the update on this topic here.

Viper Challenge 2015: Wet and Wild

Somewhere behind me, behind those 5 foot walls set up in middle of a plantation in Sepang, I could hear my friend coaxing a pair of girls to use him as a step for them to get over aforementioned walls. Ahead of me, my sister was scrambling over the walls with sheer determination and I thought, "if she can do it, so can I." 

So I did it. Awkward and uncoordinated. Not at all like how my Bootcamp instructor taught us (he would burst a vein if he saw how I did it) but I did it nevertheless. And even though those walls were only 5 foot, it was an achievement for me.