The Heat Is On At The Standard Chartered Kl Marathon 2017

With Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) 2017 just around the corner, it was no surprise that the topic of the runners to look out for became the subject of breakfast conversation for my bootcamp mates and I.

International Buffet Offerings @ All New Lemon Garden, Shangri-La Hotel KL

The Lemon Garden restaurant in Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur has always boasted one of the best buffet spreads in the city with a wide array of international and local cuisines. But the years has worn out the interior of the restaurant and seeing that, Shangri-La KL decided in Nov 2016 to have its signature restaurant refurbished and renovated to a dining venue befitting of its name and its guests and customers.

Tokyo Marathon 2017: Day 4 - Race Day

Race day. The D-Day. The Tokyo Marathon. My second marathon and first Abbott World Major. Perhaps my only World Major.

One of the perks of racing in Japan was the flag off time at 9:10am unlike Malaysia's ungodly hours to beat the heat. This meant I could sleep a little. But my internal body clock had me blinking awake at 6am. I got dressed, did some last minute check of my running gears and by 7am was out the door.

In the footsteps of a SCKLM pacer: Choi Chik Choy

Participants of Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Full Marathon 2017 may know one of the 6:00 hours pacer as Choi Chik Choy. The running community however knows him better known as Choi, a semi-retiree who provides runners with their running, hiking and triathlon needs. Heck, even my mum and I turn to him for our OCR and trail run needs.

1. How long have you been running?
I have been running since I was around 22-23 years old. After I got married, I took a break for about 2-3 years before rekindling my passion for running. All in all, I probably have been running for almost 25 years.

Tokyo Marathon 2017: Day 3 - Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu and Harajuku by foot

It was a beautiful day to simply get out and stretch out my leg muscles before the big race the following day. There were a few places I wanted to visit on the eve of the Tokyo Marathon but seeing as how I had made plans to meet up with a group of the Malaysian runners at La Pausa restaurant Harajuku, I decided to just go along with how the weather fared and how I felt.

My aimless wandering led me to a quint coffee place called Fuglen near my AirBnb for some takeaway coffee. The setting was quite cosy, the type of place I would end up spending the whole day at with my laptop if I ever reside in Japan.

In the footsteps of a SCKLM pacer: Karsten Korbel

Often the unsung heros of the running world, pacers play a vital role in helping runners achieve their intended targets. Be it breaking that personal best or just finishing within the cut off time, pacers like Karsten are often the faces you look to in times of exhaustion and for inspiration and motivation during a physical and mentally taxing run such as a marathon.

I speak to Karsten Korbel, owner of a Personal Trainer studio in Sri Hartamas and one of the three 3:45 pacers for the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon (SCKLM).

The Right Way of Running at SCKLM Running Clinics

Running used to be a simple affair. Put on whatever BATA sport shoes your parents deemed as sport shoes and just run, one foot in front of the other at a rapid pace and repeat. Nowadays, the simple BATA shoes don't cut it no more. It is all Nikes, Adidas, Pumas's and Brooks. Shoes specialised with the running tech to make you go faster, longer. However try as you might, at the end of the day, the one who makes the difference is you.

Well aware of this, SCKLM 2017 organisers have pulled together a series of running workshop for its runners. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon Running Clinics are gaining in popularity as more than 300 runners took part in the second round of Running Clinics organised by Dirigo Events, owner and organiser of the premier running event in the country, over the last weekend. There was a Junior Running Clinic on Saturday, 11 March for children between the ages of 6-12, a general clinic for adults on Sunday and even a specialised Running Clinic for those attempting their first Half Marathon.

Tokyo Marathon 2017: Day 2 Part 2 - Race Kit Collection and Expo

Day 2 in Tokyo will be broken up into two posts because I believe the race expo deserves a post of its own as do my adventures in Shinjuku and Odaiba. This post covers the Tokyo Marathon 2017 Race Kit collection and Expo which was held at its annual venue at Tokyo Big Sight on Odaiba.

After my morning adventures in Shinjuku, I took the JR Yamanote line which connects to the JR Saikyo line to Odaiba. Upon reaching the Kokusai Tenjijo station, it wasn't hard to figure out which the way to Tokyo Big Sight with so many runners heading in the same direction. On top of that, there were tons of volunteers and signs stationed around to show the way.

Pawse for a Cause is back!

Ready to further the fight against animal cruelty and increase awareness around the welfare of the same, Pawse for a Cause is making a comeback, and will grace our shores with a second annual charity carnival this year. Set for 29 July 2017 at Desa ParkCity, the effort seeks to spotlight the plight of strays nationwide, raise funds for pet non-profits, and educate the public on the Animal Welfare Act soon taking effect.  

In collaboration with United International Pictures, this celebratory sequel launched in grand fashion today during the premiere of A Dog’s Purpose at MBO Cinema, CITTA Mall. The event was attended by members of the media, event partners, and local celebrities who share a passion for destitute animals.

Tokyo Marathon 2017: Day 2 Part 1 - Things to do in Shinjuku and Odaiba

I had two primary parts of Tokyo to hit on my second day in the capital of Japan for the Tokyo Marathon: 1) Shinjuku to recce the startline and 2) Odaiba to collect my race kit and to see the Gundam statue.

While the temptation to squeeze as much as I could into sightseeing was real, experience have told me that it would be suicide for my legs (and purse) so I planned and prioritised. Luckily my first stop was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, an observatory tower that stood at 243 meters and was free of charge to enter.