Race Review: Xterra Malaysia 21k trail

EVENT. Xterra Malaysia 21 km. Trail Run.

Langkawi, Malaysia

08 May 2016 Time 07:15

Headline Event Owners: XTERRA Malaysia Race Director: Sean Chee. Course Architect Dave Spence

Event Organising Company: Radius

Race Review SCORE CARD

PRE RACE.

Entry and information:

There was an initial problem with entry due to an error on the Active Global registration site blocking entry for anyone over sixty. This was sorted out very efficiently with one to one communication from Dave Spence.

Once the age restriction was rectified everything was as smooth as silk. Every conceivable question was answered before it was every asked and updates flowed through their face book and website, there was also an app to get information direct to your phone.

Value of entry at RM182 may seem high but believe me it was worth every sen. Good quality apparel, a great medal, a Carb loading dinner and an Awards Dinner on top of a brilliant event.

Race registration and kit collection:

Collection point and dates were very near the event venue the day prior, but I do wish that a postal service was offered to save on unnecessary travel. The actual kit collection was hassle free.

Race site Facilities:

The start venue was close to idyllic, right on the oceans edge at Pantai Kok, golden sands to warm up on in preparation for the start and finish along the beach.

The staff could not have been more helpful or friendly and a special mention has to go to our MC for the weekend, Adele Cheah Lynn-Li, who kept us informed and happy.

Very importantly, more so for after than before, there were plenty of shade canopies erected and was much water and 100 plus as you could drink.

There was one big let-down – NO TOILETS at the start, it was either the bushes or bluff your way into the five star hotel.

Parking:

There was ample parking just two-hundred metres from the start area but with the majority of entrants being Asian the road leading to the start was full of parked and abandoned vehicles.

Care of Competitors:

Not sure what more could have been done. Perhaps a group warm up along the beach?

Medical staff and ambulances were alerted and on standby.

I am an advocate of compulsory kit and emergency contact numbers for trail racing and believe that the implication of such would improve the safety of the event.

RACE.

Organisation:

Course management: There were several competitors that got lost, two at least badly, one returning by their own route and the other so much so that they covered an extra four k’s and given that she would have possible won the event. However, for my part I found the course signage to be good, with just one hesitation and retrace on the way out and two wrong turns and back-tracks, my own fault, on the way back.

The actual course was one of the toughest I have run, with three torturous climbs evenly spaced to ensure little recovery after the steep technical descents, thanks Dave Spence for one of the most enjoyable runs of my life!

Marshaling quantity was a little sparse and, given that, they were not well used. Some were placed along a single track that, unless you made your own pathway, there was no other place to go. At one turn there were marshals on the way out but they were gone on the return?

Feed stations were ample and well staffed and stocked.

The finish line was a blast, everyone was enthusiastic staff, volunteers, supporters and participants. Medals, shirts and goodie bags collected, photographs taken then to the cold drinks and hot food.

POST RACE.

All times and placings were immediately available to all as soon as anyone crossed the line.

The prize ceremony was a little late, put back thirty minutes as some of the placed runners had not completed their very tough runs. But, I don’t think more than a small handful of people left such was the camaraderie of the whole field, some of whom had completed the off road triathlon or sprint the day before.

AFTER EVENT

The FULL results were published within seventy-two hours, apart from the professional championship triathlon all the results were age grouped.

Post event communication has been great with plenty of photographs of the weekend. 5/5

*Based on price against other similar events as advertised.

My overall score for this event is 91% the toilet issue stops me from giving a 95% and anyone who reads my reviews knows that I never give more than a 95% as no matter what there is always a way to improve in everything we do.

Overall I think the Race Director, the Course Architect and all who have been involved can be very proud of a well managed, fantastically enjoyable and safe event. High Five’s all round guys.

Happy Running

When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

My personal race.

Xterra is primarily an off road Triathlon event covering the Asia Tour professional championships, amateur off road tri and tri sprints. But they also incorporate trail bike race and a series of trail runs.

My slight concern when entering was that the trails would be an after-thought event but how wrong was I. The whole event and atmosphere was just great.

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I’m back! After the disappointment of my last race this came as a great relief as well as a personal victory. I had set my sights on a Sub3 time but really had underestimated the toughness of the journey.

Planning a trail run strategy isn’t as straight forward as it is for a road run. So, generally, my rule of thumb is to start easy and build into a suitable pace, don’t over-do the hills, walking up steep hills is acceptable and is often more efficient than busting a gut to run them. The steep technical down-hills were too steep for me to get up too much pace, not through fear but more lack of technique, but I am improving. The plan was to really push on whenever there was a flat section but believe me I was either going up or down for all but the beach sections at the start and finish and pushing on at the finish would have been fruitless, I was too far behind to catch anyone and well clear of the runner behind me and time was an irrelevance.

Apart from a couple of minor directional mishaps, mainly me not looking where I was going, that were quite quickly rectified my only problems were the missing marshal at the trail-head from the path down from the seven wells, but, as soon as I hit the road I knew I was wrong so back tracked and was put back on course by a photographer, thanks whoever you were.

One other point that could be improved on, at the 5.5 turn around point we were to collect a second verification sticker. The young lady who was issuing the stickers let several runners past without mentioning we needed the sticker, if we had not been turned back by another runner we may have been disqualified. There needs to be someone who is not afraid to exert themselves in these situations.

As much as I love all the running friends I have met around the world I can say that the Trail Tri Guys are just about the most welcoming of all, from the top professionals to the local joe’s like me. Thanks a million.