Race Review Action Asia 50 Ultra Trail
EVENT. NAME: Malaysia Action Asia 50. 50kms.
VENUE: Janda Baik, Pahang, Malaysia
DATE: 19 Nov 2017 Time: 05:00 [05:03]
Headline Event Owners: Action Asia Events
Event Organising Company: Action Asia Events
Race Director: Michael Maddess
Timing company: ?
Registration company: Direct
PLEASE NOTE: This review is based on my personal observations and experience of the event and is intended to be helpful to other runners for their future event selection and also to aid the organisers by giving an honest and unbiased opinion of both the good and the not so good elements as I found them. Where, on the rare occasion I have used information other than my own it will be clearly stated as such and will have been from a trusted source and corroborated by others.
THE EVENT
EVENT SCORE CARD SUMMARY
PRE-RACE.
Entry and information:
Initial event information and updates: Pre-registration details were a little sketchy, e.g. Just one mandatory kit list so one had to assume that a 1.5ltr. hydration pack was required for the 10km? There was a COT given for CP1 only for participants to find that there were also unadvised COTs at each of the other three CPs. It was made very clear from the very outset that the course was going to be tough and sufficient training needed to be done. Facebook never really got updated. 3/10.
Contact: Facebook and the general web-site were the only options and the only questions that I know were asked did not get answered 2/10.
Catagories: Male/female, open, vet and senior vets, a step in the right direction. 7/10.
Value of entry: At 58US$ [circa RM180] for a 50km trail event almost gets top marks. 19/20.
Race registration and kit collection: Collection point, ease of collection: No postal service will always drop marks, but, several collection days and venues, including race venue the evening prior, plus event morning [at an extra cost] were good alternatives. The evening prior collection operated extremely well. 17/20 48/70
Race site Facilities:
Venue, space and amenities: Amenities were a bit ad hock. 8/10.
Toilets facilities: Just the hotel lobby and swimming pool toilets. The swimming pool toilet was as wet as a shower cubical, no seat on the toilet and no toilet paper. 6/10.
Start area: There were plenty of staff milling around but they all seemed very busy doing lots of last moment jobs. 6/10.
Parking and transport: With absolutely no public transport to the race site this event cries out for some organised transport and/or coordinated car sharing scheme. Those late arriving, for the shorter distances, will have had a good warm up just walking to the start from their cars. 4/10.
24/40 72/110
Care of Competitors:
Starting time, race & safety briefing and control: There was no race briefing at all 2/10
Medical facilities. Start/finish and on course: There was a medical crew at the start/finish and a vehicle ferrying injured/distressed runners from the course. However there was no medical facilities at the CPs 11/20.
13/30 85/140
THE RACE.
Organisation:
Course management: Safety and Signage. One of the events major pitfalls. There was no kit inspection done and no emergency phone number given out. The organisers would have had no idea who had or had not started the race as there was no automatic chips.
I found the course signage pretty good for the most part, although there are plenty of complaints on social media. I did question why arrows from other events were left in place and was informed they were direction arrows for the lorry drivers. So they were left in place. My question then is why was there no ‘wrong way’ signs in place as there were at other junctions without confusing direction arrows. 12/30. Note: The safety element scored 0/15 I only wish I could have given a minus amount.
Course design and enjoyment factor: Excellent – Very High - High – Med – Low (subjective) 18/20.
Marshaling: The quantity of marshals was probably insufficient, however there misuse was also very evident. i.e. there were two marshals situated at a concrete road turning to CP2 where the road only turned left and there was impenetrable jungle in the alternative directions, the turn was also clearly marked with arrows indicating CP2. The marshals were, not unsurprisingly, sat on the floor chatting.
That said the marshals themselves were supportive and jovial. 10/15.
Feed stations: For a supported event 12.5 ave. kms. between water stations is too far, especially on such a tough course. However the staff numbers and quality at each station was brilliant. There was plenty of hydration in the form of water, Lucozade sport and Ribena. On the nutrition front there seemed to be plenty of what there was, but, what there was wasn’t very good. If you couldn’t take banana then it was a dry biscuit. 9/15.
51/80 136/220
POST RACE.
Finish line: Crossing the finish line was a feather in every competitor's cap, but not the organisers. As there was no auto chip to record the finishers there should have at least have been a finishing chute that kept everyone in their finishing order, not so, just hang around and wait for the guy with the tag reader to get to you in whatever order he finds a finisher, I know I was pushed back one place, and I stopped him from reading two more runners that finished behind me.
The food selection was nasi lemak or nasi lemak, not everyone wants to eat semi-warm rice and meat straight after a long hard run. 4/10.
Resting and cool down areas: Good – Sufficient – Lacking. Subjective 7/10.
Finishing information: Placings were immediately available, however, I cannot comment on any announcements or the prize ceremony as I got back too late. 8/10.
19/30 155/250
AFTER EVENT
Results: Very timely, in fact real time and in full, only age grouping to complete a perfect ten. 18/20.
Post event communication: A few photographs, however, the organisers did have a very swift transcript of the event in place on their website. I believe it was written while wearing rose-coloured glasses, there was only praise for the event and no mention of any of the problems or complaints. 2/10
20/30 Grand Total 175/280 giving an overall score for this event of 62.5%
MY COMMENTS: I very much enjoyed the course, it was a true test of fitness and endurance in a stunning location, made even tougher by the overnight rain and the scorching temperatures.
But, I feel extremely let down by a very experienced organiser, just not good enough.
{Taken from the event registration site]
Rules & Regulations 規則與條款
Official Rules & Regulations
S1. Race number to be worn on FRONT of you. Not on your back.
E1. No throwing any garbage of any kind on trail or face disqualification.
E2. No water bottles at checkpoints so you must bring your own hydration system or cup or bladder for refill as no cup policy.
Water Check point - "NO CUP CONCEPT" only bladder, bottle or foldable cup can refill at Water station.
*Mandatory equipment to be carried when racing – per person
S2- hydration system (min 1 litre capacity) camelbak style drinking system (1.5 - 2 LITRE RECOMMENDED) S3- telephone in waterproof case / bag with fully charged battery S4- Rain or spray jacket (lightweight Salomon, North Face, Icebreaker recommended) S5- Running shoes - Trail running shoes with good grip recommended (example - Hoka, Inov-8, Salomon, North Face) S6- Food/energy bars/dried fruit/nuts etc to get you thru 4-12 hours each day (min 250calories) S7- Whistle S8- 1 x headlamp with new batteries for 50km category S9- compass (can use watch)
S10- gps watch that you can download gpx track to follow and know your distance/elevation
Please note: I have renumbered items from the official race site S: safety E: environmental.
On the safety side: The scannable tags are a real benefit to the trail running community, especially for the organisers as there is no need for bulky equipment and heavy batteries to be lugged out into the jungle. However, organisers need to know how to use them! They should never be used alone, they need to be used in conjunction with an automatic chip at the start and finish.
Let me pose the question: Let us assume 155 people picked up their race kit over the week preceding the event. The race begins and after a period the CP1 results begin to arrive and finally 154 people have gone through. As there has been no count of how many actually started we have the following situation: Did someone not show up? Is there someone still out there lost, injured or even worse? Lesson one: If you don’t count them in there is no point in counting them out!
The first thing is that there was no equipment check undertaken so how would the organiser know if the correct equipment is being carried? But even more poignant why have the rules if you are going to ignore them?
S1 Race numbers seen on back. S2 Several runners observed without a hydration pack, one even seen running with a hand-held bottle of water. I would not be at all surprised to find out if some of these offenders are those crying foul over the lack of water stations. S3 Unchecked so how would they know? But anyway what would be the use of a phone without having an emergency number to call, I can just see the police dragging themselves through the jungle to pick up a lost runner! S4 Unchecked S5 Probably adhered to as Jerome was otherwise engaged [you have to be in the know] S6 Unchecked S7 Unchecked S8 Adhered to as we did start in pitch darkness. S9 Unchecked S10 Unchecked but what the hell, the organisers didn’t make a GPX file available.
I know that Action Asia would not be so slip-shod with their Hong Kong events so why come here and drop their safety standards?
On the environmental side: I am totally ashamed to have been associated with this event and wish to offer my sincere and heart felt apologies to the people of Janda Baik for the way we have treated them after accepting their hospitality by trashing their forest home.
The follow statement is part of the organisers after event adulation of themselves and their event “To minimise environmental damage to the natural route and maintain a clean green environment in Malaysia, the Malaysia Action Asia 50 operated a strict no cup policy. Runners were advised to bring the their own water bottles or hydration packs and refill them at the water checkpoints throughout the course.”
What a load of crap, literally a load of crap because that is what WE left out there. It is easy to blame the organiser, which I do, for supplying bottles and allowing participants to take them from the CPs. There is no excuse what so ever!
But even more so it is US, yes all of us, each and every one who saw someone throwing a bottle or gel packet down and didn’t stop and make them retrieve it is as bad as the dirty, ungrateful slob who threw it. I know if I had had the energy and a big plastic bag I could have filled it with the trash we left out there.
The organisers first blame Lucozade for providing bottles, then blame the Malaysian culture of not wanting to offend anyone. None of that washes, you had a policy and no balls to follow up on it, end of story.
“No throwing any garbage of any kind on trail or face disqualification.”
The organisers own words, item two of the event rules, with, at the very least, fifty Lucozade bottles and numerous gel packs strewn along the trails. How many disqualifications?
Would I return to this event: No – Unlikely – Possibly – Yes
Happy Running
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Photographs curtesy of: Inspired Trail Runners, Action Asia Events.
My personal race.
10:09:08 6thof 17 Senior Veteran [50 plus]. 53rd. of 147 finishers Overall.
My race, despite the failings of the organisers, was for the most part a real joy. I could stop there, but you know I won’t.
I had set myself a tough target on such a course of eight hours. This was my first proper trail event since my enforced layoff so I needed some tough mileage under my belt, as my main race of the year is looming up in the very near future.
The tough mileage including the 2400 metres of ascent are now firmly encased within my aching legs as required. But what the event did show me is that I am not fully fit mentally, and possibly physically. I’ll explain.
Trail running isn’t really about even pace and time targets, it’s all about the final finish. It’s you against yourself more so than any road race, yes you will be trying to chase down the runner in front of you or holding off the person behind but it’s all about keeping going at the best pace you can muster at any given moment.
So, my mental fortitude needs some serious workouts before my next event. I was going very well at 29.6 kms. I was 28th overall, I love that aspect of out and backs, count those who pass you as you who are returning from the turn around and you know exactly where you are, then tick them off as you pass someone, or add it on when your passed, to stay on track. I later found out that I was also second in my age group but most importantly at 4:23 I was almost twenty-minutes inside schedule.
But, a little word with a big meaning at times, it was there that I made the wrong turn, a turn that added over three kilometres to my distance and a hell of a climb to boot. Once I had completed my extra loop, having returned to a point I knew I had already been earlier, my mental fragility became oh so evident. The negative side of me said that’s it no chance now give up, and my posative fighting spirit said yes it will be good to walk back with these guys and have a chat along the way. Oh shit!
There is nothing to say that I would have been able to stay on track, I may even have capitulated at a later point over something else, perhaps when the temperature reached its height at 38 degs. Or I could have just run out of steam and ground to a halt, I will never know.
I have analysed my effort and noted the negatives as work in progress but I have also scraped all the positives I can from my run:
I really enjoyed the first part of the run and the camaraderie of the second part.
I did put in a good 30kms and my main event of the year is only 21kms.
I seemed to have found a pre-race nutrition system, thanks to Andy DuBois of Mile 27 [RaceBase], that works well with my GI problems.
If I had been any faster I would not have seen my first ever Peninsula Asian Elephants, what a bonus!
