Subang Jaya 10k debut for duo from Pacemakers

By NG WEI LOON

COME Sunday, some of the new faces from the Pacemakers (PM) will be surfacing at the Subang Jaya 10km Run at the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Sports Complex in USJ5.

The duo of D.K. Dineshkumaran, 28 and Lai Fong Sang, 36 are among the rookies in the pack making their debut appearance in the Run.

“I don’t know what to expect. But, my running buddies at Pacemakers have assured me that it is going to be an interesting event,” said Dineshkumaran, who lives in Klang.

Dinesh took up running about 18 months ago to lose weight and he has trimmed down from 86kg to 72kg.

Over that period, he has taken part in more than ten 10km races.

(From left) Ng, Dinesh, See and Lai training at the KLCC Park.

He holds a personal best of 50 minutes in the 10km distance.

This year, he also completed the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon in five hours in his debut 42km race.

“I am looking forward to improving my timing in running 10km at the event. Going below 50 minutes will be a good achievement,” Dinesh added.

Meanwhile, Lai is rated as the most improved member in the group.

When he took up running seven months ago, he remembers the agony of struggling to finish a 10km run.

Now, he is beaming with confidence that he could finish a 25km run with ease.

“Currently, my personal best for 10km is 47 minutes. In my first 10km race, I ran at more than six minutes pace for a kilometre on average. I am enjoying road racing now. Running helps me to release stress,” said Lai, an accountant.

Pacemakers are avid runners, who are members of the Pacesetters Athletics Club Malaysia (PACM) that have embraced the advancement in information technology to share their passion for running with each other.

That was the reason http://pm1.blogspot.com website was set up following the Penang Round Island Race two years ago.

“We discuss everything related to running on the website among ourselves. We exchange information about running equipment, training schedule, upcoming events as well as members’ race reports and results on previous races,” said team captain Ronnie See, 30.

To them, nothing beats the feel of putting on their running attire and going for their regular runs at KLCC Park’s 1.3km running circuit after working hours on weekdays.

“The undulating terrain at the park makes it an ideal training ground. In addition, the running tracks’ soft synthetic surface takes the impact off the joints,” said Dinesh, who works in the IT industry in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

“Running helps me to keep fit. Besides, I enjoy the company of my running mates,” added Dinesh.

As for Lai, he runs up to thrice a week at KLCC Park and complements it with a long run from Lake Gardens to Sri Hartamas on weekends.

They derive a lot of satisfaction from clocking the mileage on the road to improve on their respective personal best in road races.

Pacemakers also keep track of the members’ personal best of between one to 13 laps around the KLCC Park in training.

During the fasting month, the Pacemakers organised a Networking Run for its members to prepare for up coming races.

A total of 43 runners took part in the six-lap route on the 2.3km circuit at Lake Gardens in mid-October.

“It was sort of a trial run for our members to keep them in shape as road racing took a break during the Puasa month,” said See, who will be taking part in the Subang Jaya 10km Run for the third time.

Even the recent hazy spell did not deter them from doing their regular evening routine at the KLCC Park.

“We feel lethargic if we are deprived of running. But, we reduced the intensity when it was hazy,” said Kelvin Ng, 45.

Ng, a familiar face on the local road-racing scene has been featuring in the Subang Jaya 10km Run since its inception in 2000.

“I am quite selective about the road races that I sign up for. So far, I am impressed with the organisation of the Subang Jaya 10km Run,” added Ng, who has raced in 14 marathons.

The appealing finisher’s medal is one of the reasons that Ng comes back year after year.

“As the number of participants hasincreased over the years, it is harder now to clinch a finisher’s medal. But, I will definitely be staying back for the lucky draw at the end of the race,” Ng pointed out.

The Run has 12 categories – 10km men’s and women’s open (18 years and above), 7km men’s junior veteran (40 years to below 50 years) and men’s senior veteran (50 years and above), women’s veteran (35 years and above), boys and girls (13 years to below 18 years), men’s and women’s special (wheelchair participants only), 5km men’s and women’s special (non-wheelchair participants only) and a 3km Fun Run (adults and children).

The Subang Jaya 10km Run is organised by MPSJ, The Star and the Selangor Amateur Athletics Association.

Participants can collect their running tags, reporting cards at the MPSJ Sports Complex today from 10am to 5pm.

The sponsors include Milo, Sports Toto, AmBank Group, DiGi Telecommunications and Sparkling H-Two-O.

PROGRAMME

6am: Registration of participants
6.45am: Warming-up session
7.15am: Arrival of MPSJ President Adnan Md Ikhsan
7.20am: Arrival of Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo
7.30am: Flag off 10km participants
7.35am: Flag off 7km participants (special - wheelchair)
7.40am: Flag off 7km participants
7.45am: Flag off 5km participants (special - non-wheelchair)
7.50am: Flag off 3km participants
8am: Expected arrival of 10km participants
Entertainment - Combo MPSJ,
RedFM and SuriaFM
9.30am: Prize presentation

Courtesy: The StarOnline