Road to Powerman 2011: The Unusual

This year Powerman Malaysia is the 10th edition organized by Quick Release Adventure since inaugural edition back in 2002. The celebration of 10th anniversary was 'hot' and can feel by more than 1000 participants competing in various categories this year.

I as a prominent face in this race has became 9th times Powerman Malaysia Finisher since 2003. The organizer awarded 24 peoples they considered as 'most loyal racer' and received a limited edition of 10th anniversary Powerman Malaysia Jersey.

My objective this year was to completed the race with the slowest time ever since 2003. As a bonus to myself this year I crossed finish tape together with my girlfriend an clocked 4 hours 56 minutes 14 seconds. I have waited my girlfriend 100 meters from the finish line for more than 20 minutes just to crossed the line together with her and of course that moment maybe happen once.

My New Zoot Overall Trisuit and 'the things' inside the goodies

My race number (nice ha?) and Timing Chip (ChampionChip by MyLaps)

As I was lack of training as my preparation towards the race day, but I'm quite pleased with my performance during the race and once again ice cube saves my legs and my race time! This year I raced with 'no legs' for 50% of race course as my legs fatigued as early as of my second laps of bike segment. Thanks to energy drinks sponsor Gatorade, the drinks I drank more than 5 liters during the race, the drinks & electrolytes really helps me and make me able to put another foot in front of my foot.

The prize giving ceremony were held by Perak Chief Minister Dato' Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir and also International Powerman Association President, John Raadschelders.

The winners takes the prizes and the 'lucky draw' prize 'throwing' session I like the most. I'm the guy with not depended on luck and this year the method that the organizer used to give the prizes for the winner got my hat off for them. I won a full set of 10th Anniversary Edition of Powerman Malaysia Limited Edition Trisuit! Adele Cheah as the MC gave the members of the floor this question "What is the name of International Powerman Association President?", and the "AAAAaaahhhh.." came from the audience. As a thunder, I ran to Mr President sitting at the VIPs table and asked him his full name. Then I jumped to the stage and told Adele, "His name is John..", later I received the M size of that limited edition trisuit.

Pose after suffered for nearly 5 hours and lunch buffet to replenish drained energy!

Ong & Chau, Powerman (Sprint version), I on the stage received a prize for being 'Powerman Malaysia Most Loyal Racer'

Finisher T-Shirt by Brooks & My 9th Finisher Medal and huaaaaa, my 10th Anniversary Powerman Malaysia jersey and trisuit plus a gift from Perak State Government.

Other Kakithoners Jiha, Ong and Chau also participated in this year race. Ong achieved his objective after failure last year with 3rd position in Men's Sprint Category behind the guys from UK and Thailand. So he need to compete for long distance next 2012 edition. Chau got 8th places for his first time ever competing in sprint category, he suppose to race in full distance category to get better result & satisfaction. Jiha ranked 11th for her Women's 20-29 years old Category and also her slowest finish since her competing in long distance category since 2009.

As a bottom line, Powerman Malaysia 2011 and previous 9 edition was never let me down. The organizer, the sponsors, the state government always gave the participants and 'sport tourist' a satisfaction to the limit. Perhaps, Mr President will consider to give another 10 years opportunity to our lovely race director Melody Tan and her crew to organized the most electrifying event of the year in Malaysia's Multisport Race Calendar.

Road to Powerman 2011: The Journey Towards the D-Day

Today is 11.11.11 (11th November 2011).
Many events happen today..
Many people talk about the date, the numbers and beyond..

As myself today is another history happen in my life. Sweet but still can feel the heat & sour from the past. It is matter of your rice pot (periuk nasi in Malay) & your journey as 'normal people do their routine to live'. I really thanks to certain people that really appreciate my existence & believe in my capabilities. Thanks Allah, may these people got your bless forever. So from this date, number one equal to my first day of my come back.

long way up..

Tonight my journey to Manjung in Perak will be begin in believing to finished another episode of Powerman Malaysia. Two of us will drive all night long to reach the location in safe condition (it is two of us??). This year, I'm lack of preparation physically & logistically. Not more room left when I made a call one to other one accommodation provider nearby race site.

My physical really under supposed to be. My emotion really disturbed with the past happen to me & I lack of motivation to kick start my gung-ho training regime. But for it is better do slowly & at least have a training hours than sitting with the hand on the head do nothing. I really depended on my last Saturday brick workout & my two weeks Adventure Therapy outing in Borneo to maintain my minimum fitness level.

Me with Jason Spong (RSA) and Joerie Vansteelant (BEL) during Powerman Malaysia 2010

Last year strong finisher sub 4 hours

I'm the person who're really ambitious but considering the realistic in setting the objective. As I mention before, this year Powerman Malaysia will be my slowest Powerman race I ever finished since 2003. In adding some peppers & salt to my raceday this Sunday, I have received the email from the organizer that I was chosen to be on the stage during price giving ceremony. Even I maybe finishing with 4 hours 50 minutes and above.

See you when I see you!

Cardiovascular Responses to Fluid Replacement During Endurance Race

Many of endurance endeavors especially inexperience athlete, lack of knowledge and practice about hydration status during their race. As a result, many 'young athletes' suffered a dehydration and the worst is heat stroke when the race goes beyond 4 hours. A great knowledge and good practice of this input can change many endurance athletes performance and their days!

The fundamental purpose of the cardiovascular system is the efficient circulation of blood. When the blood is transported to the body's organs and muscles efficiently, the body is equipped to utilize its energy stores and nutrients in an optimal fashion. As plasma, the fluid component of blood, is itself over 90% water, the proper replacement of fluids into the body during exercise is a essential.

All athletic activities have a common feature that, in varying degrees, places an additional stress upon the body: the requirement of the additional generation of energy. Energy to power the movement of the body and its structures is demanded, either in a freestanding mode, in such sports as such as running, gymnastics, or wrestling, or when the athlete is propelling an object, as in bobsledding, canoeing, or cycling.

The body possesses two main energy systems, the aerobic and the anaerobic systems. The anaerobic system comprises two separate mechanisms, the alactic and the lactic processes. Both processes rely on the ultimate production of the compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is produced through the metabolism of the body's stores of glucose. The nature of the activity will determine whether the aerobic energy system, or one of the two anaerobic systems will produce ATP from the available glucose reserves.

Seventy-five percent of the energy generated through the metabolism of glucose is released from the body as heat. The remaining 25% of the energy is directed to muscular contraction and the other aspects of human function and movement. The heat produced through metabolism is very dangerous to the body, and it must not be allowed to build up. The mass of the athlete is also a significant factor in determining the impact of the generation of heat. As a general rule, the larger the athlete, the greater the amount of heat that will be produced, and the greater the prospective impact on the cardiovascular system.

Heat dissipates from the body through the evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin. In endurance sports, the replacement of these fluids is essential to performance. In sports such as marathon running, long distance cycling, and cross-country skiing, a rule of thumb regarding fluid replacement suggests that the athlete, in the course of the activity, consume between 6.7 oz and 27 oz (200-800 ml) of fluid per hour of competition.

Like most human systems, optimal function of the cardiovascular system will follow optimal fluid levels within the vascular network. The thirst sensation is a very poor indicator that the athlete has a lower-than-optimum level of hydration; an athlete may have a deficiency of 1 qt (1.0 l) or more before actually feeling thirsty. Where the system begins to become dehydrated, the blood plasma will correspondingly become reduced in volume, creating two important consequences: reduced ability of the blood to transport oxygen and nutrients and reduced ability of the blood to dissipate heat.

The result of dehydration to the cardiovascular system may have three progressive consequences for the athlete: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Heat cramps are a condition in which the body becomes dehydrated and the blood system is not able to efficiently deliver electrolytes (salts, such as sodium and potassium), essential to muscle function. Heat exhaustion is a more serious condition, in which the athlete becomes disabled due to the inability to dissipate heat, often resulting in elevated heart rate and lethargy. Heat stroke is an incapacitating heat illness, in which the body begins to shut down some of its process; body temperature frequently exceeds 105°F (40°C), and the athlete is often not coherent. Heat stroke is fatal unless the athlete receives immediate medical attention.

Proper hydration is not the only factor that will impact upon the proper function of the cardiovascular system during exercise. Related to fluid intake are environmental issues such as heat, humidity, and presence of wind, as well as the rate or intensity of energy expenditure. When an athlete becomes dehydrated, the ingestion of fluids to correct the shortage will not have an instantaneous effect on blood fluid. The water or similar liquid must be digested and passed through to the small intestine, a process that usually takes a number of minutes to achieve a physiological result. For this reason, athletes in endurance events will consume fluids well before they expect to feel a thirst sensation.

Just as too little fluid replacement will cause significant circulatory problems, an athlete cannot guarantee proper cardiovascular function simply through constant fluid intake. When an athlete is exposed to high temperature conditions, and excessive amounts of fluids are consumed, the athlete may be subjected to a condition known as hyponatrania. Too much fluid will dilute the proportion of important salts such as sodium in the bloodstream. When coupled with the natural loss of sodium through sweat, the loss of this important electrolyte may interfere with the functions of the brain, heart, and muscles, leading to apathy, confusion, and nausea.

As the bottom line, as we put our cardio at optimum pace, the replacement of quality fluid must be take seriously. As we need to achieve the race objective, but at the same time our cardiovascular must be pampered nicely and wisely.

Road to Powerman 2011: Powerman Malaysia Most Loyal Racers

Haaaaa...what is the picture above?

I just received an email from Melody Tan, Race Director of Powerman Malaysia and her wrote:

Dear Loyal Racers of POWERMAN Malaysia,

On behalf of our title sponsors, Malakoff Corporation Berhad, we would like to thank you for having consecutively raced in 6 years or more Powerman Malaysia since 2002 including 2011. Please find your name in the list below which will also be put up on our website and notice board.

The top 10 loyal racers shall receive their limited 10^th Edition Powerman Malaysia jersey (attached) on stage during prize presentation from 1.00pm till 2.00pm on Sunday, 13^th November 2011 in Dewan Merdeka MPM. If you are unable to make it, please let us know by Thursday this week so we can arrange for you to collect your jersey another time.

For the top 11^th till 24^th loyal racers, we shall leave your jersey for your collection at the shirt sale counter in Dewan Tertutup MPM on Saturday, 12^th November 2011 from 12.00pm till 5.00pm. Please bring your IC along for verification during collection.

No	Name	Participated in	No of years	Size
1	Don Khor Ngee Leong	2002-2010	9	M
2	Mohd Radzi Dahalan	2002-2010	9	M
3	Shahrom Abdullah	2002-2010	9	S
4	Carmen Leong Ban Yeik	2003-2010	8	S
5	Mohd Ibrahim Hj Azman	2003-2010	8	XS
6	Abdul Razak Zainuddin	2004-2010	7	M
7	Cheok Kon Fook	2004-2010	7	M
8	Grace Lau Soh Wai	2004-2010	7	S
9	Ong Boon Hin	2004-2010	7	M
10	Yap Eng Leong	2004-2010	7	L
11	Abdul Hamid Ramli	2005-2010	6	M
12	Alvin Ong Kay Yong	2005-2010	6	M
13	Lee Pang Hong	2005-2010	6	M
14	Mohd Amran Abdul Ghani	2005-2010	6	S
15	Ngin Ping	2005-2010	6	M
16	Yap Boon Kheng	2005-2010	6	S
17	Yusran Yusoff	2005-2010	6	S
18	Ahmad Jauhari Yahya	2005-2010	6	M
19	Danny Feng	2006-2010	5	S
20	Freddie Low Han Chung	2006-2010	5	M
21	Hoo Ching Cheong	2006-2010	5	M
22	Ong Siok Bee	2006-2010	5	M
23	Robson Phan	2006-2010	5	S
24	Yip Ngan Huen	2006-2010	5	L

Thank you so much to you all and see you this weekend at Powerman Malaysia 2011.

Sincere regards,

Melody

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MELODY TAN

Quick Release Adventures

No. 11 Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 2, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

Tel : (603) 7710 9984 Fax : (603) 7710 9985

Websites : www.quickrelease.com.my I www.powerman.com.my I www.klmtbcarnival.com.my I www.duathlonseries.com.my

No word to say for this Breaking News. Hope to be in Powerman Malaysia this Sunday and finished my 9th Powerman and be Slowest Powerman Finisher