A very wet run at the Larian Gegar Neon

It was a dark and stormy night.

The evening had started out fine, with a clear sky. It took me some trouble to find the starting point of the run. I knew where Universiti Malaya was, but I was unfamiliar with the grounds. I drove there, hoping there would be sufficient signage, but the hope was in vain. The only indication that there was going to be a run in the university were the orange traffic cones that were placed in the middle of the road to make space for the runners. I followed them, hoping that they would eventually lead me to the starting point, but all they did was lead me into a large loop around the main field in the university, and brought me back to the entrance arch.

Fortunately some of my friends who were also joining the run were already at the venue, so I gave one of them a call, and she was able to give me directions from the arch landmark.

The starting point was near the swimming pool of the university. Parking was rather tight, but I managed to find a spot not too far from the venue.

There were two categories in the run: 5km and 10km. Both categories would run the same route, with the difference being that the 10km would loop twice (and then some). Because it was a university-organised run, most of the participants were the university students.

The 10km was flagged off first. We met with the biggest obstacle of the run almost immediately: a steep uphill run up Bukit Cina. And for the 10km category, we had to run up it TWICE!

We were given a glowstick to wear on our wrists at certain checkpoints, and the 10km runners collected two during the run.

The rain started exactly at the time when I just finished the first loop. It escalated quickly into a storm, and I had to give up running because my drenched clothes and shoes added weight to my movement. I had to keep wiping water from my eyes with my towel which in itself was already soaked.

It was difficult, but I doggedly sloshed my way all the way to the finish line. I knew I wouldn’t be able to improve my personal best time, so all I wanted to do was finish the run.

And finish the run I did (and fortunately NOT as the last runner!)! I collected my hard-earned medal and certificate, and took several photos to commemorate the wettest run I’ve ever participated.

This was my first time in my life running for a long time in the rain. I never ran in the rain by choice even as a child (because I was ill too often). I thought I was a little miserable while I was running, but now that I’m at home snuggling comfortably under the warm covers, looking back it had been rather fun!

Last take:

I had planned this to be my last night run, and I would also probably make this my last university-organised run. It was titled the Neon Run, but we didn’t receive any neon items (besides the glowsticks issued during the run). There were glow items on sale, but I didn’t buy any. There were also no distance markers. Still, at least there was a goodie bag.