I'm back to my lovely hometown Kota Kinabalu, Sabah for my 2nd year running in Borneo International Marathon. This year, I opted for the Half Marathon category to extend my distance from last year. Registration was between RM70 - RM90 for the usual categories. I was glad that the organisor deciced to freshen the finisher medal design. This was shared through their Facebook page few month prior to race day.
Tons of running friends including those from KL had signed up for this event. Local Sabahan running friends will definitely be there since this was a well-known running event in Sabah.
Race Pack CollectionFlew home one day before race day for race pack entry collection. Similar to last year, RPEC was held at Level 6, Suria Sabah located in the middle of the KK city. Race kit consisted of Brooks running tee, BIB, some vouchers and race guide was given by friendly volunteers. Race kit collection was fast and organised. Booths by sponsor and partners were seen in the area.
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| Race Kit |
Had carbo-loading with MY365Runners friends, Sabahan runners Tinie and Kakai with Syi and Tajul from KL who signed up for the Full Marathon category somewhere around town afterwards.
Race Day
The flag off was held right in front of Stadium Likas entrance. The Half Marathon category flag off time was at 5.00am, two hours after the Full Marathon category. Free parking facility at the stadium area was available. No baggage deposit which was inconvenience to runners with personal belongings like car keys, towel, etc.
Decided to bring along a GoPro Hero 4 to capture my running moments this time - Itu GoPro bukan saya punya, pinjam sahaja pun.
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| Scenic Morning |
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| Signage |
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| Water Station |
The first water station was located at KM3 with Revive isotonic and water. Medic volunteers were seen at every checkpoints. Made my way running towards Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) main entrance gate at KM7.5 for my first time. This route was hilly with elevation up to 400 metres. This was where I started to meet with familiar faces from local Sabahan running friends, KL friends to also new-found-running-friends.
Pictures taken with GoPro Hero 4 and iPhone5.
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| UMS Entrance |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
After making a huge loop within UMS route, I continued my run towards KM21 with Ajib and friends. There was a cooling station for the FM and HM categories with wet sponges. A huge firefighter truck was used to make raining water for runners.
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| Running Friends |
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| Cooling Station |
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| Cooling Station |
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| Buli Bah Klau Kau |
Completed my first HM at BIM 2015 at 2:41 hours (Nett Time) after sprinting on the race track ground inside the stadium. Received my finisher medal at the finishing line.
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| Photo Courtesy of Donna Shui |
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| Finishing Line |
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| Finishing Line |
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| Finisher Medal |
Event AreaThe event area was really basic. Noticed some exhibition table set up by event sponsors and partners. No ice-cream nor Milo truck this year which was a bump. Hang out with all running friends within the area till 10am.
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends / Freelance Photographers |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends |
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| Running Friends (KK No Excuse Runners) |
CommentsFinisher medal design and quality was excellent. I'm glad that the organisor decided to freshen the design from the past years. But a one-or-two times size bigger finisher medal could be better. The 10K finisher medal was tiny as a pendant. The race tee design was very nice. Love the red colour selection.
Good job to all volunteers at the water station, checkpoint and those medics with sufficient muscle sprays supplies. Lively route along the race route with supporters and volunteers cheering. A big thanks to Donna Shui for taking photos of runners and all other freelance photographers in the area.
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| Event Volunteers |
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| Event Volunteers |
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Event Volunteers
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Need improvement at certain areas especially at the finishing line (it's too crowded), runners welfare (more freebies like ice-cream, Milo, baggage deposit) and event area (could be more exciting). Really looking forward for this as I will be signing up for FM at BIM 2016 after BIM 2014 (10K) and BIM 2015 (HM).
Summary: Good race event by organisor, sponsors and partners. Looking forward for more improvement at BIM 2016.
It's good to be back home!
Event Recommendation: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Borneo International Marathon 2015 Completed!
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