Jerudong, Brunei
March 24, 2018
By Richard Akol
Beach Bunch Trail Challenge is one of the races in the Asia Trail Master Series. This trail race in Brunei, which is organized by an NGO whose advocacy centers on protection of coastal wildlife, features various distances from 100kilometer, 50Kilometer, 30kilometer and 10 kilometers. As an avid follower of Asia Trail Master facebook page, I chanced upon one of its raffle contest - it was a trivia/quiz regarding the past edition of the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge. Fortunately, I got the correct answer and was picked earning me a free entry to the 2018 edition of the Beach Bunch Trail Challenge in Brunei! Lucky me!
So of course, I would not let this opportunity go! After all, this would be my first international race and having won a free race kit meant a lot of saving on me as I won’t need to spend thousands on registration fee. I would have to focus on the logistics alone. Plus the training. I picked the 100 kilometers category and that distance is no joke! It’s been almost a year since my last 100 kilometer race; after that, I focused on shorter distances.
Logistics/Preparations:
So after confirming my participation to Asia Trail Master, I proceeded with logistics. My buddy, Tin, was also interested in joining the race but she did not register right away as she’s not sure on the distance yet. So we proceeded with booking the plane and accommodation. The schedule was also perfect because after the race, it’s long holiday in the Philippines, thus allowing us to have a longer stay in Brunei. Another lucky thing is the cheap airfare between Manila and Bandar Seri Begawan! ROUND TRIP FARE between MANILA AND Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) for 1person is just 4,100 pesos! Steal!
For the accommodations, we just booked via Booking.com because a lot of accommodations here do not require advance payment. We booked for accommodation in the BSB, Jerudong (which is the race venue), Labuan and Kota Kinabalu. We were advised that Brunei is rather small so if we’re staying for more than a week, it would be better to go to nearby cities of Labuan and Kota Kinabalu, both of which are in Malaysia but are very easy to reach from Brunei.
By the way, Tin almost did not make it to the registration. Fortunately, the organizers offered late registration but without provisions including event and finisher shirts. Of course, the registration was at a lower price. Unlike in some races in the Philippines where late registrants are charged with additional 20% mark up! Anyway, Tin was OK with the option of no shirts but lower registration fee. After all, she’s more after the experience than the shirt. She registered for 100km category as well to maximize her travel. But goodluck to her because it’s been a year since she last joined a 100km trail run. Hahaha.
Hello, Brunei!
So we arrived in in Brunei on March 22, two days before the race to make sure that we have enough time to explore and prepare for the race. We made sure we have enough time to travel from BSB where the airport is located to Jerudong, get our race kit, and attend the briefing of RD Rizan. We stayed in BSB for one night and traveled to Jerudong on March 23. There, we met the race yaya officials (race yaya, is the official timing partner of the race) and some of the other runners from Philippines like Race Director Doi Calbes of Team Vertical2Sky and consistent race frontrunner Wilnar Iglesia. We also met some international runners like Dendi, from Indonesia.
Gunstart!
Few hours before gunstart, Tin and I made sure that we have the mandatory gears and complete provisions in our drop bag. We felt nervous and excited at the same time but we calmed ourselves thinking that we just needed to enjoy and finish the race within the cut off time - no pressure, just like the Team BTR’s mantra: Be cool and enjoy!
The road to CP1
So we’ve checked in and proceeded to the starting line. And off we go! I tried to be as relax and slow while trying to stay on the lead pack. The first 9km of the race is mostly road and flat which made my pacing faster than what I actually planned. I arrived in the first aid station in less than 50 minutes and was part of the top 10.
Bukit Silat
I stopped in the aid station to hydrate and eat something because the next section would be hills with technical terrain. This section, called Bukit Silat, is around 9km and you would do this twice! This is where the mental challenge and difficult terrain started. So I started slow and hiked the hills, but after a few hundred meters, we found ourselves lost haha. Some runners started to catch up and we started looking for the trail signs. We couldn't find any so I went back and just before the trail head I saw a marker. It was on the ground maybe
because it rained the day before. After this part, the trail signs were more visible and were few meters away from each other. It’s time to pick up the pace, I ran and hiked the hills then ran again the downhills as fast as I can but I was also cautious because of the technical terrain. The forest section has lots of roots and the trails are uneven. After an hour, I saw some hikers and maybe marshals, they said that I'm near the aidstation (km 18). After a few hundred meters, I went out to the forest and found myself in a junction. I stopped and searched for a trail sign but couldn't find one. I looked to the right and I saw a light coming from another runner so I followed and went right. I caught up to one runner and asked if we are in the right direction. He’s also not sure because he can't find any markers, too. So I checked the map and figured out that we were supposed to go back to the aidstation but it seemed we’re going deep in the trails again. I decided to go back but just lost a lot of time and effort already by then. I stopped at a junction and turned left; after a couple of hundred meters, I saw a blinker! I called the other runner and told him the right direction and we ran together to the aidstation. I stopped to eat bananas and watermelon, refilled water and prepared for the second loop. The second loop was much easier and faster because I’m familiar with the trails. I'm back the aid station (km27) at around 3:56 am. That's 3 hours and 6 minutes for two loops of Bukit Silat, which totals to 18km.
Bukit Silat –Agro Farm- Jerudong station
After that two crazy loops in Bukit Silat, we went back to the roads passing by the major highway going to the agro park. It was around 5kms of concrete before we reach the trail head of Agro Park. The trails from Agro Farm to Jerudong substation is rolling, you also need to pass this trail thrice (route is Agro to Jerudong; Jerudong to Agro; Agro to Jerudong). Good thing about this trail is there a lot of monkeys and you would see a lot of runners along the way, greeting and motivating each other, I think I saw Pablo Diago here and Wilnar Iglesia, Rd Doi Calbes, Tin Salazar. This boosted me and gave energy to run again. I reached Jerudong at around 06:14 am (Km 42). The next aid station/check point is back in Agro Park (km 51). This is where the drop bags are and it's time to load up with real and heavy food. At km 51, I was now halfway to this race and I still felt good. There are lots of food here –chicken lollipops, sandwiches, fruits, cakes, and choco drink. I took my time to eat and recover. I also changed my socks and clothes and decided to use the same shoes all the way( altra lonepeak 3.5).
After this, I proceed to go back to Jerudong station (to KM 60). I tackled the same path, rolling hills, the monkeys and my co-runners. The sun was up when I was traversing the trail (hello, heat and high humidity). I arrived in Jerudong at around 9:36 am.
Jerudong to Bukit Shahbandar AKA 14 hills.
From Jerudong, we went to another trail section called Bukit Shahbandar. From the race briefing and course map, we surmised that we would traverse Shahbandar twice. Going to the first loop, I decided not to eat since I'm still full and I thought it was just 8 km. I jogged to the park and reached a seemingly endless stair. I walked and climbed the stairs.
Finally, the stairs ended and I reached the trails. After a couple of kilometers, I felt tired and decided to stop and took a rest. I can feel that my calves and quads is now starting to cramp. One runnner saw me and checked if I’m OK. He offered me a spray for the cramp, which was really effective, and he encouraged me to go with him and take it easy and slow. We took it slow and easy. We took some rest every few hundred meters because we’re tackling more and steeper uphill. By then, we’re just at the sixth hill. There are 14 hills, right? When we reached the final hills, we went our separate ways because he was running for the 30 km category and going straight to finish line. As for me, I still need to do another loop of Shahbandar trails. We bid goodbye; I thanked him for giving me the spray and congratulated him.This reminded me of the many reasons why I run – the friendly running community.
I arrived at CP 7 (Check Point in Shahbandar) at 12:45 nn. Having experienced the difficulty of the Shahbandar loop, I took my time here to eat noodles, drink milo and rest. I stayed in the park for more than 2 hours! I took a nap since I still have a lot of buffer for the cut off time and I need a lot of energy for that 14 hills again. I thought of Tin and wondered if she is doing fine. I thought of pacing her from here to the finish line but I continued and went back for the second loop. The second loop was much easier since I'm already familiar with the route and I have regained my strength somehow. I arrived at the second Shahbandar check point at (km75 ) at around 5:15 pm. It’s still sunny and hot at this time. I was still safe and have enough buffer time because the cut-off here is 07:00pm.
Beach sections!
Finally, I’m down to the last 25km. Yey! After those steep assaults and technical downhills, it’s all flat from the road outside Shahbandar to Berakas beach. But I know it won’t be easy after 75km of running, hiking and walking and yes don't forget it's a beach. Running on the beach was not easy because of the sand! I can no longer run, I just walked and pushed myself to reach the next cp.
I walked quite far that I thought that maybe the beach is the finish line because I saw the flags of beach bunch and headlamps from afar. This motivated me to go faster and hoped that that was indeed the finish line (maybe we will just be transported to the school). I arrived and I the marshalls congratulated me so I thought that I’m already done, yey! However, one marshall came to me and asked if I want some noodles and told me that I’m just few kilometers to the finish line. Shoot, not done yet. This was just Berakas Beach (which is just km 86)! So I got some the noodles and brought it while walking. I decided to do this to save time since it’s still hot; rather than wait and eat at the aid staition, it’s better to keep moving. From Berakas, I headed to Tongku beach, which is the last aid station before the finish line. While heading to Tongku beach, I bumped into a lot of runners including Tin and told her to push herself. I motivated her and said that she can make it to the cut off time as long as she keeps moving.
I kept moving and tried to jog and walk and after a few km I saw a runner. To my surprise, it was Dendi. We paced and encouraged each other. We kept moving and then it rained. Nonetheless, we did not stop and arrived at the last junction going to the finish line. I told him to go first to the finish line so that he can own the moment when he crosses the finish line. After him, I crossed the finish line, happy and contented with 2 hours left before the cut off time.
So overall, I'd say this is a very good 100km race. I would recommend this race to first timers in 100km distance because of its forgiving elevation. Still, do not be deceived! The race features crazy loops so it will really challenge your mental toughness. You also have to be physically prepared - the uphills, while short, are steep and technical. You also have to prepare your running legs for the runnable sections because you have to run it out or else you will not reach the finish or check points within the cutoff time. For a 100k race, it's a relatively fast race with 24 hrs cutoff.
It was also well organized. You'll see a lot of friendly volunteers in the checkpoints. The aid stations are well-supplied so food and hydration would not be a problem. Except for the few issues in Bukit Silat (because of the rain the day before), the race markings were excellent. That said, time and money permitting, I'll do this race in 2019 again.
Race stats/summary
Race category : 100km
Finish time : 21:59 hrs
Cut-off time : 24:00 hrs
BTR Cycling Cap ( It's a trap)
Energizer headlamp
Spyder Sunglasses
BTR Sando
Camelbak hydration vest with soft flask
Soleus digital watch (no gps)
Compressport compression shorts
Runnr socks
Altra lonepeak 3.5
Personal Nutrition :
Gu gels and roctane
Nuun hydration
Salt sticks
Biscuits
Brownies
P.S
Thank you Asia trail master for the opportunity , Beach bunch trail challenge RD marshalls, volunteers, team btr for the support and to Tin Salazar for my Visa . :-)
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