The 1st Sundown Race in Malaysia was held at JB on the 21st June 2014 which consist of 2 categories, 12km & 21km. The flag off time for 12km is 8.30 whereas the 21km started at 8pm.
The race pack collection was at Medini Mall,Nusajaya which is at the entrance of Legoland,JB. The collection went very well and smoothly as the collection area was spacious and the line was short. For this particular race,the transportation to the starting line or their Race Village which is at Educity Sport Complex, is slightly different as no cars are allowed to enter to the complex. All runners are advised to park at Legoland Carparks and use the free shuttle buses provided by the organizers to the Race Village. They have over 20 shuttle buses provided so there were buses coming every few minutes which is very convenient. Along the way to the Race Village, the bus driver will stop if he sees any runners or even spectator and friends at the side of the road and pick them up. I was surprised at how friendly and thoughtful they were for stopping & picking people up as they go. The ride to the Race village took about 5 minutes. Upon reaching the Race Village, you can see everything was properly displayed so you won't get lost or could not find the baggage drop counter,etc. To my amazed, even all the Rela or Security Personnels are very well informed of the layout of the Race Village. I overheard a few runners asking them where is the toilet/baggage drop counter/taping counter and they politely direct them to their destination. Kudos to the organizers!
At nearly 8pm,all 21km runners were asked to go to the starting line. It was a hot and humid night with the temperature of 32 degree. The route was mostly flats with long steady inclines at certain places. Part of the routes were dark and i was impressed the organizers provided portable flood lights to light up the route. Along the whole route,it was spacious and the road conditions were very good. No potholes or uneven roads as I found out that Nusajaya,JB is like the Putrajaya of KL which makes some of the route slightly familiar if you have run the BSN Putrajaya Night Run before. At the 8km mark,we ran into Kota Iskandar. I was told that is where all the government legislative offices are located. With a man-made lake and unique buildings around,it does remind u a little bit of Putrajaya. Water stations were at every 3km with choices of Revive Isotonic drinks or mineral water. At the halfway point, power gels were available at the water stations.
After 19km mark,the route was slightly congested as it was combined with the 12km route so it makes it harder to overtake people. Upon crossing the finish line,you were give your medal,bananas and water. Your finisher tee has to be collected inside the Race Village. The finisher collection area was quite unique as they used the sport complex's ticketing counter so the staff was behind a clear glass and you queue in front and collect your finisher tee through the opening where people usually pay for their tickets. It's like when you go to a petrol station and u go to the counter to pay for your petrol. It was a good idea as it controls the crowd very well.
In the Race Village,there were a huge big screen showing a movie "Escape Plan" where the spectators and runners that have finished can sit and chill while waiting for their friends. A good way to kill time! After the race,we walk to the shuttle bus pick up point located just outside the complex and took a ride back to legoland where we then took a taxi to our hotel at Danga Bay area.
Overall,it was a good and well organized race for the 1st Sundown Marathon in Malaysia. I would strongly encourage runners to participate for this next year. As for accomodations, I would recommend to stay at town area. It will be slightly further away from Legoland but it's more convenient to find food and shops and with a group,a taxi ride would not cost you much.
My ratings for Sundown Malaysia, 8/10.
Report By:- Justin Yeo
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