Today I woke up, dressed up, and laced up as usual for the Natura Run 2016. Nothing fancy, it was just a 15km run, just like any other run on any Sunday. However at 5km into the race I realised that my body was not cooperating. I knew that I wasn’t going to call it a day yet. Instead of hitching a ride on the patrolling ambulance, I decided to cut the run short by going into the 10km route instead. I guess I wasn’t ready to run to my fullest ability – I needed more time to recover from last week’s ultramarathon.

10km instead of 15km. That’s all for today, folks.

This run has been receiving bad press and complaints since the first day of the race kit collection. The awkward size of the race t-shirt, delayed flagging-off by 30 minutes, no prizes for podium finishers, last minute route changes, no goody bag or freebies, no timing chip on the race bib…and which charity organization does the proceeds go to again??? At RM65, this run was not cheap. Nobody had high expectations- they just want their money’s worth.

This was all that I got for today, plus water, a packet of bread, and a banana.

Negative comments aside, let’s focus on the brighter side of the race today: The weather was pleasant because it rained yesterday, the route was scenic because we passed by a park with a vast lake. There was a calm, meditative, and stress-free feeling while running through that route. On top of that, there was ample parking space, enough water stations, free ice-cold Milo and cereal at the finishing line, supportive crowd and running community, and the volunteers were friendly and helpful.

Positive vibes despite negative comments about the event. I guess It takes more than a badly organized event to crush these people’s spirits.

Every race or event will have its plus and minus points. But in the end, all that matters is our passion for running and good sportsmanship.

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.