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Perhentian Island Challenge 2008
by Sandra Loh | Add your comment!

Recently I had the privilege to participate in the Perhentian Island Challenge 2008. This was my first time at Perhentian’s adventure race and it turned out to be pretty fun! The event was held from 17th – 19th Oct, 2008 and it was organized by the management of Bubu Long Beach Resort.

After taking a night bus from Alor Setar, we were picked up at Jertih to be transported to Kuala Besut. When we arrived at about 7am, there were already other racers waiting to be ferried to the island.  After registering, we were good to go!
 
The bulk of the participants only arrived mid afternoon and the party on the island begun! J While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, we chilled out by the beach and enjoyed the peace and quietness. There was one thing however that marred the picture. There was so much rubbish in the water! Suddenly swimming in the waters wasn’t that inviting anymore and adding to that, was hordes of jellyfish swimming around. It only made it almost impossible to swim! Thankfully we did a beach cleanup in the evening and further around the campsite which made it a lot better.
 
 After dinner, there was a briefing for all racers. As I observed, some of us looked rather confused after the session, but it was all sorted out then. Anyway, we tried to retire early for the night in preparation for the big day the following morning! Too excited about the morning’s race, I found myself tossing and turning in my hammock. I decided to take a walk and wander around for a bit. As I walked, I saw 4 guys serenading to other tents surrounding theirs. Oh yes, under the bright twinkling stars as the waves crashed in.. =) Oh they were good. What a night!
 
The morning came and everyone got ready for the race. We were transported to Perhentian Kecil where the race kicked off and would eventually end. The first leg was to kayak from Perhentian Kecil to Perhentian Besar. It was a major chaos when we reached the kayak station and were told to find our kayaks with our numbers on them. We managed find our kayak after some time and we were off! By then, we were amongst the last few to be in the water!!! Lucky me, since my race partner, Mi was a very fit and strong guy, we managed to catch up with the rest and landed on the other island with a pretty good timing. Then, it was trail running. Trail running uphill all the way! I found myself breathless after the first 10 minutes! My partner pushed me mentally, and we reached the peak eventually. Then, the trail took us downhill all the way. We had to do 2 rounds circling the island before heading back to kayak station and paddling back to Perhentian Kecil. In between the trail running, there were a few water activities that was fun and it served to cool me off. 
 
Once we reached the checkpoint, there was an obstacle course to take on before running off into the jungle again! I thought the toughest part of the race would be circling the island, but I was so wrong after we hit the jungle trail. But we made it out alive. We then headed back to the beach and were tasked to wear flippers and walk some 200 meters backwards! Yes, 200 meters. But after that, to my relief, was the final leg. And that final leg was another 3 – 4 km trail running!! The last leg was a real run of endurance. I was hungry, soaking wet, worn out tired and everything else! They say that in adventure racing, it takes the physical body to run it, and the mental mind to finish it! I could not agree any lesser. I ran and I had a glimpse of the finishing line and it was an amazing feeling.
 
Turns out good for us, we made it in 4 ½ hours coming in 7th place, after competing with over 40 teams!! All in all, I think we did an estimated 4km of kayaking and 18km of trail running. Thanks to Mi who was there for me all the way! I’m thankful to race marshals and officials who made my stay on the island interesting and fun!
 
We had some ‘winning cash’ to take home, made new friends and had the opportunity to catch up with old friends too. I’d say it was a pretty good weekend spent for me =)
 
Until my next adventure, cheers!
 
 
 
Sandra Loh is an outdoor enthusiast. Spending most of her early years going for hikes, mountain climbing and caving, she found her true passion in the outdoors. Today she lives that passion. In her free time, she often participates in excursions and adventure racing. She is a member of the Outward Bound Youth Association of Selangor. Sandra currently resides in Langkawi and is the Director of Outdoor Dynamics, an organization focused on distributing and promoting top notch outdoor gears in Malaysia. 
 
For more information visit http://www.outdoordynamics.com.my/
 
 
 

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