From someone who can fly..

I always enjoy the view from top -- it is thorough enough, clear enough and wide enough, but it is never zoomed in enough. Like a running event, what do you see from a running event? I saw how people channel their passion along the running course; but what would you see in a runner of a running event? Never.

Well.. let me tell you more..

Lots of thing caught my attention me in KLAVA Open Back To Nature Relay 2009.

First thing first, the word 'KLAVA' itself. 'KLAVA' -- Kuala Lumpur Association of Veteran Athletes -- yup, VETERAN, of age of 40 and above, they were the organizers and the coordinators and the marshals and, okay, the runners for the event. (But of course, the running event itself is NOT only for veteran..); then, a young chubby boy finished his run of 3.9km and hugged his daddy where everybody cheered and claped..; then the ladies who actually put their feet into the race and enjoyed themselves out of an 'Are you crazy??!!' common-sense..; then the whole healthy atmosphere with all the healthy people gathered around for a healthy cause, in this scenic and beautiful Taman Metropolitan Batu;

...then... this special team.

I shall recall how I was actually attracted by this team:

-- first of all they wear the same striking blue Nike shirt and same running short, and it was a lil' bit 'overdressed' for such an event but, well, it's still up to them, I guess.

-- Secondly, the way they behaved. OK OBVIOUSLY they are not STUDENTS anymore but they behaved just like they are -- but what really confused me was, there's a lady who accompanied them, and she's really like a teacher.. So I guess this blue team was from an institute, if not a college.

-- Thirdly, they were fresh -- I mean new in the running tournaments happening around recently..

..so I decided to track them down. Start from their 1st runner. Let's call him White Shoe as he's wearing a white Nike with blue lining -- Nike again??!!

Runners off and I saw him keeping pace with the front group of racers -- but definitely that was not his own pace, well, the effort was there.. but I don't think it was a wise strategy -- and that move kind of revealed his 'immaturity' in running event.

..sooner after about 1km of running with the front group, he found his own pace and got his breathing in control, but I chuckled to see him fumbled with his condition -- racers kept on overtaking him while he was also running. That was actually a great mental challenge. Poor him! But I shall see how he deal with this -- the greatest challenge in long distance running is in fact dealing with your own will, pal! Run, White Shoe, run!

The final 2 km of his 3.9km run White Shoe was chased after by a UiTM racer but the racer became White Shoe's drive to keep on pushing himself. I was actually hoping that he could look beyond to overtake the racers 500m in front of him, rather than only keeping himself stay ahead of the UiTM runner. But, never he sprinted or even tried, he reached the finishing line at 16 minute and 42 sec, passing the baton to the next runner of his team.

The 2nd runner is a reserved type of runner, I guess, because he never showed the 'iklan Colgate' giggly big smile as his another 2 teammates do. He wore a pair of striking blue Adidas, so let's call him 'Blue Shoe'.

I actually missed the set off of his run but I think Blue Shoe could run faster than White Shoe as he has a typical sprinter's running behavior. People always see 2nd leg in a relay would have the privilege of chilled-out compare to the 1st leg and last leg -- but that's only a myth. I believe Blue Shoe struggled through his mental hardship when seeing the other 2nd runners were waaay ahead of him.

While waited patiently for Blue Shoe's time-in, the 'teacher' was kinda surprised to see the last leg (3rd runner) of the 1st and 2nd teams were actually set off for their victory run. Yup, teacher, that's the standard, okay?!?! I almost laughed out loud to see the teacher's shocking face expression -- and again, it revealed the 'not-so-experienced' fact of the team -- freshy they are, I started to get convinced.

Blue Shoe timed himself in for running 17 minutes and 19 sec.. a lil bit longer he took but what really impressed me was he sprinted for his final 500m -- a totally different approach compare to White Shoe. As I said earlier, Blue Shoe could be a good sprinter.

Then the baton passed to the final leg, the third runner of the team. I know most (almost all) relay teams will arrange their strategy in such a way that the best runner would run for the final leg. So I supposed Black Shoe -- OK, very well, a Black Nike (agaain??!!) -- is the ultimate runner in this team.

..and not coming to my surprise at all, he really is.

The pace, the breathing, the mental strength and the approach to his run-- I don't really think this 3.9km brought any problem to him. What really triggered my curiosity was, he did not seem to be running all out as well.

Whatever it is, it was really exciting to see him overtook a few racers, even one right before the finishing line. Black Shoe finished his run by only using 15 minutes and 10 sec, making it the official lapse time for the team 49 minutes and 11 sec, ranked 12th out of 33 teams in Men's Open Category.

Good placing? Good time? Good effort? Good trial? As I said, this team was really interesting as I couldn't get any answers from their post-run reaction, even not from their 'teacher' -- They played around among them like fools after the race as if they did not care at all their 'not-so-good' ranking for the race, but if they DID NOT CARE at all about this race, what happened to the effort that made them put on the same striking Nike running shirts and shorts? So if they really cared then why there was no the ultimate 'all-out' moments from them that inspired me? If they chose to reserve their run then what happened to the disappointments I saw on their face?

.. and.. what's the team's name? "Run, Koma Run"? What's that? They want to run or they want to comma, and passed-out?

Hmmm...

...see that?

Like I said, the view from top is always thorough enough, clear enough and wide enough, but it is never zoomed in enough. what do you see from a running event? I saw how people channel their passion along the running course; and what would you see in a runner of a running event? Never. We would never see what's inside them, we would never know what are they thinking while running -- but we know there's a drive -- a drive that make them lift up their leg and make another step forward, and forward, and forward; A drive, like the chubby boy ran for his father; A drive that could be out of a sense of achievement, out of pure self-tortured pleasures, out of a stupid passion, a drive that could also be out of friendship, out of brotherhood, out of a common belief of life that are shared.

..Perhaps it's the drive, that make them fly one day, and enjoy the borderless view from top..

From,
Someone who can fly