I would like to write on my past experience of first time being a support crew for my husband 200km endurance ultra run.
My first thought about him signing up a 200km daunting race was that he was mad. How can a human run 200km non stop? Running a full marathon was painful enough.
He started running in a Friday, 16 March 2018, which he completed first loop of 100km without the support car. This race routes runs along federal roads, with traffic and going uphill and down. Labeled as the toughest road racing in Malaysia, I can see why. It stretches from Hulu Langat, crosses the border to the neighbouring state of Negeri Sembilan (Titi, Jelebu) and back. Water and food stations are stretched out between every 5 to 10km.
Support crew started on Saturday afternoon. We brought along precooked porridge for the runners. Later on we observed that support cars and crew go to the extend of cooking dessert soup such as mung bean sweet soup, sweet potato soup etc that is easy to swallow and gives runner energy. Some even cook by the road using portable stove while waiting for runners to arrive. The checkpoint provide food such as bread, watermelon, orange, isotonic drink, drinking water and coffee. We support team cook extra just to fill their tummy in case they get hungry.
We spent the night sleeping and waking up in the car by the road. Some areas are pitched black without road lights. To prevent any road accidents, support cars are given sirens to put on the roof of the car to warn vehicles that support cars are present or parking by the road.
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| Me posing hoping to complete an ultra race in future |
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| Flagging off 100km runners |
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| under the heat |
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| with runner Felix |
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| a glimpse into the night, runners with compulsory item such as head lamp, blinker, reflective vest |
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| dinner by the road with Intan, Steven, Cheryl, Paul and Richard |
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| Sunrise towards the final 2 checkpoints |
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| almost there |
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| he did it! |
