STANDARD CHARTERED KL MARATHON 2016 ANNOUNCE WINNERS

Kuala Lumpur, 7 August 2016 – As Standard Chartered KL Marathon welcomed its last runner across the finish line, many runners were already exchanging tales of strength, perseverance and motivation. Such was the scene at Dataran Merdeka where 35,000 runners took part across various categories.

Flagged off by Tan Sri Datuk Mohd. Sheriff Mohd. Kassim, Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, Ajay Kanwal, Regional CEO ASEAN & South Asia of Standard Chartered Bank, and Mahendra Gursahani, Managing Director & CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, at the break of dawn, the runners made their way through the city; absorbing the vista of Kuala Lumpur’s iconic landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Parliament of Malaysia, the National Museum, Menara Standard Chartered and Dataran Merdeka which served as the race village.

The Marathon also saw Kennedy Kiproo Lilan from Kenya defending his title for the fifth time in the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, and Hirut Beyene Guangul from Ethiopia crowned champion of the Full-Marathon Women’s Open category with the respective times of 02:18:57 and 02:39:02.  

The day was made even sweeter as Sheela A/P Samivellu set a new national record of 01:24:44[1], securing the first place in the Honda Half-Marathon Malaysian category.

Enjoying the victory, Kennedy said, “I am so happy to win the Standard Chartered KL Marathon again. It was a great race and everything went really well and I am very thankful for that.”

Expressing her joy, Hirut said, “It was a challenge from start to finish, but I enjoyed it a lot. Winning is always special and I am still buzzing from the excitement of crossing the finish line.”

Completing the top three in the Full Marathon Men’s Open category are Tonui Kiprop from Kenya with a time of 02:18:59 and Luka Kipkemoi Chelimo from Kenya with 02:19:24. While in the Full Marathon Women’s Open category are Naomi Jepkogei Maiyo from Kenya with a time of 02:39:14 and Elizabeth Jeruiyot Chemweno from Kenya with 02:41:09.

Malaysian Full Marathoners also put up a brave display with returning champion, Muhaizar Mohamad winning the Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s title with the timing of 02:39:23 and Yuan YuFang taking the Malaysian Women’s category with a time of 03:19:04

At the press conference with the winners, Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events, Race owner and organiser of Standard Chartered KL Marathon, said, “As a race organiser, we are delighted with the outcome of the race. We are humbled by the support shown by the runners today and inspired by their endurance and spirit in taking on the challenges. We look forward to continue to make Standard Chartered KL Marathon the premier race in Malaysia.”

Making the race a true platform for people to do extraordinary things were 60 visually impaired runners with their running buddies taking part in the 5 km Fun Run category, 36 runners with autism together with their parents in the 3 km Kids Dash and over 300 Standard Chartered Bank staff running in red tutus across different categories. 

Their participation in the race was supported by Standard Chartered Bank in their efforts to tackle avoidable blindness, raise awareness and educating the public on autism and HIV.

Under Standard Chartered KL Marathon’s “Run For A Reason” initiative, a total of RM444,848.00 was raised for the beneficiaries Standard Chartered Foundation, Hospis Malaysia, Yayasan Sejahtera and IJN Foundation. The funds were raised collectively by approximately 364 runners and Corporate Challenge participants who also did their part in raising awareness towards the beneficiaries they selected.

Managing Director and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, Mahendra Gursahani, said, “Standard Chartered Bank is proud to provide a platform for people from all walks of life to accomplish extraordinary goals. These acts are a brilliant demonstration of what personal empowerment can do for the human spirit. We salute all runners that took part in the marathon, and we thank them all for the great support shown.”

Completing the race experience over the weekend, the event organiser and owner, Dirigo Events held a Friendship Run and Pasta Party before race day to foster a sense of camaraderie and fellowship amongst runners from around the world.

This year’s edition of the race also marked the first time Standard Chartered KL Marathon implementing a new checkpoint system commonly practised in international marathons. The purpose behind this was to ensure the safety of the runners and that the roads were handed in a systematic manner. Other changes included an extended seven-hour cut-off time.

Both moves were welcomed by the relevant authorities as Standard Chartered KL Marathon looks to achieving higher international standards from a sporting and organising perspective. A total of 5,595 runners finished the Full Marathon within seven hours, 8,160 finished the Honda Half Marathon within 3.5 hours and 12,804 finished the 10KM, 2,400 finished the 5KM and 750 kids completed the Kids Dash categories.

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2016 is made possible by title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, along with event owner and organiser, Dirigo Events Sdn. Bhd. and co-organiser Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.

Supporting the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2016, are Gold Sponsor, Honda Malaysia; and official partners Seiko, 100 Plus, adidas and Pacific Regency Hotel Group.

Standard Chartered KL Marathon is sanctioned and supported by Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF), Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletic Federation (FTKLAA), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Association of International Marathons, Distance Races (AIMS).

Winners of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2016

Full Marathon Men’s Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Kennedy Kiproo Lilan	KEN	2:18:57
2nd	Tonui Kiprop	KEN	2:18:59
3rd	Luka Kipkemoi Chelimo	KEN	2:19:24

Full Marathon Women’s Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Hirut Beyene Guangul	ETH	2:39:02
2nd	Naomi Jepkogei Maiyo	KEN	2:39:14
3rd	Elizabeth Jeruiyot Chemweno	KEN	2:41:10

Full Marathon Malaysian Men

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Muhaizar Mohamad	MAS	2:39:25
2nd	Mohd. Jironi Riduan	MAS	2:39:57
3rd	Tan Huong Leong	MAS	2:41:54

Full Marathon Malaysian Women

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Yuan YuFang	MAS	3:19:04
2nd	Tahira Najmunisaa Bt. Muhammad Zaid	MAS	3:28:01
3rd	Melissa Lim Yi-Xin	MAS	3:31:29

Full Marathon Veteran Men

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Joseph Mwangi Ngare	KEN	2:25:57
2nd	Jonah Kipserem Tarus	KEN	2:38:04
3rd	Julius Kimtai Rotich	KEN	2:45:29

Full Marathon Veteran Women

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Margaret Njuguna	KEN	3:04:01
2nd	Cochet	FRA	3:25:19
3rd	Caroline Nduta Ngugi	KEN	3:29:19

Honda Half Marathon Men Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Charles Munyua Njoki	KEN	1:07:44
2nd	Samson Kiplagat	KEN	1:11:10
3rd	Samuel Muya	KEN	1:12:12

Honda Half Marathon Women Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Hannah Wabera Gathingi	KEN	1:22:20
2nd	Tabitha Wambui	KEN	1:22:42
3rd	Sheela A/P Samivellu	MAS	1:24:44

Honda Half Marathon Men Veteran

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Nakamura Tsubasa	JPN	1:25:13
2nd	Guianus Bin Salagan	MAS	1:28:18
3rd	Chan Shan Ching	HKG	1:28:53

Honda Half Marathon Women Veteran

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Nakamura Tsubasa	JPN	1:25:13
2nd	Guianus Bin Salagan	MAS	1:28:18
3rd	Chan Shan Ching	HKG	1:28:53

10km Speed Men Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	James Karanja	KEN	0:33:32
2nd	Azwan Bin Bunjing	MAS	0:35:48
3rd	Chew Jee Keng	SIN	0:36:38

10km Speed Women Open

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Mak Rainbow	CAN	0:40:50
2nd	Danielle Nant	NZL	0:41:46
3rd	Tan Sok Hue Sumiko	SIN	0:45:20

10km Speed Men Veteran

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Jeffrey Ross	GBR	0:36:37
2nd	Lim Khon Seng	MAS	0:37:38
3rd	Khoo Hua Seng	MAS	0:41:22

10km Speed Women Veteran

Position	Name	Country	Time
1st	Tan Pei Leng	MAS	0:49:13
2nd	Lorna Wong	MAS	0:49:27
3rd	Leong Poh Yeng	MAS	0:51:45

Corporate Challenge

Position	Name	Time
1st	Turner International Malaysia Sdn Bhd	2:48:33
2nd	IDC Market Research (M) Sdn Bhd	3:07:56
3rd	Valuecap Sdn Bhd	3:29:20

Ministries Challenge

Position	Name	Time
1st	Jabatan Penyiaran Malaysia	2:31:25
2nd	Department of Irrigation and Drainage	2:34:43
3rd	Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia	2:37:32

Universities Challenge

Position	Name	Time
1st	Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia	2:06:26
2nd	Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas	2:38:13
3rd	Universiti Tenaga Nasional	2:46:46

For more information and updates on SCKLM, please visit:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SCKLmarathon

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCKLmarathon

Instagram: https://instagram.com/SCKLmarathon

Website: www.kl-marathon.com

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Garmin Vector 2S Review

For cyclist or triathlete, training using Heart Rate Monitor or HRM seems outdated with the availability of "more affordable" power meter. Power meter can cost a fortune especially when you factor in the pricing of the bike and gears you already invested in this (already very expensive) sports. Why aren't HRM enough? Like many others, I've toyed with the idea, and wished I could afford one - or rather, for the technology to be more affordable so it's possible to get one, or two (or depending on how many bikes you may have ;-))

Vector 2S

Athletes comes in all different level of fitness and capabilities. Even ourselves, our heart rate differs everyday depending on our rest, performance and even the weather. So, to be training at "10 beat per minute" more than yesterday may very well meant different level of effort if you had a tough day or an easy day (at work or at training). However, having a consistent benchmark such as power, which is a function of force multiply by distance over time. It sort of provide a number where you can use to benchmark your training against. The level to generate 100Watt (W) when you are fresh or tired is the "same" to the power meter. But to get your heart to work to generate that 100W when you are tired, may meant busting your heart rate at Lactate Threshold than when you are fresh. 

An analogy I could use would be to compare Heart Rate to a vehicle RPM while Power is the capacity. A car going uphill may require higher RPM (HR) to generate the same climbing power and definitely lesser RPM (HR) when you are moving on a flat ground. Now imagine if you can train at a given Power irrespective of your HR... you will become a more efficient cyclist or triathlete!

Garmin Vector 2S

Lucky for me, the good people in AECO Technologies, which is the authorized distributor of all Garmin products in Malaysia has been kind to provide myself and Chan a unit of their latest power meter to be used for our training. Chan has provided a write up on why in the team's blog. We both have been using the Vector2S and has compared a few notes on training. Among others, we soon found out that I can churn out more power compared to him. Question was - am I a stronger cyclist because I can fire up higher power? Now keep this question in mind while I continue today's review of the 2S.

First up is the Garmin Vector 2S itself. It is a pedal-mounted power meter. Other variations available in the market (for power meter of other brands) are crank mounted, bottom bracket mounted, hub mounted and crank-spider mounted. My exposure and knowledge was nil until the Garmin Vector 2S. This review will be specific for Garmin Vector 2S; until I manage to (afford???) another different type to compare. 

The Garmin Vector 2S (I will call it 2S from now onward) is an upgrade from the original Vector where the older pod appears to be a ring (O) that goes through the bike spindle versus the newer Vector that has the pod coming as a clamp (()). The plus side? Easier installation. Meaning, You can remove the pedal and re-install it on another bike faster and easier. Ideally, I would think for such investment, you may unlikely remove the pedal and the pod. That is unless you decided to do so (or use a different bike setup like a road bike vs a TT bike) for race reasons. 

The closer look of the Pod clamp

Vector 2S is single sided pod aka on the left pedal while the full fledged Vector 2 is both pedal - which gives you better left-right accuracy where power generation is concerned. On the "left" only power meter such as 2S, the total power are multiplied to provide the reading. While some of you may now argue the accuracy of a one-sided unit - I believe manufacturer like Garmin would had factored in this when building the algorithm to compensate or to correct the readings. For that, Garmin units has function of "Smoothness" in percentage (%) which could mean how smooth your pedaling motions are, and these translate to efficiency. 

What's in the box?

What comes in the box (top line) : Left Vector 2S pedal and sensing pod, right non-sensing pod, cleat, hardware to mount cleat, USB ANT+ stick and manuals

The USB ANT+ intrigued me...I later found out it was for the unit to speak to the Garmin Edge1000.

All laid out

Closer look to the plastic pouches and cleat that are "Look Keo" compatible and made by Exustar. Closer inspection of the bundled items below

Cleats in Red. In pouches, from top left clockwise : spacer ring for pod installation, hex screws and hex key, hardware to install the cleat and USB ANT+.

The Look Keo compatible cleat can't be used on Shimano pedals - meaning, you would or may need to have an extra cleat shoe if your other bike or bikes runs on Shimano SPDs. For me, my Giro Tri Mele is used/converted for Garmin Vector 2S. The cleat supplied is the 6 degree float - which is really comfortable.

Below is how the Pod and the left pedal looked like when installed on the crank arm. I try to show it from different angle so you have a good idea how it will eventually look when installed.

You may had noticed the Pod has an additional "arm" that locks into the spindle. This is the how the unit collect and transmit the data from spindle to pod and finally to your Garmin device.

The Extra arm with the contact points

The left pedal spindle where the arms with connector will contact

Comparatively, the right pedal looked like any pedal spindle.

Right pedal spindle

Very nice GARMIN and VECTOR imprinted on both the pedals

Proudly made by Exustar. You can adjust the tension here.

Installation

Consider to read the Vector 2S Manual as I did, all pages.

My fear of installation revolves around the pod position and at which position the crank arm will be. The installation of the pedal is simple and direct. Be mindful not to over-tighten or under-tighten the pedals, as it may impact the accuracy of the power reading. Garmin recommend 34-40Nm. If you are not sure, the best guesstimate is just to screw in with hand until the surface of the nut and crank arm meet and give it a snug turn to sits it in. I have a torque wrench...but it maxed out at 20Nm... haha.

Pod facing down with crank arm at leading edge or 9 o'clock position

For this, the simplest approach available from Garmin is to place the pod downwards as the crank arm is at the forward position - looking at the left crank, it's at 9 o'clock position with the pod pointing down. To make it a bit easier to visualise, i am showing how it will look when the crank arm is at 3 o'clock position - the pod will face upwards. I try to make it as perpendicular (90 degrees) to the crank arm as possible.

My extra challenge is that I have the existing cadence and speed sensor, which I have to adjust and install onto the system. Good to note that the 2S collect Cadence data as well, but not speed. And I need the Speed data (because who don't?). :D The 2S takes precedence with the Cadence reading while the existing Cadence/Speed sensor provides me (stationary) speed on the trainer as the wheels turn. Win-win. Power-Cadence-Speed sorted!

First Use

The Manual is easy to understand. Once the whole system is installed, tighten and checked, I paired the unit to the Fenix3 (and also the 920xt), input the correct crank arm length and spin it between 70-90rpm to set the installation angle. This only need to be done once. Once it is set correctly, you will received a signal on your Garmin device that it is successful - and you are good to go!

2S In Action

Total time from start to getting the unit working took me about 15minutes including reading the manual from page to page. Thanks to Jun Shen as well, that provided a few pointers and assuring what I did was correct. Thank you sir!

Jun Shen's Garmin Vector 2S installation instruction!

Using the Power Data

It has been about 5 weeks since I've embarked on the Power journey. There are a few important numbers that the Power meter provide that sort of tells me the quality of my workout. When I first started using it, I pedaled the way I did and returned a rather bad reading, power wise. How can someone that claim to be training consistently brings home only 180w average power? 

Power To Weight Ratio - Watt per Kilogram weight or W/kg

It was a wake up call when I only manage a 180w average. I realised I wasn't training the way I should be. To put things into perspective, (remember the question above?) Power itself is nothing if you got no other constant to measure against. 

This critical data many failed to include is the cyclist/triathlete body weight. Two person may churn out (example) 100w and if both of them are 50kg and 100kg will normalise their athletic/cycling potential. If you are 50kg, you are returning a 2W/kg power and if you are 100kg, it's a 1W/kg power. Having this number helps to normalise two different level of effort and potential - and this at a competitive level will tells you just how ahead or behind you are against your target power output.

Professional cyclists may have anything 6W/kg onwards - as their numbers are often very closely guarded. A professional triathlete (Ironman distance) are known to hold above 3.5w/kg over 180km distance and can wrap the distance up in less than 4:30 - mind you, that is them being prudent with their energy as they have to run a 42km after. 

If I have the W/kg of a pro-cyclist, I would be turning in 420W average power. In reality, I have something half of the pros - and that is nothing to be shy of.

Functional Threshold Power or FTP

This is the running Lactate Threshold (LT) equivalent on both pace and heart rate. Obtaining the FTP allows you to shape your training as a percentage of effort. Power meter will be able (and smart enough) to calculate these for you, as long as you put in the appropriate effort to get the representative data. Typically, it is measured in the average power you can generate in space of 20minutes at your best effort (you do want representative data no?).

Intensity Factor or IF

Likely the most useful data after your FTP as it determine to what workout you want to do, or did. It is a ratio of normalised power (NP, which usually differ by 1-2W to your average power) to your threshold power. You can think of it as percentage of effort compared to your maximum. Obviously, when you get stronger and clock higher FTP, your training effort too will change to match the same IF - for future or immediate improvement. Rule of thumb, anything between 0.85 and 0.95 is a good base for Tempo ride or coupled with both aerobic and anaerobic spin simulation to a less than 2.5hours ride. 

Training Stress Score or TSS

I think of this as a "point collection" for my exercise as it measures as a function of intensity and duration of the workout. You score a TSS of 100 points if you can ride at 1.0IF for 60minutes. Similarly, an 1.0IF for 30mins gives you the same TSS as a 0.5IF for 60mins. How TSS aid in your performance? It's an indication of the work you did (performance) and how much rest you may require to recover. 

Making Training Fun

With the basic knowledge of Power in cycling and usage of Power meter, you can then train within your efficient parameter. Couple this training with Heart Rate, you may just find the sweet spot where you can cruise at 60% HR effort while churning out strong enough IF to sustain a race throughout. 

This will allow you to strategize and stick to your power output no matter what the race condition is. Imagine two triathletes cycling against a strong headwind, one continue to push at 35km/h at a higher power output he is not trained for, while the other play it smart by sticking to his training power against the headwind at a lower speed and keeping up the power with higher cadence, without burning out and have a lot more juice left in the tank to complete the race strongly. With this knowledge, I train between 0.85IF and 0.95IF. 

At my current 254w FTP, that translate to a moderate (by cyclist standard) a 3.1w/kg power output. This will typically translate to 220W average power - and I aim to improve on my FTP while maintaining the IF. Let's try to get the W/kg to a sustained 3.5w/kg and above!

Or fun things you can do is to try to break some virtual record by doing a 1-minute sprint interval. Imagine if I can cycle as strong and as fast as above at the power and average speed - I be done with my 180km Ironman cyclign in 3 hours, including water stop. ;-)

This unit of Garmin Vector 2S is courtesy of AECO Technologies in collaboration with 2ndSkin Asia. Recommended Retail Pricing for the Vector 2S is RM3250 including GST. The Vector 2 (both left and right power capable) RRP for RM5800 including GST. Available (pre-order possible) from all Garmin authorized distributors nationwide.

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