Let me share with you the amusing yet humbling experience of my recent ultra marathon attempt at Gunung Pulai.

Spoiler alert: It ended with a DNF (Did Not Finish)!

1. Weather Woes (2am to 7am)
Post-CP2 at 2am, the jungle turned into a misty, rainy mess. My headlamp barely lit up anything due to low lumen, and without my foggy glasses which I purposefully took out, I was practically blind in the woods.

My Hoka SpeedGoat trail shoes completely failed me on the wet and slippery terrain, unable to provide the necessary grip.

Every step was a cautious adventure, with more falls than a comedy show. I use 2 1/2 hour to descend for a mere 5km wet -‘d slippery downslope. Shame on me!

For the first time ever, I was the last runner before CP2, with the sweeper right behind me. What a humilating experience!

Note to self: Spray anti-fog on my glasses before racing in the jungle. Time to find a good trail shoe for wet and muddy terrain.

2. The Trekking Pole Blunder
In a bid to lighten my load, I ditched my trekking poles last mintue.

Bad move! The muddy, wet terrain turned every step into a struggle.

Note to self: Never leave the poles behind.

3. Lack of Training
I hadn’t tackled Gunung Pulai in over five years, and it showed.

My descending skills were terrible. The wet, muddy conditions made me a human slip-and-slide.

Note to self: Train more mileage on running and invest more time in the gym.

4. Slippery Adventures
The terrain was relentless. I fell more times than I could count, including a backward tumble saved only by a tree. I even pulled off a jungle leg split– not recommended!

Note to self: Train more on downslopes in the jungle.

At 31km and 13 hours in, I decided to DNF at CP4. Despite having 10 hours to cover the remaining 19km, the dark sky and tough terrain convinced me to call it a day.

But you know what?

I’m thrilled! It was my first ultra in over five years, and exploring new parts of Gunung Pulai was an adventure in itself.

It was great to see some old ultra friends in at the starting lineup. I realize the ultra kaki are getting stronger after years of my absence.

Here’s to learning, laughing (and cursing myself), and pushing limits!

May be it is time to revive my ultra in 2024.