Marathon #180 (country #39): Score Marathon, Putrajaya, Malaysia

4:45 finish, 994/4823 place overall.

Large urban race through the streets and highways of Putrajaya, a city just outside of Kuala Lumpur that serves as Malaysia’s administrative capital. Strangely it has the feel of a big city American marathon with overly enthusiastic announcements in English, pop music at the start and finish, and well organized support on the course. The big difference though is that, like other races in tropical locations, it runs in the middle of the night to minimize the effects of the extreme heat. Even with a start around 2am, it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit with brutally oppressive humidity. The course is fairly flat but the weather is the biggest challenge.

This was one of my slowest road marathons ever. I went in expecting to be slower than usual due to the weather, but it was even worse because of sleep deprivation and the back-to-back two-week turnarounds (third marathon within a month) - something I had never done before and probably won’t do again. Just glad to get the country done without having to bail.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos - Malaysia

Photos - Singapore

Marathon #179 (country #38): Samoa International Marathon, Apia, Samoa

4:04 finish, 2/16 place overall.

Very small and unusual but friendly race on the island of Upolu, the most populated island of the independent nation of Samoa (separate from the neighboring U.S. territory of American Samoa). They are very welcoming to foreign runners and even have a little parade the day before through the center of Apia, the capital city, displaying the flags of each country represented. Unlike anything seen in a larger marathon, the race director personally knows each runner by name, where they’re from, and a little of their background.

Like other marathons in tropical locations, it starts in the middle of the night to avoid the intense heat, and for a tiny race like this (only 16 full marathoners), that means running alone in the dark for much of the race. For this reason, rather than regular aid stations, they have individual support vehicles driving behind each runner to carry what they need, provide light, and help ward off the many loose dogs on the road that constantly bark at and chase runners.

With less than two weeks since my last marathon, lack of sleep, and tropical weather, I was expecting to be slower than usual. With a flat course and a nice breeze, my finish time just over four hours wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Garmin map and performance details

Photos