The cool morning, mountain air was not as relaxing as it should be. Instead it was replaced with a tensed and competitive energy that seemed to be abuzz in nearly every person there.

But it wasn’t so bad. All these just made it more exciting.

The Genting Trailblazer 2007 was bigger and meaner this year. Again, D’Jungle People would not be missing out from the action. This time, we actually enrolled four teams (Two person to a team). Last year we only had one team.

They were two routes in the race: the Mild Category of 8km and the Wild Category of 14km. We joined the former category (which is actually 2km longer than last year). They also made the route harder with steeper slopes and more molehills. Those really tested our calf muscles by a fair bit!

The starting was innocently easy enough for anybody to get through. But what separated the Mild and Wild participants was speed and endurance. Some of us who stayed behind as supporters at the finish line were quite surprised to see the veterans coming in first (from the Wild Category for that). Mind you, the veteran teams have a combined age of 90 and above.

Nevertheless, we were really excited when we first caught sight of one us coming in as the early arrivers. The most challenging part for our teams were the 20 minute climb up a steep hill slope and of course the ending, when they had to commando crawl under a net and walked across in a pool of knee deep mud. Sounds so easy, but not easy when you’re already physically drained.

Kudos to Shann and Sherry-An who managed to finish among the top 10 of the women’s category!

It was such a thrilling experience to have participated in the trailblazer again. Despite what some people think that such an experience would probably be draining, but instead renewed our vigour and spirit. There’s nothing like the feeling of achievement especially after experiencing the sweat, dirt, emotions and physical toil. The fact that our teams did quite well and finished the race, made it all the more happier because we shared the joy and the pain together.

‘I think I’ll rest here before going down’. Teow taking a breather before descending.

At this point it took a lot of willpower climb over this.

Kelvin happy that this is a relatively easy obstacle. Also, he could see the finish line from here. Finally!

Nearly there. John balancing himself before going through the ‘commando crawl’ obstacle.

Going down on all fours. Teow going through the second last obstacle in the entire race.

Nearly out of the net. Hisyam crawling his way out to the final obstacle.

Soaking into more dirt. Not so easy on the legs when you’ve already been through a whole hour of physical challenges.

John trasversing the final obstacle. You can imagine how dirty our shoes were!

Wowie! We finally made it! Hisyam and Timothy arriving at the finish line.

Such a relief. John and Teow running to the finish line.

Tired but happy. Shann and Sherry-An came in 8th place in the women’s category. You did us proud. Congrats!

Giving back to society has always been one of our values. When we heard about the Terry Fox Run this year, we jumped at the chance. The charity run is to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. We had so much fun last year so we decided to join again this year.

8am on a Sunday morning, Lake Gardens was already full of people. The atmosphere was energizing and exhilarating. To be surrounded by so many people who are willing to wake up as early as 6am to travel there just so that they can contribute something bigger than themselves without asking for anything else in return was inspirational. We’re not just talking about people in the 20s and 30s, but grey-haired uncles and even little kids. Some parents even brought their babies (in strollers of course!).

The run is named after the man who started it. Terry Fox was just an ordinary bloke who had cancer but lead an extraordinary life because he decided to run for a cause bigger than himself. It is really a story of the good and endurance of the human spirit. This year, the Terry Fox t-shirts were printed with the iconic picture of the man running with his prosthetic leg and cars following  closely behind.

“It is better to die in a blaze of glory, than to wither out like a dying flame.”

Experiences enriches our lives. A simple charity run like this is an experience we will always remember. You never know when a teachable moment may come up and make you grow more as a person. The more experiences you have, the more likely you will achieve your fullest potential. For us, it was an interesting experience because it gave us a fulfilling and satisfying feeling to know that we have done our share for charity, that people out there realise the importance of finding a cure for cancer. It was truly an inspirational experience for us and fueled us even more to do good and give back to society.

“I don’t feel that this is unfair. That’s the thing about cancer. I’m not the only one, it happens all the time to people. I’m not special. This just intensifies what I did. It gives it more meaning. It’ll inspire more people. I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try.” -Terry Fox-

Yippee! We’re here again!

Snack time! Energy boost before starting the race.

Shann and Sherry-Ann working up a jog.

See you at the next Terry Fox Run!