This year’s Dragonback Run 2015 added 2 kilometers to it’s longest distance category, bringing it up to 25 kilometers. And unlike the hazy experience last year, the weather was generally good with very mild drizzles on and off from the start to the middle of the race. I arrived at the start point which was the school located off Jalan Paip in Meru, Klang, 15 minutes before the 5.30 a.m. start time and found that the participation had dropped. There were a lesser number runners compared to last year, probably due to the fact that there was another race held in KL on the same day.
The race started off with what is now a staple for the Dragonback Run…. a fireworks display. I’m not sure how the villagers living around the area would appreciate the noise at 5.30 a.m. in the morning but it set the tone for the race, which was all in good fun. The route was similar to last year, bringing us into Jalan Batu Arang, which was as poorly lit as last year, minus the haze. There were about three uphill sections, none of them very steep as compared to what was to come after, but I can see that it took some of the runners new to the race by surprise.
We turned into Jalan Meru Tambahan right before Puncak Alam, running pass by the McDonalds outlet before taking a detour to the Universiti Teknologi Mara’s entrance gate. This was the additional 2 kilometers that brought this year’s run to 25 kilometers in total distance, and yeah, it was an uphill route. After the u-turn at the entrance it was back to Jalan Meru Tambahan for a few more kilometers before taking a left turn into the infamous Dragonback.
The Dragonback is actually Jalan Bukit Cherakah, a long straight stretch of road (when seen on Google Maps) about 5 kilometers in length with 3 very steep climbs, making it look as if you are running on a dragon’s back, and it’s not something to be relished after the climbs on Jalan Batu Arang. This stretch was pretty killer and yeah, most people including myself started walking a fair bit. Right after this crazy stretch of road, it was a kilometer and half back to the finish line.
I finished in 3 hours 2 minutes, with the watch recording a distance of 25.5 KM. Last year’s time for the old distance of 23.4 KM was about 2 hours 37 minutes. Not bad, but it could have been better.The race, organized by Pacers Sport, has a distinct after-race calling card in which there is plenty of food for everyone, so yeah, come for challenge, stay for all the fried beehun, nasi lemak, water melon, curry puffs, and samosas that you can eat. I’ll definitely be back next year.
