I ran my first marathon last night - PUTRAJAYA NIGHT MARATHON...here is my account of the events that unfolded. But before that let me take you back a few months, or maybe a few years.

Last year, ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP came to our shores. Several years back I had read about it in a fitness magazine and wished there was something like it here so that I can join. I have always been active right up till 2004. I usually run 10k, and occasionally attempt 21 and in 2004 I did my first and so far only Olympic distance Triathlon - I finished, Alhamdulillah. Back then, I try to stay in shape with gymming and basketball, but after early 2005 I started to lose the "MO" (motivation) to go out and sweat it out. I can't figure it out but there was just no more fun to do it. Perhaps an increasing problem of a bad back and bursitis in the knee contributed to this. I gained 6 kg from inactivity and easily felt lethargic and even climbing stairs of my house was also a chore.

For as long as I can remember I had always wanted to run a marathon and I looked upon marathoners with great respect. Completing the TRI in 2004 was orgasmic but I have yet to do a marathon. With my fast depleting fitness I knew this goal is looking more and more impossible.

Then my son Danial stumbled upon OBC ad and screamed,"Dad!, Dad!..this is you!, You gonna sooo like this"...Danial was right...This was just what I was looking for, something new and fresh...without hesitation I signed up in July 2009, first batch in KL MERBOK.

I enjoyed every minute and every session of this first ever OBC in M'sia until the 7th session...the night before I played soccer and got elbowed in the ribs. Sakit macam nak mampus!, I could not even run let alone do the push-up or grunts!...I asked Sarge Sim to be excused for the rest of the month. I joined back in NOV after RAYA but this was about 2 months after my first outing so again fell into the trap of the lost "MO". I attended just 3 sessions...

In Dec 09, I forced myself to signed up after words of encouragement from many of you my OBC friends when I posted my trouble with losing MO. Many of OBC mates replied with words of encouragement and that helped me to rethink my objective.

Then, some time in early DEC I read that OBC Recruit Rose and Cik Nyna completed their Singapore marathon, wow!...SALUTEI...that's awesome... I want to grow up to be like them!..Rose gave good pointers so THANK YOU Rose! When the PNM registration invite come into mail. I thought...and thought...and thought...OKAY! lets do this! I asked Angelyn, a friend and a seasoned marathoner for some pointers too..and appreciate all her advise.

I didn't have proper planning to prep for this run, its just 2 solid months of OBC. There was no mileage build up run towards the event...just OBC and occasional legs workouts in KIARA gym!...WRONG WAY to prepare for a 42k! But the conditioning, stamina and endurance build up in OBC helped tremendously. Thanks to all the trainers.

When the big day came yesterday I simply set my mind to finish, no time targets...just BLARDY FINISH!...I was prepared to walk it alone till the end if the marshals want to go home. I don't care! This is my chance to do it and I WANT to finish. What happened yesterday was not what I had anticipated.

At 2am, the cut-off time for FULL M, I was in the back road only having covered 31km with 11km to go...I struggled with cramps, blisters, bad back, sore knee and hunger!..I swear I saw PIZZA HUT, McD and BURGER KING along the GOD forsaken route! I employed the run-walk-run-walk strategy but it soon became more and more difficult as the cramps plus the chaffing sores in the thighs started to bother. Then I heard, my kids, ZYRA, DANIAL and DZAUQI...ALE! ALE! ALE!...they drove by in the car with their friend JOHAN his sister Nana...pushing me on...they followed me for about 2 km and left as Danial has to work the next morning. Their shouts gave a shot of adrenalin in me and I pushed further on but soon without them I struggled again...then some where amongst the silence of the night I heard a voice in my head ...it was SARGE.."COME ON, RJ you can do this!...you are BOOTCAMP recruit and you are strong!"...more shouts rang from within me..from my OBC mates and of course from my wife Liza, who too was shouting in my head to GO ON FINISH IT!!!...As the noise in my head became louder and louder...I shouted back in the middle of no where..."OKOKOKOK!...SHADDUP already...I'll finish this!"

...to myself I'm thinking, they'd want me to finish...so go rahman! one step at a time!

All along the last stretch of 11km to go, the great and wonderful people of SKATELINE Volunteers kept me company in what would have been a lonely back road. The motor bike marshals and those in the car were starting to gather now and asked me if I'm okay..I told them, I don't mind if you guys want to go home but I am going to finish this...by the 7km-to-go mark, ALL the route marshals in cars and bikes plus and ambulance was behind me traveling ever so slowly behind this fast fading and stubborn Astakan...the RUN-WALK-RUN-WALK strategy was now reduced to walk-walk-stop..walk-walk-stop...did I want to quit? yes...many times, and I almost gave in...but in the midst of chokes in my throat I told myself, my kids needs to learn from this...I want them to know - In facing your troubles you are allowed to feel pain, you are allowed to feel disappointed, you are allowed to feel angry, you are allowed to cry (I choked several times) ..BUT...YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE UP!

By the next 2 km with 5km to go, these marshals where becoming noisy...they blared their horns and screamed encouragement to me..."Come on! You can do it!...We will wait for you!!!' ... now that just tugs my heart...my dream to ever completing a marathon is about to become reality, I have people behind me willng to wait past their time to see it happen...by this time it was 3:10am...way past the 2am mark...one marshal got off his car and in his slippers ran with me...pushing me!...cramps in between made me stop and go and stop again and go again!...they were there...ALL of them...they all wanted to see this victory!...its not a victory to be the first!...this is a victory to finish...i think this is just amazing...every corner and at every 100 meter mark, they blared their horns again and passed water to keep me hydrated...3:30am and I only have less than 1km to go...more marshals got off their cars and ran with me!...the boulevard was an air of carnival even with just a few people left and this lone old man who won't give in.

With the last 200meters to go...i dug-in all the energy I had left and just ran all the remaining way to the make shift finishing ribbon, a red and white constructions plastic tape but ti didn't matter to me...by this time the timers was down, the band has gone home, the crowd is already in bed but just a few people mostly the organizer and marshal and RED CROSS stayed on for my moment...I had tears in my eyes!

Crossing that line was just as good a winning the Olympic medal...I cannot describe it any more than just,>AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!...I prostrated to ALLAH in gesture of KESYUKURAN...and just then the cramp bit my calf...OOOUCH!...I fell to the ground but was quickly attended to by RED CROSS...after a guick and short massage, I was pulled up to my feet again and there was VEGINATHAN, the CHIEF MARSHAL who immediately garland the finisher medal and handed me the FINISHER T-Shirt while the crowd was clapping and shouting WELL DONE!, WELL DONE!...I was in a new high , a new level of jubilation and ecstasy...unequaled and unparalleled to any.

In a recorded interview by the organizer, THE ORANGE MAN, I thank him and his team for waiting for me and apologized profusely for my tardiness!. He promised to upload the video of my finish in HOOHA Asia website soon.

I wish to record my sincere and warmest appreciation, a major THANK YOU to you. ORANGE MAN and also to every single soul that was there for me that night and those who pushed me on. I may not know you by name and I am sure I will not be able to remember the faces too but one thing that shined bright in the darkness of PUTRAJAYA night, was your luminous gesture of sacrifice and unselfishness to let a man complete his dream and his goal. While we mortals will one day be gone, but its our gestures that will be immortalized! On that night, your gestures were surely sealed in my memory and that of my family members.

5am...I walked gingerly back to my car...all alone now, pain starting to introduce itself...it was a slooow, serene drive back to SRI HARTAMAS...satisfaction of a goal reached and a mission accomplished.

Thank you to my lovely wife for supporting me to do this...love you mumsey!

RJ Rahman Mansor