Sabah Adventure Challenge

Spent a fruitful weekend with Mona for some introductory duty tours with SARS in conjunction with this year's Sabah Adventure Challenge..
Today my calves are feeling a slight soreness due to the hike they did on Saturday. Ascending and descending the trails at Kg. Kiau. heheh...

Day 1..

The race started at Malangang Camp with a run up along the riverbank to Pekan Kiulu (not by the tarred road..) Upon reaching Kiulu Township, participants built their own bamboo rafts and proceeded downriver back to Malangang Camp.

They collected their bike, their drinking water and cycled up to Kg. Pantok.. further into Pukak and further into the forest where they were to eventually meet up with Ranau-Tamparuli highway junction and continued to Lobong2. All in all, it's about 25-35km. Fuh!!

Participants descending the Kiulu river with their bamboo rafts..

pics..courtesy of Mona (skodeng from Mona's fb)..hehe.

Bike-exchange

(after reaching Malangang Camp-ending point for rafting)

Day 2 (Kg. Lobong-Lobong)
On the second day of race, participants had to cycle/run from Lobong2 to Kg. Kiau via the inland route.. winding into forests and over streams... braving the leeches of Kiau..(it rained heavily sometime from 11am to about 4 pm).. and back to Lobong2.

View of Mt. Kinabalu

Look at my non-4WD Wira..

surrounded by gravel-eating Dmax and Hilux..

Well done my friend... well done..

Kiau urchins.. peace y'all..peace man..



The trek going in to access the Checkpoints..

passing by hills that had just cleared after padi harvest

lawa 00..

one of the three bamboo crossings..

TYK = Tham Yau Kong.. Man of Adventure

within the Miki Survival Camp.. (5-star sites)

would you spend your honeymoon here for a week?

a Mat Salleh couple did.. a few weeks previously.

nice.. got toilet. (flushing toilet.. luxury..)

aa Mona... salasai suda?

participants sponging off

checking in with Rudy Boyou

(the tough-looking yellow shirted ex-racer)

Leech!! It was there just now! Really!!!! Get it off me!!

walking back

(checkpoints were closed around 4pm)

sunset at Kg. Kiau Nulu ( high on top of Kiau Hill)

Day 3
On Sunday, racers had to cycle down from Lobong2 to Kg Kiau again (Kg. Kiau is a village situated at the foot of the hill) and then cycle a steep cemented road up to the main road going to Ranau. After that, they were to cycle on towards National Park for the final leg of the race which was the orienteering activity.

Sunrise...

On your mark..

Me first!!

Off they go!

Park your Mountain Bikes here..

After this..we go here.. and then run there..

mamat malaysia

This is Ed Arambarri ( I think), an American who teamed up with a UK toughman to join the Extreme Category. I asked him whether he was coming for next year's race. He said, probably not, this race was very hard. They won, as a matter of fact.