KL Marathon Expo
/
Just 6 months ago I run Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and here I am, in another hot and humid country, picking up my number for Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon.
There are significant similarities between these two: they are quite close to each other, the climate is very much alike and, as you can see, the title sponsor is the same. That's why I've expected nothing less from the organisers than a solid good quality... and I was not disappointed.
The expo was taking place at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, just next to the famous Petronas Towers and a fantastic KLCC Park.
It was easy to get there and easy to find. We just walked from our hotel, but you could also use Light Rail Transit (LRT), Kelana Jaya Line to the KLCC Station. Any way, all the instructions and maps were on KL Marathon website under Race Entry Pack Collection Details
The expo was actually held in a giant tent set up next to KLCC with only one narrow staircase leading to it. Just imagine, hundreds of people, some with kids and strollers, cramping and queuing on 1m wide and maybe 3m tall staircase with a tiny landing in the middle. Lucky we came at the time when there were no big crowds. It was the only way to get there and... good luck if you were a parent with a stroller. You would have to find someone to help you out to carry the stroller and you would totally block the way. This was the only issue with access to the expo I could see, something the organisers really overlooked and could easily improve next year.
When we finally reached the entry it was all set up quite similar to the Singapore one. First you got to the package pick up booths. On Saturday morning, when we got to the Expo, it wasn't very crowded and there were no waiting lines. Nice touch was a screen showing a list of people who just picked up their package. I was the only Australian and it looked like the only foreigner at the time.
What was in my package apart from my bib? A nice drawstring bag (not as good as the Singapore Marathon one), good quality running vest, 2 marathon branded AA batteries, a very nice hand towel, Salonpas pain relieve patches, discount voucher for Ora2 (dental care), discount voucher for Brooks shoes, and Honda advertising brochure.
Now, that I got my goodies, I could go to explore the stalls. A lot from the title sponsor and all other contributors: fuel gels, socks, apparel, shoes, belts, pain relieve sprays and everything else you would expect from a typical marathon expo. Not many freebies or samples, unless you're local willing to give your details and/or apply for a bank account, credit card or something else. There were also stalls advertising other marathons and races in Asia. What about Jeju Marathon or Kuching Marathon?
We liked the healty juices from La Juiceria and I was very curious about these Japanese pain relieve patches Salonpas... looked like something I might need after a marathon.
And that was almost it, except... another nice touch from the organisers. There was a giant blue banner just outside the tent that read SCKLM2017. It would be nothing special apart from the fact that the sign was made out of thousands of names of full marathon runners that registered before 25 April 2017, in alphabetical order. It was nice to find my name there. This was the very moment when the reality of actually running KL marathon tomorrow hit me!
It was time to cool down and relax before the big day. Another load of carbs at Suria KLCC and a special treat for our son... free splash pools (kids only) at KLCC Park.
See you at the start line!
