Monday, June 13, 2016

Inaugural Chapman's Challenge at Pangkor Laut Resort

13th to 15th May 2016 @ Pangkor Laut Resort

It all started with a friend casually asking if we're interested to take part in this challenge and get to stay at Pangkor Laut Resort (PLR). Soon enough there were 14 of us who confirmed, registered and paid for it.

We drove our way up to the jetty and the hotel arranged for a private boat transfer for us to the island. How nice of them.


We're here!!
#wefie before #checkin
We were warmly greeted by the staffs and were immediately escorted to a hall where we were briefed on the hotel surroundings, shuttles, dining areas and facilities. And to top it all, every room were provided with a Yes 4G Hotspot Device for our usage during the stay.

After the briefing, we went straight for lunch and collected our race kit and room key.



One of the staffs led us to our rooms and WUALAH! The room was awesome! Huge spacious toilet with an open roof bathtub and 2 basins so I don't have to share with my wife. The bed is so comfy and cozy that I can roll in whole day long. The best part is the personalized goodie bag waiting for you right on your bed!



My goodie bag has a Reebok shoebag, Reebok toiletries bag, iPanema slippers and TYR goggles
We still have plenty of time to kill before dinner so we decided to take a dip at the Emerald Bay to 'test water' before the actual challenge on the next day.


Beautiful Emerald Bay
Chilling by the bay
Hornbills are common sights around the island
Dinner was at Uncle Lim's and we went for the challenge briefing at 9.15pm and headed back early to rest and prepare for the challenge the next morning.

The Chapman's Challenge consist of 3 parts:
- 3.8km road run around resort private grounds
- 2.4km jungle trail hike through the 2 million year old rainforest
- 1km swim at the Emerald Bay



I was pretty nervous on the challenge as I have never swam in the open sea without a life jacket before. And part of the challenge is to swim 1km in the sea. YES, FREAKING ONE KILOMETER!

The challenge started at 7am from the jetty with the run around the resort. It was quite an easy run.... Until we reach the most dreadful Steroid Hill. I couldn't run all the way up as the slope felt like it's almost vertical.


Still can smile before reaching Steroid Hill
The next part of the race was a little tricky as the trail is kinda narrow and some parts are really steep. But when you get to the top, the view was breathtaking. Well, it's a race, so we didn't really stop to enjoy the scenery.




After the trail hike, all of us hesitated for a long time on whether to go for that 1km swim. Jane and I psyched each other up and we decided to attempt the swim together. At least we can look after each other if anything happens in the water.

Surprisingly, the swim was rather relaxing. The water was super calm and no jellyfish sighted (though I felt little tiny stings on my body). Both of us did a slow breaststroke swim all the way and sprinted the last few meters in the water. That was the dumbest decision ever which resulted the both of us having muscle cramps and limping our way towards the finish line. Brilliant!






Official Results
I was so proud of myself (and Jane, my swimming partner of course) for completing the challenge in 1 hour 42 minutes, even though our timing was horrible. Hahahaha... 


Neh Neneh Neh Neh~~ Finishing tee and medal with my name engraved
Fun photobooth by Fotobox which turns your photos into Gifs

It was a long tiring day. We headed back to our rooms to clean up and rest while we wait for the BBQ dinner by the bay. That's when they announce the Top 3 results and we had a feast after that.


Dressed to Kill

The night didn't end there as we continued to rock the night with our own booze in the room.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the trip including the race, the stay and most importantly the company. With so much fun and goodies by Reebok, I wouldn't mind taking part in the next Chapman's Challenge on 12th to 14th May 2017. Billy, out.


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