The Chapman’s Challenge returns for its second year on the weekend of 12th to 14th May 2017 and we are flattered to be able to reconnect with nature while realising our potential on the exclusive Pangkor Laut island.
Trekking through a two million year-old rainforest, a cooling 1km swim in the sea of Emerald Bay, and sprinting to the finish line on a white sandy beach. We are excited to share our recent race experience at The Chapman’s Challenge at Pangkor Laut Resort.
The Arrival (Friday, 12th May 2017)
Waking up at 2.30 a.m. and having to drive 7 hours from Singapore to Ipoh by car, Ivy and myself were full of excitement when we arrive and check in at the Marina Island Pangkor around 1.15 p.m on 12th May.
We were served with welcome drinks and the check-in process was very smooth and efficient. The helpful resort staff delivers our luggage from the jetty terminal to our hotel room while we get a first briefing about tomorrow’s Chapman’s Challenge.
The Briefing and Lunch
We were briefed by the event organiser about The Chapman’s Challenge and the trail run route for our event tomorrow. Every single detail of the race, we were briefed on.
Both our stomachs were growling all morning and we smelled food around the reception, therefore we proceeded to have our lunch at Feast Village. Gosh! the food was awesome and there were lots of varieties for us to choose from. We ate too much so we had to take a stroll around the island for a short while.
After lunch, we went to collect our number bib at the race pack collection booth. The best part was, there was no queue at the booth and we didn’t have to wait long.
Check In
We went to check into our room and to our pleasant surprise, our Villa perched above the sea and we had a private balcony with cushioned chaise lounges perfect for sunbathing.
A pleasant surprise to receive the race packs in our room with both our names on them! We dived into the bags to find Reebok T-shirts, caps and socks, TYR swimming goggles, slippers and more. Our event hosts are too generous!
In order to be more adventurous, we went to meet up with the rest of the participants at Resident Naturalist, Spa Village for the preview of the Jungle Trek for The Chapman’s Challenge route for our event. The route proved hilly and steep. There was no way that two people are able to walk side by side.
Day One – Sunset cruise (Friday, 12th May 2017)
Ivy and myself had a great time on the cruise. We were being treated like “princesses” by resort staff while enjoying the sea breeze and beautiful sunset, served with wine and finger food.
Even the resort staff served the food in a professional manner.
Our hosts shared great stories and history of the island. One of the staff is a very humorous guy and he made his story very interesting and we had a good laugh at it.
Day One – Dinner @ Feast Village
The food was fantastic and very big portions too. After dinner, we proceeded to the Pre-Race Briefing at Conference Hall.
End of Day One
When we got back to the resort room, the room was nicely cleaned. We found a small goodie bag with energy drinks, bananas and energy biscuits for our light breakfast before the race the next day. It was a really nice arrangement and unexpected.
Day Two – Race Day (Saturday, 13th May 2017)
Do we look like warriors? You bet. Time to show the world what Ivy and Audrey are made of as we charge into the competition early this morning.
We are out to prove to ourselves and to the world what we can accomplish during the 3.8km road run, 2.4km trail run and 1km open water swim. Finally we completed our race.
Though the weather was hot on the trail, trees kept us comfortable and we stopped at the two water stations inside the trail route to stay hydrated. Both of us performed at the top of our games.
Two personalised, engraved medals awaited us at the finish line with our finisher t-shirts.
After the race, we went back to our hotel room to have a good shower before we proceeded for our brunch as our stomachs were calling for food. The big servings and healthy, tasty foods delighted all runners; especially the two of us.
Day Two – Cocktails at Chapman’s Bar, Emerald Bay
We were being invited to attend the BBQ dinner and also the prize presentation for all the winners. We had to sign the book prepared in order for us to know our race timing.
We had such fun meeting other international runners and sharing personal race experiences.
This time round, small notebooks and bookmarks left as souvenirs of our visit greeted us. A lot of things that we didn’t expect but came as a surprise, we were very delighted.
Final Day – Departure to our Homeland (Sunday, 14th May 2017)
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Feast Village. It gave us the chance to savour our last taste of Pangkor Laut Resort with its superior Asian-Pacific culinary delights and gorgeous environs.
The resort staff gave us a warm send-off as we departed to Marina Island Pangkor via speedboat transfer.
We both agreed: We’re going to miss this island paradise for many reasons (especially the food!).
