Last Saturday it was a day where my classmate and me had gone to RWG. Do you know that they are ten thousand people signed up for
the obstacle course event that is Great Eastern Genting King of the
Mountain but hundreds more joined in for the camaraderie of the day?
There was no doubt the event held at The Ranch @ Gohtong Jaya recently
was a huge success.
Not only was the number of participants
bigger than last year's 8,500; the event that inspired togetherness was a
heartwarming picture of people in solidarity while in the pursuit of a
healthy lifestyle. The air was thick with excitement, and the
participants that gathered in teams were visually striking, each team
with their very own theme colour in terms of racing outfits.
Evidently
raring to go, the participants nevertheless had time for picture
taking. They were cheered on by a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers at the
starting line where participants were flagged off every half an hour by
the deejay in charge.
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| teamwork is important, they help each other to climb over |
Dato Koh Yaw Hui, the Director and Chief Executive Officer of Great
Eastern Life, summed up the event perfectly: “In fulfilling Great
Eastern's brand aspirations as a life insurance company, we hope to
inspire Malaysians to live healthier, better and longer. As the title
sponsor for Great Eastern Viper Challenge 2016, we recognise how the
challenging obstacle course can motivate everyone, especially our youth,
to adopt a healthier lifestyle in every way—physically and mentally.
“The
event not only promotes a well-balanced and holistic idea of good
health but also emotional wellness to foster camaraderie and teamwork.”
This
is the second year running that Resorts World Genting was involved with
the King of the Mountain event along with Viper Challenge. Kevin Tann,
Vice President of Promotions & Entertainment of Resorts World
Genting, was understandably happy to be involved in the event,
describing it as “arguably the best obstacle course event in Malaysia
because it combines great obstacles, good weather and a finishing
festival.”
Tann
said, “The fact that tickets were sold out early and we had a bigger
number of participants than before shows how urbanites find the event
very appealing. It is exercise for the mind, body and spirit; recreation
that enhances one's mental, physical and spiritual well-being. And
that's because not only
does it promote healthy living; the community spirit it fosters is something we should all be proud of.
“There
is surely nothing more positive than families and friends coming
together to have fun while getting a good workout and connecting with
other people. It is heartening for us at Resorts World
Genting to be part of such a huge community event.”
Best obstacle course event
Like
usual, the Viper Challenge this year posed some daunting manmade
obstacles but trust the spirited participants to take it all in their
stride. They took on the obstacle course that spanned over a
10-kilometre route covering a landscape filled with crooked pathways and
rugged terrain. They were tested physically as well as mentally—and how
they enjoyed the huffing and puffing!
Obstacles such as Peg Wall
and Cargo Net Climb provided the best upper body workout while Rotating
Cubes and Water Net Crawl were no less challenging and required good
skills and technique.
But the other seemingly less challenging
obstacles like Tyre Run were as daunting, requiring the participants to
negotiate their way through hundreds of tyres spread out over the
ground. It wasn't easy to manoeuvre this obstacle and many stumbled
their way through but their excitement was palpable— everybody was
having fun.
What do the participants themselves have to say about the event?
Among
the multicultural teams that took part was Team Real Steel that
included 28-year-old Austin from the US who is hard of hearing. Austin,
who has worked for a number of years in Malaysia, had participated in
other Viper Challenge events but it was the first time he was involved
in one held in Genting Highlands. Austin didn't let his handicap get in
the way, describing the challenge as “tiring but amazing.”
As
befitting a fun event, Team YOLO brought a lot of humour along with
them, saying YOLO stands for “You Only Live Once.” Team leader Erica
hails from Penang but the team comprises fitness enthusiasts from all
over the country—including Johor, Malacca and Pahang.
The team
best embodied the spirit of sportsmanship at the event. Clad in yellow
T-shirts, the team members never ceased actively motivating each other
with chants. The team work displayed was clear to see and at every
obstacle, the group members waited for their team mates to finish before
moving on to the next challenge. “We never leave our team mates
behind,” was how Erica put it.
Equally exemplary was the High
School Buddy Friends Group from Malacca that was also involved in last
year's race. Twenty-seven-year-old Speedy said his team “couldn't get
enough of the challenge and thus came back for more adventure.”
He added, “Compared to last year, this year's event seems more participant-friendly and we saw improvement, which is good.”
Carnival atmosphere complete with music and food
It
was not only weekend warriors that got to derive enjoyment from the
event; there were many who turned up just to soak in the carnival
atmosphere. And of course, for them the other attractions—the food and
music—helped make the event memorable. The unique sight of so many food
trucks in one place alone must have excited many people, as did the
Grilled Chicken with Firewood that was presented “tall tower and
campfire style.”
The colourful food trucks adding to the
carnival atmosphere sold all types of food, including Big Hug Burgers,
Curbside Cantina (selling Mexican food), The Backyard Chef (Chicken
Chop, Fish & Chips and Ice Cream), Planet Gergazi (hotdogs), and
Lokka Cafe (sandwiches, sausages, hotdogs, juices and teas).
There
were also trucks selling desserts and sweets, namely Pancake on Wheel,
Pocky, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, and Juice Buzz. Beverages including beer
were also aplenty.
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| grilled chicken |
If you like to eat, how about mooncake do you like them?
Providing music entertainment were the Double
Aze comprising Allan G. Murillon and Albert Sirimal, with their gentle
harmonies and acoustic numbers. The other performer was vocalist June
Wong who was accompanied by her keyboardist friend. With her smooth
vocals, Wong easily got the crowd to sit back and relax as she delivered
some contemporary numbers.
I also went to the Tribute to
4 Heavenly Kings, you can click on the link to view it.
For more information, please call 03-27181118 or go to www.rwgenting.com.
