An ultra trail running couple tells Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan that the sport keeps them strong, both as athletes and as life partners
THE daily routine at the household of Abdul Rahman Abu Hassan, 33 and his wife, Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid, 27, begins early — she starts the day at 5.30am and he, slightly later. They wake up their children — aged 6, 4 and 19 months — and have breakfast, which Tahira prepares.
By 7am, the couple are heading off — to send their eldest son to kindergarten, and the other two to the babysitter. By 7.30am, they begin training, which could mean a 40km run on trail or road, depending on what they are training for.
Post-training, they pick up the kids and come home. Tahira cooks lunch for the family, and typically, it’s a clean lunch. Their fridge is stocked with fruit, vegetables and eggs, the couple tell me. She says if there is not much food left in the world, she could subsist only on fruit.
Late in the afternoon, they take their children out to play in the park. This time, one person drives and the other runs there. Once the runner arrives, they switch and the runner now looks after the three children while the driver runs. When the sun sets, they go home together in their only car.
Abdul Rahman and Tahira’s schedule will put anyone who has ever dared to whine about not having time to do anything to shame.
Here is a young couple who are raising three young children and who somehow, manage to fit — into the 24 hours accorded to them — long runs, swimming, cycling, cooking for the family, outdoor time with children and 200 push-ups in a day.
Abdul Rahman is a member of the special elite force of the Royal Malaysian Navy and Tahira is a housewife. They are Malaysia’s most prominent ultra trail running couple, running races exceeding 50km along trails and forests.
Last October, the couple ran the 100km MesaStila Peaks Challenge in Indonesia. Abdul Rahman finished fourth with a time of 25:37:29 and Tahira came fifth with a time of 25:38:57.
At the Malaysia Eco 100, a 175km race in Bukit Mertajam, Penang last May, Abdul Rahman finished third overall, timed at 36:08:04, while Tahira finished fifth, at 37:17:49.
It goes without saying that for many runners, this couple’s extraordinary running bond is the ultimate definition of #relationshipgoals.
TIME CONSUMING SPORT
Ultra-running is a time-consuming sport to do even alone and very rarely do you find a couple who run these long races together.
Abdul Rahman and Tahira train together and they agree that the whole experience makes them stronger as a couple.
“All credit goes to Tahira,” says Abdul Rahman when asked about their success. “If I cycle to train for triathlons, for example, she settles the children and goes out running alone. It is her ability to manage time that gives us the space to succeed,”
Tahira, who is sitting opposite her husband (and calls him Aman), smiles. “It’s all about time management. There are things to achieve within the time frame, so slot things well,”
Abdul Rahman has been running since 2007 and he met Tahira during running events in 2008. She was working as an outdoor sports guide, helping enthusiasts in mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, roping and canoeing.
They were married in 2009 and she started taking ultra trail running seriously, training alongside her husband. While he arranges their training schedule, she makes sure their food nourishes their bodies so they can run longer and faster.
“No junk food for us. We eat mostly lean meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits. What we consume directly affects our performance. It’s just like how you fuel your car,”
Theirs is a bond formed and solidified in trail running heaven, and their shared memories, because they take part in these long races together, make for great stories.
“We had been running the Eco 100 for 24 hours and we suddenly felt very sleepy. We found a house with a bench outside and we slept for five minutes before we heard the steps of the 100km runners who had been just flagged off,”
“We woke up and quickly continued running,” Tahira says, as if saying they should not have slept in the first place.
In case you are wondering, ultra trail runners don’t stop to sleep, eat or rest during races, unless the races are between 500km to 800km. “If you are a casual participant, you could stop by food stalls to eat, but for elite athletes gunning for time, we subsist on energy bars and fruits until the race is over,”
“You can’t afford to rest when you have time to beat,” Abdul Rahman says.
TRAINING DAYS
Their races might be long, but their training is even longer. What this couple consider normal are running up Fraser’s Hill from Kuala Kubu Baru. “We run on road if we need elevation training, and trail when we need to practice on that surface,” Abdul Rahman says.
Otherwise, the couple, who live in Tanjung Malim, would train to run up Gunung Rajah, from either Kuala Kubu Baru or Bentong. Other training peaks include Bukit Kutu and Bukit Teluk Batik in Lumut, Perak. They typically clock in 100km to 120km a week.
“We train despite the weather, whether it’s too hot or it’s raining. That’s how we acclimatise ourselves for races,” Tahira says.
“We can’t choose the weather on race day, but we can train our bodies to adapt to different conditions.”
Tahira says she runs, cycles and swims throughout all three pregnancies. “I was cycling until the fourth month during my last pregnancy. I could still cycle, but my belly was attracting onlookers, so I swam instead, which I did until the day before I went into labour,” she says.
Like other pregnant athletes, she maintains her fitness throughout carrying her baby. “The efforts might be less but you have to maintain your stamina, otherwise it will dip so badly it will take too long to train again,” she says.
Right now, she says, what gets her is when her children are unwell. “Sometimes, one after the other gets sick and that’s when stress gets the better of me. I need to look after sick toddlers and my training gets compromised, yet I have a race to prepare for.”
“There is just not enough time in the day to squeeze everything in,” she says.
And that’s when having a partner who deeply understands your passion for running comes into play. “She derives happiness from running,” Abdul Rahman says.
One time, when they have both registered for a race and their children were sick, Abdul Rahman decided he would look after the children while Tahira raced. “We went to the race together and I handled the kids while Tahira ran. You should have seen her happiness after she finished the race. I think that’s very important as a couple. You have to support and encourage each other even if that means taking a backseat sometimes,”
“There will be other races but your partner’s self-esteem and self-fulfillment must always be taken into account,” he says.
RIDE FOR THEIR STRIDE
When Abdul Rahman met Tahira, he knew her as the girl with the blistered feet. “She would start the run in shoes and end it barefoot because the blisters were unbearable,” he says.
He wondered why the runner took off her shoes every time?
“There is something about the insole of some shoes that rub against my feet until they bleed,” Tahira says. Her husband keeps buying her new shoes and most of them end up unused because they give her blisters.
Tahira was introduced to Hoka One One by her physiotherapist early this year as a treatment for her knee injury, caused by her long runs. “They look bulky but are so comfortable. Go to any ultra trail races and you see many runners in Hoka One One.
“A lot of people like minimalist shoes but I think I love running more than the shoe type I run in. Look at running long-term. Can your shoes protect your knees and ankles so you can still run in 10 to 15 years’ time?
Needless to say, her problem with blisters disappeared. “There is less stitching in the shoes so there is less abrasion against my feet,”
She uses Hoka One One Bondi for daily training and Tracer for her races.
Her husband wears Clifton 3 for training and Speedgoat for races. “You just feel like you are bouncing off the ground. It’s that light,” he says.