Having been to the Arctic, Sahara and the Amazon jungle, nothing could hold back Malaysian ultrarunner Jeff Lau Jun Tean anymore. In the next 10 days, he will be embarking upon an ultra triathlon named the Deca Triathlon.
Deca meaning decade, Jeff will be racing in the Swiss Ultra Triathlon spanning 38km of swimming, 1800km of cycling and 422km of running in 10 days. This is the equivalent of 10 IRONMAN Triathlon distances at one go.
“I’ve been running through the Sahara, Artic and Amazon jungle, and I still like doing something out of my comfort zone, so I chose increase the challenge to an ultra triathlon instead,” said Jeff Lau.
Triathlon wise, Jeff has previously participated in the 2016 and 2017 IRONMAN Malaysia in Langkawi, Malaysia’s biggest triathlon race. If you think the Deca Triathlon is a big challenge, training for the ultra race is an even bigger task. How do you train to run a full marathon, 42.2km at the end of everyday, after having swam 3.8km and cycled 180km?
Swimming and cycling are Jeff’s weaker sports in Triathlon. He’s neither a professional nor elite Triathlete, but in his preparation, he swam 1km to 2.5km, and cycled on hilly hilly routes over the weekends.
“It’s your mental game that will bring you to the finishing line. I’m not a seasoned or professional runner, but an average joe who wants to race and gain a personal achievement,” said the ultrarunner.
Jeff will be carrying mandatory equipment like a wetsuit for the swim, spare tubes for cycling besides running gear. As an Under Armour Brand Ambassador, he will be wearing the HOVR Infinite which he prefers for full marathons, although it looks bulky but the cushioning is perfect for him. For nutrition and recovery, he will be using Hammer Nutrition which helps him complete the race comfortably with less fatigue.
“I’m doing all this crazy things not for my own achievement, I’m racing for the Malaysian AIDS Foundation and to promote safer sex.”
Appointed by the Ministry of Health, Jeff is also a Red Ribbon Youth icon who aims to raise awareness and promote safer sex among the youth. With the advent of dating smartphone applications, people generally need to have the basic knowledge to have safe sex. People only associate condoms with pregnancy but not preventing diseases and having safer sex.
“The rate of ppl infected with HIV is increasing in the youth, we are the future of Malaysia so we need to safeguard ourselves,” said the Red Ribbon Youth icon.
This race is self-funded, albeit going to one of the most expensive countries in the world. The registration fees for the race amounts to RM15,000 includes food during the race but Jeff will be carrying asian flavour instant noodles as his personal stash. Sanctband Active, Under Armour and Hammer Nutrition Malaysia also came together to support the Jeff’s cause.
Checkout the race LIVE Tracking on the Swiss Ultra website and lookout for Jeff who never races without his faithful teddy bear. That bear has been to the Sahara, Arctic and Amazon!
Follow Jeff Lau on the Deca Triathlon and more adventures on Facebook.
Photos provided by Jeff Lau
