Motivational talk

Lau (front row, far right) with the participants

A motivational talk was held at Sungai Long Campus on 27 March 2018. It was jointly organised by the Chancellery, Department of Student Affairs (DSA) of Sungai Long Campus and Department of Alumni Relations and Placement. The invited speaker was Jeff Lau Jun Tean, a Malaysian ultra-marathon runner who began his journey of running when he was trying to recover from a ligament surgery.

Lau sharing his experience with the audience

His first marathon was the Marathon Des Sables—an ultra-marathon spanning 250km across the Moroccan Sahara Desert. When talking about the experience of his first marathon, he said, “It was painful and exhausting. I took more time to finish the race because I had to go through the sand dunes which I could barely walk on.” He said he questioned himself multiple times during the race, but he knew that he must not give up in order to move forward.

With his indomitable perseverance and the spirit of never giving up, Lau successfully completed numerous marathons in various parts of the world. The marathon in Canada Yukon was the only race he did not manage to complete. According to him, he had to finish the trail that covered a distance of about 560km within eight days, which was an average of 75km each day. The temperature was very low and it was snowing.

During the race, Lau was almost disqualified because he lost his bivvy bag due to strong winds. The bivvy bag was very important because the runners were required to sleep by the side of the trail out in the open area. “A bivvy bag goes together with the sleeping bag. It helps to keep you warm while you’re asleep. Without it, it was dangerous to sleep under the freezing condition with only a sleeping bag,” he said. However, he was lucky because he managed to get a spare bivvy bag from other runners who had pulled out of the race.

“With only 40km remaining to complete the race, I had to pull out due to the effects of frostbite on my foot,” he said, adding that he did not realise it earlier because of skin numbness. A severe frostbite can permanently damage body tissue if it is not treated immediately. Lau said he felt disappointed for not completing his marathon and succumbing to frostbite but the feeling was soon swept away when he saw an aurora at his resting area. “It was a precious gift for me,” he recalled.

Lau also shared his marathon experience in Amazon Rainforest, a 230km footrace with slippery muddy trails, river crossings and harsh terrains. “We had to go through multiple chest-level rivers, which caused my toenails to drop off completely,” he said.

Although he had a tough time getting through these ultra-marathonrunning, he still continued to engage himself in this gruelling sport, not only for himself but also for the charity organisations.

Besides being an ultra-marathon runner, Lau is a freelance graphic designer and a part-time barista. He is also the brand ambassador for Sanctband Active Series, a range of fitness products by Sanctuary Health.

DSA Head Loh Nyuk Leung presenting a token of appreciation to Lau