Proving his mettle

SOME people see middle-age as the time to start slowing down, but for 65-year-old Ahmad Fadzil Samsudin (above, right and below), it was the beginning of his new life as an athlete.
Now a regular in endurance races, Ahmad Fadzil is serious about what he does, and is determined to live life to the fullest. He is currently in the midst of training for the Ironman Langkawi 2017 race on Nov 11.
The father of five and grandfather of two is also the second oldest competitor in this race (80-year-old Sze Mun Yee is the oldest).
“Actually, I was never a sportsman, even in my younger days in college,” says Ahmad Fadzil during a breakfast meeting in Damansara.
“I played games but I did not excel in them. I never played for my state or even college.”
Ahmad Fadzil’s interest in endurance races started in 2005 when he became a part of a group that cycled regularly.
He admits that at first, he took up cycling as a social activity, and it was a fun thing to do with friends before adjourning for some coffee and nasi lemak.
His cycling partners, some of whom started out as runners and swimmers, later became his training partners for triathlons.
His first attempt at an Ironman-like challenge was the Port Dickson International Triathlon in 2007.
It was supposed to be part of his preparations for the 2009 Ironman race. However, the experience ended in tragedy.
He was competing alongside his best friend and former Royal Military College schoolmate Mohd Zubir Zainal. During the swimming portion of the race, Zubir unfortunately drowned.
Out of concern for his family, Ahmad Fadzil gave up taking part in triathlon challenges, and chose to focus instead on duathlons (running and cycling) where he would not need to get into the water.
However, last year – and without his family’s knowledge – Ahmad Fadzil took part in the Malacca Triathlon.
He eventually had to come clean to his family after his photos appeared on social media.
With the cat out of the bag, Ahmad Fadzil is now openly training for the upcoming Ironman Langkawi event.
For the Ironman challenge, Ahmad Fadzil will have to swim 3.8km, cycle 180km, and run a total of 42.2km.
“The cut-off time is 17 hours,” he explains. “Now, they are quite strict with the cut-off time for swimming and cycling.
“Under normal circumstances, you should be able to make it. A pro can do it in eight hours.”
In preparation for it, he runs at least 5km every weekday and 10km on weekends, adding that he usually runs in the Damansara area. He prefers Broga in Hulu Langat to do his cycling training.
Ahmad Fadzil explains: “You don’t have to run like Usain Bolt, it is all about endurance.
“Nutrition is important. Imagine being active for 17 hours. When you swim, you deplete a lot of energy.
“I don’t like taking energy gel. So I consume natural foods like bananas, apples, and dates, which are easy to digest and release lots of energy.”
He says that staying hydrated is also very important, adding that it is important to form the habit of constantly taking sips of water while running or cycling.
It takes about one to two years to train for Ironman events. “You can make it technical, or make it fun,” he says.
Ahmad Fadzil even has the support of his friends. When he heard that the Ironman Langkawi race is on, he mentioned it was too expensive for him to join.
“Next thing I knew, there was money banked into my account,” he says, citing it as the work of friends from his “makan kambing group”.
(Apparently, the group enjoy a whole roasted lamb once in a while, hence, the moniker.)
One of the reasons for his participation is his old friend Mohd Zubir. He admits he still feels the loss of his best friend, whom he says was closer to him than his own family.
“[This year] is the 50th anniversary [of his batch from the Royal Military College],” he says. “I [want to] honour his memory by taking part in Ironman.
“My friends told my son: ‘When your dad comes out of the water, we will make sure to send you all the photos’.”
The stars are aligned for Ahmad Fadzil to join this year’s race, and he is raring to go.