Being an uncle, can only take part in the 10km race. Same also with M. She like all the other ladies were only permitted to do the 10km. Wondered why the discrimination?
But anyway, 10km suits me just fine. It was tough enough doing a normal run at MR but a race but darn it, I wanted the hydration bag which was being offered with the race so no choice. When we reached there and saw the roads all wet, I was like 'siow liao'. Going to be wet and slippery. Think got to walk all the way.
The 10kmers were flagged off at 7.30 am. The organiser had thoughtfully staggered the start of the 10km, 15km and moved the 5km Junior to a different start location so that there were less congestion. Still, it was not easy trying to run during the early part of the race with so many people on the narrow trails. Fortunately, the grounds weren't so wet and with good weather, it wasn't that bad after all. There were 3 water points - just before the ranger station where I took a cup of 'Pokka Sportswater' that was mixed with water, another at the fitness corner where I took a bottle of plain water and finally one along Lornie Road which I skipped. Unfortunately, I think they ran out of water cos I heard the 15kmers didn't get any plain water. There was a bit of confusion just before the fitness corner. Saw some runners turned left onto the boardwalk and a kind lady runner chased after them to direct them back but at the fitness corner where the 2nd water point was located, some of the 10kmers got confused by the signs and turned left onto the trail instead of proceeding straight up to Lornie Road. So many officials there and yet they allowed these to happen! Then at the junction of the road, there was only 1 sign showing 5km which left some of the 10kmers confused. Did they ran the wrong way? I had studied the map before hand so was quite confident it was the right way. Finally, at the turn off to the finish, there was no marshal and some runners were wondering whether to run straight or turned down the road.
Back at the finish, the water point were at the Amenities Centre side so had to walk a distance to get the water. There were plain water, Sportswater and a SIS mix drink. Some inconsiderate runners took a few cans of Sportswater at one go; M saw some took them and put into their bags. The volunteers manning the booth didn't stop them. The end result? By the time the 15kmers finished, there were no more Sportswater and everybody had to queue for the SIS mix.
To our utmost surprise, M managed to walk away with the 10th position. When she crossed the line, the MC had announced she was 12th but eventually I think they disqualified the 2 foreigners who came in 4th & 5th (According to the rules, foreigners can only run but cannot win prizes). While taking her photographs, I could see the 2 ladies arguing with one of the staff. While I am happy for M, I think if they had intended the foreigners to only run non-competitive, they should issue them with separate bib and put them in a different category to avoid misunderstanding. Also, the Men Veteran winners had 3 Caucasians (not sure whether they are Singaporean or PRs) but I think the organiser need to learn from this and improve their organisation for their next event.Despite the less than satisfactory time, I got my hydration bag, a 'tok kong' t-shirt, a nice weekend run with great company so cannot complain.
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