Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014

Note: When I penned the below post last night, it was without the knowledge that the organiser of the SCMS had actually asked runners who failed to meet certain unspecified time at unannounced designated points, to be diverted to run a "shorter route". Since the publication of my post and following media queries,  the organiser has made a public announcement on this here.

I would therefore like to offer my sincere apologies to the individuals who were included in the post below for any embarrassment that I have caused to them. While I have decided to keep the post, I have deleted the photos and any references to the identity of the individuals. I know no apologies or words can right whatever that has been done but once again I would like to tender my apology.

Well I was at the Garden by the Bay East on Sunday taking photos of the runners doing the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. (SCMS). This was roughly at the 35 km part of the race. The first runners came by around 7 am roughly 2 hours after the flag off. Those were the elites. A rough back of the envelope calculation - the average 4 hours runners will reach this area around 8.20 am and indeed the 4 hours pacers came pass me at 8.19 am.

But way before that I had already noticed a very unique hi usual thing. As a regular runner and active photographer for the past years, I can recognise a fair number of the local runners who can do sub-4 and there aren't really a lot of them here in Singapore. And even if I don't recognise them, I can tell by the way they run that they are seasoned runners and used to that type of timing. But what was interesting this time was that I could see many unfamiliar faces and people who pardoned my saying so, do not look like runners who are capable of doing this type of timing. Now I know looks can be deceiving but it is kinda difficult to believe that these following people can run sub 4 marathon.

And more over as I came to find out later, runner with orange bib are self declared sub 5 hours runner and starts in a much later wave. So they couldn't have been so fast to reach 35 km in just over 3 hours!

And true enough, my instinct was right. A quick search at the event site and these are their race splits. Looks like all of them skipped the distance between the 10 km checkpoint and the 30 km checkpoint slashing a cool 20 km off the total distance. 

And everyone seems to be doing it. Not just the not so athletic looking people but the young folks like this guy

And foreigners as well

And even the very athletic looking guys are doing it. The type that looks perfectly capable of doing this sort of timing but look at the splits

And there are more, too many for me to list them all here.

Looking at the splits, almost all of them turn off after the 10 km checkpoint which is somewhere around the  Sports Hub. I believe after coming out from that area, instead of going towards Fort Road and East Coast Park, they simply turned right on Tanjong Rhu to Garden by the Bay East and continue on from there. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt that they got lost but I really really doubt it is the case. 

And again I like to think that the weather was too hot for them and they decided not to continue on but turned back. But they should then do the right thing and not cross the finish line but in all cases they did which leaves me with only one conclusion - they just want the finisher tee, medal and the bragging rights that come along with it and are not interested at all in completing the distance!

Me think it is high time race organiser takes steps to weed out these sort of behaviour. It is not good for a "gold class" event and a waste of resources and hinder the genuine runners. For starter, I think event organiser should stop giving away finisher tees at the finish line like  what many overseas races do. I am very sure that the event won't be so attractive to the non-runners if there is no finisher tee for them to wear around town to show off. Race organiser should also ensure strict compliance of race rules and barriers and marshals should be deployed at vulnerable junctions and points along the routes to reduce such inAnd last but not least, get the timing system working properly so that their status is stated as DSQ and not "Finished".http://runeatgossip.com/2014/12/standard-chartered-marathon-singapore-2014.html/

Tokyo Marathon 2014

I got a bad memory. I can't remember the last time I did a full marathon and what was my best timing. I know it was about 5 years ago and my pb was about 4 hours 45 minutes. So I went into this marathon with full of trepidation. I think I trained pretty well for this. I think with good weather I may possibly hope to do a sub 4:30. But then the snow storm came and I got worried and the fears and doubts kicked in.

But the weather was amazingly great the morning of the race. It was probably around 7°C - 8°C. Friends who had done this race before warned me to keep warm especially while waiting for the flag off. So I heed their advices and worn a long tight, shorts, long sleeve top, another tee over it and a wind proof jacket. On top of that, I worn a beanie, gloves and took along a thermal blanket. Maybe because I was in Pen H, far behind the start line and there were so many people there that the body heat generated was so great, I didn't really feel the cold. Or it was the tension. In the end, the thermal blanket stayed in the pocket.

The crowd at Pen H

The race was flagged off at 9.10 am sharp after some speech. I could hear the speeches over the loud speakers but I couldn't see the flag off or even hear the horn. It took me almost 12 minutes plus to cross the start line! That was how far behind I was. The sidekick who had managed to secure a last minute bib was in Pen E far far ahead.

Despite the crowd, running was a breeze. There was full road closure throughout. Not like the race in Singapore where typically only 1 direction is close off and this will trickle down to 2 lanes and eventually park connectors. Over in Tokyo, the whole road in both direction was closed and there was plenty of space for the 32000 + runners. I started at what I thought was a good steady pace and was rather surprised when my watch showed my pace was 6:11 at the first km. The fastest I had done in my training was 6.30 pace and even then that was only for 15 km before slowing down. So I was in unknown territory and I keep telling myself to slow down. I was conservatively aiming for a 4 hours 45 minutes finish although if I feel good, I will try for 4:30. At 5 km, it was 31 minutes still too fast for my liking. I was fearful of the unknown. What if I choke after 30 km? But damn, the weather was great and I was perspiring under the tee and the jacket. The beanie had already come off and went into the jacket's pocket. I wanted to take off the jacket as well but it contained the blanket, the beanie, gels, camera and how was I going to carry it with all those stuff?

And I was having a great time. The crowd support was great. There were all sort of performers - traditional Japanese dance, drum performances, modern dances. The people lined the street from start to end giving out all sort of foods. A whole lot of workers from BMW was outside their showroom cheering away too! And the runners! Apart from the conventional running attire, there were many in all sort of costumes.  There was a guy in suit with a brief case, a couple in wedding garb, many fellas with weird head gears, people in all sort of costume including a Chinese Warrior, a robot, cartoon characters..... I took this photo of the Chinese Warrior before the race star. 

Wonder how he going to run 42 km in this outfit?

There was some sort of code requesting runners not to take photos during the run but I couldn't resist when I saw this character! Wow, running 42 km half naked and carrying a cross! 

I was doing great and quite happy. I saw the sidekick on the other side of the road somewhere along the  25 km mark whereas I was still at the 22 km distance. That was how far I was behind her. She looks good and running well and I knew she was going to get a PB. I was still feeling good after the 36 km which was also the longest distance I did for my training.  With another 6 km to go and about 35 minutes to go to hit 4:30, I was cautiously optimistic. But from here on I was on unknown territory. And of course there has to be a twist to it. The routes so far had been flat throughout but now the slopes start appearing. And right at the very first slope, I got a cramp - not on my calf but hamstring! It wasn't that bad but that shook me up a bit and I decided to walk it off.  But the momentum was gone. And I had to resort to a run/walk strategy to complete the last 6 km which took me 52 minutes. Sighed... so no 4:30.

The sidekick had already finished and was waiting for me at the finish line. She clocked a PB by a wide margin. Me - I did get a PB in the end, by a teeny weeny 2 seconds. Lol! 

Can you spot me in this photo? That's gun time by the way

But I had no regrets and no big disappointment. After all, this will probably be the only World Majors that I will ever have a chance to run in. And just being there for the experience would have been worth it.

Marathon Bad for You?

There is article written by a lady in Malaysia that is getting all the wrong attention.  Coming from somebody who is in the sports industry, I am rather surprise at the issues that she has raised concerning marathon running. Read the full article here.

Here are the 4 main issues she raised:

1. It wreck your knees
2. You could drop dead
3. It could ruin your sex drive
4. Its not the most effective weight loss method

I going to attempt to tackle these 4 points.

1. It wreck your knees. So does doing any other sports and having a sedentary life style. Like in my small workplace of about 100 staff, there are a number of people with bad knee problems. One of them is of course me. Another colleague had it so bad she had to for for knee anthroscopy. She has never run or do any sports in her life. Another colleague did the same on both knees. He only cycles. Another colleague takes the lift up and down even though we are on the 2nd floor because of her bad knees. She is in the late thirties and don't do any sports. My big boss walks with a limp because he refuses to go under the knife. He only play golf and nothing else. 2 of my running friend had ACL injury. They got it while playing football and not during running. The point I trying to make is, almost anything can cause knees problem. The main cause of bad knees is osteoarthritis and not running. So don't just push every thing to running.

2. You could drop dead. Fair enough. One can also drop dead anytime from doing anything and even nothing. A friend's mother dropped dead in her living room. There was no apparent cause. Another friend's brother got up to pee one morning and then went back to bed. He never woke up again. And he was only 45 years old then. People die from any reasons. More people die from riding motorcycles, aeroplanes, cycling than people die from running. That doesn't stop these people from continuing with these activities. Running actually keeps the heart and body healthier reducing the risk of sudden death. The only reason people get all worked up when somebody dies after running is that it is so rare that it gets reported in the media and draw all the attention. People dropping dead in normal situation is just not news anymore.

3. It could ruin your sex drive. The writer cited a study by the University of British Columbia. Let me cite these articles: 

http://therunningbug.co.uk/training/training-for-beginners/b/weblog/archive/2012/08/01/6-reasons-why-running-is-great-for-your-sex-life.aspx

http://www.canada.com/lifestyle/relationships/story.html?id=2dc6f60b-11a7-421f-9ab2-1ac1c6629599

Need I say more?

4.Its not the most effective weight loss method. I don't know what is. Those weird diet plan? Running is, in my humble opinion, the cheapest and easiest weight loss method. That and of course a sensible diet. I should know. I am one of those who lost many kilos after taking up running. And so does many of my running acquaintances like Nel, Anthony, Kartono and the list goes on. If running is not, what is?

And finally to conclude, if you are reading this and preparing for your marathon tomorrow, don't despair. Let me assure you that unless you have an existing heart disease, you are not likely to drop dead from running the race. In fact, you have a higher chance of dying in a car accident on the way to the race! Happy racing!

8 Stages of Marathon Running

How apt!

Sundown Marathon 2013

After a few sleepless nights and days of torture , the day or rather the night dawn? The day of the Sundown Marathon. Heck, I wasn’t even signed up for this shit and I as kancheong as the sidekick. She complains of upset tummy which I think is more like butterflies than real pain. Funny, considering that this is not her first marathon. Maybe it finally sink in that I not gonna be running side by side with her?

Anyway, the kancheong part – just to show how kancheong I was. We drove down to the race site at about 10.40 pm. I got out my camera, my media pass and walked with her to the race site. The plan was while she goes to the race pen, I will go to the front, flash my media pass and take pictures of her (errr - of everybody) at the starting line. We reached the race village and I started fiddling with the settings. Hmmm something wrong. The camera is not working. Open up the battery compartment and shit… where is the battery? Then I remember – it still in the charger……. at home. Oh well, nevermind I have a spare but its in the car at Millennia Walk. So I walked back while the sidekick went ahead. And I reached the car and took out the camera bag and …..no battery! Die. The spare was sitting inside the battery grip which I had conveniently left behind at home to reduce the weight! Sighed…. By this time, it was too late to walk back to the Race site. And I probably can’t spot her even if I did so off I went after sending her a short SMS. 

2 hours later, I am now at Garden by the Bay East somewhere around the 36km mark. I didn’t expect her to reach that fast but a few of us have decided to kaypoh a bit and cheer on the runners here. After all, she had set herself a target of 5 hours which means she will only pass along this way about 4 hours after the start. So I had a long wait. We brought with us some coke, hot drinks and heat rub for our friends who were running.

The first few runners had already passed when we reached. Marcus set up his vantage point to shoot for Running Shots and we started cheering the runners. The front runners were all fixed on the race and most of them probably didn’t even realize we were there. None of them stop for our drinks even though we offered it to them. The next wave of runners came later – those hoping to finish between 4 hours to 5 hours. Some of them stopped when they see us – to chit chat, get a drink but generally they were in a hurry and did not dally too long.

I expected the sidekick to be in this group. I see her "very the up", though she is very short :) During our training runs, she was doing well and averaging about 7+ minutes pace and I expect her to do better during the race. In fact, I was optimistic that she could even do 4.30. But she did not appear. Not even when the 5 hours pacers passed. Which made me more kancheong. Did she cramp up? Did she dit the wall? Was the stomach upset she complained about real after all? But eventually she came into view. She stopped for Brokie's famed honey water before moving off. But her 5 hours target was gone not unless she could run the balance 7km in 40 minutes which I doubt she could - not after running for 4 hours +.

By now the main bulk of runners were coming in hard and fast, oh wait some were not so fast. Quite a number were walking by now and we hit a sweet spot with a lot of them because we had a prized commodity with us - heat rub and water! It seems the water station ahead of us had ran out of water tle and those who were desperate enough, summoned up courage to ask for water from us. There also seem to be no aid station and our heat rub was in hot demand (pun intended). I do hope in our little way we had helped to make the rest of the race easier for those who managed to get the drinks and the heat rub from us before we too ran out.

The sidekick managed to finish in 5 hours 10 minutes. She complained that there were certain sections along Tanjong Rhu where there were bottleneck and passable only 1 or 2 at a time and she had to walk these sections. In addition, some stretches were dark and there were empty gel packets, banana skins, cups and bottles strewed all over and she had to gingerly jog these areas so that she won't slip. Excuses  , excuses.... But I think overall she was quite satisfied with the results considering this is her first night full marathon and she was running this distance alone for the first time too, meaning I was not there to run with her. But then again, I think if I was running, she will probably end up with a 6 hours + timing!

Looking at the runners enduring sleep and tiredness to complete this race, I am glad I am not running. It certainly isn't easy to run against the body clock and the humidity and gruelling distance. On top of that, most runners appears to be very ill prepared to take on the challenge which makes me wonder - why did they do this? For the medal or finisher tee?

SCSM 2009 Pictures Memories

A little bit late but here are some memories of the SCSM 2009

Never let some silly little excuses stop you

Weight - no problem

Obese - no big deal

Leg pain. Get a walking stick

Wheel chair also can

Age? It's all in the mind

Cannot see? Get a helper

How about this 2? Is one of them blind too?

This guy says it all

Please don't cry

But if you must cry, a towel to dry your tears will be helpful

All in the family:

Ah Kong and Ah Ma?

Father and child

Husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend?

Hmm how did they do it?

1 FM and 1 HM and yet the twain met?

Some dancing to take the mind off the race

Thank God no armpit hair!

Ice cream on the mind?

No ice cream, shirt also can

HOT????

Some air for the tummy

Unzip for the breast, umph sorry chest

Better still. Take it all off and cover the head as well

The 'first' local lady to cross the FM finish line!

Her time? Gun Time: 3:05:38 but unfortunately no prize for her

She DNQ big time

My apologies if anybody featured here is offended.

More photos here.

SCSM 2008

So down to the last race for 2008 and still hopefully the last full marathon for me, ha ha ha!

The target was to complete in 5 hours same as in 2007 and not choked like in Kota Kinabalu. This time, I was slightly better prepared having finished the KK marathon, the Pearl Izumi 30km and 1 34km training run.

Started in the tail end of the 5 hours pen with M. Met up and talked to some of the Team Fatbird pacers and at one point contemplated following the 4:45 pacers but quickly put that thought out of my head preferring not to stress myself.

The race started at 5.30am sharp without the usual countdown which I think caught a lot of people. We took 1min 36sec to cross the start line. This year there is a new modified route. We started down Shenton Way as usual from Esplanade Bridge but instead of turning into Marina South at Maxwell Road, we turned back into Robinson Road before going into Raffles Boulevard. Because Robinson Road runs parallel to Shenton Way, was disgusted to see a runner cut through McCallum Street from Shenton Way and further down the road, another 2 male runners cutting through Boon Tat Street. Aiyoh, what is the point of signing up for a full marathon and taking shortcuts here and there? Also, was amused to see so many male runners lining up to pee along the hoarding of the former Clifford Pier and along the roads within minutes of the race starting. Must be releasing all the pent up stress:)

From Raffles Boulevard, we turned into Nicoll Highway towards Suntec u-turning at Middle Road junction. So far, so good. Slightly behind the 7mins pace but it was still early. We continued at a constant pace, stopping to take gel at 12km and a toilet break at ECP B1 toilet. Surprisingly, so far still didn't see any of the Team Fatbird's pacers only the official Adidas pacers. Up the service road until Area E where we turned into the bicycle path turned up at Carpark F2 and continued along the service road until behind the NSRCC golf course before u-turning. Along this stretch the 2 returns route was running side by side separated only by construction cones but the runners were all very disciplined and there was no overcrowdng. Was surprised though that there was no timing mat at the u-turn. Hmm I am sure if the runners knew about this, a lot of them will simply just cut short that stretch saving 500 metres in the process. It is here that we finally see the Team Fatbird 5 hours and later 5:30 pacers on the other side. Also bumped into Gentle, doing his 17 marathon. Had a short chat with him before going our separate way.

Legs were still fresh. The sun haven't come out yet. Took another gel at 22km. So far so good. Saw a few runners in the new sgrunners top but didn't know most of them. They were giving out Gu gels at the 28km and unlike last few years, this time they were so generous. Saw some runners taking 4. We took 2 each although on hindsight should have taken only 1 as we still had some with us. At the sgrunners support table, Sotong gave us an iced hydralite and that was so heavenly and invigorated us. Unfortunately clumsy me had to drop off a third of it while trying to suck it. So wasted. Ran with Fennel for a while. She seemed to be experiencing ITB problem and was doing run and walk. Also saw Alan who seemed to have cramps.

Back on Nicoll Highway, we turned left into Stadium Drive(?) turned out again back to Nicoll Highway and then in again before going down along the river and up on the other side of Nicoll Highway. 35km and still feeling good. We were 10mins ahead of our 5 hours target. Along Kallang Rd, M complained of tightness on her left leg and stopped to get some heatrub from the volunteers. From here, we slowed down and along Crawford Street took a slow walk along the dreadful slope which in normal time seem so gentle but now seemed like a mountain!

However, energised by the sign 39km, M started to run and pushed the pace up to 6km pace. I struggled to follow but mercifully she had to slow down when we ran into a hugh human walk of walkers along the F1 track and I was able to take a breather. There was simply too many walkers. Was really surprised. So far the route had been well segregated without congestion and here at the most crucial point, the 3 races, full, half and 10k merged! There should have been barricades to separate the runners Anyway, once out on the road, M started running again and up on Esplanade Bridge, we started weaving in and out of the runners before turning onto Fullerton Bridge, the home stretch. With less than 50m to go, we held hands and ran in together to finish in 4:48:6 (gun time) and 4:46:25 (chip time).

A PB for both of us, me after 5 attempts and she in only her second!

Will we be back next year? We said no but don't bet on that!

SCSM 2008 Race Pack Collection

A little bird (okay, not very little bird) tipped me off that there were problems with the event tee and urged me to go early to collect. So took a half day leave on Thursday and went over. 

Reached there at 3pm and was dismayed to see a long queue stretching all the way to the atrium. Later was told by friends that at one stage, it even stretched until the MRT station so maybe we were not too bad after all. There was only 1 common queue although occasionally the volunteers will ask those doing the 10k and half to follow them. Presumably, the queue inside for these 2 were shorter. We queue outside for almost an hour before being allowed in.  

Once in,  I went to the Kids Dash queue to collect for a friend's kids while M joined the full marathon queue. The queue for the Kids Dash was short, only about 10 person in front of me so I thought it will be a quick. Boy, was I wrong. Somehow the queue moved so slowly. Each person in front of me on average collected about 3 each. The 3 Japanese in front of me collected 6 each and so I was stucked there for another hour. I shudder when I looked at the queue for the full marathon which was like 100 times as long! Were we going to be stucked until 7 pm?

Observing the counter staff doing their work was an eye opener. The young kids were very polite but I don't understand why they need to go to all the trouble. First, they have to key in to the computer to get the bib number. Then somebody or they themselves will go to the back and collect the bib and the goodie bag. After that, they will show the person collecting the race pack the bib number and the singlet to confirm the name and size before putting everything into the gym bag. And they will repeat this with every bag. No wonder it take so long to process each collection.

I tried to persuade them to let me collect the full marathon pack from the kids dash counter but no go. I was resigned to queuing from the back but luckily the other staff there allowed me to join M who was somewhere in the middle of the queue. Surprisingly, the queue here moved very much faster probably because there were more counters and we managed to collect our race packs within 20 minutes which was not too bad. 

So total we took nearly 2 and a half hours to collect everything leaving us with not much time to explore the Sports Expo. So did I do right to collect on the first day? Last 3 times, I have always never collect on the first day but because of my friend warning, decided to do otherwise. I reckoned since it was at the Expo and not Suntec, there will be no lunch time crowd and the crowd will only come in the evening. So I was proven wrong there.  But reading the post in the forum, I am glad we went early - at least M got her size because they ran out of ladies S & M yesterday evening. I can't imagine how much she will freak out if she can't get the size she want just like what happened in Kota Kinabalu!

M's Borneo MarathonTrophy

M's trophy has finally arrived along with a free Air Asia ticket. The ticket is quite useless though. Must board from KL and only to Borneo. So unless she intend to fly from Sin to KL and from there to KK or Kuching, it is as good as junk. Some more doesn't include airport tax, baggage etc. Anybody want a free air ticket from KL to Borneo, good until next March?

Apart from these 2, she also won RM1500 which was tt to her bank account so all it I must said this has been a fruitful 1st marathon for her.

Will she be back next year? I doubt. This type of luck cannot prevail. She has already ride her luck twice - once at the Mizuno Mt Faber Run and now this. Both time, timing that are so miserable that we didn't even bother to find out the results after the race. Like for the Borneo Marathon, even though we were still at the stadium until quite late due to transportation problem and had looked at the results pinned on the wall, it never dawned on us that she had won. To get lucky a third time, she need to look for another obscure race where the number of women veteran runners are few and don't attract attention from the elite runners here and in the home country. I don't think there is a lot of these around though.

But having said that, I would like to go back though but not for the marathon, but to climb Mt Kinabalu, visit the reserve and see Survivor Island which we had no time to go the other time. And of course to eat the barbecue seafood at the waterfront!

The race report here

Borneo Marathon

After some searching finally managed to get a video of the start of the marathon on You Tube.

As there were only 170 runners in the full marathon, scanned through slowly and can see us.



Still can't find any photos yet:(

Borneo Marathon Race Day

The day of the marathon. Should I run or not? Actually I had more or less made up my mind to run - bad knee or ankle be dammed. There was never a question of not starting although that was in my mind the last 2 weeks leading to this day. At most, I reasoned, if I cannot do it, I will DNF.

Arranged with the race organizer for a shuttle bus pickup from our hotel to Likas Stadium. Cost RM35 per person for a return trip. We were to regret paying for this later.

Reached the stadium in good time and was surprised to see the organizer still setting up the start point. There was a lot of Safra runners around. Met IMD and Jennifry(?) at the start. Also saw Alber, Jeffrey(?). Seemed like there were more Singaporeans than the other nationalities. IMD told M not to run too fast ahead of me and leave me behind. How prophetic his words were to become later on.

The race started slightly after 4.30am. We had to run 200m round the stadium before going out onto the road. Stepped on a plastic cup and and then another. Wondering why there were so many cups on the road so early in the race. An angmoh runner told me these were the route divider! So creative. Using plastic cup filled with sand for road divider. Later on the plastic cups became plastic bags.

From the stadium, we ran north in the direction of Mt Kinabalu. It was still dark and there were no street lights along part of the route so for the first half hour or so, we ran in darkness.

M and myself ran at a slow 7min pace. I had decided to adopt the same strategy that I adopted at last year SCSM and run 7min pace throughout and hopefully complete the race in 1 piece - just under 5hours. That should suffice for M's first marathon and for a crippled me. At around the 3km mark, I estimated there were only around 20 or so runners behind us. Was wondering to myself whether both of us will finish last since the field of 250 runners or so all looked so 'pro'.

We ran north, passing the majestic City mosque, 1Borneo hypermall, the Sabah University, past a row of durian stalls (hmm the smell was heavenly); and all the while facing the magnificent Mt Kinabalu. How I wish I had my camera with me. We did a u-turn at the 12km mark. At this point, we were still on target with our pacing and were running very comfortably. It got bright very early in KK and by 6am, it was totally bright. The sun came out in full force around 7am and when we passed the stadium, we ran into the 10km runners streaming out of it. As there were only around 1000 runners, we had no problems with the crowd and continued our run smoothly.
At 25km, I started to slow down or did M started to run faster because she was pulling ahead. Soon, we reached the city passing the Observatory, the Waterfront where the whiff of fish was so strong, passed our hotel and continued southward towards the direction of the airport.

Around the 28km mark saw Yee Hua who was doing the half running strongly. Strange - didn't see IMD. Then saw him some distance behind. He complained of stomach pain and was walking. By now, M was a full 50 metres in front of me and I was tiring fast. At one of the water point, I asked the lady where the u-turn was and she very discouraging told me it was still very far. We turned right into the Sutera Harbour Resort and that was a long way in indeed. I was feeling very hot and tired and the road seem never ending. Half way in, saw M running on the other side. She still looked very strong and I hope she won't hit the wall. At the end of the Sutera Harbour route, I took my first walk break. Exiting that, I was disappointed to learn that we had to go further up and not turn back. There was another 3 km loop to run before turning back. Then I saw the small little marker ( they were using small triangular distance marker) placed on the route which said 10km to go. Got a packet of power gel here and continued to jog along. Again saw M on the other side of the road. By now I estimated she was at least 1.5km in front of me.

At 33km, the wall came. I couldn't summoned any more energy to run and was so drained. The ankle and knee had held up well so far but the 1 month layoff was coming to haunt me. I decided to walk for a while. The walk became a 1.5km walk as my body refused to run. Another problem was the left calf was tightening and I knew if I pushed on, I will get a massive attack of cramp so it was walk walk walk and run and walk walk walk. With this stragety, managed to stall off the cramp but I knew the 5hours target was shot. Past the hotel, wished I can go inside and just lie down but I got to finish what I started. Pressed on. The 3km to go marker didn't bring any relief. I was hot and tired and wishing it was 300m to go. In front of me was a lady who was limping and sighed - she was limping and walking faster than I was jogging. There was another guy running and carrying an umbrella! Smart move considering that it was like noon here in Singapore!

With 2km to go, I finally managed to catch up with the limping girl and told her to run together and finished it off. But then with 2 strides, the cramp that I had been trying to stall finally came. Damn! Decided not to stretch, applied some heat cream and walked. The limping girl had disappeared. Walked some more. Where is the damn stadium? Finally, a guy said just after the bend and so I started to trot and there it was - the stadium floodlight!

Turned into the stadium and still have to run half a round. But I must admit it feel good to finish in a stadium. Like the Olympic! There were people on the stand cheering and clapping and I managed to run and even overtake another runner in front of me although 2 runners behind overtook me in return. Nevermind, I had finished! It wasn't a good time but I did it. From an initial DNS to a maybe will DNF to completion. And without major damage to my ankle, knee and legs. Ha ha now I can enjoy the rest of my holiday and not have to walk around like a crab with something stuck between the arse!

M had finished earlier within 5 hours and was waiting for me. I am so proud of her. Her first marathon! More good news was to come for her later.Unfortunately, they had ran out of milo by the time I finished. There was no free drinks at the end of the race and runners had to buy the isotonic drinks. Strange. There was a booth selling the race photo but it was so packed so we decided to forget it and go back. Waited for our bus but it never came. Went to checked with the organiser and after hanging around for another 45minutes, we were told the bus was on the other side of the stadium and we were waiting at the wrong place.

Got very cheesed off and told Shan off. In the end, the very nice Shan asked one of her staff to send us back to our hotel. If you are reading this, Shan - my apologies if we sounded rude but we were tired and hot and rushing to check out.

Back home here now, just checked the official result and believe it or not - M came in first for the Women Veteran category! Whoo whee! Ha ha seem like got advantage running in unwanted races.  But actually quite paiseh with the type of timing. Only 7 participants in the Women Vet's category. But that's not her fault or problem right. Now there is supposed to be a cash prize of RM1500 and a trophy, so where is it? Are they going to give it to her?

Overall, the organisation was good especially for a first time marathon. There are of course room for improvement - like moving the race kit collection to a more centralised location, making sure the runners get their correct size shirts as indicated on the registration form, better road markers and dividers, traffic control (at one stage on the return leg we were running on the extreme right of the road with cars whizzing past us). Also, the puzzle of why they ran out of women singlet. Saw many guys walking around wearing the woman's cut singlet. So, they must have just distributed the women shirt freely on Friday and ran out by Saturday leaving only the men's shirt for distribution. All these could be better managed but it was nevertheless a good attempt for a first time marathon.

The rest of the visit to KK here

Borneo Marathon Pre Race

Decided to go to Likas Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon to collect the race kit. There didn't seem to be any public transport there at all and so we had to settle for a taxi. Goodness me, it cost RM18 from our hotel to reach there. Why have the race kit collection in such an ulu area?

There were hardly any people there so collection was a breeze. And than the shocker came for M. They had run out of female size singlet! We couldn't understand why but the puzzle was solved later during race day. M got very upset and so we went to look for Shan, the very nice lady coordinator and requested that she gave us the t-shirt on the mannequin instead. Unfortunately, nobody seem to know who was in charge of the mannequin or for that matter the t-shirt distribution so in the end M had no choice but to settle for the oversized man size singlet. The goodie bag was quite miserable. 1 small shopping bag sponsored by HSBC, 1 voucher for the pasta dinner, 1 discount voucher for some spa treatment, the race info, number tag and timing chip and of course the singlet.

Met Jenap aka Harmoni aka Catwoman at the collection. She was going back for the pasta dinner. We had decided to skip the free pasta dinner considering that there was nothing to do around the stadium area.

Waited for a while but no taxi came along until a couple came in a cab for the collection and we gratefully jumped in and adjourned to 1Borneo.

Kayoko Fukushi

A lot of people admired Kayoko Fukushi for picking herself up and continuing running with an injured leg and falling down several time. She looked like suffering from dehydration or is it 'hypoglycemia'. While like the rest I admired her too for her guts and determination, at her level - is she doing more damage to herself and setting a bad example to all the marathon wannabes?

Surely, when she know her chance of winning is blown, she should just quit and come back to compete another day just like Paula Radcliffe did at the Olympics rather than continue. She could suffer permanent injuries or worse still kill herself in the process!

Like a wise man once said - there is always another race!

SCSM 2007 Video

Finally got some time to do the video for the SCSM 2007.

This time got Brokie, Alvo, Cosmic, Ayin and me (for once) in it! But must got patience and watch slowly than can see the former 3 fly by.



The link for the Youtube version here

SCSM 2007

The moment I been waiting for since August 2006. Back for a third try I just wanted to prove to myself that I can do it without cramps never mind the timing. But actually who runs a race without a target time? So I came up with a safe 5 hours. The plan was to follow the 5 hours pacers and if not; run 1:10 for every 10 km and crossed fingers that I can finish in 5 hours.

Started the race in pen 5 (those finishing under 6 hours) running side by side with Ayin and Cobalt. Just after the 2 km mark, Cobalt moved off and the 2 of us continued our Sunday jog. Ayin longest run was the NB real run and his last run was Nov 7 after which he had been sick or on holiday so he was contended to jog with me. Took a pee break at the Marina South Ferry Terminal and covered the 1st 10 km in 1:15. Slightly off target but minus the 4 minutes of start lag, still within my desired pace. At the 20km, time was 2:21 so somehow along the way had managed to catch up a bit. Ayin finally decided to move off after the 25km and I continued slowly. 30km: 3:29 - perfect still on time and best of all, past my 2 psychological barriers - the u-turn and Bedok Jetty (where I choked in my last 2) without problem. Contemplated speeding up but in the end decided not to chance it. Saw Susan cheering for everybody at Marine Cove.

By now the sun was up high and I started taking 3 jelly beans every water point leaving my last pack of powergel for 37km. At 32km, saw Cookie who complained of cramps. Told me the 5 hours pacer was in front and I decided to catch up with them. Hopefully, if I follow their pace, chance are can complete by 5 hours. Caught up with them at around the 35km mark and decided they were too slow and move off ahead. Surprised to see Ayin just in front of me. He too was having cramps and pretty bad it seem.

Decided to run with him. Since we started together, we shall finish together. So from then on, we did a run/walk stopping to walk whenever his cramp came back. The longest stretch of walking was after the Crawford Road slope and we walked all the way until the 41km mark before he decided to chance it and we ran back together. His cramp kept threatening to come back and just after the Esplanade Tunnel with only 200 metres to go, he was screaming in agony but still gamely ran on. With the 5 hours drawing near, we dash the last 150 metres to stop the clock at 4:59(gun time). Chip time should be around 4:56 a personal best for me! Yipee!

So I achieved what I wanted. A race where I did not had to walk long stretch, no cramps; can walk around thereafter without looking like somebody had stuck a big bamboo rod up the ass:). Probably can finish faster even. I think this is it - the perfect race for me - so people believe me, I going to stop doing the full marathon henceforth. Oh, remind me of my pledge if anybody hear me signing up for any of the full next year:)

The Aftermath

So the official results are out.

I am very proud of the young ladies who trained so hard during the past 12 weeks. I remembered first knowing them when they were just fledgings 1 year ago doing their run at Running Lab and with the exception of Karen, the rest struggled to finish the 6km run especially Ruth who complained and grumbled all the way and had to endure my nagging.

Now 1 year later, except for Karen who did the 10k, the rest Ruth, Bambi, Michelle and Molly gamely took on my dare and signed up for the half. The target was for them to complete in 3 hours although I was hoping that they can finish in 2:45. In the end, each one of them came in under 2:40.

Special mention must be made of Ruth who is going to be a beautiful bride in 1 week one. She had the least training runs - what with the haze causing her asthma to surface and than later on, injuring her ankle. All these on top of grooming herself for her wedding. She did very well considering that of the 4 gals, she had the lowest mileage but yet managed to finish under 2:40. Another plucky lady is Michelle who also didn't have a lot of time to run having to take turn with her hubby to babysit the children so that both can run. In the end, she finished in good form in 2:36. Bambi also persisted despite pain in the leg and finished in a time of 2:40mins. And finally for the Mrs who once said she cannot run and don't know how to run and those sole reason she took up running was to make sure I don't run astray.. she did very finishing in 2:20 something she didn't even expect.

So to all you ladies, I hope you don't mind my being so proud of you. You are the greatest!

SCSM 2006

Today's the big day in Singapore running calendar.

To all my friends who ran today - well done especially to Ruth who despite her ankle injury managed to complete the half. Also to everybody else, you made me proud.

This is for you. This is your race.



For SGRunners - this one for you. See if you can spot any familiar faces.

AHM 2006

At last the day of the AHM. This is the race that I been waiting for - since it was my first race ever back in 2004 and I missed last year's due to the flu. Also, this will possibly be my swansong for this year as I doubt I will be able to do the SCSM so soon after the op.

However, it is a race that I'm really ill prepared for. Mileage has been extremely low for the past months and the past 2 weeks only did 1 5km (treadmill) and on Thursday a slow 6km or maybe less at the Running Lab run. Moreover, I don't know whether the knees will be able to take the pounding as it has swelled up again after subsiding for about a month. Also, there is some problem with the left ankle which I can't place.

After the screw up of last week NBRR, I was really apprehensive about today. Will I be caught in another traffic jam? Will I be able to find a parking lot? Yet it doesn't make sense for me to go too early. In the end, decided to reach there by 4.30 pm. Picked up Cosmic and M's uncle and boy was I relieved when I reached Raffles City with plenty of time to spare.

Met a few of the SGrunners at the fountain. At the start point, managed to squeeze myself to the 1st quarter. Saw Bug, Dream and DO. Babymon came later and urged her to move right to the front as she has a good chance of coming in tops. Also saw Spiderman and Jenab.

The race was flagged off sharp at 5.30am. Initially, ran with Mightyjoe and Terence (from the Running Lab run) but Terence soon move off and I also pushed ahead. The first 2 km was covered in 11:33 which was what about 5:45 pace. Up on the ECP, I saw Run3 flew by and than Cosmic. Caught up with Loneshark, formerly known as Nemo, Fennel and Doremon Red. The 4 of us played catch each other all the way to East Coast Park. The next 9 km was done at an average pace of 5:25. Somewhere, along Mounbatten Rd, IMD came running by. He had started behind and was making up for lost time.

At the 11km water point, took my packet of Hammergel. First time I am taking this for a 21k run but it was expiring soon and if I don't finish it, it was going to waste. Along Nicoll Highway, I was running alone - not too sure where Loanshark and the 2 ladies were - behind or in front. Along Middle Rd, I spotted Brokie in front. Decided to tail her but unfortunately for both of us, we got stopped at a traffic light. So we started chasing each other. I overtake her and she overtook me but like the Mizuno run, I got more motivation running behind her sexy little bum than running in front of her. Ha Ha! Got stopped at another traffic light. Not too sure whether it is good or bad. On the one hand, the stop allowed me to get my breathe back but also disrupt the rhythm. Decided to run smart - when I see the runners in front stopped at the run, I reduced my pace and so eventually when I reached the junction, they would have moved off and I didn't have to stop.

The right knees had started to give problem back at the halfway point but no choice already half way done - have to complete. Now the left ankle also started to give problem. This was made worse by my removing my orthodics insole this morning and choosing to run without it. Unfortunately, I forgot to put in the original Ascis insole and was just using a very thin Reebok insole. Everytime the foot hit the floor, it would go flip flop flip flop sending shockwave after shockwave up the body.

Maybe I was too tired and didn't notice but I didn't see any distance marker after the 16km. Along South Bridge Rd, I managed to catch up with Reno whom I had last saw at Shenton Way. Then Loanshark ran past (ha.. he was behind me) he seems to have much energy - he would charge at full speed and than slow down and repeat this throughout the entire run. If I do like him, I would have pengsan long ago. Dasher also came by. He complained of ankle pain but dashed off almost as fast. I guess we have less than 1 km to cover but I was tiring and decided not to give chase to all of them including Brokie who was still in front. This last 5km I covered in a poor time of 29:39 almost 6min pace. Eventually, crossed the finished line at 1:58:03 (based on my watch).

Not too great but also not too bad for an old man running with 2 bad legs. No PB but this was never a race for PB. It is a race against myself, my mind and my body. At least now I can go for my surgery on Tuesday satisfied that I have done my best and finished what I had set out to do.

Post Marathon

I very glad the whole family came down to support me. Alicia gave up her blading lesson and both she and Alvin waited in the hot sun for poor old me to turn up. As I had told them I will finish around 4hrs 30 mins, they had to wait for an extra hour.

Also, many thanks to the dear Mrs who overcame her fear of driving at dark and waking up at4 am to send me down and then coming back again to drive me home.

As a treat, we went to Carl Jr at Marina Sq where each one of us have this enomous burger and me, as a reward for myself - my first sip of a gassy soft drink (sprite) in almost a year!

To everybody at home - love you all.

SC Singapore Marathon 2005

Bad Bad Bad! Big flop this year. Instead of bettering last year time, this year came in worse and to think I was actually aiming for 4.30.

Met up with a few of the sgrunners at the fountain just before the start of race. Finally get to meet Sotong. Boy is he tall! When the race started, it was every man or lady for himself.

The strategy was to run slow initially and pick up the speed later on. Covered the first 2 km in 14.25 mins. Just before turning to Marina Village, the first of the international runners were already running back. They sure are fast! Covered the next 18 km in an average speed of about 6.30 mins per km. At this stage, I was confident of completing in the target time. Along the way, saw the Lonely Runner zoom past and then Ironman Dreamer caught up and also in an twinking of an eye, disappeared.

By the time reached Nicholl Highway, it was real hot. The blind Kenyan runner doing the 21km was already turning back. Felt the muscle in my left leg tightening up. Thought it was the patt strap blocking blood flow and removed it. At the 22 km mark, stop at the toilet to apply some tiger rub. The legs was starting to act up! Walk a bit and then stopped again - this time to take a packet of hammergel. Thereafter, couldn't find the willpower to run and slowed down to a jog. Just before the u-turn at ECP, slowed down completely to a walk Both calves were now very tight. Decided then to follow Lim Ngee Huat's advice on walk 5 minutes run 30 minutes. Strange - never felt like this before! Definitely not at this distance since I have covered longer distance without any problem.

After the u-turn - decided to resume running - and wham it happened again! Immediately, both legs cramped up! Got no choice but to sit down at the turn off to Bedok Jetty and apply more tiger rub and stretch massage the legs - but no dice, cramps started appearing all over even the hamstring. Shit! Spent half an hour there trying to get my legs back before giving up and deciding to walk. Took slightly over 10 mins to walk the next 1 km and continued walking until reached the sgrunners support table. Stop and chitchat for a while. Renohtaram gave me a hydralite (whatever that is) to drink. Poor him. He had to give up running today because of some insect bit. Showed me his leg. One big ugly patch!

After that decided was well enough to run but had not even ran 50 paces before the cramp on the right calves came back. No choice, more tiger rub - no more stretching as it seems to make it worse and walk again until the 32 km. Already slightly over 4 hours. Realised there was no way I can cover the balance 10km and better my last year timing with my condition. Decided not to push myself and just enjoyed the rest of the ran.

Surprisingly, the legs choosed to behave themselves and managed to start running. First at 9 min pace for the next km increasing by 1 minutes per kim until my Red Bull from Cho manning the waterpoint at the 34 km and doing a 6km pace by the 35 km. Must have ran too fast cos at the 38 km when I stopped for a drink, the legs seized up again. sigh! so close and yet so far!

Resume walking from 38 to 39 before running again. Seems okay but bladdy hell at 41km with just 1 more km to go, the left calves cramped again. No choice got to walk. At the tunnel entrance to the Padang - there was Broken Runner and some other sgrunners. Wah - she very sexy in her red outfit. Finally after the tunnel - cannot lose face at the end - force myself to run to the end.

Total time taken: app 5:39:11 (1 hour 9 minutes behind original target time) damn malu!

Not too sure whether it is a mental thing. Last year cramp also immediately after the EC u-turn. Maybe just can't beat through this psychological barrier?

5 December 2005:

Official Results:

Chip Time: 5h:37:44s
Gun Time: 5h:39:10s
Average: 7.5km per hour
8 min per km