Please do not let the title fool you – there is nothing routine about running a 1/2 marathon for me and after the debacle at the Singapore Triathlon, I had a lot to prove to myself. It was therefore important for me to do well in the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon (SBR&AHM).
I had run three 1/2 marathons in the past. The first, in 2006, I finished in 2h28. The second was not quite as good, with 2h35 but the last, at the end of 2007, was a significant improvement at 2h16.
Once again, I had choices to make. Not realising that the event was the evening before the run, I had signed up, with most of Papillon, for the Singapore Fireworks Celebration. We decided to have a pic-nic before the event, but the weather was questionable. It was raining most of the day. With the uncertainty as to whether the fireworks would even happen, and the fact that I did not want to get home late, I decided to leave early to go home. I am sure my friends will understand that I needed to do well on Sunday.
I went to sleep early (before 10) but also woke up early (I was wide awake at 2AM with butterflies having a party in my stomach and head). The alarm woke me up again at 4:45 and I got ready to leave.
I started to wonder why I do this! It is still dark outside and I have had a very short night. The only people up at this time of night are the ones finishing their party and eating before going home.
But than I approach the Padang and realise that there are many more people like me out there. Hundreds of people are converging towards the finish line – always good to know where the agony will end! By 6:00 I am at the starting point, concentrating, stretching, warming up, drinking water, sizing up the opposition (not really, I know that I am my opposition!) and in general getting ready for the race.
At 6:30, the start is given. It takes me about 45 seconds to reach the starting point, a lot less than most people who are still walking behind me. This is the largest running event in Singapore with 75000 participants in three separate races (21, 10 and 6km). The ‘elite’ runners, those doing the full distance, get to leave first – the 10k starts at 7:30 and the 6k starts at 8:30.
The SBR&AHM has one feature every year that makes it special. The run starts by crossing Shears Bridge. If you drive over Shears Bridge, you would not think about it as special – it is just a large highway bridge. But when you run over it, it is a totally different thing. The bridge starts after the 2 km mark, therefore for me after about 12 minutes of running (my pace is about 10 km/hr, or 6 minute per km). The road than goes up for the next 12-15 minutes, not a steep incline, but continuous and tough none the less. And of course, you need to come down afterwards, and when you are running, going down really is not much easier than going up.
At the 7 km mark, I am in East Coast Park, and I can see that the elite runners are already on their way out of the park on the other side of the barrier. It is somewhat tough to know that after 42 minutes of running, you are already 5-6 km behind the leaders. The path winds around the park and eventually we get to the turning point at 9.5 km. Now, I can see that the crowd behind me is a lot bigger than the crowd in front of me. When I get to the end of the park, they are still coming in and I can see that when I am at 13k, there are a lot of people just getting to 7k! And they must be thinking, just like me a few minutes earlier, “wow! all those people in front of me!”
The second feature of this SBR&AHM was coming up. The brand new park connector from East Coast Park to the Marina Barrage, and the first time that people get to cross the brand new Marina Barrage. Unfortunately, this is still a dirt path, and with the rain of yesterday, it is quite soft and tricky – not easy running. The barrage is at about the 16 km mark and therefore I only have 5 more to go for the finish. However, these are always the toughest.
I am still running in a crowd, constantly passing some, and being passed by others, always having to pay attention to those around me. It is amazing to me considering that we have been running for almost two hours, that there are people who have already finished and others at least 1 hour behind me. In Marina Park, we have to cross one road with traffic. Cars and trucks are desperately trying to cross, but there is a constant stream of runners, making this totally impossible. Fortunately, the police is keeping a close eye on everything and allow me to keep going without stopping.
Just out of the park, I see the best sign in the world: 20 km – only one to go. I share my feelings with the runner next to me, and he agrees that the news is good, and we will make it. I am tempted to accelerate, but my body refuses to respond.
Collier Quay, Fullerton Road, 500 m to go, Connaught Road, St. Andrews Road and the finish! The race clock shows 2h12 but my stopwatch, started when I actually crossed the starting point, shows 2h11m35s – my best time so far.
Once again, I wonder why I do this. I am exhausted, absolutely drenched in sweat; my legs are hurting and I am really thirsty. Than I realise that “I did it!” I did what I set out to, it was not easy but I still managed a better time than before.
There is always a crowd at the finish. I meet Jui Goy, who finished a few minutes before me – now I understand why he was not at the Fireworks last night. Return “ChampionChip” (the device that gives exact race timing along the course and at the finish, and therefore also prevents people from cheating), get my finisher’s medal and relax for a while with a well deserved bottle of water.
By 10AM, I am home, showered and refreshed. While a lot of people are just starting their day, I am already done with mine – there is no way I will be doing anything else today!
The results are out and I am 465th out of 1645 “men veterans” – still cannot bet used to that term for me. By the way, Veterans are all people above 40! A good result.
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