Running Lance

MR25 Progressive Run Series 2012 - Series #1 (10km)

2012-03-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

MacRitchie 25 Progressive Run Series comprises of 4progressive races: 10km, 15km, 20km and finally a 10km race. Each race is twomonths apart, held and starts at the Amenities Centre at MacRitchie Reservoirat 7am.

Individuals can sign up for the runs for SGD 40 for the 4run series while MR25 members get to run it for free. There is a team eventwith 6 in a team costing SGD 200 each team. Team members are eligible forindividual prizes as well.

They have an interesting scoring system. Runners are rankedeach race and you score the points according to your ranking. The runner withthe lowest total number of points scored out from 3 of the 4 races will bedeclared the winner. Team score in each race is a sum of their top 4 team member’sfinisher positions and the team with the lowest score of 3 race positions win.Top 3 Men and Ladies Open, Vets and Teams of the run series will win trophies.

Runners who complete the series will be given a Finisher SeriesT-shirt.

Before the race starts

As the registration period starts from 6am to 645am, Iarrive early to collect my bib which will be used for the whole series and didthe normal preparation needed for the run. As my body was still feeling fromthe Singapore Biathlon the previous day, I decided to stretch more to preventany injury.

An estimated 120 participants gathered by 7am and by 715amthe race flagged off. The 15 minutes delay was most likely catered for the latecomers. A safety brief was given before flagging off and since it was a wetmorning, the rocky path turned slippery. Runners were supposed to take care of eachother during the run as there was no safety personal along the route.

One lap of MacRitchie Reservoir

I don’t really like rocky runs despite loving the challengeand this run really took all my energy away. The route was mostly trail androcky except the last 2km. There was only one water point at the 4km point butthey were serving pocari sweat which was really needed. It was relatively easy to navigate as there were arrow markers along the path too.

I was running hopefully not to be last and I was worriedbecause the quality of the run was really high. I saw elite runners like Sumikoand most of the runners were lean and fit which really, really worried me. Iconquered the run in 53 minutes 15 seconds, ranking 73/115 overall eventually.

There was Pocari Sweat hydration at the finishing point andrunners gathered to take photos while cooling down and awaiting for the luckydraw to commerce. Runners staying back after the run were entered into thelucky draw, giving them a chance to win 6 prizes. The prizes includes socks,running tees and 2 separate sets of return air tickets from Perth to take partin the Perth City to Surf Marathon Sponsored by Perth City to Surf Marathon.

Full Speed Ahead!

There was photographer taking pictures of us and the resultsof the run were up on the site the very next day. For this reasonable sign upfee, the quality of the run is good and very well worth the money. I am very satisified with this run to be honest.

Singapore Biathlon 2012

2012-03-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Singapore Biathlon 2012 is my first race with two disciplines for this brand new year. A 1.5km swim followed by a 10km run at East Coast Park. Though I wanted to better my results from previous year, I didn't feel like I train hard enough.

Unlike other races, the race pack and goodie pack was to be collected on race day. This was usually avoided in other races because it gets very messy without sufficient helpers. The organiser did an excellent job here by engaging plenty of helpers and directing the participants to the right queue according to priorities. To prevent congestion and for safety reason, there were 7 waves allocated with the first wave flagging off at 7.15am.

Event layout (Click on picture to enlarge)

The ladies kick start the event and I speculate the reason was so they can keep their skin fair from the scorching sun which was really very thoughtful of the organiser should this be true. They have interesting categories like ‘Dads For Life Father & Child Relay’ and ‘Sprint Challenge’ which promotes family bonding and increasing the competitiveness of the race.

Different swim caps were given to different flag offs and we did our body marking with our allocated numbers, strap on the race chip on our left ankle and eventually move to the transition counter to place our running equipment at the allocated box up area.

As my flag off timing starts at 8.15am, I went for a warm up swim at designated warm up area and did slight hydration before going into the pen. The emcee was excellent in hyping the participants up and we were off in no time.

The usual kicking, pulling, jumping by everyone was expected and I tried to go all the way to the right side of ocean where the current was coming from but I guess I didn’t go far enough as I was swept pretty close to the human wave very quickly. It was almost impossible for me to swim for the first 200 metres but I made it. The swim seems endless and eventually I ended the swim in 47:47 minutes. A staggering seven minutes slower than previous year!

At the transition area, I changed into my running singlet, shorts, socks and shoes (yes in this order!), put on some Vaseline to prevent abrasion and finally rinse my mouth off saltwater and took a sip before moving out for my run. It didn’t felt long but I actually took 2 minutes plus which definitely can be significantly drop if I get a new tri suit, and a slip on a lace up shoe.

Running Route. There was a slight shortage of distance marker though.

I stretched my legs wide during the start of the run and tried to maintain my strides as I recalled how much I suffered during my first biathlon. I got used to the breathing and felt strong after the first click and I think I did fine during my run. Hydrations along the route were positioned ideally and definitely deserve praise. I recalled some babes providing sprays for muscle relives along the way but couldn’t stop to take a longer look. :) I was happy that I could maintain a strong finish completed the run in 50 minutes, shaving off 13 minutes from last year.

Overall, I managed to shave a total of 3 minutes from 2011 but I thought I could have done better should my swim be better. Looks like there are more trainings to work on for 2013.

There were plenty of booths show casing their products and holding promotions at the finishing point, providing entertainment for both the participants and supporters. Stage performances were good too and hydrations were plentiful at the finishing point too. And there was banana too!!!

You can spot many useful stuff just from this picture

Certified Amphibian!!!

Very Medcho!

I collected my goodie bag before making my way to collect my stuff at the transition counter. The goodies for this race were good and at least practical and usable. The medal looks great and the results were out the following day, proving the efficiency of the organisation for the event.

For first timer who is interested to take part in your first biathlon, you will need to attend a swim trial and complete an open sea swim within 50 minutes to qualify. This swim trial is valid for 2 years and you are exempted if you have completed a Biathlon or Triathlon with a 1.5km swim distance in the last 2 years.


Caught in action but it didn't seem like I was running...

Rank    : 513/1220
Bib       : 8016
Swim    : 00:47:47
Transit : 00:02:20
Run      : 00:50:09
Total    : 01:40:15

MacRitchie Runners 25 - 5km Time Trial (Feb Edition)

2012-02-06T03:38:00.000-08:00

I went for the 5km Time Trial organized by MacRitchie Runners 25 (MR25) after my running buddy recommended it to me. I thought it sounds quite of fun and its Free so of course I went for it.

Apparently this time trial is for both members and non members. Non members will have the option of joining the MR25 club if they complete the 5km route in less than 25 minutes (Ladies have an option to run the 4.6km course) Application must be done within 3 months of achieving the qualifying time though. Members, on the other hand can guage their progress throughout the year with a group of running enthusiasts.

The MR25 5km Time Trial is held on the first Sunday of even months (Feb, Apr, June, Aug, Oct) and the 2nd Sunday of the month in Dec (I believe it's due to clash with the annual Standard Chartered Marathon). It's held at 5pm sharp and registration starts at 4.30pm at the ZigZag bridge at MacRitchie Reservoir.

I seldom do my runs at Macritchie and this is actually a very interesting run for me since I like exploring different run routes and events at different parts of Singapore and hopefully the world with different running enthusiasts or groups. The chosen route was hilly and rather challenging for me but I love the challenge posed and thankfully, I marginally met the target of the 25 minute. All the runners in this time trial was amazingly fast and there was a little over a hundred participants who pushed each other to the finishing point. I like how everyone took this seriously and yet having great fun in the midst of doing it.

The Route

They actually categorize the runners into a hierarchy of 9 different animal type as shown below. I find this very interesting. I am the Tortise since I completed in 23'58". Now I want to be either a Deer or GreyHound and hopefully a Cheetah one day!

Cheetah (<17’00″)
Gazelle (17’00″ – 17’59″)
Ostrich (18’00″ – 18’59″)
Hare (19’00″ – 19’59″)
Horse (20’00″ – 20’59″)
GreyHound (21’00″ – 21’59″)
Deer (22’00″ – 22’59″)
Tortise (23’00″ – 23’59″)
Snail (24’00″ – 24’59″)

Non members who have completed the 5km route in less than 25 minutes can apply to be a member within the first three months for a fee of SGD 40 which is inclusive of a SGD 20 entrance fee. Students under 18 need only to pay SGD 10 which is inclusive of a SGD 5 entrance fee. Membership fees are due on January every year. There is a life membership for a fee after 5 years of continuous membership.

MR25 holds 4 Progressive Runs Series throughout the year on top of their bimonthly 5km time trial. You can look up for more information on their website here or like their facebook page here to get updates or post race responses.

The point you love and hate

Thanks Mr. Abdul Aziz Agil for the photo

Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon 2011

2011-12-06T23:44:00.001-08:00

Standard Chartered Marathon (Singapore) is the first running event I took part in when I started running. What really draws me back to this event year after year was the unfinished business I have with it every year. There is always a new aim for it every year and we don't really have many marathons in Singapore till recently.

I enjoyed the yearly run (this is my consecutive 7th year) until recent years where the standards of the runs deteriorated. It seems like a virus spreading which I highly suspect was due to the organizer appointed.

I do not deny the fact that new and innovative stuffs were constantly introduced yearly but the fundamental standard should remain status quo or be improved. This was not the case this year round which saddens me.

The new race pack collection point was shifted to Marina Bay Sands. It was still a long walk there from the recently launched Promenade Mrt Station. The queue at the expo takes roughly 45mins to an hour which was expected considering 65k runners will be collecting their race pack in 3 days.

I expected something better...

Running singlet was redesigned - for the worse. It's so ugly I do not think I will wear it out. Stuffs in the race pack were not at all impressive too, considering there was an increase in race price.

Before the race

Transportation to event sites deserves a praise this year. The event organizer, Singapore Sports Council and SMRT Corporation Ltd strikes a partnership to provide overnight train service starting from 01.00am for runners and supporters heading to their respective event sites.

Event routes for different distances remain similar to past year. Full marathoners starts at Orchard Road and will complete the run at Padang, together with the Half-marathoners who starts from Sentosa and the 10km runners who starts at Esplanade.

I will leave the complain of the Half marathoners alone as they complained about the inefficient baggage system, leaving runners to carry their baggage to run. There was a 'human traffic jam' along the route, slowing down to the point of a standstill, destroying the momentum of many.

Now for my comments for my 2011 full marathon experience.

I am impressed by the different pacer's enthusiasm and enthusiasm is most contagious. Any encouragement along the path are most welcome and those provided by the pacers are most appreciated.

I am not impressed with the lack of distance markers though. In past races, there was one every kilometer which acts as a motivation for runners and also a good tool for people pacing themselves. This is a marathon and all these aids runner plenty.

Another big grumble from me was the distance of each water point. It was very inconsistent and I cannot remember any race I was so dying to see the water point that much. 100 plus was very concentrated as usual but that could just be my personal opinion. This was never a problem in the past but I do not understand why this have become a problem now.

Bananas and power gels were given but unlike previous years, there were plenty left. Either they prepared more than enough for everyone (Which is a good job) or runners were already too dehydrate or demotivated to need the energy food.

The 'Heartbreak Bridge' or rather the Sheares Bridge were where 21km and 42km runners gathered to get back to the end point. Runners need to do their shuffling run to avoid walkers while managing the elevated route. I couldn't be bothered with the bottleneck at this area since I had lost the will to complete running after losing my pace from start. I went too fast initially and couldn't figure out how fast I was going without sufficient markers. Midway, I was struggling with hydration and my willpower die off by this moment. The rest was just about my walk and it was a disappointment to not hit my target completion time.

Every step is a step to completion.

The disappointing walk.

I hope there will be substantial improvement next year and I really hope I will not be withdrawing this race from my plan in future.

Tiong Bahru Challenge 2011

2011-11-27T03:19:00.000-08:00

Tiong Bahru Challenge 2011 is a race of its own kind. Comprising of a 8km run with a 30-storey climb, it challenges both the fast and slow twitch muscles of the 800 plus enthusiastic runners who gathered to attempt this unique race combination or loyal runners attracted back for a greater challenge.

This is what you get! Nice Bib!

Collection was brisk at Tiong Bahru Plaza and for 15 dollars, the lack of a timing device was not unjustifiable yet it still kind of disappoint me. What disappoint me further was the lack of a finisher medal for this unique race could be kept as a memory in a form of a medal for conquering it. Well, they did compensate it with a finisher certificate.

One of the better route maps you see these days

Back for their third year, an additional 3km of running route into the newly upgraded Tanglin Park Connector along Alexandra Canal heighten the difficulty. The crossing of the four overhead bridges along the route did not make it any easy for the runners but the killer segment will still no doubt be the 30 storeys up block 4B after the 8km road run.

The run ends and the climb is gonna start!

The many volunteers stationed along the route were very encouraging and they really made the run more enjoyable. Water points was very sufficient and evenly distributed along the route. But there was no distance marker to help me in pacing. Distance marker is usually very important to me as they are motivational boards to help me complete runs.

Blk 4B - The 30-storey block

Only the timing of the winners were recorded and the only scene you get to witness upon reaching

Now to the killer segment - the 30 storeys. I totally underestimated the stairs climbing. This is the first time I took part in any climbing event and the 8km run took away quite a bit of my strength. I could still run up the first 10 flights of stairs initially but the gasping for air and mental weakening starts at the 10th floor and I could basically just walk my way up to the top floor. I was actually glad I did not end up knocking on any random door to rest my leg on their sofa.

I was waiting behind for my chance to shoot down the cups!

I basically took the lift down upon reaching the top and gave myself a 100 plus and banana treat. After sufficient resting and breath catching, I collected my finisher certificate and my free towel before trying out the four mini game counters set up beside the stage. Upon completing any station entitles one to win a mini fan (Batteries not included).

Unlike many other races, many participants stayed for the prize presentation and the lucky draw which was a highlight in my opinion as there were 30 prizes to be won.

Ask me if I will be joining this event again, I would most likely be back and hopefully there will be a medal at the end the next time.

Sylvia finished strong for the event! Well done!

United Runners conquered another race!

This race is proudly brought to you by the following sponsors and organizers

Newton Run 2011

2011-10-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to this 30km run as a build up to my Standard Chartered Marathon in roughly a month time from the run BUT unfortunately I had to be fall sick a week prior to the race. The fever and diarrhea refuses to give in and the risk of training without dirtying my shorts is relatively low. No way I am risking it.

Stuffs you get for this experience (Watch not included in this picture)

Nice Number - 1122!

Medal - Front View

Medal - Back Picture

Paying SGD 68 for this race was slightly on the steeper side even with a MIO Heart Rate Monitor watch. In order to keep the momentum for the ultimate goal at year end, I signed this up as a gauge run. Exploring more into the goodie bag, useful stuff that could be found were a Newton Dri-fit Running Tee, a Pocari Sweat 1L Casual Squeeze Water Bottle, a sample Banana boat Sunscreen (SPF UVB 30), a bottle of Pocari Sweat, one bar of Soyjoy and catalogs and more vouchers (Sorry but they totally don't appeal me). Finishing the race entitles me to a finisher medal that is in the shape of a shoe which is so gigantic, it's kind of a designer fail for me. The finisher towel soaked in ice water was actually the prefect gift after the whole race.

Backtracking to 7am of race day, we had planned to reach the East Coast Park 30 minutes in advance but a jam towards the carpark just didn't help. The jam shouldn't be there if not for all the taxis that was sharing the same lane. The carparks near the starting point was mostly full and the nearest one Vivian could park was at the carpark near Maconald, which was 1.5km away from the starting point.

There were a couple of puzzling questions that bothered me though. Yes, I am a troublesome runner.

Why was the 30km runner's start time at 7am knowing that the noon sun would be scorching hot.
Why did the 18km and 30km runners start concurrently creating a huge number of runners on the running trail. (Deprives the elite runners of space as well.)
Why use such big Pocari plastic cups when they were only meant to be 1/4 filled. Hydration was good but shouldn't we be thinking environmental friendly as well.
Paying such premium price for a good experience, shouldn't better timing system be used? I have seen many runners missing checkpoints when they actually crossed it. (I am one of the victims) and when runners walked past the checkpoint a second time, it picked up the signal again. This messes up the ranking system as well, defeating its purpose. And what was the marshaller sitting at the checkpoint for?
Guntime is used to determine the winners but since there are two waves, shouldn't a Net time ranking be given as well since that is what most runners would like to witness.
There were other runners and bikers on the road but I think that can't be helped since we are sharing the public running road.
The medal? Fashion disaster.
The booth at the carnival could be more entertaining but its just a bonus to have.

Now for the better part of the race.

Spacious trail route with a nature.
Hydration points were very sufficient and properly spaced.
There was energy booster station (Gels and bananas.)
Marshaller were placed at crucial turning points, although some of them could be more enthusiastic.
The finisher towel was a good idea as a gift and a cold, wet one is fantastic.
Some supporters and photographers were great motivators along the road.
Signage were clear.

Overall, I didn't have a great experience although many others will think otherwise. I just felt the money paid is not justifiable for the standard provided but this is only One Man's Opinion.

Photos credit to Alexandra Lee

Photo credit to Mileage Runner

Photo credit to Ng Chee Beng

Last 50 metres. From my frantic waving dear!

On stage. One need not be a winner to feel like one.

The Runner's Dance!

Thanks to Vivian's ride to recent race event!

My Number 1 fan!

Upclose and personal with Kilian Jornet (Mountain King) @ Solomon Workshop

2011-10-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

I was 'face-surfing' and chanced upon the above poster which catches my eyes. 'First Salomon Branded Store in Singapore ...' and I clicked to check out more. What attracted me in the web brochure was the chance to come face to face with Mr. Kilian Jornet, Ultra Trail Runner and it didn't take me too long to send an email in for the event registration.

It was the official Grand Opening of the first Salomon Branded Store in Singapore and the new store is located at the heart of the sports shopping mall - Velocity@Novena Square. The Salomon workshop was conducted in the atrium, just beside the store in on 25th October 2011 (Tuesday) from 2pm to 4pm.

It started with some exclusive media session with Kilian Jornet before the workshop for the public began. The public workshop began with an introduction speech and Salomon's brand history and philosophy by Mr. Gregory Vollet, Global Outdoor Sports & Community Marketing Manager, Salomon. There were videos, slides and presentation showcasing Salomon's products and the developments throughout the years on each of their products ranging from shoes to clothing to accessories.

What amazes me during the talk was the time taken for each product development and I had always thought it was at max one year. Salomon's product development involves plenty of focus group and consumer interactions with their research and of course tested by some of their best athletics, rejecting an average of 140 prototypes. Little wonders why each product took Salomon two and a half years to be satisfied with before bringing fore to the consumers. And imagine how much they throw into development to register patents of 50 products each year.

The next inline was a presentation on Suunto's online portal (www.movescount.com) in syn with their sports precision instruments presented by Ms. Angelene Chong, Suunto Product Manager with first with a video presentation, followed by an interview with Mr. Kilian Jornet who uses their equipment as well.

When posed the question what his short and long term goals was.

The highlights for the noon was none other than the interview with Mr. Kilian Jornet who touched down in Singapore right after emerging champion with timing of 2hr 37mins 39secs at Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon. With a friendly and cheerful personality, Kilian answer avid runners stuffs we want to know with questions like his goals, what to and not to eat before a race, the average speed he keeps in a race or how he tackles different terrains and such were raised though many runners were more interested in his training program and method.

Kilian have two goals currently and it's the Five Races Five Continents and Killian’s Quest. The Five Races Five Continents project sees Kilian compete in the most challenging trail races in the different continents and with the recent win at the Mount Kinabalu International Climbatlon, he scores a 5/5. Yes! He won in all five of the challenges. Kilian’s Quest is an ongoing project where Kilian travel around the world to a series of trail-running endeavors and seek out trail runners who share his passion.

The Five Races Five Continents consist of trail races in Australia (The North Face 100), North America (Western States 100), Europe (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc), Africa (Table Mountain Challenge), and Asia (Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon).

For readers who still have the slightless idea of who Mr. Kilian Jornet is, here's a brief introduction of him.

Winner - Ultra Trail Mont Blanc 2008, 2009, 2011
Record - Up/Down Mt. Kilimanjaro (S:5hr23 - 7hr14)
Winner - Individual World Cup 2009, 2010, 2011

Kílian Jornet Burgada (born October 27, 1987) is a Spanish ski mountaineer, long-distance runner, mountain biker and duathlete (mountain running and mountain biking). He is a three time champion of the Skyrunner World Series from 2007–09 and the winner of the 2011 Western States Endurance Run.

For more information, you can google or click Here to read up more on him.

And that is how thin a trail runner looks like!

A poster with Kilian's autograph!!!

The session ended with photo taking and autograph session with Kilian Jornet and some refreshment provided by the Solomon team.

Kilian Jornet with Solomon Athletics

And the Solomon Staffs were not left out

With the increasing interest in running in Singapore, its no doubt that trail runners will also be on the rise. Salomon's decision in bringing their focus into Singapore at this stage might be a very good one.

HTNS Real Run 2011

2011-10-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

HTNS Real Run 2011 takes its success into its 5th year and the only little surprise they have this year was to increase the distance of the 15km route into a half marathon route. The route still covers the four discipline - Sand, Trail, Taxiway and Road but at a further distance for each. A total of more than 10,000 runners was there for both the 10km and 21km distance and many categories for the open, veterans and corporate.

Real Run have always been pretty well managed and it made my SGD 44 bucks felt well spent. Being my second year participation, there was obviously a base expectation and the organizer did not disappoint me but neither did they amaze me much.

Almost the normal stuff you get each year

Running bib and champion chip collection was done two weeks beforehand at Novena Square and it was their common practice to make goodie bag collection be on the race day itself - right after the run. I felt that this practice actually encourages race day participation and minimize the no-show possibility on race day since many lazy bums will actually feel the journey to the furthest east being a hassle after collecting the goodie bag on expo day.

Besides an exclusive New Balance event tee, New Balance Bag, good discount for new balance discount voucher (30% + 10% if you are Citibank card holder), Eaglebalm, the running bib, championchip and a running experience, you get loads of promotion leaflets which is not very useful to me.

However goodies aside, the organizer planned well for the race even before the race starts. Shuttle buses were catered to pick runners island-wide at 13 different MRT stations at different timing depending on how far the distance it is to the race venue. Drivers can park their vehicles at the 2,000 free parking lots at Changi Exhibition Centre before 6.00am. Volunteers were there to guide drivers to park their cars and everything was done in the smoothest manner. Another lane was catered for runners to drop off as well so as to not contribute to any jams.

I did a bit of stretching but am totally not recovered from The North Face Run the previous day. The 10km runners starts at 7am while the 21km runners goes straight into the pit to warm up. The emcee was doing a good job in hyping up the crowd with waves and jokes. The race started on time and everyone dash through the gantry ready to do a good run.

The first 2km was on trail run and it was actually no longer that difficult for me after enduring the gruesome treatment the day before. I was going at 5min/km pace and it seems fine. I was hoping I could still get a decent timing despite the run the day before but I was wrong. After the 4km mark, I notice the drop in my speed and could only manage a 5.30min/km and by the 9km, I was going 6min/km. By the 10km mark, I gave up and felt that my tank was empty. I walked along the taxiway road and within 1km or so, the sun was out and I felt the sun was burning my fuels up literary. The next 7km was torture for me as I tried to cheat/convince/lie/negotiate with the inner in to run/jog/brisk walk to the next km within 7 to 8 mins every km. It was bad enough to do all the convincing until I saw the sand terrain and how tiny the people were at the other end of the beach. I will call that the killer path and the moment I notice how far the distance was, it takes no convincing and never was I so quick in deciding that I will walk through the whole 1.5km journey before going back to jogging mode. I finished the last 2.5km by following the front runners and keeping in mind that I wanted to be back in 2 hours and 20 mins. I made the timing fortunately but was actually quite pissed for taking a back to back run while not totally prepared for it. But its an experience gained and I will work harder to achieve the next goal.

Back at the finishing line, the first thing I aim for were the 100plus. The weather was killing and I had to dash into the hall to enjoy the air condition and at the same time collect my goodie bag and medal. I enjoyed having such a huge hall to rest after the run, with toilets to do some changing despite needing to queue for it. Like most races, they have booths for photo taking and many sponsors booth with free samples. Besides the award ceremony, there was lucky draw and performance. So it was more of a fusion of run and carnival.

Winner of the 21km Men's Open goes to Onesmus Muindi from Kenya. He crossed the finishing line in fashion with a timing of 1hr 08min 09sec.

Anne Date or Qi Hui from Singapore did us proud as she beat Kenyan Ann Njihia to be crown champion for the 21km Women's Open with a timing of 1hr 21min and 51sec. Njihia clocked 1hr 24min and 37sec and Australian Sue Corser was third in 1hr 32min 21sec.

The results was released the next day which was in fact done in a very fast manner. I enjoyed the race truly despite not having a good timing but it's one of the better organized run I have attended so far this year.

Two thumbs up.

Shortly after 2km point on the flat road

A very demoralized walking soul on the beach

United Runners group shot

Everyone is a REAL runner!

The North Face 100 2011 - Singapore Edition

2011-10-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

The North Face 100 (TNF100) Singapore 2011 edition, in it's fourth year in Singapore, is no doubt the toughest and most challenging race in Singapore, AND I am not joking.

Held on October 18, over 1500 trail runners armed with their hydration kits and energy boosting food attempted the trail routes. Trail routes are no joke and are easily underestimated. You need to try it out yourself before you actually comprehend how tough it actually was. Obviously I underestimated it and suffered due to zilch trail run trainings nor had enough hill works to tackle the slopes efficiently.

Allow me to start off by providing some brief details (in table form) for TNF100's different categories.

Click to enlarge the table

To emphasis on the course difficulty, only 60 of the best athletes based on the times of previous runs will be selected to race in the 100km challenge. This was probably meant to maintain image of the race's toughness while at the same time assess the participant's capability and safety. 100km Solo runners starts at 1am in the wee morning while 100km Duo and 50km Duo starts 8am and 10am respectively.

A last minute change in the flag off timing for the 100km duo (7am to 8am) initiated a massive debate on The North Face Singapore facebook page due to the short notice which apparently only occurred a week plus before the race day. The change upset the flights and plans of many oversea runners.

Further outroar took place when the news that no isotonic drink will be provided at the various checkpoint was made known. The organizer eventually promised 100 plus at two separate checkpoints and this action appease the runners. The reason provided for a later flagoff was however not acceptable. Affected runners had little choice though but to make necessary arrangement so as to make it for their flights.

The goodies given were decent and useful.

Stuff provided by the sponsors for this race was pretty decent. At least most of the stuff were good to eat, nice to hold or great to read. The sponsors they found were pretty good but I just can't figure out why there was no isotonic drink sponsor for such a big event. It was really puzzling. Milo is a good drink but definitely not a good race drink.

25km Route

50km Route

The routes were made known a week before the race day and for those that went up all the way to Mandai area, I really salute them since they had to do the 265 hill - a well known killer ground for TNF runners, and double salute to those that need to do the whole cycle twice!

Some runners checked the weather forecast provided on NEA website and reminded everyone to water proof their equipments but Mr Rain did not appear. It was scorching hot on event day but everyone braved through the obstacle as all the runners aim to Break All Boundaries.

Vivian gave a life so we arrived early to find a nice parking lot and at the same time wanted to get hype up by the event. We entered the pit early after getting our hydration kit weighted and everyone started pouring in after a while. The race started pretty sliently, without much hype of any sort. I was expecting an emcee but apparently none was around. The race happened... just happened... and we just ran. Rather disappointing.

The hills were actually providing me enough problems as I attempted the 25km route. Uphill was draining on the muscle and downhill was no way better. I couldn't go any fast because of the uneven grounds. I don't want to create a humanball down the slope. That's a great experience for me who have done no trail runs before.

Taken before the race start, you see plenty of monkeys along the trails. I was way too shag during the run to dig through my hydration bag for the camera.

There were many monkeys and even snakes along the trail which actually freaks me a little but they did not stop me from moving forward (even faster)..

Three refreshment point were provided for the 25km Route at 7.1km, 14.7km and 18km mark. Isotonic drinks and milo were given out at both the 7.1km and 18km point. GU gels & chomps, banana and water refills were provided at the 14.7km mark. I managed to boost my tank with little of each but there were complains from my buddy and other runners that water ran out at the 14.7km point and everyone was scooping whatever they could get hold of like ice, milo or even the water from the toilet 200 meters down.

The lack of water at WP2 was, in my opinion, a problem created by both the organizer and the runners themselves. Wastage could be observed by runners and should have been anticipated by the organizer and should have prepared more water at that checkpoint knowing that many people will be crossing that point. Littering was another big No-No as well but it's another habit that runners needs to rid off by having some trail etiquette

Signage was another major grumble in this race. I'm used to running on flat ground and the distance marker provided at every km was a great pacer and motivator for me. I came to realise after this race that it was never a practice for trail runs. Another lesson learnt. What was however not very acceptable was the lack of directional guide nor marshaller at junctions. I heard of sabotages done on the signboards, removed by who I do not know but that should never deter them to place marshals at critical points.

These acts created major problems for people as they missed check points and did not have their timing recorded, went extra miles thus wasting precious minutes and those extra fatigue clocked resulted in a bad timing and in some cases caused them to not finish the race.

What was a surprising act by the organizer was actually the giving of cold, wet towel which was like a gift from heaven under this scorching sun. It was very well appreciated by the runners. Other than the organizer's gift, cheering supporters who captured the runner's moment with their DSLR also distributed life-saving drinks and ice packets! These kind gestures is what makes trail race heartwarming and a good race experience.

Trail runners are bonded somehow as everyone helps everyone in a way or another. We motivate one another to move forward, gives way to overtaking runners, guides one another forward (either the right way or the wrong one), helps each other when you fell and someone to notice that you are not feeling well. I'm impressed at the bond this community creates and am not saying road runners doesn't do that but it just wasn't as obvious.

Another group of people worth praising were the volunteers who helped gave out food and drinks. They did every little thing they could to help make this event successful. Kudos to them.

There were disagreement on wherever finisher medals should be given to runners who did not complete within the cut off timing as runner. One side debated on the integrity of the race to stick to their cutoff timing and respect the toughness of the race while another side defended stating they did finished the race while suffering a penalty for being lost in the trail. It's difficult to deem who is right but medals were given to the finishers.

Refreshment at the end of the race exceeded my expectation as they had subway sandwiches & cookies, fruits like strawberries, grapes and bananas, jellies and hard boiled eggs. Cold Milo were served and plain water ran out pretty quickly. Despite experiences from runners in previous years, I was still impressed at the quality and quantity served.

The free massages was well received but many runners actually preferred to sit, stretch their sore muscles and chat about the gruesome treatment handled out by the hills.

Results took three days to be published which wasn't unbearable for me but the results shown wasn't at all accurate. Furthermore, results given was purely gun timed which in my opinion was not useful at all. These deeply handicapped the runners who left the gantry late due to the huge participation rate. Furthermore, there were numerous cases of runners passing Checkpoint without records resulting in their disqualification. It's frustrating for runners to get an unjustifiable result after paying that exorbitant entry fee to enjoy a great race. These not only burden the affected runners but other runners since this messes up the ranking system and runners will not know where they were placed exactly. There were speculation that the number tag provided was of poor quality which I hope is not the case.

I got a ranking of 98 with a timing of 3 hours 21 mins and 31 secs but I know for sure that was the guntime and am happy I finished within the cutoff timing being my first attempt but at the same time was disappointed that my first experience that didn't give me a real gauge of where I stood in this race.

The organizer was responsive in my opinion as compared to the many different races seen but the many screw ups were unforgivable, especially when timing and poor signages leading to wrong route ran were of concern.

If questioned on ever taking part in this challenge again, i would probably give a Yes, provided a better organization takes over the planning.

And finally congrats to Yang Jiagen, 26, a Chinese student from Beijing who clocked a timing of 10 hrs 02 min 55 sec. He won TNF100 China Solo category with a timing of 08 hrs 01 min. The heat and humidity level in Singapore must have got to him but he did well.

1001 and 1002 - The Newbie Team sets their foot on Trail Running

United Runners and Gang all ready to conquer!

Weighting of hydration kit

Caught Running!!! First km before moving into the trail

The different terrains encountered

Best part of the race! Refreshments after a job well done!

And we were still able to stand after the race! Kudos to us! Team rank 90!

PS: Some pictures shown were not taken by me. If you are the picture's owner and would like for the pictures to be removed or acknowledge, please drop me an email @ yg1983@yahoo.com

Nike We Run SG 10k

2011-10-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Nike We Run SG 10k was declared a success on 09/10/11 as the yearly running event drew a turn up rate of 10700. The much anticipated Nike's fourth 10km run in Singapore had all 12,000 slots grabbed in no more than 2 days.

Featuring a different theme every year since the first Human Race in 2008, runners wants to be part of this fun race (which you normally would not associate it with running, at least that's what I think) where the running community pushes runners to a healthier lifestyle. Ensuring a unique theme, every year (not the distance), ranging from the running route to the finisher ornament and the additional mini surprises, challenges and contests they merge into the race each year, this years team is, 'We Run City'.

This year's theme of 'We Run City 10km' race connects runners from different cities to be part of this unique running experience. A total of 150,000 runners from 15 different cities including Seoul in South Korea, Monterrey in Mexico and Santiago in Chile will partake in this race.

Nike running tee, race bag, water bottle, event timing D-Tag and race day guide.

There were many categories for this 10km event. SDG 30 for runners under 25 years old as of 09.10.11 (Both Men and Women) and SGD 40 for runners above 25 years old (Both Men and Women) and SGD 50 for runners signing up as a duo (Both Men and Women).

There was the School Challenge too where the most number of registered runners completing the Nike We Run Singapore 10K race will win.

School Challenge Cat. A (Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, Polytechnics + ITE)
School Challenge Cat. B (Universities)

Runners were entitled to an exclusive Nike Running Tee to be worn during event, a Nike Race Pack's bag (of very good quality), a Nike water bottle, event timing D-Tag and the event guide. Early Nike+ members can collect special wrist tags at a different queue during race expo which entitles them to proceed right to the front of the start line on race day, priority baggage collection, VIP Lounge access and free breakfast buffet giving them the VIP treatment experiences.


My Tag Number! 9680!!

We drove on race day and had to park at the carpark towards the indoor stadium since there was no parking slots near the event site. It wasn't really a hassle if not for the inconvenience of getting to the event site. With the venue fixated at Old Kallang airport this year, a detour of approximately 800 meters was needed to arrive at the starting point since there wasn't any direct path. There were many blur souls in the wee morning figuring how to reach starting point with some having intentions of climbing fences and bashing through fields. The thunderstorm previous night created plenty of mud patches to hinder the path further.


While walking into the pen... to join the crowd...

We did a little bit of stretching and warm up before joining in the queue and was only allowed to get close to the starting line at 0710hrs. The race which was supposed to flag off at 0715hrs did not happen until 0725 and I highly suspect the person to flag off was late for the event. Needless to say, the second wave obviously was flagged off even later.

The Running Route along Nicole Highway

The route was pretty fine except for a couple of slopes around. Hydration was plenty though I only stopped at the 6.5km's for a sip and I thought there wasn't really a need for many marshals to guide the runners since the route was pretty direct. We ran along Nicoll Highway and made a turn when we see Suntec City and made another turn after we see our former National Stadium which by this time we would have seen any running buddy twice at least. We get to run past Kampong Glam and Sri Manmatha Karuneshvara Temple before ending the race back at Old Kallang Airport.

There was a couple of DJs along the route and very minimal supporters which was kind of disappointing for a 10K run. As the route was pretty repetitive, it seems that placing performances or cheerleaders along the stretch would have most certainly enhanced the atmosphere.The only excitement was the DJ spinning in the tunnel around the 7-8km mark where the music was blasted so loud one can only speed up to get closer.

Look at the long, red centipede... And the second wave have not even merge in.

I was pretty glad I was able to start at the front since I arrived early enough to secure a spot and was glad I'm spared the zig-zag cutting of walkers. Staying at the front also means having a chance to follow the more seasoned runners to maintain a comfortable pace that is good enough for me to pursue or at least not fall too short of my desired timing. I can't imagine how one can run in a sea of red at the back where you have to slow down before you can even pick off. A few more waves should have created a difference.

47 mins and 37 secs, my personal best and although I fell short of my target 45 minutes, I'm glad I shed off 8 minutes from my last 10km attempt. This timing is like 14 minutes slower than Jason Lawrence's which seriously makes my timing look bad but I can only worry about my whole race.

They even have an estimate time of return!!

Nike WE RUN SG 10K XACT Social Media Messaging Service application was provided as well and it uploads your race time onto your profile real time once you've crossed the finish line!

Nike Lunarglide +3 Replica USB Keychain

After collecting my 100plus, mineral water, banana and finisher ornament - a Nike Lunarglide +3 Replica USB Keychain, I went off to the massage corner to see Cherng enjoying his free massage after his hard run. The key chain is certainly unique, stylish and useful but most runners would actually love for a finisher medal which gives them a sense of achievement.

I heard that the ornament wasn't catered enough for the participants and those who did not receive it after crossing the finishing line were given both a SGD 20 voucher as a form of compensation for the inconvenience caused and a letter which promises runners that the item will be mailed to registered address. This created some form of unhappiness among the faster runner who will only be having the thumbdrive.

Sylvia still looks ready for another 10km after her run

Sylvia had a great run too and she beat her previous timing by a minute despite the lack of training. Although I do not encourage the lack of training part but good job for completing with a better timing. :)

53a

Jack & Rai

Two Faced (Grace Sunami, 20 and Linda How, 21)

After race events were great, if I haven't mention it. You can get your pictures (Polaroids) snapped at the 100 plus and snap booth, 100plus drinks served by 100plus girls and free ice-creams!! (wow~!) - prefect stuff after a run. Oh and I'm not forgetting the great music and performances onstage too.

Concert after the event were hyped up by the likes of pop and rock band - 53a, acoustic duo - Jack & Rai, first ever female DJ duo - Two Faced, avid music turn fan - DJ Chrisp, co-owner of Singapore's premier underground club - DJR and renowned visual artists, graffiti artists and illustrators such as Onetwodelta, Sheryo, Zero and TR853-I were there to display their work for the event as well.

And she said yes!!

I would like to congrats the couple that will be getting married and wish them a thousand years of happiness in their marriage. I heard from Sylvia that they will be getting marry that very right but she could be wrong but still congrats!!!

Event aside, Nike Singapore donated USD $10,000 to the Children’s Aid Society and is also in further discussions with the organization to help develop a sports programme that will inspire and motivate the children and teens under the organization’s care.

Challenges, Contests and Promotions

(Run Buddy Run Nike+ Challenge Winners)
Movenpick - Francis and Connie

Launching a month before the race day, Run Buddy Run Nike+ Challenge is an online challenge where buddies can motivate each other from 5 Sept - 5 Oct, for a chance to win free entry and a VIP race day experience at the WE RUN SG 10k.

I finished 52nd, clocking 116.45km and my buddy clocked 20.98km, totaling 137.43km but we were way short from the top team Movenpick who clocked 1078 km in that 4 weeks.

Grand Prize for winning Run Buddy team includes:

2 nights stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel inc. breakfast, for two.
Limo pick up to and from hotel to race
Free entry for both run buddies to the WE RUN SG 10k race
VIP priority entry to the race start pen
Access to Nike+ Lounge with complimentary breakfast
Access to priority queue at Baggage Check and Massage Counters for free massages!
$200 Nike vouchers


Buddies Poster we sent to motivate each other

Buddies can create motivational posters where top 3 voted Run Buddy Run posters will be printed onto Tees on race day and the most voted line will be printed up on banners on race day.

Like other races, We Run SG 10K registered participants have special promotion of 20% off Nike running products with minimum spending of SD 120 and not including Nike+ and Sale items when you present your confirmation slip from 23 Sept - 9 Oct 2011. And to add on, they provide Training Run programmes (FOC) to aid new runners to do well during the run.

What the winners and Nike Singapore Marketing Manager says...

Apparently both the winners were recovering from sickness but still completed the race with amazing form.

Jason Lawrence, overall champion of Nike We Run SG 10K 2011 returned with a time of 34 mins 4 secs said:

“I enjoyed the route, and even though it wasn’t my best timing, I am really happy with my performance. It’s a fantastic race as it brings the running community together, and I am really proud to be part of more than 10,000 people in Singapore who share one common passion – running.”

Anne Date, women’s category winner champion finished the Nike We Run SG 10K 2011 in a time of 37 minutes 4 seconds.

“I am very pleased with my timing, and this is great especially since I am not a specialist in this distance and have spent most of the week resting. The route was well-designed, allowing me to experience the race atmosphere and connect with the other runners at the same time,” recounted Date, “The Nike WE RUN SG 10K also plays an important role in my preparation for the Southeast-Asia Games, allowing me to assess my physical readiness.”

Vijaya Kumar Jayaraj, Marketing Manager, Nike Singapore commented that:

“The Nike We Run SG 10K 2011 concluded with a bang. It was evident that this race brought runners together, connecting them as they motivated and inspired each other to achieve their running potential. We certainly hope that runners will keep this in mind, and know that together, we can attain our goals better and stronger,”

Pandan Reservoir Run 2011

2011-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Pandan Reservoir Run is a low profile race organized by Ayer Rajah Community Centre. There wasn't any website or publicity done for this run as it was actually meant to be a annual bonding session for the residents within the neighbourhood, where I only realized during the run.

I wouldn't have known anything about this run if not for the friendly note Vivian posted on United Runner's facebook page. What actually draw me to the event was the low cost involved in signing up for the race. A mere SGD 5 entitles one to own a singlet and a finisher medal. On top of that, a morning run round Pandan Reservoir totaling 6.2km should be very well worth the money.

Signing up wasn't the easiest task as one needs to fill up and sign on the form and have it submitted at the community centre, which wasn't located at the most convenient place. Vivian graciously offered to scan and sent to us the participation form so we could have it sign and sent back.

Due to the low cost involved, I was actually expecting plenty of screw ups and I was proven right. The first incident happened to me during the race pack collection date. Opening the collection on a Tuesday and Thursday night was a first for me and the community centre opened an hour late, at 8pm when the registration form stated collection to occur from 7pm - 9pm.

My 1st Cloth Number Bib!

The second shock came when I saw the number bib which was actually just a cloth with number printed on it. And realised there was no championchip to record our timing as well. I was slightly disappointed but know that was bound to happen since the run was charging so cheap.

On actual race day, kind Vivian offered to drive me over and I could not have imagine what time I will reach should I be going there in the morning. It was a petty crowd, with no more than 100 people and the run flag off at 7.25am after some stretching exercise and a morning cheer by Member of Parliament for Ayer Rajah, Foo Mee Har. We ran in a clockwise direction, around a reservoir of water, on a ground with plenty of small rocks and pebbles. Running on rocky terrain is a whole new experience and I can picture the torturous look on any runner with vibram FiveFingers , where luckily there was none.

Back from the run

I clocked a timing of 30 minutes and 17 seconds, which is 17 seconds shy from my target but well enough to be placed third male runner, fourth overall. The champion clocked 27 minutes while first lady finished in 29 minutes. It was my first trophy ever and even if it was for a small race, it was a bonus to have.

4 United Runners got trophies

But all United Runners are champions!

The residents, committee members and runners of Pandan Reservior Run 2011

Actually the surprise doesn't stop here since on top of the medal and singlet, there was actually still stuffs like shoe bag, water bottle, notepad, bag chain, mini light, biscuits, banana and water. Well worth the 5 bucks, definitely. If you ask me if I will take part next year, why not?

Worth the 5 dollars? (Banana, Biscuits and Water consumed..)

Latest Update:

16 Oct - The Trophy is finally here!!! :)

Men's Health - Go Green! Hort Park Run

2011-09-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

Men's Health Runners conquered Bukit Brown Cemetery on 9th July 2011 morning and East Coast Park on 6th August 2011 and organized their third run at Hort Park. I was tempted to turn up for their first run but the thought of running in a cemetery gives me the creep (even in broad daylight!) and I had stuff to handle on the second run firms up my decision to give it a miss.

I did not give the Hort Park route a miss since I haven't been there to run before and not even the morning rain could deter me from appearing for their third run. We gathered on 17 September 2011 (Saturday), a chilling evening at Hort Park Visitor Services Center and runners were encouraged to appear in green to complement the nature. There were seven passes to the Swissotel The Stamford -Vertical Marathon 2011 to be won but not a very appealing prize for me since I cannot imagine how jelly my legs will feel after 73 storeys.


Men's Health conducting the stretching and warm up with the runners.

All Set To Go!!!

I was actually pretty glad that I could drag Sylvia out for a run and it came as a bonus when Waycherng and Tanny could come along as well. 20 runners showed up, mostly in green and the organizer, Leonard and his team conducted some stretching before leading us for the run.

Elevated Walkway

Henderson Waves

The View of Elevated Walkway from the top

The 6km route we were supposed to conquer that afternoon stretches from Alexandra Arch, Elevated Walkway, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Henderson Waves, and Mount Faber Park and eventually same route back. There were plenty of up-slopes during the run, which was actually good training for the pass winners who will be taking part in the Swissotel The Stamford -Vertical Marathon 2011.

The first three to reach the top of Mount Faber Park

Finally! We made it to the top!

And everyone made it! Cheers to a great turnout and fun run!

Leonard and his team made several pit-stops for us to catch up to and made the strenuous run an easy one to complete. It was actually a very scenic route to run although the see-through flooring at the Elevated Walkway proves to be challenging for those with height phobia. The views from Henderson Waves were breathtaking as well. Up at Mount Faber Park, we were actually given option if we were to conquer and though majority of the runners were hesitant, we went up anyway.

Cherng won himself an entry to Swissotel The Stamford -Vertical Marathon 2011!!!

The chosen ones to conquer the 73 storeys

We ended our run at Hort Park, Visitor Services Centre where we did our cooling down and lucky draw for the Swissotel The Stamford -Vertical Marathon 2011. There were water coolers around and toilets for changing as well. I would recommend runners to give this route a try if you haven't been here before and I thank Men's Health for a job well done in organizing such a great and fun run with all the fit runners around. It was truly enjoyable and I look forward to the next run. :)

Click Here to see the rest of the pictures taken during the run by Men's Health Team.

While if you want more information on the route, Click Here.

Canon 9th Photomarathon 2011 (Singapore)

2011-09-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

Canon Photo Marathon Singapore held their 9th yearly event at Suntec City Hall 401 on 10^th September 2011. Though it was Canon's 9th event, it's actually my first attempt and I'm very impressed by this growing community. This yearly event started off their first event with 200+ photo enthusiasts and have since attracted 2078 photo enthusiasts in 2011.

Why was this event called a 'Photomarathon'?

Simply because Canon Photo Marathon Singapore lasted a total of 13 hours! (0700hrs to 2000hrs)

Registration started from 0700hrs. Three different themes were randomly picked from 8 themes. Each different theme were announced at 0900hrs, 1200hrs and 1500hrs respectively and participants have three hours to prepare for each theme submission. The last entry for the last theme must be submitted by 1800hrs. Results were released at 1930hrs and the event ends officially at 1800hrs.

For SGD 10, you get an event tee, entry pass, magazine and some vouchers.

There were plenty more to expect at the event site as well. All participant gets one free A4 size Canon PIXMA printing, free mineral water or you might prefer Red Bull, free massaging on OSIM massage chair, free lens cleaning services and models to ogle.

Obviously they were showcasing canon products, QnA sessions with great prices to give away and sharing session by last year's winner at Turkey Photo Clinic 2010 as well as all participant's work displayed on screen (So there were like SIX thousand over photographs on display)

Anyway, rules were pretty simple. Personally submitted pictures (In Jpeg and proximity 5 MB) taken with any digital cameras on event day without alternation by any editing software before the announced allocated deadline will be permitted.

All photographs were judged based on the following criteria:

Relevance to theme
Creativity in theme interpretation
Use of colours and light / shadows
Composition of photograph

The three themes this year were

Theme 1 - Eat
Theme 2 - Circle
Theme 3 - Imagine

It's pretty interesting how the first theme was Eat and how most of us haven't had our breakfast. And I totally like the Imagine theme since it's so vague and totally squeeze creatively juice out of every participants.

I think I wrote too much and since this is a shooting event, I should just allow the photographs to tell the story. These are my entries for the event.

Theme 1 - Eat

Theme 2 - Circle

Theme 3 - Imagine

Equipped with only a digital camera and no special lens or stand or any other fancy accessories you can easily spot at the event, I had a very fun-tastic experience, mostly due to great companions and the overdose of creative and sharp photos that was shared by participants. You really need to be at the event to witness the participant's creativity translated onto photographs.

They have look-alike lens poster for picture taking.

And this BIG size camera appears great on photo too!!!

Even if we were unable to be winners, we imagine we are!

You can view all winner's entries below:

http://www.canon-asia.com/photomarathon/sg/index.html

I simply cannot ignore the attractive prizes for this event.

Best of Show

For both Open and Student Categories

8-Day Photo Clinic to Tasmania, Australia worth SGD 8,000
Adobe® Creative Suite® 5.5 Master Collection worth USD 3,159
Datacolor Spyder3Elite worth SGD 345
Lexar products worth SGD 766

Open Category

Theme Prizes (For each theme)

First:

EOS 7D Kit (EFS 15-85 Kit) worth SGD 3,699
Manfrotto 293 Aluminium Tripod with 3-Way QR Head worth SGD 240
Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW worth SGD 224
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 374

Second:

EOS 60D Kit (EFS 18-135 Kit) worth SGD 2,049
Manfrotto 394 Photo-Movie Kit QR worth SGD 157
Lowepro CompuDay Photo 250 worth SGD 208
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 325

Third:

EOS 600D Kit (EFS 18-135 Kit) worth SGD 1,749
Manfrotto Compact Photo-Movie Kit worth SGD 120
Lowepro Fastpack 100 worth SGD 178
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 264

Student Category

Theme Prizes (For each theme)

First:

EOS 60D Kit (EFS 18-55 Kit) worth SGD 1,699
Manfrotto 394 Photo-Movie Kit QR worth SGD 157
Lowepro CompuDay Photo 250 worth SGD 208
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 374

Second:

EOS 600D Kit (EFS 18-55 Kit) worth SGD 1,399
Manfrotto Compact Photo-Movie Kit worth SGD 120
Lowepro Fastpack 100 worth SGD 178
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 325

Third:

EOS 1100 Kit (EFS 18-55 Kit) worth SGD 899
Manfrotto Pocket Support Large worth SGD 52
Lowepro Passport Sling worth SGD 105
PIXMA MG6170 worth SGD 399
Lexar products worth SGD 264

School's Challenge

PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II worth SGD 899

Singapore Bay Run & Half Marathon 2011

2011-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

This is probably the first running event I participated in ever since I started running. It all started with a 5km (not voluntarily) and a little encouragement from my running buddy in the following year's marathon to get one addicted to running and so this is where it all started...

Organized by Safra on 4th September 2011, Singapore Bay Run & Half Marathon 2011 entered it's 20th year. Over the years, participation has grown from 15,000 when it first started in 1992 to over 70,000 participants this year. (A Lil' History here - The SAFRA Sheares Bridge Run started in 1992 with 14,000 participants and The Army Half Marathon started in 1994. The two events were later merged in 1998.)

To celebrate SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 20th Anniversary, the running routes will take participants past 20 iconic landmarks but for the first time the race will not cover the Benjamin Sheares Bridge.


The Running Route (Click to enlarge)

Safra members paid SGD 45 (exclusive of 7% GST) for 21km marathon and as a form of loyalty program, I paid SGD 28 for this event which really was a bargain in exchange for the following items displayed below. A while stocks last limited edition 2XU running vest (Red Singlet) are redeemable for active army NSmen (currently serving Army ICT) by presenting your SAF 11B at the counter when collecting your race pack.

Event Race Pack!

Following an eventful kite flying day at NTUC Income Kite Festival the previous day, I had minimum sleep and was actually worried if I could finish my run. The run actually turn out well as I followed a pace my body was comfortable with. I did push myself to preserve and finish the run towards the end and eventually got myself a personal best of 1 hour 44 mins. It may not be a very fast timing to many but I actually proud of my timing as I finished strong towards the end - Something I was not capable of in the past.

The route was great this year except for some dark moments @ Gardens By the Bay which was actually dangerous and many safe runners slowed down to avoid any accident. This disrupt runners who were going for timing.

Dads for Life 800m Father and Child Challenge is the new category is introduced this year. Aimed at fostering bonding, father and child teams will run alongside for a short 800m route which is a good event in my opinion.

Running caught in action by one of the runners.

Managed to cross the line and finished strong!

Managed to grab a picture with dear before her 10km run.

After dear got back from her run.

Results Tabulated from Runpix

Adidas King Of The Road 2011 (Singapore)

2011-09-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

Held across 5 countries in South East Asia, the 16.8km race continued its second destination in Singapore on 28 August 2011 at Padang. It was first introduced in Thailand in May and moves on to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. The race ends it's Southeast Asia Championship in the Philippines, in a bid to crown the adidas South East Asia 'King of the Road 2011'.

I pondered at first why was this race a 16.8km and finally got the answer from their website. Take the distance of two marathons (84km) and spread it across 5 countries!

The different great looking colored event running top!

Apparently a different event theme will be introduced every year and in 2011, 'colours' will be the theme. This was represented through a variety of different coloured adidas event tops provided in our race pack.

Stuffs in the race pack. I threw the vouchers away.

For SGD 50, you get an event top, adidas Roll-on Anti-Perspirant, your event bib, a tote bag, some vouchers and a running experience. I find it rather expensive actually for the distance they are offering and stuff in their goodie bag though.

The Scenic Running Route

The running route was pretty good to run with and only choke point was at the 2km route towards Marina Bay Sands as the turning point was too narrow to accommodate that many runners doing the turn. Other than that, the route was full of hydration stations and at certain points, runners get to meet their slower/faster runners.

Having many hydration stations is definitely a great idea but this led to tempt me into overdrinking. Downing 2 cups at the 8km area water point created and immediate reaction. I felt nausea as trapped gas in my stomach forced their way up, leading to a bad race.

My Timing!

So I didn't hit my targeted timing but it was still an enjoyable run. Met up with members of the United Runners and took nice picture with my Dearie. Met my friends at the event too. They could have more events or booth at the event though since this is such a hyped up event. Hopefully they do a better job next year.


Ready to go! I think I was in the 3rd wave.

Dear managed to capture me at the finishing line!

Taking our photos at the Adidas Finishing Booth.

United Runners!!!

Lester was at the event too. A pity Raymond left earlier.

GU Nutrition Testing Session

2011-07-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

The above eDM provides you with every information you will need about the event but if it's too small, you can click and enlarge it or allow me to furnish you with more information.

Running Lab supported by GU, will be organizing two separate sessions of GU Nutrition Testing Session.

Running Lab Funan DigitaLife Mall #02-31
Date: 14 July 2011, Thursday
Time: 6.30pm

Running Lab Velocity @ Novena Square #01-47
Date: 02 Aug 2011, Tuesday
Time 6.30pm

Runners will get to try out GU Chomps and Brew before a 5km run around the city. You can always go further since the scenic night route will just keep your legs going. Follow your own pacing and be back at the meeting point after 40-50 minutes. Don't worry as they have a last man to guide you through the whole session and trust me he was a very patient man following our pace throughout the session. We were very appreciative for this nice gensture. GU Chomps and Brew are prepared for consumption after the run as well.

Following the run, there's a mini lucky draw to win some sponsored items and I was lucky to be one of the winner. GU goodie bag will be provided as well as a kind gesture from the organisers.

Personally, I felt sharing session of such engaging and runners like me are more receptive to it since there are no hard sells. We are actually more willing to try out the products. I was actually there for the running session to encourage my lady to run. She like ever-changing running routes and I think she enjoyed this running experience. We might be back for the next running session.

Don't be disappointed if you have missed out the initial session. You can participate in the next session at Running Lab Velocity @ Novena Square #01-47 on 2nd Aug 2011 (Tuesday), 6.30pm. You can do a quick chance into your running gear in their fitting room and a storage corner for your personal belongings will be provided. The run will start roughly at 6.45pm to 7pm.

Do join in the next session if you're interested since no cost is involved in this event.

A group shot before moving off for a run!

Stretching ourselves up.

Caught in the running act.

Lucky winner for a cap.

A happy group of runners after the run.

Nike+ MASH DASH Challenge (20 Jun - 31 Jul)

2011-07-13T01:46:00.000-07:00

Running is made more fun by joining the Nike+ MASH DASH Challenge. This challenge mash me up with a random run buddy to run as a team, the more we run as a team, the more we win!

I paired up with Han, an avid runner currently situated overseas and man is he a runner. We missed the first two weeks of the challenge but through our hardworking catch up, we won the third week challenge. We clocked enough mileage to bring ourselves up to top 19 and finally won ourselves free entries into the We Run SG 10k, 2011 race!

Now running is made damn fun although the website interface seriously need help. I expected more ease considering this is an integration between the two giants in my opinion, Nike and Apple Apps. But still the integration between facebook and twitter made running too engaging.

This challenge goes on for 6 weeks and the prizes for each week are as follows.

Week 1 (20 Jun - 26 Jun)
- First 8 users to join the MASHDASH challenge each win SGD 50 worth of Nike Cash Vouchers.

Week 2 (27 Jun - 03 Jul)
- Top 3 leading teams at the end of Week 2 win SGD 100 worth of Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

Week 3 (04 Jul - 10 Jul)
- Top 25 leading teams at the end of Week 3 receive free entry into the We Run SG 10k, 2011 race!

Week 4 (11 Jul - 17 Jul)
- Top 3 most improved teams at the end of Week 4 (compared with Week 3's recorded total distance) win SGD 100 worth of Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

Week 5 (18 Jul - 24 Jul)
- Top 25 leading teams at the end of Week 5 receive free entry into the We Run SG 10k, 2011 race!

Week 6 (25 Jul - 31 Jul)
- Top team on the Leaderboard at the end of Week 6 win an all expenses paid trip* to the Nike Women's Marathon 2011, San Francisco!

On top of that, Nike+ Mash Dash Challenge double the fun by including the Trash Talk Mashup of the week. Every week is different.

Week 1-2 (20 Jun - 03 Jul)
Opposites Attract - How similar are you and your run buddy?
- The top 2 teams with the most creative answers will win SGD 50.00 Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

Week 3 (04 Jul - 10 Jul)
Music Mash Up - What music Mash Up gets you running the hardest and why?
- The top 2 teams with the most creative responses wins SGD 50.00 Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

Week 4 (11 Jul - 17 Jul)
Gastro Mash Up - Send a photo of your worst food mashup telling us what you've mashed up and why to Mashdash@nike.com.sg (limited to 3 images per team)
- The top 2 teams with the most creative responses will win SGD 50.00 Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

Week 5-6 (18 Jul - 31 Jul)
Mashdash Vid - Submit a video clip of you both showing us why you're the most unique Mash Dash team. Send the video to Mashdash@nike.com.sg stating your team name. Videos should be no more than 5 mb/3mins long.
- The top 3 teams will receive SGD 100.00 worth of Nike Cash Vouchers per person.

How to join the challenge, you may ask...

1) Sign up to NIKE+ (for those without a NIKE+ account)

2) Join the Challenge on NIKE+

3) Register on the Challenge Facebook App

4) Upload your runs to NIKE+ so they can track your run data

Great Eastern’s Women’s 10k Run

2011-07-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

So my missus actually took part in a 10km run and I am impressed that she completed faster than expected despite minimum training. I hope she is inspired to take up more runs and live a healthier lifestyle. :)

Congrats to the two ladies for a job well done. And officially you girls are runners.

The following column express her thoughts and experiences for the run.

Why I Joined
I heard about this run from a friend who raved about their goodie bag items (let’s just say this year was quite a let-down in this area – will elaborate more later). The thought of joining it didn’t even cross my mind. If I knew I was going to run in it, I would definitely have registered during the early bird period which was S$11.00 cheaper than the eventual S$45.00 that I paid 2 days before registration ended.

I’m barely even a beginner runner, let alone a 10k runner. In fact, I only ran 2.4km once (several weeks before the run) in preparation for it =D I usually only join runs after heavy coercion persuasion from Lance, and I rarely train for them. The only reason I joined this one was because my sister Sandra in a fit of random inspiration suddenly announced to our entire living room that she wanted to join a marathon. (Note: Sandra is even less of a beginner runner than I am.) I suggested the upcoming Great Eastern one (because of good feedback about goodie bag / event tee) and after a couple of days of thinking we decided to sign up together. I thought we could run together – she thought she would leave me far behind.

Goodie Bag
I was quite disappointed in the goodie bag. The bag itself wasn’t even that nice – it was rather auntie-ish in my opinion. The only good thing about it was that it was waterproof and rather large. What was inside was even worse – a buffet of discount vouchers from the usual suspects (i.e: New Balance, XX Spa, etc) and a whole load of Great Eastern brochures and pamphlets. The only 2 things that were noteworthy were: The little shrunken tablet of face towel that was cleverly designed to look like a large pill, and the Poise Sanitary Pad sample.

One good thing did come out of the goodie bag collection which was held at Kallang Leisure Park (even the venue was so far!). The Great Eastern booth was giving out free 1 litre bottles if you filled up a short survey for them. The bottles were the highlight of the day – pink screw on cap (dual openings, the small mouth piece one and the larger main one), grey wrist loop strap, classic yet girly design and best of all does not shout Great Eastern with one look.

The Run
The 10km race route is as follows:

As you can see, it goes past all the major city highlights like the MBS, Merlion, Helix Bridge, Flyer, etc.

It was actually a rather scenic route, many inspiring and interesting buildings and objects to look at when you’re huffing and puffing your way past the route markers. It was also a very people-centric area, lots of tourists and locals who have nothing better to do at 7.30am on a Sunday morning than to stand around the Merlion and stare/point/take pictures/block your way.

Anyway, on the whole I thought the race was very well organized:

Sign-ups were limited, judging from the number of people ranked, I think there was probably less than 5k people there. So the running route wasn’t that crowded. That said, I did do a fair bit of weaving in and out of the crowd.
There were clearly visible route markers every KM that we ran.
There were sufficient volunteers directing traffic flow to ensure smooth transitions at dubious junctions or corners.
Most of the roads that we ran on were large – very few choke points.
There was sufficient waterpoints and 100plus points and they were evenly spaced out.
The carnival at the end of the run was on the whole quite good, with quite a few activities available (balloon sculptors, foot massages, 2 photo booths, baking demo from Brandt, free Nature Valley energy bars, etc. But I must say I’ve been to better ones.)

However as with every well-organized event, there will always be 1 or 2 negative highlights (or 6-7 in this case):

There were quite a few twisty ramps which were very narrow (probably could only fit 3-5 people across the width). These were terrible choke points! I spent 2-3 minutes just walking/navigating through it!
Not enough volunteers at the waterpoints! The 1st 2 were not that bad, I got my drink quickly and ran off. The rest of them were terrible – crowds of runners just standing around waiting for someone to pour something into cups that sometimes weren’t even there yet. I later read on the Facebook page that there was even 1 station that had only 2 people manning them! How can you serve thousands of runners drinks with only 2 people?
The volunteer supporters – There were quite a few volunteers lining the route. Sad to say, only 1 or 2 of them were actually supporters; as in they supported us by shouting encouraging phrases and giving us high-fives. In fact I only encountered 2 such enthusiastic supporters that for the first 5km I was wondering what all the other volunteers standing around were for. They didn’t seem to be doing anything useful – it was a straight road, no need to direct traffic, I was rather puzzled. If you volunteer to be a supporter then please be encouraging! It really keeps us going! If you’re shy then why did you volunteer?
Another item of great debate and controversy was the finisher medal. It was a rectangular-ish golden pendant with a golden chain. Definitely would have preferred a proper finisher’s medal. I could have bought a similar pendant and chain at any jewelry shop. Seems very insubstantial given the grueling 10km that I ran.
The hydration station at the carnival – there wasn’t any! I would’ve thought that they would have had a booth of 100plus or H20 or Pocari Sweat or even just plain cold WATER flowing freely for thirsty runners and supporters who have completed the race. The only thing I received to quench my thirst was a can of 100plus given to me and a bottle of plain water when I ran past the finishing line. I searched high and low for a waterpoint in the carnival but could not find one. Lance told me to go back to where they were giving it out and just take from the stacks sitting there. I was hesitant as there was a clear barricade around that area and it looked like those were reserved for runners who had yet to come in. However I saw many runners clearly doing just that. I was dying for a second gulp of ice cold drink and ducked under the hazard tape barricade, behind the back of an aunty. An official immediately came over and started scolding the aunty. He said that this was not the right way to do things. But honestly, which other way is there? I grabbed a can of 100 plus and steered clear of their argument.
The photo booths were managed terribly. I think we must have queued for over an hour for the Poise one and we just gave up after we went for the other shorter queue for which we only had to wait 20-30 minutes for (it was the printing that was delaying the entire process, there was actually no queue at all to take a picture). The picture was printed on a glossy credit-card sized paper and fit easily into my wallet.
They sent out a FB message/emailer to say that all runners will receive a wellness hamper within the next 2 weeks. Well, I’m still waiting for mine!!!

My Thoughts
Well that about sums up my experience. This was my first 10k run that I ran alone (I lost my sister during the 3-4km mark) and I’m quite pleased that I did it in 1hr 28mins. My sister did it in 1hr 37mins and came in 500 people after me. This is also the best 10k run that I ran. The 1st 2 runs that I had done previously, I ran with Lance and I took about 10 minutes longer both times.

The feeling of running alone in the midst of thousands is a feeling unlike any other. It becomes a race against yourself – to test your determination and willpower to put one foot down after another. It really gave me a feel-good feeling after I ran past the finish line. It’s also given me an appetite for joining other 10k runs. I may even train for them!

The ladies ready to rock the 10km route. First 10km for Sandra.

The 2 Entertaining Emcee that kept the supporting crowd entertained

Straight after the run, the ladies are still smiling from satisfaction.

And I know Sylvia enjoyed the carnival more than the run.

How can the supporter be without a picture. :)

Velocity Urban Attack 2011

2011-06-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

You have watched plenty of Ninja Warrior online and aspire to take part in it like one of those fiercely pumped muscle man/woman. It’s unlikely to experience obstacles of those intensity obstacles in Singapore but you can get this slight sensation at Velocity Urban Attack 2011.

Into the second year, the obstacle’s difficulty raised and proved to be a greater challenge. There are just enough chances to fail at any of the six obstacles constructed.

1. The Rolling Pins
There are two ways to conquer this stage. Run through it like a warrior or rolled through it like a worm. You really got to be quick feet and process some great balance to run through those pins. Rolling through doesn’t really guarantee you success though. The ‘killer gap’ between pin 3 and 4 will still drop you should you move at the wrong speed. So attempt this first obstacle with caution unless you want to get wet real quick.

2. Topsy Turvy
This obstacle poses difficulty for those who have fear in heights and test the jumping power of competitors. The gap between the board and the spinning platform was wide enough to create the illusion of not making the jump. To make situation worse, the moving platform spins in 2 different directions, the inner platform clockwise and the outer one otherwise.

3. Bear Hug
Pretty easy obstacles as long as you have some arm power to either hug the bag or hold onto the chain supporting it. The only tricky part is the distance from the punching bag. If you are not tall enough to reach the chain, you better have some good hugging power. Another problem faced by participants, surprisingly, was moving the bag across the rail. Without building enough kinetic energy, the bag could just stop its journey halfway through and if you encounter this problem, good luck to you as the ‘Bear’ will devour the energy slowly till you fall into the water.

4. The Matrix
The rule for this ‘network’ problem is simple. Conquer the problem underway and all rules apply as long as you reach the other end. Participants can use all fours to progress and it proves rather taxing on your upper torso since you will need to conserve your energy for the last stage. So if you are going for timing, this is really the obstacle that will steal some seconds away.

5. Balls
Just three gigantic, red balls for you to jump across, it’s that simple. But do not attempt this on a rainy day. But even if you do, the carabiner attached onto your harness should still save you from a big fall. But frankly speaking, I haven't witness anyone drop into the water at this stage. Then again, I haven't really attempt this out myself but I think it should not too difficult to conquer. Jump your way through~

6. Helipad
This is possibly the hardest obstacle to conquer of all. Six round helipad that spins, is round and wide apart kills! Without momentum, one will have great trouble maneuvering from one helipad to another. Furthermore, the gap between the 3rd and 4th helipad is greater than the rest. Countless participants have fallen into the icy cold water underneath the brute challenge thus far.

Held at Velocity, this event kept the whole mall excited and entertained during their moment in the mall. I too known of this event last year at velocity and told myself I would be back for the event this year. The advertising of the event was pretty good since they had banners at World of Sports covering the different locations of Singapore.

Participants need not worry about unavailability as the organizer set the preliminaries dates across five weekends which means you have 10 days to choose from. Reruns are unlimited and as long as you have the strength to do it, you can take part anytime or any dates within that five weekends.

Finals and Race pack collection is scheduled on 25 June where registered participants will receive participant kit worth more than $50 which includes a limited edition Urban Attack T-shirt, Columbia Sports Water Bottle, Sports Bag and more.

Practice sessions are scheduled during the weekdays and they have concurrent promotion for shoppers who spend over $50 at velocity. Shoppers will get to try out a mini mock up consisting of the Rolling pins and Helipad.

Overall, the organizing committee did a good job in turning this event a good experience for participants. They incorporated tough obstacles, best costumes, best videos and great prizes. What might be lacking would be the updating of their event website but they try to correct this shortcoming by being very active in their Facebook Page where enquiry were promptly engaged.

I failed my first challenge last week and will be going for a rerun later on for a second trial. Will be posting a video taken by my videographer later on ~ :)

I would give a thumbs up for this nicely organized event.

Updates:

- Enjoy the Two Trials on separate days where I try to transform into a ninja...

Trial One

Trial Two

Further Updates: (3rd July 2011)

Apparently the goodie bag collection is on the Final day. A Saturday and the slot is from 12 noon to 6pm. Strictly between this period and any collections not within this period is not entertained. I mixed up the goodie bag dates and did not make it to collect the stuff. So did many others who could not make it in time to collect either because they were working, overseas or other personal reasons... At least 20 participants had this problem based on the comments posted on facebook.

Obviously we were the one at fault because we couldn't make it in time to make the collection or dedicate someone to collect on our behalf but I just do not understand why we could not collect our stuff anymore after the collection dates when we offered to collect from their office on a day convenient to both parties. I heard rumors that the goodie stuff were packed and shipped to Malaysia for other events and there was another comment from someone in the company stating that the goodies were given to charity. I guess I will never know what really happened to the stuff.

Furthermore, websites were not updated with information nor were there any reminder emails send to us for goodie bag collection despite the event going on for more than a month. The only way they connect with participants were through facebook which not every single participants knows about it or is religiously checking it.

Obviously I am sore about this issue but I guess I have to shoulder this and there is really nothing I can do anyway. So I am highlighting this to future participants on this event if you love goodie bags like me to never miss the collection date. It's a fun event but be warned about the logistics part. It's a fun experience but I am sure this will be one-time for this event from me.

Here is a comment I pasted from facebook from a staff (I believe) from the event organizer.

Jurong Lake Run 2011

2011-06-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Jurong Lake Run 2011 may possibly be the first successful run catered for the west people. I wasn’t very interested in this run initially since there are so many new runs these days but the awareness and marketing for this event was so loud I simply cannot ignore it.

Browsing through their website, it looks very nicely done up with their frequent updates to their runners with topics range from securing of new sponsors to the release of their Runner’s tee and finisher medal designs, not forgetting updates on trial runs and media release.

With so many runs these days, having a run in the west holds tremendous attraction to the west runners because this means more sleep, less traveling. But I will not say the same for those staying the east but it’s a good experience for them to try waking up earlier then usual to go for race.

Covering Jurong Lake Park, Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden, this will be one visually enriching run as compared to the usual race route in the build up area or the more than often used East Coast Park. And with many parks in the vicinity, this should be a good place for a good run. I’m not surprised that many non competitive runners will be running with their camera and iphones, busy snapping their way away. Be prepared for a huge influx of photos after the run.

With an aim to provide a fun and memorable run for the runners, the prize money is definitely attractive for a 10km run. But I won’t say the same for the race pack considering the cost incurred for taking part in this 10km run.

For first time runners, the organizer have prepared weekly training runs on actual route every Saturday. This is actually a good training and add-on and works well on your confidence for actual day.

I have a good feeling for this race (partly because I live in the west) and should there be good crowd control during the race pack collection and enough parking slots for the drivers on race day with great logistic handling of the baggage, this will be one memorable race and definitely going to draw more people in for the second one to come.

The three factors mentioned are usually the turn off point for race and I just find the possibility for things to ‘happen’ because of the following reason.

Holding a race expo at crowded Jurong Point is going to be quite chaotic; especially on the first day since most people will be there to collect the pack. Hopefully there will be good signage, queue control and enough helpers to ease the traffic.
I am not very sure how many car parks there are around the start and end point of the race but having more cars than the car parks can handle have always been a big problem and should there be no alternate car parks and a traffic jam is going to happen because of that, many people is going to be late.
Noticing that there will be shifting of location for the baggage area. I hope the transition will be smooth and helpers will know where are they will be located after the shift.

That being said, I notice that the organizer seems to have cover many all grounds so far and believe they should have taken these into consideration.

Looking at the overwhelming response, I am expecting this race to be fun filled and a good run for many. I wish Jurong Lake Run 2011 a great success and hopefully I will join in as a runner next year during the early registration period. :)

Have a good run, west side~

Sundown Marathon 2011

2011-05-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

The first time I noticed the Sundown Marathon finisher tee on the street, I was attracted to the bright red Adidas shirt with white & black imprint. The design was unique and I was envy of those that bears the 84km at the back of their shirt. I was thinking when I will have the courage to the take part in gruesome distance.

Signing up for the 42km run was my immediate action when registration starts. The thought of owning one of those finisher tees, enjoying the run in the cool night weather and capping another long distance under my belt simply affirmed my decision to worry about the training and the pain I will be bearing during post run period later.

Sundown 2011 Running Singlet

Besides the race bib and runner’s guide, the race pack consists of a running singlet which was translucent wrapped up in their particularly big plastic bag with many other promotional brochures. For 65 bucks, it was a major let down even after you consider the finisher tee and medal collected after the race.

Sundown Finisher Tee

The actual night did not produce such a great experience for me. Situated at Changi Exhibition Centre, runners need to take the 1-dollar shuttle bus from Singapore Expo which supposing is a 45 minutes ride. A major traffic jam go off along the stretch of road leading to the race site and my intention to arrive an hour early to warm up, visit the loo, hydrate, get my bag deposited, photos taken and get immerse in the performance before gearing up for the flag off got major screwed.

The cause of the jam was unknown but online speculation pushed the blame to the vehicles parking at the side of the road because the car park was full. With the 10km and 21km runners starting the race before the 42km runners, it was pretty understandable that the car park will not be able to cater to the volume. The leaving crowd by the 10km runners was a hectic situation as well which should have been taken into consideration and might ultimately be the cause of the jam.

Sitting in the bus for two hours and witnessing the 42km elite runners running past followed by the main bulk of runners was demoralising. Some runners chose to alight the bus and walk to the race site which was 5km to 6km away. I did not follow suit considering I will be doing a 42km and the extra 5km will definitely be a burden to my legs. I realised later that the traffic congestion problem was a problem in the previous year as well.

I was already one hour late from flag off and rather disappointed that I did not get to start off with every other marathon runners. I regret I didn’t warm up enough either although I get to hydrate and use the loo. The mindset for the run was long surpassed by the depressing encounter on the road. I didn’t have a good pace at the start and went too fast for the first 10km. The last 21km eventually became a nightmare for me as I had to jog, walk and crawl to finish it. I have to put the blame to my poor leg muscle as well.

42km Running Route

During the run, some of the volunteers were very supportive and that is very much appreciated. Some of them were sleeping but I think I can understand that as well. Bananas and gels were given but I felt the fruits were given at quite a late stage and at that point, my stomach couldn’t really absorb anything. The running route was pretty boring in my opinion as there were trees, planes, cyclists and more trees. Definitely not something that actually motivates me to carry on.

My Running Results

After the race, there was the screening of the Champion’s League Final between Manchester United and Barcelona which I had planned to catch after my run if not for starting an hour later. I managed to catch the dying minutes of the game but it was rather disappointing. Besides missing out on the game, the photo booth was closed by the time I was back which was double disappointment.

They do however have the outdoor bathing facility which was a great addition to the race. The live bands performance and movies played while we were running apparently was very well received by the supporters and the 21km runners that have completed. It appears to me that the arrangement were all catered for the 10km and 21km runners in ensuring that they were having a good experience.

Live updates on new media were appealing to many supporters as well and whilst many other races lack the almost immediate update on results and photos during post race, this is one aspect that Sundown was able to assure in first time.

As I purchased the 4am ticket shuttle bus home online, I missed the time slot entirely due to the late start for the run. Priority was given to those who purchased the tickets and left during their pre designated timing. I should have taken the 7am slot so I can choose either to leave early or at least get priority when it was 7am.

Running a night race was damaging to my stomach and the lack of sleep was carried forward to the subsequent days. Combined with the aches and frustrating waiting time to get home, I doubt this will be a race I will consider next year.

The Spirit of the Marathon

2011-05-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

Plenty of inspiration in this video. The dvd seems to be on sale.

Find your reason to run.

My reason? The goodie bag and t-shirt. :)

The Day After The Marathon

2011-05-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

So do you guys feel this way after a marathon? Classic at the final part.

Anyway its all worth it. :)

100 Plus Passion Run 2011

2011-05-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first year I have taken part in the 100 Plus Passion Run and the experience was good. Like any other races, it have differentiated itself from other races and made unique. But running is running and so different, different but still same same.

100 Plus Passion Run provide a platform for competitive runners to challenge themselves in two different distances - 25km and 12km. For fun runners who would like immerse themselves in this passionate and exciting crowd while keeping healthy without straining more than a muscle, there is a 5km fun run and even a 500m kid dash for your children.

Geared up for the race

Wave one runners for 25km start off in East Coast Park, E2 Angsana Green at 4.30pm. Total of 3 waves, each with a 10 minute gap, were conducted to ease the traffic in the park. And with Mr. Yah Ah Mee to stage the flag off, he did hype up the crowd and made the opening very successful. You can catch a video of him on stage taken by one of the runners -Mr. Bernard Koh.

4.30pm was a warm timing to start a run but the setting sun did cool off the area eventually. Putting on my iPod, I felt I was starting off faster than my usual run but the pace did not seems too hard to follow and so I just went with the flow. Music seems to set the pace and mood.

Overtaking runners and being overtaken keeps me going in a run. The front guy is for you to overtake and the guy who overtakes you is there for you to chase. Throughout the run, supportive volunteers gave their loudest cheers to keep everyone’s going which was definitely more than encouraging. And being a run sponsored by 100 Plus, the drinks department was definitely something we can expect to have abundant for, though there was more 100 Plus than we can ask for.

Post run event was pretty interesting as they showcase Shrek 4 - Forever After on big screen and there were complimentary tickets to give away, photo taking session and free popcorn for passion card holders.

My supporter/bag deposit/camera girl

Photo taken was pasted onto their 100Plus cans

I think this is one of my more enjoyable and better runs. Appreciate my girlfriend for appearing to be my supporter/bag deposit/camera girl. This run was made better with your support.

Organized by a team of volunteers and sponsors, 100 Plus Passion Run turns out to be a great success. Unfortunate for the sad departure of Mr. Lee who took part in the 5km run due to cardiac arrest and minor hiccups like wrong sizing for some of the finisher tee and misplacing the mystery gift card after the run. The race however differentiates itself well with the adorable cartoon characters - each with their own personality, the progressive incremental distance, results checking through Iphone application and the unique medals.

The queue for the race pack collection was long but waiting time was kept to minimal. It goes to show that they have a good history with good turnout. The sponsor items in the race pack were pretty useful too.

This might be one race I will do again next year.

Running Caught In Action Photos courtesy from Mr. Umar Muhammad

Remove That Bulging Waistline

2010-01-12T03:59:00.000-08:00

Weight Loss Tips
- Avoid fried and oily food.
- Eat only when you feel hungry rather than snack throughout the day.
- Chew your food slowly and thorougly as this ensures you eat less than when you gobble up your food. Also, eat till you feel three-quarters full as it takes a while for the brain to get the signal that the stomach is full and, by the time, you could have over-eaten.
- Eat a light breakfast as a heavy meal after a break of more than eight hours would be a shock to your system. Make lunch your heaviest meal of the day as one tends to burn most calories during the afternoon. Have a light and early dinner around 7pm or at least three hours before your bedtime.
- Drink at least a litre of water a day to flush out toxins and prevent water retntion - yes, as a form of self-preservation, our body retains water when we drink too little.

Try these yoga moves!

Side Bends

What it does: Keeps the spine supple and relieves stiffness in the shoulders, elbow, wrist and fingers. Also massages the large intestines and helps to relieve constipation. Reduces fat at the waist and keeps it trim.

How to do it:
- Stand tall, keeping your buttocks flexed and hips to the front and exhale as you bend sideways to your left.
- As the left hand reaches down towards the left calf, the right hand moves up, elbow pointing to the ceiling and fingers near your right armpit.
- Turn your head and look towards your right elbow.
- Inhale and return to the start position. Exhale and repeat on the other side.
- Repeat this sequence 10 times.

The Fish

What it does: Stretches the abdominal organs and intestines and regulates the thyroid gland that is responsible for your metabolic rate.

Caution: Those who are pregnant or suffering from heart problems and severe back ailments should not do this exercise.

How to do it:
- Lie on your back, arms by your torso with palms on the ground.
- Gently expand our chest and lift it up by pushing down on your elbows.
- Tilt your head up, lower the crown of your head towards the floor and try to establish a comfortable position while your back is arched.
- Keep the body relaxed and hold the pose for about 10 slow, deep breaths. Return to the start position by moving your chin towards your chest as you gently lower your spine to the floor.
- Do this 10 times.

Dynamic Sit-Ups

What it does: Tones and massages the digestive organs, boosts the body's metabolism and relieves constipation. Also helps to break down fat by exercising the liver and the gall bladder.

Caution: Those with sciatica or severe back problems should not do this exercise.

How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your arms stretched out above your head.
- Inhale and roll the upper body up rapidly into a sitting position with your arms raised.
- Exhale forcefully through your nostrils as ou bend forward and try to touch your knees with your forehead.
- Inhale as you return to the sitting position, exhale as you roll your back down onto the floor.
- Do this entire sequence 10 times in a smooth momentum.

Adapted from 'The Straits Times - Urban' on 20th February 2009

Up the intensity

2010-01-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

"Very often, we fall into a routine and keep doing the same exercise at the same pace and intensity and that doesn't push the muscles to work harder." Gio Chen

Try the following for a challenge:

1) Power Pull-Up

How to do it:
- Take a wide grip on the chin-up bar and pull yourself up till your chin is level with the bar.
- Stabilise your body and, using your abs, life your legs till they are parallel to the floor.
- Hold them there for a few seconds and slowly return to start position.
- Do three sets of 15 repetition. If this is too tough, life your legs with the knees bent.
- If it is too easy, keep the legs straight and lift them even higher.

2) Windshield Wiper

How to do it:
- Take a wide grip on the chin-up bar, flex the abs and, with your knees slightly bent, life both legs towards your right shoulder.
- Keeping your legs in the lifted position, move them towards your left shoulder and back like a windshield wiper.
- Do three sets of 15 repetitions on each side.

3) Knee Crosses

How to do it:
- Take a wide grip on the chin-up bar and stabilise your body. Then, flexing the abs, lift your right knee and try to touch your left arm with it.
- Return to start position and repeat on the other side
- Do three sets of 15 repetitions on each side.

Adapted from 'The Straits Time - Urban' on February 27 1009