Stage 5 Time out of blocks for second lap of 42km: 11.47pm. The iPod dishes out the ABBA playlist (?!!) and it lasts me for a surprisingly long stretch of Round 2, including that mind-numbingly dull 8km stretch along the Changi runway. Something about chirpy ’70s Swedish pop that mixes well with the night.I’m tempted to walk the rest of it, but a) my walking speed turns out to be ... Read More »
NB: “Stages” noted below all mental and personal only Stage 1 It’s 5:58pm, just shy of our 6pm flag off, and all 625 ultramarathoners (I know, right? Who would’ve thought we could gather this many crazies in good ol’ Singapore?) are heading out to the sound of drums. Before the first kilometre mark, I sense a bothering strain in my right calf. Thinking it’s the knee strap that I have ... Read More »
…our favourite tennis matador reclaims the French Open title in a pretty darn good match against Robin Soderling. Nadal is just pure Tenacity and Heart. This guy really makes the impossible a reality. To watch him play is to take a lesson in fortitude and willpower. And here’s Exhibit A of said talent from the match against Davydenko at Monte Carlo 2008: ¿Cómo se dice “refuse to lose”? Read More »
I DID IT!!! I completed the adidas Sundown ultramarathon (84km or 52 miles) in 12 hrs 28 mins 5 secs. Really quite happy, considering the furthest I’d ever run prior to this was the 25km Passion Run last weekend and I didn’t know I was going to run in the 84km ultra until 2 weeks before the race. I can tell you, though, starting a run at 6pm and racing ... Read More »
This 1992 Olympics moment gets to me every time. Derek Redmond was favoured to win the 400m when, at the 150m mark, he pulled a hamstring and collapsed in a heap of pain. The dream and years of hard work denied in a split second, he looked for a moment as if he had given up. But when the medics rushed onto the track, the man amazingly pulled himself up ... Read More »
25km done. 334km more to go. Read More »
If you don’t hear from me for the next 2 weeks, it can only be a good thing — it means I’m dedicating myself to training for the half marathon taking place this weekend and the 84km ultramarathon the following weekend. Have dropped by my favourite running store to stock up on a few essentials, including Nathan electrolytes, Clif Bars, GU gels, shotz gels, and PowerBar gels. Hope to post ... Read More »
There are times when you start a day with high expectations and end up disappointed with how the day actually turned out. Then, there are days like this one which start out miserably but then flourish with each passing hour until you look back at day’s end and can’t quite believe the dream of a day you just had. Here’s how the story goes. I woke up with a rather ... Read More »
“Do not go gentle into that good night” -Dylan Thomas Met up with Thaddeus for dinner last night. Thaddeus is Singapore’s own superman who had completed the 250 km Sahara Race last year (and has clearly lived to tell the tale!) A fascinating story transpired from the dinner conversation: Baoren Gong is a swimmer from China who had competed in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. The one thing that distinguished him ... Read More »
When I first started training for the Sahara back in February, it had been inconceivable to train 3-4 times a week. How on earth was I going to fit it all in, what with work and all? Three months on, I’m rising at 5 plus in the morning for tempo training, going for a 15km runs after work the next day, rolling out of bed at 6 plus on Saturdays for ... Read More »
J.J. Pedersen let’s go see the world