I watched this movie back in 2007, and remember being blown away by the script. Based on the true story of a gymnast who recovered from an automobile accident to take the world championship, this film is filled with nuggets of wisdom, often whispered in the quietest of scenes. Very inspiring and much to keep in mind during limit-testing moments like ultra marathons and desert races. Watch this superbly edited ... Read More »
Good golly. Been browsing through the list of Sahara 2010 competitors and … is the list of competitors always this illustrious and crazy, or is it just me who has lost all bearings on what constitutes reality??! Amongst them: a 75 year-old who has run the 3-day, 215 km (135 miles) aptly named Death Valley Badwater Ultra Marathon 12 times, the founder and CEO of RacingThePlanet who basically started these 4Desert races, ... Read More »
Yaaaaaaaaayyyyy! A huge thank you to GNC for agreeing to be the Official Health Supplement Sponsor of my Sahara trip! I remember growing up with a lot of GNC bottles around the house, thanks to my super health-conscious mother who stuffed us kids with their vitamin products (A for healthy eyes, C for strong immune system, and E for good skin!! I still remember hahaha). I take their stuff these ... Read More »
Day after the marathon: if you’ve ever completed a race, whether a half / full/ ultra marathon, watch this. That is all. Read More »
Today marked my first run with a loaded backpack to test the conditions for the actual race, where we’ll be carrying around 10kg on our backs. I packed a 5kg bag of rice into the Raidlight backpack and started off to MacRitchie Reservoir. It really is a jungle walk out there! On the bright side, if I get stranded there for any reason I’ve got enough rice to feed a ... Read More »
Here’s a HUGE SHOUTOUT to the wonderful Mr. Thaddeus Lawrence to wish him good luck for his 7-day, 250km march across the Gobi Desert in China, which starts THIS SUNDAY! You can follow the Gobi race here. Photos and videos will be posted daily at the end of each leg of the race. Apparently temperatures are pushing 50 degrees Celsius now. *faints* But back to Thaddeus — ladies and gents, this is ... Read More »
Dedicated to Dad. I’ve been told many things about my 84km race – “crazy”, “amazing”, “hard core” are some common superlatives used. I speak from the heart, however, when I say: anyone could have done it. Perhaps you would not have finished in the 15 hours stipulated by the competition, but I would bet my bottom dollar that if I’d walked up to you and told you to race 84km because ... Read More »
…the soles in the heels are apparently half-gone. That is a lot of rubber to be gone in one night. And these were fairly new shoes! Read More »
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 »
J.J. Pedersen let’s go see the world