Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008

Dec 7, 2008

With a total of 50,000 participants, and 15,000 for the full marathon, this year's SCSM is the largest to-date. The huge crowd meant taking 9 minutes just to cross the start point - as usual, I queued up at the rear, but there were many others behind me. Weather turned out as forecasted - overcast and no rain.

The plan was to start slower than Bangkok - about 8 and then increasing by about 10s per km and steady out at 7:10 - and to complete the last 10 km strong. Right from the first two km, I knew this was going to be one of those days. Probably due to the crowd. Even though I tried to slow my pace, HR was too high for my liking. Never got into a rythme. It was a mess.

Came across my good friend with his camera, cheerful as ever! Passed a number of SGRunners - Fatboy, Saint, etc. Passed NURunner at 22 km and chatted shortly with him. Unfortunately, he had the cramps around 20 km. Offered him some words of encouragement - "take baby steps", "There'll always be another race." Little did I realize that I would be heeding my own advice some 6 km later. Yup. The dreaded "C" word. Again.

Ave HR had gone up above 160 by 16 km (not good), and pace slowed considerably. At the half way mark, I had taken 2 hours 41 min.

This time, I had an emergency plan (which I didn't two weeks earlier). The plan was to walk my way out of cramps. So I slowed down, walked more, stretched and took baby steps. This worked well for a few more km, up till 36 km. Unfortunately, the cramps started to get worse, spreading to the calfs. And it was a long walk back to City Hall.

From the last km, the little pride I had left prompted me to start hobbling along. Lucky for me, as PG was waiting for me as we emerged from the underpass at the Padang, having waited 3 hours for me!

Managed to jog all the way to the finish, somewhat surprised that I came in before 6 hours (chip time).


View Larger Map

It was somewhat surprising that only 56% of the entire field finished ahead of me (58% of all males). The median time must have gone up considerably. It was also interesting to note that many participants are young - most of whom are half my age. Little comfort, but hey, I was reminded of my mantra: "Not fast, not sleek, merely dedicated!"

Although this was a PW (5:55) for me, I am really happy for a number of friends who posted PB - Tekko, poison1, Alck - and friends who successfully completed their first marathons (DA, CC) and half (Fast2slow, PG and D). Well done!



Post race evaluations suggested that I was negatively affected by (a) stress caused by the extended vacation in Thailand (and consequent dip in fitness), (b) minor sore throat one day before the race - prevented from a full blown cold with lots of vitamin C, (c) inadequate long runs and (d) diverted focus on bike and swim. All these excuses are merely excuses.

What struck me was the sheer unpredictability of it all. Just as Paul exhorts us to be like the soldier, athlete and farmer, it dawns on me that a commonality is that the outcome does not depend merely on effort. A soldier, however well trained, may not be able to achieve his mission or victory (history is littered with great examples). A farmer may use the best seeds, irrigation, methods, and yet not have a good harvest. An athlete may train his/her best, hit all the key training, avoid injury, and yet not perform to expectations (he does however, increase the probability of achieving a PB). 

It is the nonlinearity that makes running so exhilarating! We can hit unexpected highs and unforeseen lows. It is all part and parcel of running. 

While I am on a philosophical note, I am reminded that what matters is to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7). Joan Benoit Samuelson - one of my favorite marathoners - puts it aptly: "Running is a lifetime pursuit. If you set goals and have a passion and believe in yourself, anything is possible."

So I am signing up for Sundown!

Honor Roll: Nimbus 9