Sundown ultra race report

What's the toughest part of completing the Sundown ultramarathon? It's doing the mental math "how long more would it take to make the cutoff time" at 3 - 4 am in the morning.

There's a 15-hour cutoff and from 1 am onwards, I felt sleepy and had to keep splashing water on myself to stay cool and awake. By then, I was walking most of the way and kept looking at my pace to ensure that I complete within 15 hours. The good news was that I got my finisher medal and tee.

From the top.

WD picked me up and we made a beeline for the ultra tent where we left the transition bags. Hooked up with PK and enjoyed the atmosphere. Seemed quite different this year. Guess it was the time. Some introductions and speeches and at 6 pm, 600 participants flagged off.

Crossed off DNS from the famous equation (FDL>DNF>>DNS).

There was a backwards runner from Taiwan and a one-arm runner. Running backwards for 84 km... that's tough.

The three of us used a run-walk system, but all different ratios. We deliberately kept at the back of the pack (just like TNF) and we kept leap frogging as we targeted the same 8 min pace.

By 7:30 pm, the sun had set. The slogan for the race was: race the night and beat the sunrise. I didn't think so, not with a 6 pm start and 9 am cutoff.

Kinda not used to the empty water stations as they were usually swamped with runners. Met Sam at one of the volunteer support station and he offered me some grapes that I happily accepted. At the turnaround, it was almost 3 hours. Right on target.

The way back I was bothered by the stench from the oil spill. It was actually the bags left by the side and as PK pointed out - the smell of dead animals. On my second lap, the stench was so bad that I almost vomited.

The cool evening breeze was a nice welcome, and there were the usual merry makers along East Coast. The pace dropped after 25km. I attributed this to fatigue.

Coming into the CCR stretch, I was surprised to see the 21km runners on the road, but we were on the PCN. The sight of so many runners (6,000 I was told) energized me. I looked to see if I could spot MBH but to no avail. About 5 km from the finish, I stopped for a quick deepheat rub down.

Twas a good thing, coz PK overtook me after that and blazed away! I did my best to keep up, and by then we had merged with the half marathoners. Heard a call - it was WD heading out for his second loop. Boy was he fast!

We came in just before 6 hours.

At the pit stop, I was surprised to see many runners there taking breaks, chatting away and chowing. A quick change of shoes, hydration belt and running top, and then headed out. I was told previously that the most difficult part was to get out of transition, and hence grabbed my drink and sandwich to eat on the way out. 10 min tops.

However, my stomach was bloated with so much water that I didn't have the appetite to eat more than two bites. The SIS drink came in handy though.

About 2 km out, I spotted MBH coming back and was really glad that she managed to complete her first 21 km. I opened my arm and shouted. Another runner in front of her was mistaken and beamed a broad smile. Sorry!

The legs felt tight and heavy in the first few km and my pace had dropped to more than 9:30. That's not much difference from power walking. In fact, PK and J were about the same pace, and we kept leap frogging all the way till the 35 km mark.

Zico - an experienced ultra runner - was a good companion most of the second loop. He had PF and the effects were showing. Else he would be way ahead. We chatted to make it more bearable. Thanks, Zico!

The first 10 km of the second loop was mentally most challenging. Should I go on or call it quits? DNF didn't sound so bad at 1 am in the morning.
The recreation goers were now replaced by the 5,000 marathoners. I had the good fortune of the companionship of a chatty couple - actually the lady was the cheerful one and it was good to eavesdrop just to pass time.

By then, most stations had run out of 100plus and some stations had called it a night. Good thing I had my own hydration. The routine was to grab two cups of water to drench my head, neck and arms. A small sip to keep being over-hydrated.

Just after the lagoon hawker center, met Jordan taking a breather. Good to see you, bro!

Moh was rounding up the rear with some friends and he had his honker to keep spirits up. Another guy was riding his bike to keep his wife/gf (antenna girl) company. These were the ultras. Moh would talk and encourage runners who have stopped to rest, "Keep moving, don't rest too long!"

Good advice. I would probably throw in the towel if I stopped to rest for a minute. As Zico said, we asked ourselves "why are we doing this?" especially during the second loop. DNF, DNF... like some sirens out of greek mythology. But once we reached the 72km mark (30km of the second loop), the sirens fell silent. Around that time, Zico powered past me, never to be seen after that.

The morning broke about 7 am, and I could then take a proper look at my companions. There's a lady with headphones whom I thought was a 42-er. But no, she's a 84-er. Heard another call from a car heading home. It was WD! I later found out that he completed in 12+ hours. Outstanding, my friend.

Picked up the pace with 3 km to go. By then it was clear that I would be getting my medal and finisher tee, and timing was not an issue. Just to put up a good finish, blister and all!

13:45. Beyond my target of 13 hours, but at least with more than 1 hour to spare before the cutoff time.

Congratulated PK and J after the race - they finished 5 minutes earlier! PK must have set a new world record for the shortest training time - only 6 weeks - from injury to 84km! Truly amazing.

How did it feel after the race? Relief, really. Just glad that it's over. My first and last 84km.

Appreciate the well wishes from friends before and after the race, as well as the cheering from volunteers along the way. Especially the support from MBH and kids. Couldn't have done this without your support and understanding.

Last but not least, the family's really proud of MBH for completing her first half marathon, even though plagued by ITB.