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“run.running.running.there is no past tense,i am always running.”

December 14, 2010 New my goal

time has passed, one year gone & another Singapore Marathon gone. my 5th one in fact. if i were to plot my timings, i’d be on a downslope right now. from two years back, i’m staring at mediocrity.

oh how people would say sub 4 is pretty good still, but seriously for me who started out with a 3:51 at 18years old, a sub 4 marathon is by no means satisfactory. if it is, doesn’t it mean that my training for the past years have been pretty futile?

it’s not time for self-bashing and depression, like last year. it slowed my progress for this entire year, me not believing in myself, but that i cannot do it. this time, it’s different. it’s going to be 2 years from now, that i want to join the sub 3 club, yes the elite club. the goal of every marathoner.

i’ll look back at this each time i get distracted, and its going to put me back on track.

run hard.

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December 11, 2010 post SCM2010

time for a post-race report! but firstly, i’d like to thank 100 Plus, especially Keith, Gina & Clarrie. Mark too! for their support, help & everything along the way. it’s really been a wonderful journey & really all 4 of us will tell stories of this memorable marathon for years to come.

rewinding back to race day, woke up about 245am. washed up & packed my stuff. as i was checking my Garmin, i was so stunned to see Battery Low on the screen. panic mode set in & i quickly plugged it to my Mac to charge it. this meant that i had to bring my Mac to race site, but there was no other way. munching on my Kit Kat & Nature Valley, washing them down with a huge 1.5 bottle of 100 Plus, my awesome daddy drove me down to Wheelock.

met up with Keith, Clarrie & Mark and we started snapping photos. really kudos to them for arriving there about 330 and having to walk all the way down to Padang later for the finishing line shots and even carrying our baggage for us! soon after, Sanny & Vanessa came too, after a couple more shots, Ghim arrived! and boy were we all happy to see him after his unfortunate start to the day. in between, daddy drove back once more to pass me my bag which had my still-charging Garmin, I’m so thankful for his help.

once the shots were done, Ghim & I made our way to the start line. it was pretty much an adventure in itself as we had to sneak past stubborn security guards, climb over fences and weave our way around barriers and people. but eventually we made it to the start line, dripping with perspiration. one memorable conversation i had with Ghim was:

B:”Ghim! how come you dont wear a watch?”
G:”I’m used to not wearing it, i just run by feeling“

honestly, there & then it struck me as to how reliant i still am on my watch, despite me saying that I’m not. and it was then i decided to not use GPS on my watch, purely use it as a stopwatch, so i wouldn’t know what pace i was going and distance, it’d be me & how i felt

as the countdown began, the crowd swelled up, seeing familiar faces around really did help to loosen the tension. within my head, i was telling myself to really take it easy, my ITBs were still recovering & it is definitely not wise to further injure them. my motto for the day, “Take it easy”. and honestly, this would be the first time in my races that i’d actually be taking it easy.

BANG! the horn went, off we went! running under the lights of Orchard, the familiar roads where I only drove on, it was a different feeling, but this feeling did not last as my mind tuned to my running. many people were ahead of me, overtaking me & the old me would have sped up and tried to keep up. as i passed the 1km mark, i looked at my watch, it was 4:12. it’s a really fast pace for a marathon & honestly it was far from my targeted 4:50 pace i wanted to keep. told myself to slow down, take it really easy and run my own race.

the route took me from Orchard, down towards Dhoby, Clarke Quay, Chinatown & then Raffles Place. once there, it was familiar racing grounds once more. as the crowd around me dispersed, i was able to enjoy the comfort of space & more breathing room. i honestly dislike racing with someone tagging along my back or my side, it’s really distracting and disrupting, so usually i’d either slow down or just speed up a lil to get away.

before i knew it, ECP was just ahead. 10km had passed and i was feeling pretty fresh & relaxed. a couple of my NUS Cross teammates invited me to run along with them as they were aiming for 3:30 as well but i had to reject their kind offer as i really wanted to do this race alone. entering ECP, it was still pretty dark. it has been awhile since i’ve ran here so it wasn’t as boring as last year where I dreaded ECP so much it affected me psychologically.

watching as the big front pack of Kenyans gallop past in the opposite direction, i felt a slight tinge of sadness. it was 1:21 already and i was way off my previous years’ race pace. putting that aside, i continued maintaining my current pace & taking it easy. soon it was my turn to U-turn. and honestly i think it was one of the happiest moments of most people’s race. halfway thru, 21km more & we’re home. just about 500m past the U-turn, i saw Sanny! and she was looking really strong!

running back towards Fort Road, watching the huge sea of runners in the opposite direction, it really helped to distract me & not push myself. it was around the Bedok Jetty area when something really bad happened. this is something I really want to share, and it is nothing nice. while i was turning along the route, i caught up with this small group of runners, one of them being a foreigner probably German or French by his accent. and i was just in front of him, he said something in his own language in a somewhat angry tone, and the next sentence was “Boy, you’ve got no more speed”. with that, he began to overtake me. i have never had such a bad experience with runners before, not only was it rude, condescending, but it was totally uncalled for! holding my back anger, i picked up my pace and overtook him within 30s, as i passed him i resisted the urge to look or say anything, it wouldn’t have made things better anyway.

as i continued my run out of ECP, many familiar faces came up, and thanks to all who cheered for me, friends and even strangers! that’s the way running should be. fun & friendly. exiting ECP, it was up into Marina Barrage. that was when my ITBs gave in, it felt really tight and caused my thighs to cramp up. i was compensating with more energy from my calves and within the next 2km, my calves begun to cramp. at that point, i really wanted to start walking, but somehow i did not. for people who know me, recently I’ve been giving up easily during races, once i felt cramps or pain, i simply gave up and walked. it’s a horrendous feeling to be walking during a race and somehow i still did. but not this time.

pushing hard, grimacing through the pain, trying to enjoy the view of Marina Barrage, the golf course, the turns in the route, the new scenery. keeping it safe and slowing down to a jogging pace really helped. heading into the last 6km, it was back on roads once more. the urge to walk kept coming up & when i faced the upslope of ECP, i simply smiled at how great a test it would have been if i had been racing at full pace and i had to climb this slope just before the finishing 2km.

i slowly made my way up, even taking a short walk, before Thomas (from TeamRunfanatics) came up alongside and pulled me to run. it was the last 2km to the finish, and as i crossed Esplanade, up the flyover and towards Padang, i felt happy. not because my timing was good, as a matter of fact it was far from good in my personal standards, i was happy because I kept my promise to myself, I took it easy and stayed injury free for this race.

headed to the 100Plus tentage where Ghim was already cooling down. spent the time chatting and talking, reflecting about how we did probably one of the worst races in our lives, but we were glad it was over. photo-taking, stretching & many hilarious shots followed. a huge CONGRATS TO SANNY & VANESSA, YOU GIRLS DID AWESOME! really so happy that not only they hit their targets but their new PBs are amazing. who knows how much faster they’ll get!


here’s a really adorable baby who was sitting beside me & Ghim.

Daddy came to pick me up, he’s really my hero. supporting me through all my races, and caring for me all the time.

at the end of the day, i’d just want to ask him “Do i make you proud?”

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October 12, 2010 The North Face 100 Singapore 2010

today’s race was not about revisiting past victories, about getting new ones.
it meant so much more and so much differently.

carrying one of the worst injuries i’ve had in years. my ITB hurt so badly i couldnt walk down steps and not having ran even 50km a week for the past month, all these crept into my head.

spent the night before race reflecting, i asked myself, why am i so not looking forward to racing. i want to run, but not to race anymore. the fire’s gone. there’s no passion in me to pursue the goals i once set myself. talking it all out to you really helped, i promised before the race, that once i raced finished, it’d be “I’ve Done It” and not “It’s Over”, thats a world of difference right there. have a safe race, enjoy the sights and sounds.

headed out about 545am, without catching any sleep, Lucas picked me up. was feeling totally fine yet apprehensive about the race. one thing i was looking forward to was actually my large 3m poster! dropped off at MR, headed to the toilets where many people were also doing their final preparations, water bags, breakfasts, stretching.

Lucas & I were totally unprepared compared to them, we never ran together since probably last year’s TNF100, my waterbag was never used since last year, and we only checked what we needed to bring for the race right then. filling up the waterbag was never one of my forte, i had problems with it leaking and all, until i just gave up and hoped that it could last me the whole journey.

put our stuff inside the lockers and headed over to the starting line, it was so different from last year. and of course i searched for my poster before anything else!

headed to the starting line and stretched. more familiar faces came along, we were chatting and warming ourselves up. the thing about endurance trail races is that we dont go for speed as like road races, we got to ensure that we are properly stretched before heading out. the countdown was on, and honestly i still felt like just wanting to get it over and done with.

with a loud beep and off we went! kept with the front pack, a vastly different start from last year. where we just sat back and let others sprint ahead. come on, there’s a full marathon and more ahead to catch up. took a 5:30 or so pace, much faster than the 5:45~6min pace i was planning to. going into MR, that was where the “warm-up” starts. climbing the familiar slopes, running all the way towards Rifle Range. Lucas was beside me, we kept pace with each other, soon we were at a 5:20pace, we both knew that it was pretty too fast, thus we decided at Ranger Station to chill things down and take it easy. thats the good thing about having a partner who knows your running style and habits inside out, we can pace each other really well.

as we turned towards Rifle Range, i had to tear off the soles of my left shoe, it dint bother me much, what was on my mind was that my ITB felt weird and i was worried it would flare up. maintaining a much more comfortable pace now. heading into Rifle Range, we took our walk break. allowing others to overtake us, Lai Chee climbed really powerfully and surged ahead. Lucas & I always had this strategy to chill and not waste energy climbing the slopes, the energy saved could do us well later in the race.

10km
heading into the bicycle trail off Rifle Range, it was really painful to run! muddy, stones popping out. i was grimacing almost every other step. there were so so many downslopes that i really was so scared, unlike Lucas who was having a great time gliding downwards.

before we knew it, it was about the 20km mark! sadly i begun to pull away from Lucas, somehow i felt my body having the urge to surge ahead. i caught up with a few others, and soon i was greeted by the sight of 100km Solo runners. there i hoped that the U-turn was nearing. Saw Salleh, John, Patrick and Paulina, really respect them attempting 100km on such a route and under such torturous conditions.

21km
topping up before heading into Lor Asrama, luckily Patrick & Janet were there, SIS gels are really good cos they are liquified and thus wont be too dry on the throat. i had the company of Ben Swee, really nice talking to him for the first few km in, with each upslope encountered, i took numerous walk breaks and i had to tear off another part of my shoe again. soon i found myself alone, sandwiched between 2 runners. i was thankful i had someone ahead of me so i did not have to search for directions much. the slopes were endless, even after the tough Hill 265, there were more to come. a change from last year, but a huge one. it drained a lot out of me, i was really thirsty, the sun was relentless, and the slopes made it all crazy. plugging in my iPod just like last year, it really did help a lot. took my mind off the pain and treacherous terrain. my ITB on both legs were already acting up, i could feel fatigue.

31km
when finally i caught sight of others who were entering Lor Asrama, i was just delighted to get out of there. filling up my water bag, i headed out without much rest. i guess the dehydration was taking its toll. i was struggling to find any rhythm or pace, i decided to just take it easy, walk all the slopes and gauge by the songs playing how much to walk. eventually after about 3km or so of walking, i could start my run-walk strategy.

i walked pretty much every upslope, jogging only on flats, gingerly ran down slopes. my ITBs and knees hurt but i knew i could make it back. although i was far off from last year’s timing but i was just really happy i’ve had such a safe race so far. when i saw the 35km mark, i was pretty scared, my Garmin recorded 38km but nevertheless i told myself to rely on my watch. 12km more, i know even if i had to walk back i could.

once i neared Rifle Range, i knew that the 25km runners would merge onto this route, so i may just bump into familiar faces. i was walking up another slope when someone in an orange singlet overtook me. as i glanced at his back, i saw Team Runfanatics and it was Andy! he was going really strong, 10km left! soon a few others caught up but they were all 25km runners. once i saw Rifle Range, i was really happy, i picked up my pace ever so slightly, but i did not dare to accelerate or try anything that may jeopardize me finishing the race safely.

43km
cramps were setting in, but i told myself, less than 7km more. seeing Irene (Patrick’s wife) at RIfle Range exit, i was glad to see her cheering me on. as i continued my run-walk, i was making good progress, all the way back into Macritchie. once again i saw the 100km runners, Salleh was looking strong, so were John, Patrick and Paulina! really proud of them.

as the end neared, the route seemed neverending, having music really helped. running down the final slope inside MR, i saw the exit, i jogged faster and headed out to open air once more. it was refreshing and i was really happy. as i passed the toilets, up the carpark slope, and the finish line was in sight. i saw Alex & Shuwie there, cheering loudly for me. i dashed in, crossed the finishing line. not in as spectacular fashion as last year, but this time when i crossed the line, I DID IT.

went over to grab some Subway and water. stretched non-stop at the same time. was talking to Alex, Andy (Alex came in 1st! this awesome pair won 50km Duo Open), Shuwie, Ben Swee, Sharon, Jackie, Ming Hui (he was volunteering). Soon Lucas came in, and honestly we were both relived that we survived the 50km! headed over to shower and clean up before coming back for Alex’s prize presentation.

while Lucas & I limped back, Shuwie was really nice to help out with our bags, walk so so slowly with us and take our nonsense. Alex & Andy went ahead to check their results. when we got there, i saw Alex smiling widely, i knew he won! but what came next was totally unexpected, Elaine (the race director), came over to us and asked: “Hi, Baldwin & Lucas? Team Runfanatics? You guys are 3rd!” saying that i was surprised is a total understatement. i was not only overjoyed & delighted. this win meant so so much more.

while waiting for prize presentation, we sat down, talked, chat, took more photos.

i called you, i really wanted to tell you, this 3rd place, is really all because of you. for helping me talk through my fears, my loss of passion for running, my fear that i am not that good anymore, that i run each race to go through the motion. thank you for bringing me back.


Team Runfanatics.

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September 8, 2010 goodbye

just barely 2 hours into the trip, sitting alone at 39H.
i remember how i said i wished i could come back to HK once more during holidays, really life just throws you the greatest surprises.
but its not how i want it to be, i dont want to be coming back because of this.

dear uncle,
if you could somehow read this, in Heaven where you rest now. its a much better place i guess. after the years of everything you’ve went through, not just physically but more importantly emotionally. it was a huge ride, i know it pains you deeply but each time you’d never fail to smile and welcome me. gosh, i know it hurt really bad when we couldnt even see eye to eye, when all you relied on was your touch. what i’d do for time to turn back, where i’d be eating m&m’s on your bed, you’d be smoking your cigs, no matter how i persuaded you, you’d never quit. not that it matters now, but as i look back, could i have done more?

it was just months, before i saw you. you were eating macs (your daily meals i could tell, by the boxes of macdonald’s cups you had in your room), happily living the simplistic life. such a great difference from how it all was. what a difference. to me, you were still always the suave, charming and really bad-boy uncle from HK Navy. that image never left, i admired you. now, i’m on my way home, to see you one last time.

the funny thing, as i drove to school last tuesday, 31st Aug, my close friend asked me about the A/X watch i was wearing. i said there were 2, presents from you. i’m dead certain that you gave them both to me, i was so protective that i refused to let Boris take them to Canada. selfish yes, but i was the one who grew up with you. how would i know, that hours later, i’d get a msg from mummy, and i just broke down in tears. i dint care, it was in the business school canteen, but so what. i cursed, i cried, why do i never get to say goodbye, the final goodbye. even for gramps.

even as i come back now, i feel tears welling up soon. tmrw i know i’d cry madly. but like daddy said, you’ve gone to a better place, together with grandpa. and now grandma can live her life without worries each day, its cruel but i guess its a huge load off her mind too.

plane’s landing in HK soon, im glad i made this trip back. to send you off, to say goodbye one last time.
because of you, i’ve held firm never to pick up a stick ever, and i would never let myself hurt my parents and loved ones, to love myself so that i can love them back.

thanks uncle.
i love you

baldwin

August 19, 2010 time to step up

finally, im back. not as if i left physically, but somehow i have been detached from myself.
i havent had time for myself, to reflect about things, to lay in bed at night and think.
feels good to be able to write once more.

i need this, these moments of freedom & peace.
where i can just stop and stare, into the emptiness. into the mirror, looking thru that person at what truly lies beneath.

the new semester has started, it has been a hell of a holidays, the action and busy times dont seem to be dying down anytime soon, i really have to get a grip and hold on tight, for the ride ahead.

2 priorities this time, RUN and STUDY
its time to step up.

July 13, 2010 here starts one

the holidays have flown by.
a couple more weeks and its back to school once again, yeah theres that buffer of Oweek, Rag and IBG even. so what, its time to step up.

now that i clearly know what i want in life, i must go for it.
train for it.
sacrifice for it.

a thought while i was running just now,

the difference between 1st & 2nd, the difference between greatness & mediocracy, is the size of the sacrifice made

i guess its true, its time for me to really reach out for what i dream of.
yes, the PBs wont come to me without pain and sweat, it will take time, effort, pain.
let’s get it started

April 28, 2010 a good good day.

woke up in the morning, headed out for a run with Jinzhou.
lucky he msged me before i overslept once more. had a good run of 22.6km, not too hard but really comfortable pace.

went back hall, ate breakfast then it was off to MRB (seems like i spend more of my time there than anywhere nowadays. which probably means good)

now im finally back in hall, its been a LONG day. seriously, besides that 1hour break for lunch at arts, i dont rmb leaving MRB. wow, i am really impressed at myself. an uber long day of mugging.

lets keep this going.

April 26, 2010 its almost. the end.

ran 30km this morning to the zoo.
wasnt really planning much or anything, just knew that i needed to run, badly.

my way of running away, my escape.
thinking back of everything, its going to be an entire academic year gone, ill be year 2 soon, it’ll be one year since i came into nus as a freshman.

so much has come, so much has passed. a cliche i know but life moves on in its own mysterious ways.
there’s been a lot going through my mind, i did enjoy yesterday’s drive-about in the rain.
i enjoyed pounding the ground and running my lungs hard all alone for 30km.

todays a winding road, its taken me to places that i didnt want to go.

i’ve decided, to try my best to leave out negativity here from now on. its going to be a more cheerful place here on.

April 17, 2010 friends

its a darn cold night, the sky tore apart, poured down like heaven’s tears.
a sad night for many living in this place named Kent Ridge Hall.
had E Block command in MPSH while C had theirs too.

for those who bid farewell, be it willingly or unwillingly. i truly wish you all the best & yes i do think its a good time to leave. not only because fees are heading up, but because over the past 48hours, ive learnt more about this place than i have even known.

beyond all the tears & endless kind words for each other, especially the wonderful performances during Command on tuesday, yes they were memorable & indeed ended off with a huge bang.

but so what.

i have just been hearing my friends being rejected from staying on, imagine friends so dear to you, who have done their part, much more than others, and get nothing in return for their efforts. mere words, “we’ve tried our best” is pure crap. dont give me that seriously. if not for friends, staying on has no meaning.

spending the past few hours talking to 4 wonderful buddies over this. thanks for everything really. you know what, i meant it when if we all left, its gonna be a WE.
if my friends aint good enough, i aint good enough too

hikater

March 30, 2010 Run Round Singapore 218km

my first 100km in Singapore. done under almost perfect conditions.

NTU Run Round Singapore 218km, a NTU Alumni charity event whereby 9 core runners including Mr Lim Nghee Huat, Melvin Lee, Mr Yong, took on a seemingly physically impossible distance of 218km under 36hours.

was recruited by Ultra to be an escort for Mr Lim, targeted to do 84km. all i knew was it would be fun & running thus i agreed immediately without much consideration. Lucas (he’s always there when im doing such crazy stuff) was also roped in as well.

amidst all the projects & trainings, the day inched closed & finally 27th March came. daddy drove me down to NTU abt 7ish, put on my new locklaces onto Newtons (honestly i never imagined Newtons to last more than 42km). prepared my stuff & headed to meet Ultra & Nancy at the start point. Henry, Sharon, Tobias & Lucas were already there, and to my huge surprise, Ivan Low was there too!

did some stretching & packed my stuff. was all ready for the run. soon we gathered at the starting line. standing right behind the core runners, in front of the cameras & was separated by a human wall of volunteers away from the other runners. it felt different, it marked the start of something special.

with a loud sound of the horn, off we went! setting an easy steady pace right from the start, we hit out at the slopes of NTU. somehow running with such company made the slopes feel nonexistent. perhaps we were really fresh & excited thats why. soon the recreation runners caught up but none of them went ahead of Mr Lim who was bearing the torch. thus the pack grew & it was qte tiring to have ppl squeeze around you all the way. luckily all that ended after 3km & we left NTU, passing by the training grd outside the school.

hitting the highway, to Lim Chu Kang area. the sun was blazing relentlessly & after about 8km, Ewin & I decided that its time to remove our tops before we got soaked. adapting a 30min run 5 min walk strategy, we made easy progress & having the constant company, talks, made it comfortable even under the heat. passing by kranji area, sungei kadut, it was the NTU Bike Rally route. boring as it was, we endured through.

hitting in Choa Chu Kang, we knew up ahead wld be Clementi and soon Napier Road, which was the end of our first 42km. most of us had removed our tops or changed our attire by then. with the sun burning down on us, the availability of drinks & food helped with the support vehicle within 100m of us all the time. running pass Jurong area, into Clementi, it felt good to be somewhere familiar. it was starting to get tough for us to maintain at the set pace, our legs cldnt take it thus our team took a rotation between those who ran ahead to stretch our legs and those who ran beside Mr Lim. heading pass Singapore Poly, Dover Mrt, it felt nice having people cheer us on. gave us extra motivation to keep on running.

running along the roads & highways seemed easy as the traffic escorts on bikes helped to stop the traffic, ensuring that our stoppages were minimal. kudos to them, it was not only hot but extremely tiring. hitting into Napier Road, we could sense the end of our first marathon, one down 4 to go for Mr Lim. finishing it in 4h47m was impressive. that could well be the personal bests of some people. our Team 1 felt really strong & we just kept going on, while Team 2, led by Patrick, joined in the fray.

our first checkpoint was at CCAB, Mr Lim had his massage & replenishments. while myself, Tobias, Ewin, Henry all had our first ice bath. it was simply AMAZING. after coming out of it, i felt totally rejuvenated, as if i had not started running yet. after about 20min of break, we headed off on the 2nd marathon.

honestly i thought i would have just stopped after one, but the feeling & company was just too good to pass up. running down Bukit Timah, it was another familiar stretch for me, just that i was in the opposite direction. Ivan left us aft Ngee Ann Poly, while Sharon & Ewin took their leave after Rail Mall, not that they were tired, just that they had other plans already. so Team 1 had Tobias, Henry & myself. feeling somewhat bored by the road towards Woodlands, i took 2 breaks, hopping onto the support vehicle with Carl & Deb, kudos to them for their strong support & dedication to help Mr Lim.

after resting for about 7km, i put on my shoes once more & joined back at Yishun. intending to do the last 18km or so to complete 77km. when i started running, i felt so good that i ran at my normal pace with ease. i pulled far ahead of them & i had Tobias in my company. with the extra distance, we could afford many more walk-breaks for the main pack to catch up.

it was during these times that i stumbled upon this thought, a thought which definitely has changed my life.
when i end at Bishan, it would be about 77km, good distance considering i only intended about 60km, but now how about 23km more? that would make it 100km. the weather’s getting good, the roads are closed for us, the support & drinks are all here, why not!

i laughed it off at first, thinking that it would be insane to do 100km. however, Salleh came along, told me he’d wna run more than 42km, so did Eileen. i had company for longer distances, so all the more why not! i ran up to Patrick & told him about it, he too smiled & said “Go for it!”. it was when i talked to Tobias, at around Seletar when he convinced me to do it,

everything’s in place for you to do it. the support, roads & weather. comparing 84km, to 100km. thats a big difference in achievement.

with that i needed no further persuasion, that promise was sealed by a handshake & the adrenaline rushed within me, that i wanted & i HAD to run my first 100km in Singapore.

with this renewed passion to run, i had more motivation & was running with a huge smile. and to my greatest surprise, i saw a familiar black Honda Civic zoom pass us, and with a camera in hand, my brother Boris was snapping pictures of us. i was really glad that Daddy came down with Boris to support me. all the more i wanted to do the 100km.

arriving at Bishan, it was the 2nd pitstop. without much hesitation i hopped into the ice bath once more, after that headed to grab food from the support vehicle. at the same time, i checked where would my 100km. DEFU AVE 1, 102km that was my target set. Thanks Tobias for the chips & salt tablets, thanks Patrick & Irene for the curry puff, and Ultra for the goreng pisang. i really badly needed food, i hadnt eaten since the night before. sitting down & relaxing, soon it was time to head off again. this time with Team 3, Loke was the leader. Sleek & Halftimer were there too. it was always nice seeing familiar faces.

running towards Serangoon, Hougang. i was glad that we were running towards place i knew. that gave me some motivation as well. running ahead of the pack with Tobias, it was easy heading pass Bradell, Serangoon, and into Sengkang. i have not seen much of Sengkang before & honestly even after running inside i still feel as lost inside. along the way i’m glad i got to know David, Mr Lim’s son. medicine student & definitely he has his dad’s genes. telling me about his Brazil trip with Mr Lim & how they ran 90km together. wow thats really amazing, how many of us could run 90km with our dads.

heading towards Punggol was mentally tough. i was getting tired & the sleepiness got to me. i kept my distance ahead, walking faster & longer. walking through many foreign parts of Sengkang & Punggol (i was really unsure where i was), luckily Salleh was there to talk to me. after about 35min of walking, the main pack caught up & we began running once more. i was getting drained & really wanted to finish the 100km asap. checking with Sleek’s watch, i estimated about 4km more.

the last few kms were tiring, Tobias was there with me all the time, running, walking. keeping pace with me all the way. and finally when i saw DEFU AVE 1 on the signboard, i picked up my pace & ran the last 1km. and poof! there i was. at the traffic light.

100km in Singapore. done.

walking up the slope at Defu Ave was a torture, seemed neverending & when it was about 1km from the start of the road. waited for Ultra to pick me & Salleh up at the bus stop at the top, while Henry & Tobias went along to continue their run. my full respect to those 2 amazing runners.

Mr Lim finished 218km, sprinting in the final stretch, in 34h 53m. it dint matter the time, its the spirit & the determination that we all feel inspired from. each step i took, each km i ran that day, taught me new lessons in life. Mr Lim, i thank you for the inspiration you have given me, reigniting the passion for running in me.
for all those who ran, you guys can be proud to be part of history.
for Henry, Tobias & Lucas, you guys mean a hell load to me. running my craziest distances & races with you all, i will never have been here without you guys.

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