To support my decision to run in this year's Gold Coast Airport Marathon, Rachel decided to sign up for the Southern Cross University 10km Run that would be held a day before the marathon (6 Jul 14).
Unlike Singapore's 10km races that are open to all participants (with a usual cut-off time of 2.5 hours), the Southern Cross University 10km Run had a strict cut off timing of 1hr 30min (with a maximum start off allowance of 10min). Failing to do so would get the participants disqualified.
This was indeed a challenge for Rachel as she had only started walking/running few months ago. Her personal best was 1hr 31min during the recent Pocari Sweat Run (8 June 2014). Moreover, she had been unwell for the past 3 months and had literally no trainings. Despite these challenges, she signed up for the event.
As Rachel's husband, boyfriend and best-est friend, I was concerned about her medical conditions, her physical condition and the impact of a cool climate upon her. I ended up registering in the 10km category (in addition to my own Full Marathon) so that I could "escort" her and ensuring that her safety would not be compromised in any way.
On 4 Jul 14 (Fri), Rachel and I had finalised and inspected our running gears for the 10km run. We had an early night off. We even purchased doughnuts so that we could have them for breakfast before the run.
On 5 Jul 14 (Sat), we woke up early at about 4.00 a.m., washed up and departed to the race precinct. Before departing, I went out to the balcony to check on the weather and discovered that the floor was wet due to rain. This was not very good news as we were not prepared for a rainy overseas run - I was more worried that the wetness and coldness would impact Rachel's health condition. In the end, we decided to bring along our windbreakers, ponchos and gloves as contingencies.
We drove and arrived at the Australia Fair Shopping Mall at about 5.00 a.m. We were glad that it did not rain along the way and left our contingency gears in the car before proceeding to the race precinct. By then, the information booth and baggage deposit counters were already in full operations. We were impressed! There were also sufficient toilets being deployed to ease the "pee/poo" crowd (i.e. toilets were deployed at recovery area and all pen-entry points).
At about 6.10 a.m., the announcement was made for all of us to gather at our respective start zones (A to D). Rachel and I went to Zone D (for those intending to finish between 1 to 1:30hr) although she was being assigned to Zone A (We were puzzled why she was assigned to Zone A despite her stating 1:30hr as her estimated completion time. We could only conclude that the organiser had put her in Zone A due to her medical conditions???).
At Zone D, we bumped into 2 very friendly Singaporean runners, Suqin and Irene who travelled to Gold Coast on their own to participate in the run. It was so nice to talk fellow Singaporeans!
At 6.30 a.m. sharp, the organiser flagged off the event. As we started in Zone D, we only managed to cross the start line after 5 minutes. Hence, we had exactly 1hr 35min to complete the run. Rachel started off running at a 7min/km pace. I was worried about her sustainability and kept telling her to slow down. She heeded my advice. I held her hand and we started a slow jog/walk at the cut-off pace of 9min/km. Like I always tell her, we were there to complete, not compete!
It was a joyful run. Along the way, we were motivated by the friendliness and encouragements given by the runners, the volunteers deployed at water points, the traffic control marshals and the musicians at various locations. It was amazing to see volunteers of all ages (ranging from young children to old grandparents) enthusiastically cheering the runners on. We chatted with many other runners, encouraging one another to the finish point. Somehow, Rachel managed to maintain the pace I set for her and we completed the run comfortably at the gun time of 1hr 32min (net time 1hr 26min 55 sec).
At the end point, it was really a pleasant surprise to see Suqin and Irene waiting for us despite their earlier finish. We were happy to make new friends. Rachel happily exchanged email addresses with our new found friends and we took many acomplishment photos for one another. Finisher T-shirts and Medals were also given to every runner who completed the run within the cut-off time.
All in all, we had a very enjoyable experience. It was an eye-opener to see such a professionally organised event, and with so much positive vibes. On a personal note, I am very PROUD that my wife had not only attempted the run but was able to complete it within the cut-off time. Congratulations and Well Done!
It will be my own Full Marathon race tomorrow. I am looking forward to another fantastic run. Until then, all the best to all FM runners!
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