Pocari Sweat Run 2014 - Essential Race Information

Source : http://www.pocarisweatrun.com/

ESSENTIAL RACE INFORMATION

REPC
Date: 24 - 25 May 2014 (SAT - SUN)
Time: 11am - 7pm
Location: Clarke Quay Central (Atrium)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street Singapore 059817

Note - Race Entry Pack includes Info Kit, Running Single, Number Tag and Shoe Tag ONLY. Running Pouch and Finisher Towel will be given after the race

$10 Special Bundle

RACE DAY
Date: 8 June 2014 (SUN)
Venue: Nicoll Highway
Flag Off Time: 6.30am (10km) and 7.00am (5km)

BROAD PROGRAMME FOR ACTUAL DAY

Time	Programme
6.30am	Flag-Off Men's & Women's 10KM Competitive
7.00am	Flag-Off Men's & Women's 5KM Competitive
8.00am	'What is POCARI SWEAT?'
8.15am	Sharing Session of a Runner's Life  Moderated by Dr Jason Chia, Senior Consultant & Head of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Sports & Surgery Clinic
8.30am	Talk show with Dr Mok Ying Ren
8.45am	Tan Tock Seng Charity Fund Cheque Presentation
9.00am	Prize Presentation
9.15am	Lucky Draw A return trip 4D3N Tokyo Free & Easy

RACE ROUTE

PACERS
NIL

PAID SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES

Shuttle bus services to Nicoll Highway will be provided at selected MRT stations on the event day, 8 June 2014, at $6 per ticket. Click HERE to purchase tickets.

• Ang Mo Kio
• Bedok
• Bishan
• Boon Lay
• Bukit Batok
• Choa Chu Kang
• Clementi
• Dover
• Hougang
• Jurong East
• Pasir Ris
• Punggol
• Sembawang
• Sengkang
• Serangoon
• Tampines
• Woodlands
• Yishun

We have heard many compliments about the good organisation of Pocari Sweat Run. We have been impressed with their communications thus far. And really looking forward to an enjoyable maiden run with them!

A Personal Account on Her First Half-Marathon : 2XU Compression Run 2014, Singapore

I was in dilemma! To run or not to run? See what I had in addition to the pulled thigh muscle last week?

Photo of blisters taken
before we set off from home.

Yes! I had blood blisters on both my feet before the run! Simon advised me to give up as he did not want me to jeopardise my other runs with further injuries. 

I listened. I deliberated. I decided. 

I wanted to run this first half-marathon of my life. Whilst I had thousand-and-one doubts in my brain, my heart didn't want to give up. Not without giving it a try! Somehow, this run meant a great deal to me - consciously or sub-consciously - it signified an important yardstick on my road to recovery from my cancer. 

We had to wake up at 2.00 a.m. due to the early gun time (4.45 a.m.). I always like early gun time. This would allow most runners to cover a substantial part of their race routes before sunrise. 

Simon boiled some potatoes to load his carb. Never a fan of potatoes, I seek comfort in sandwiches and chocolate milk for fuel. By 3.00 a.m., we were ready to leave home. God knew the butterflies in my stomach!

A couple shot before we left home. All geared up!

We arrived at 3.45 a.m. The organisers had chosen a good starting/finishing venue. Accessible by buses, taxis and situated just next to a MRT station. For us drivers, there were ample parking lots in the nearby commercial buildings. We thought we were early, but realised many runners were already there! Had they ever slept at all? 

The brilliant Billboard!

Simon would agree with me that the lighted billboards instructing check-in times for respective categories were brilliant!  Straight forward. No confusion. At exactly 4 a.m., the first wave were allowed into the start pen by the security guards. Dark as it might be, kudos to these guys for scrutinising the bib of every participant before granting access into the pen. 

As it would be another 45 minutes before gun-time, many early birds chose to sit around. Few hardworking ones were already starting to warm-up. Needless to say, Simon forced me to do some exercises too. I was reluctant and chose to take shots with my iPhone after doing some simple stretching to appease him.  

By 4.30 a.m., the starting pen was looking full for the first wave. The emcee started to cheer the crowd on with his humour and encouragements. It would be better if his voice was more powerful. It would wake us up in the early morning! The atmosphere was a tad too serious due to the lack of music.

Runners waiting for gun-time

Simon posing

The crowd's in!

I can assure you that time passes really fast when you hope for it to stop/drag. Before I knew, the race had started and the crowd was fast moving forward. I reckoned it was 4.45 a.m. sharp. 

My oh my! These people ran fast! Within few seconds, I lost sight of Simon too. He disappeared into the sea of yellows and blacks. I was the lonely fighter again. Fortunately, the weather was good and there was wind chill at this hour. I managed to run 1 full km before starting to brisk walk. My first km took about 7 min. Never had I done this speed. That's a stretch for my fitness level! I knew I could not sustain if I were to continue at this pace. Simon's reminder kept creeping back to the back of my mind "Complete. NOT Compete! My dear!". Yeah! I was not there to compete! My objective was to reach the finish line in one piece, and before the 4-hour cut-off time! With this realisation, I re-adjusted my pace and averaged 8 min 30 sec for the subsequent few km. 

All went well until after the loop, on our way back to the new sports hub (probably 4 km mark for half-marathoners?) when I heard a loud siren and saw a rushing ambulance. Runners had to give way to the ambulance. My heart sank as it would only mean mishap. True enough, we heard about the bad news soon. Fellow runner, Mr. Martynn Koh, 45, died in race day tragedy. Being a one-year cancer survivor, I had delayed death in a way. I really feel for the family. My deepest condolences...

Without knowing the real situation, I continued with my run/walk. On the way, I religiously chanted in my heart "Complete. Not Compete"..."Complete. Not Compete". Before the race, Simon shared with me the importance to have 'my own song' during my run to keep my momentum and maintain my pace. So, ~~I want to break free~~ accompanied me silently all the way! It was amazing that I sustained and performed better than my normal training days with this song.

I checked my watch again at 6.50 a.m. and knew that Simon would have finished his race already. The sun had not risen. I was not in a hurry. Let him wait. He couldn't go home without me! 

Few people at the end point when Simon finished his race.

I enjoyed the route for the half-marathon. Spacious and minimum chokage. There were sufficient water points and supplies to keep us well hydrated. The volunteers were cheerful and helpful. What more could I ask for? 

Before long, I was already into the 19 km mark at the Helix Bridge. It would be ideal if we could avoid climbing the stairs. Many had to slow down to make their way up. By then, most runners along my pace were already walking. Me too! 

Walking...Shagged

Beautiful sunrise (after Helix Bridge)

Did I mention that my blisters were triumphing their way during my run/walk? The pain had become almost unbearable. My toe nail turned purple too! Ouch! I had no choice but to slow down significantly after 10 km. Never settle for wrong sized shoes like I did! Mine was half a size too small and I had to pay with endless blisters and pain.

How elated was I when I finally saw the finishing point! By then, my feet couldn't carry me through the finishing line in a run anymore. I walked through my first 21.1 km line. What an un-glam finishing! 

It was really congested at the end point. Many runners were back from all 3 categories (full/half-marathon, 10 km). Whoever thought of giving us an ice-cold towel after the race has to be a genius! That's really a treat! I didn't mind the long queue for the drink/banana/medal/finishing-tee collection because of this treat. 

Long queue at the end point.

Feisty mood after the race.

Simon changed into his Finisher-Tee

My hard-earned medal

Our possessions. Finisher-Tees + Medals

We love the jerseys as well as the medals. All nicely designed. We stayed for a while to soak in the happy ambience before leaving for home.  

I finished my race! I did my embarrassing personal best at 5 km (41 min), 10 km (1 hr 27 min), 21.1 km (3 hr 21 min 05 sec). Ahead of Simon's prediction of 4 hr. He thought that I would barely make it just before the cut-off time. I hope he's happy for me. I abide to his "Complete. Not Compete" motto! 

I have nothing to shout about my finishing time. It is nowhere near a decent timing. But hey! Not too bad considering I was still having my chemo treatments in my bald head this time last year. And that I had never run in my life until 4 months ago! 

The race left me feeling freaking painful on both feet. But, I am happy! Overall, this was a well organised race that had boost my confidence for more runs in future. A fruitful morning. Time well spent!

Crazy Race Pack Collection Week (Episode 1/2) : 2XU Compression Run 2014, Singapore

March is going to be a crazy month for me as I have signed up for 3 running races + OCBC Cycle Singapore. In other words, I have a race almost every weekend! 

Sunday, 2 March 2014 

2XU Compression Run 2014, Singapore

21 km (Simon is in!)

Saturday, 8 March 2014 

X-Bionic Venus Run 2014, Singapore

5 km (all-women race, Simon is not eligible)

Sunday, 16 March 2014

Passion North East Run 2014, Singapore

14 km (Simon is not participating. He does not want to risk injury just before his IPPT.)

Sunday, 30 March 2014

OCBC Cycle Singapore

27 km, The Foldies Community Ride (Simon is in!)

I did not realise that the race pack collection for the 3 running races fall on the same weekend! Better still, all 3 at different parts of Singapore! #@%*&! As Simon and I need sufficient rest for Sunday's early gun time (4.30 a.m.), we must target to finish all collections by early afternoon on Saturday. Hence, we decided to collect our first race pack this evening.

I read both positive and negative reviews about 2XU Compression Run 2013 and remained objective by making the decision to sign up for the half-marathon. Secretly, I was wishing for a smooth race pack collection and actual race day experience.   

The first disappointment came. That race packs to be collected only 1 to 3 days before race instead of the normal 1 to 2 weeks in advance. That's too close! We thought.

The second disappointment came on Tuesday, 26 February. All participants received a SMS message informing that the venue for race pack collection had been shifted from the original Funan DigitaLife Mall (centrally located in town) to Changi City Point (extreme eastern part of Singapore). No reasons cited for this last minute change. It triggered many negative comments on the event's Facebook page. By then, I was seriously hoping for the best....

Simon and I met after work and proceeded straight to Changi City Point. Gaining entry into the car park was already a problem as the car park was already full when we arrived. It took us quite a while to enter and hunt for a lot. It seemed that many were there for the same purpose. 

It's an outdoor area and the queue was long. Just when we were expecting another long wait, we were pleasantly surprised that the queue was actually fast moving! We attribute the efficiency to sufficient counters and volunteers' support. The atmosphere was blithesome despite a hot weather with no air-conditioning. At least, the organisers placed enough standing fans to battle the heat! It took us about 30 minutes to queue and collect our race pack along other merchandises that we ordered during registration. That's acceptable.   

Sufficient counters. Sufficient volunteers. Fast moving queue. Thumbs up!

My turn.

Simon awaiting his race pack.

Merchandise stacked aside for collections.

Collected my compression shorts, visor and socks. We thought the bundle deal was reasonable in comparison to normal retail prices.

Happy that Pocari Sweat is the official isotonic drink sponsor. They were running a 'Like' their Facebook page promotion on site. We had a box of free Pocari Sweat sachets each for liking their page.

Bibs for Simon and me. We are both tackling 21 km in this event. Simon should do well while I just hope to complete, not compete!

Simon's.

Mine.

Now that we have only 2 more race pack collections on Saturday, we are more relaxed and looking forward to another enjoyable running experience. After all, this is going to be the maiden half-marathon of my life! 

By the way, don't you think we gonna look like Bumble Bees on race day? Thousands of us! What a combo! lol