Happy 2023! It's gonna be higher registration fees for running events in Singapore

Happy New Year! I wish you good health and many personal bests for the year to come.

Recently, Sundown Marathon Signapore announced that registration for their marathons has begun. If you're interested in participating, you can register on their official website.

Initially, I was interested in participating in the 21 km category, but after seeing the price, I think I will skip this event and look for cheaper races. Oh, I emailed Sundown on December 18th to inquire about this event, but they ignored me. I guess it's normal for event organizers to ignore such emails, though.

Anyway, I've compiled the prices for three recent running events for your quick comparison before you sign up for any. It's worth noting that registration fees for running events have consistently increased, possibly due to inflation and the GST hike. 

With higher registration prices, we should be more selective when choosing the races we want to participate in.

For your information:

There are only two marathon distances in Singapore: the Standard Chartered Marathon and Sundown Marathon. The former is a morning marathon, and the latter is a night marathon.

If I recall correctly, the cost for running events prior to the pandemic was around this range:

42 km - $2+ per km

21 km - $3+ per km

10 km - $4+ per km"

Regards

Recap: Salomon Rail Forest Run 25km run

I participated in the Salomon Rail Forest Run on November 5th, 2020 as a lead-up training to better prepare myself for the Singapore Marathon, which will be held on the first Sunday of December 2022. I underestimated the run, as the weather and terrain were tough, especially since I had not logged enough running mileage in the past few months. Additionally, I was unfamiliar with the route as it was the first time I had ever run on the entire rail corridor. Despite these challenges, I managed to complete the 25km run, although I had an embarrassing positioning of 80 percentile (188 out of 237 participants, and 148 out of 185 males).

I have to give a shout out to the volunteers who were very supportive and helpful throughout the run! When I spoke to some of them, they had been there as early as 3:30am and their spirits were not broken by the weather! Ultimately, this run did prepare me better for the Singapore Marathon in 2022, rain or shine. 

You can watch the video to get a feel for my running experience on that day (pun intended).

References:

http://railforestrun.com/

https://time.raceya.fit/leaderboard/salomonrailforestrun2/25km-Challenge

Recap: Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2022

I participated in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2022 (SCSM 2022) on 4 December 2022. This is my longest run since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and I was very excited to participate in the event. But my target was to complete the run by 6:30 hour. I have never been a good runner and the longest distance I had ran this year was 25 km only. 

Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) from 1 to 3 Dec 22

I visited REPC on the first day and collected my race entry pack without any fuss. i.e. to say, the collection process were simple and smooth!  It has been some time I have visited REPC/Race Expo. I took the opportunity to shop for sports apparels to replace my ageing items. I was tempted to purchase other merchandise/gadgets but I only purchased a pair of tights that I needed. 

Preparations on 3 Dec (Sat)

It is common ritual for runners to carbo load and lay our their running equipment a day before an event. I am not indifferent and did the same ritual. i.e. All my items were laid out, and I had pizzas for dinner. Also I went to bed at 9 pm but spend a few hours tossing before I manage to catch some sleep.

 

Singapore Marathon 2022 on 4 Dec 2022 (Sun)

My phone was set to wake me up at 2am on Sunday, but I manage to wake up by myself at 1:50am. I went for a quick shower, prepared myself and kissed my wife goodbye before I make my way to the race village. 

I arrived at race village at at 3:30am, went for a final pee and went to the starting point (Pen G)

The run was delayed due to the sudden downpour just when we were about to flag off. The flag time was delayed for several times. Thankfully, the event organiser decided to proceed on with the event after an hour. Pen A was flagged off at 5:30am, Pen B at 5:31, Pen C onwards was a "rolling flag off". 

  

Besides the rain, there were nothing unexpected from running a Singapore Marathon. i.e. overcrowding due to sharing of route for marathoners and half-marathoners, hot weather in the late morning and the run up Benjamín shears bridge. Somehow, I was feeling kinda happy as I was able to run alongside with other runners, enjoying the street performers/cheer groups and was soaked in positivity from the volunteers. 

I was happy that I completed the run before 6 hour net timing. This was despite the fact that I was suffering from a dizzy spell due to the heat after 30km mark but I managed to recover from it. 

After thoughts  

Looking back, my stats for this run was rather unimpressive and my placing for this event was 3,649 out of 5,771. 

I am an untalented runner who could never run any faster, but I love to run. So, if my time permits, I will still sign up and go for the next marathon run again. 

So I would like to wish you to have a great running journey ahead, and always remember my mantra - "To Complete, and not Compete!"

See you in my next blog posting! :)

References:
1. https://singaporemarathon.com/
2. https://www.sportsplits.com/races/singapore-marathon-2022/events/1/results/individuals/13054/

Finisher of 100 Miles Challenge Race (Virtual Edition) 2020

I may not be the Fastest, Talented, or Fittest, but I think I may be one of the more determined sane nuts to participate in this 100 Miles Challenge 2020 (Virtual Edition)

The journey began on 12 Oct 2020 and the participants were given 35 days to complete this challenge. Some powerhouses completed their distances within a go, but the majority completed or will be completing it by installments. I belonged to the second category.

My principal consideration for this challenge is that my participation must not impact my working hour, family time or event the time that I need to perform any other essential tasks. And it would seem that only time that I could afford to sacrifice is ......... my non-sleeping hours.

And here I go, carried out with my plan as if it is a military operation order, waking up at the wee hour every morning (about 4 am+) and attempted to clock back-to-back 10 km+ runs for 2 weeks or more.

Doing Back-to-Backs runs are very psychically exhausting, on Day 11, I noticed that I could no longer carry on with this regime and had to take that morning off for a quick active recovery session. Thankfully, I was about to recover quick enough to clock more mileages on the same evening and the remaining days. 

Everyday, I ran by feel, adapted myself to the runs and ran further. For a good 13 days since 12 Oct, I have accumulated enough mileages to be qualified as a finisher. On 24 Oct, the 100 miles challenge Race Director emailed to inform that he had verified my running logs and Congratulated me for a job well done. I am so proud that I was able to complete this event. 

SOME REFLECTIONS

Succeed to Plan, and Plan to Succeed, Adjustment to the Plan is a Continuous Process 

My original plan was to complete this challenge within 16 days (i.e. running ~10 km daily). Subsequently, I decided to stretch it and try to complete the event within 2 weeks (i.e. 11.5km or more mileages on the weekends. This would means that I would need to cock an additional 10 kms on the weekends to accumulate 80 km weekly mileages.

Establishing Self-Awareness and Self-Discipline

Running back-to-back daily is no simple affair for the average Joe as it is rather demanding physically and mentally. This was made worst as I did not train as much as previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slowly down is also and important step in order to preserve energy to the new few runs too. On days that I think i can run faster, I kept reminded myself to slow down as any foolish now will jeopardise my mission. 

Also, I took really good care of myself for the weeks leading to the event. This was in hope that I will not fall sick before or during the event. Some of the care include (1) sleeping earlier than usual in order to wake up on time for runs, (2) slow down to a comfortable pace in order to sustain for my subsequent runs, (2) took multi-vitamins and anti-inflammatory supplements (such as Omega-3) as a form of precautionary measures.

Remember to Draw Inspiration from Social Media during this COVID-19 Pandemic

Without seeing and communicating with real participants, this event became a fairly boring and quiet challenge. I missed the cheering from the volunteers at the aid stations and the passions from the fellow ultra-runners. Now, the only place that kept me going is the Strava "100 Miles Challenge Group" that was created to track the participants' progress. And seeing these crazy elites completing 100 miles in a go (or 2) truly amazed me, it also inspired me to continue to persist on no doubt that I am just the average "Simon".

CONCLUSION

Participating in this challenge was demanding physiologically, but I thought that I had enjoyed it as it has been a fun and challenging journey. Let's hope COVID-19 pandemic will be over soon and we can take part in real runs in the near future.

I hope that  Running Guide will resume that 101 km Craze Ultra in 2021. 

For now, I hope you guys will stay safe and take care of yourself. See you again when we can start running together!

 

Participating in the 100 Miles Challenge 2020 (Organised by Running Guild)

References
100 Miles Challenge Website: https://www.crazeultra.com/p/virtual-edition.html

Craze Ultra on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrazeUltra/

Craze Ultra 2020 took a virtual twist this year. 

Instead of organising an ultra-marathon event during COVID-19 pandemic, a 100mile challenge (Virtual Edition) will be organised from 12 Oct to 15 Nov 2020. There are 2 ways to compete this event - Participants could either complete 100 Miles within 32hr or we could accumulate 100 Miles over multiple activities during the 35 days. 

Completion Strategy 

With my limited training due to COVID-19 and other personnel/work commitment, it would be too physical demanding for me to run anything longer than 10km at a go nor could I run 10km on consecutive days without feeling burnt-out.

As such, my strategy is simply jog for lesser than 10km on most of the days in order to achieve the required mileage. I will also need to put my Pride and Ego aside and ensure that I can run consistently for the entire durations.

Attending Webinars

As part of this virtual event, I have attended 2 webinars on 1 Oct (Q&A with Race Director) and 8 Oct (Nutrition and Race Tips). There will be one more webinar (Past Runner Legacy Session) in End Oct 2020. In my opinion,  the Q&A session with RD Ben Swee and Steffan was rather fun and interesting . You may consider watching this  ~30min re-run too.

Webinar 1 - Questions and Answers with Ben Swee

Free trial  products were sent to participants

I received these products 2 weeks ago, but I have not tried these jelly yet. I have also enquired on the consumption methods for these strange products as there would not english instructions on the packaging. After attending the webinar 2 (not available online), I understand that the "multi-energy" jelly should be consumed 30 min before any activity and the "refresh charge" jelly should be consumed during every 90 min intervals.  

I will try these ~$3 per packet jelly during the 100 mile challenge.

 

Please stay tune for more updates :)

----

Extracts of Email Sent by Race Director

Briefing Notes for 100 Miles Challenge 2020

Dear 100 Miles Challenge 2020 Participants,

We hope you're getting excited for the 100 Miles Challenge 2020 :)

Just before the 100 Miles Challenge starts, here are some points to keep in mind, some based on the questions i've received:

Event Period

• Your activities can be done any day/time within the period from 12 Oct 2020 0000hrs (12am) till 15 Nov 2020 2359hrs(11.59pm) based on your country's time zone.  
• It is not necessary to start on the 1st day.  
• The final activity must be completed by 15 Nov 2020 2359hrs (11.59pm).  Any activity that starts and/or ends after this date/time will not be counted.

Types of Qualifying Activities

• Only outdoor runs/walks/hikes with route maps shown in your Strava activities will be counted.
• Activities done indoor/sheltered areas such as gym, home, office multi-storey car park, basement car park, mall, buildings, etc, WILL NOT be counted.
• Random checks will be done on your activities to verify if they are valid.  Activities without route maps/unbelievable pace/done indoor/manually entered/aided by vehicles or mobility devices such as bicycle, tricycle, trishaw, skateboard, scooter, e-scooter, motorcycle, bus, car, lorry, truck, etc, will not be counted.  If I have any doubts, I may or may not seek clarification from you.

Required Distance

• The minimum total distance required is 100 Miles, which is 160.934km.  To be safe, go for at least 161km :)
• You can do 100 Miles in 1 go or accumulate 100 Miles over multiple activities within the event period.

Strava Club/Group

• Invitations to join a Strava Club/Group have been sent out to those who 'follow' me in Strava. Please open your Strava notifications (located on the top right corner of your Strava app/website) and check if you have received an invite.
• If you have not received an invite, please 'follow' me in Strava at https://www.strava.com/athletes/15096947 so that I can send an invite to you.  After the event, you can 'unfollow' me.
• Currently, there are 5 different Strava Clubs/Groups.  You'll be invited to join 1 of the groups.  The groups are not set up based on your running prowess.
• For the period of the event, please set your privacy control for your activities in Strava to allow 'Everyone' to see your activities.  You can set it back to your preference after the event period is over.  Thank you for your understanding.
• For those who selected their activities as Hike/Walk, your activities will not appear on the Strava Club's Leaderboard as the Club's primary activity has been set as running.  You do not have to worry about this as you can let me know once you have completed 100 miles and I can go to your Strava account to view your activities.
• At the end of the event, the Strava Club/Group will be deleted.
• NOTE: For those who have not tried out their Strava app, please test it & ensure it works (example, it syncs with your GPS watch or you can use the Strava app to record your activity) before you start the Challenge.

Sub-32 Hours 100 Miles Finisher/Hall of Fame

For those who are aiming to qualify for the Sub-32 Hours 100 Miles Finisher Hall of Fame, please note the following:

• The 32 hours qualifying period is a single continuous period.  For example, if you start at 7am on Saturday 24 Oct 2020, you must finish by 2.59pm on Sunday 25 Oct 2020.  
• You will not qualify as a Sub-32 Hours Finisher if all your activities are spread over several days or beyond the 32 hours single continuous period, even if the accumulated distance of those activities is 100 Miles and the total time taken is less than 32 hours.
• The cut off time to qualify as a Sub-32 Hour 100 Miles Finisher is 31 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds.  Any finishing time from 32 hours 00 min 00 sec & longer will not qualify you as a Sub-32 Hours Finisher.
• The 32 hour period is the total elapsed time of your activity, inclusive of your moving time (run/walk/hike) & all pauses/stops (such as rest, meal, drink, restroom, charging of your watch/phone/device, shower, sleep, bad weather, etc).
• Please inform Ben (via WhatsApp +6596332436 or Facebook messenger (https://www.facebook.com/ben.swee.5/) or email runningguild@gmail.com) when you're just about to start your Sub-32 Hours attempt.  And when you finish 100 miles (regardless of time) OR decide to stop midway, please inform Ben immediately too.  You may send a photo of yourself to Ben :) 
• You can do multiple activities accumulating to 100 miles, as long as it is still within the 32 hours continuous period. 
• There is no limit on the number of attempts to finish 100 Miles below 32 hours as long as the attempts are still within the qualifying period.  For example, you can keep trying every weekend if you are up to it :)
• If you are unable to finish 100 Miles below 32 hours, the distance that you've covered in that attempt can still be added to subsequent activities and accumulated to reach 100 Miles, as long as it's within the qualifying period.

Upon Finishing 100 Miles

• Please inform me as soon as you have completed 100 Miles (whether you did it all in 1 go or accumulated over multiple activities) so i can verify your activities and email the e-certificate to you.

Finisher T-Shirt & Medal  

• The Finisher T-Shirt & Medal will be posted out to the address you provided, hopefully by the end of Nov 2020, depending on whether there's any delay in printing/shipment of the items from the vendors due to the COVID-19 situation.

Safety/Health

• Please ensure you are in good health before you start the activity.  Do not do the activity if you're feeling unwell that day.  Save it for another day.
• Have a good rest before you start your activity.
• Do the activity together with someone if it is permitted & possible.  If you're heading out alone, ensure you have informed someone about your route, how long you expect to take & what time you expect to finish.
• Bring along your mobile phone during the activity which will come in handy for any emergency.
• Hydrate & Fuel well before, during and after the activity.  Plan your fueling and hydration strategy.
• Stay alert & beware of danger along the route, e.g. pedestrians, vehicles, potholes, dangerous animals/insects/plants, etc.
• Bring along lighting if necessary e.g. headlamp/rear blinker light especially for dark areas/to alert others of your presence.
• Bring along any first aid/medication for any emergency.  Go to the nearest hospital/clinic if necessary.
• Be prepared for severe/bad weather/lightning.  You may wish to bring along a rain jacket/poncho.
• Have a good recovery after the activity, e.g. recovery drink/meal, massage, foam rolling, stretching, etc.  

If you have any other questions, do let me know.

May I wish all of you the best & may you have a crazy & nutty time challenging yourself over 100 Miles of Running/Walking/Hiking 😁

Visit to Sembawang Hotspring on 6 Sep 2020

Re-visiting One of the only Two Hotsrping in Singapore during CB Phase 2.

Covid-19 is not deterring people from visiting this place. :)

IRONMIND THE MOVIE

Running in London & Paris 2018 & 2019

Running is said to be a great way to sightsee cities. 

While we were in London and Paris, I managed to find some time to do two quick runs in both cities.

Sharing my videos captured using my GoPro Hero. 

Craze Ultra 2018 - Getting re-certified as a 101% Crazy Nut

Running In Deep Ultra Thoughts
(Photo Credits : U- Run I Shoot)

Finisher T, Tower and Medal

References :

1. U - Run I Shoot

2. Run Photo Run

3. Ton Ton Running Events

4. Craze Ultra - Are You Nuts?

5. Red Dots 123

It's the forth time I participated in the 101km category and completed it! My strategy remained unchanged. That was to adopt a 20km jog, then 80km power-walk. Surprisingly, I was able to clock a new Personal Best (PB)!

This' rather unexpected as many of the lead-up training activities were somehow disrupted by ad hoc work and home commitments. Perhaps my improvements were attributed to a better (and flatter) running route, an inclusion of a weekly hill climb as part of training, and a stricter dieting plan. Or perhaps it could be the case that the body's more experienced with such endurance stresses and had evolved slightly so that I could run such distances with lesser stress.

In any case, I am delighted that my completion timing seems to be improving every year (from DNF in 2015 to 21h in 2016, 19h in 2017, and then to 18H in 2018. And although the improvements have been negligible over the years, I think I'll still continue to participate so long as the race goes on. I'll probably stop only when I know that I have reached my limits (i.e. when my performance stagnates).

Punching in the Air
(Photo Credits : U- Run I Shoot)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See my photo/video blog to re-live my 101km Craze Ultra Journey

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running Route for 101km

Flagging Off the 101km participants
(Photo Credits : Red Dots 123)

Group Photo Prior to Flag Off
(Photo Credits : Craze Ultra - Are You Nuts) 

Resting at CP1 (Yishun Ave 6). Going towards CP2 (Sembawang Park)

Running towards CP2 (Sembawang Park)

(Photo Credits : Run Photo Run)

Resting at CP2 (Sembawang Park). Going Towards CP1 (Yishun Ave 6)

Hungry & Can't Move? Having a Proper Meal @ Northpoint City

Resting at CP1 (Yishun Ave 6). Going toward Seletar Hellway (Oops, i mean Highway).

Enduring the heat (35 Degree Celsius) after departing CP1 (Yishun Ave 6).
Going towards CP4 (Lor Halus)

Running along Yishun Dam (Shielding my head from the heat using the towel that was  provided at CP1)

Resting at CP4 (Lor Halus). Going towards CP5(Sun Plaza Park)

Replenishing Supplies from my Special Needs Bag at CP4 (Lorong Holus). 

Resting at CP5(Sun Plaza Park). Going towards CP6 (Bedok Reservoir)

Lovely Support by the Volunteers at CP5 (Sun Plaza Park)

Running Towards CP6 (Bedok Reservoir)

Resting at CP6 (Bedok Reservoir). Heading towards CP5(Sun Plaza Park)

Saving Some Time by Eating the Chinese Pork Jerky

Resting at CP5(Sun Plaza Park). Heading towards CP4 (Lorong Halus) 

Resting at CP4 (Lorong Halus). Heading towards CP1(Yishun Ave 6)

At CP4 (Towards Yishun Ave 6) : Right Heel had developed Blisters after the Drizzle

Resting at CP1. Heading Towards End Point (McRitchie Reservoir)

Walking Towards Finishing Point

(Video Credits : Mrs Run-the-Town)

Completing the Run slightly before 1 a.m. (18 hours after flagged off)

----------------------
Technical Details
----------------------