A Special Marathon

Another marathon completed but not just any other 42.195km. To me, it was a very very special experience...priceless :)

It started raining at 2am. We tot it was gonna be a wet run. God knows (ya, so rite), later in the day, the sun scorched down our fatigued bodies as we hit the dreaded 30km mark. I couldn't even open my (small) eyes at the Barage stretch!

Somehow, i subconsciously divided the run into 3 parts - 1-16km: city tour; 17-29km boring ECP & 30-42 the unknown zone.

1-16km - City Tour
Being the inaugural SCMS (no longer SCSM), new routes were introduced. The full marathon took the runners to iconic places like Orchard Road, Chinatown & Esplanade. The 1st 16km was fairly ok to handle since the surroundings were all dark.

17-29km - Boring ECP
I always dread this stretch. Perhaps due to this expectation, i somehow am unusually pleasantly surprised i clear it w/o much agony. And it's always this part that i see my friends who came down to support us. Upon entering ECP, i realised i was gonna finish the 1 & only NV bar that i've brought. I can only hope that June will make it in time at McD on our way back to pass me a Snickers bar.

The day welcomed dawn as we stepped into ECP. Bb needed to use the loo but was paisei to relieve in the bushes. So he stubbornly "tong"ed til McD. Haha, i told him no one would bother to stare. I've seen umpteen guys peed during races and never bothered to stare & "check" if i knew any one of them :P

In the midst of my fatigue, i managed to spot Auntie Jo, Joanne Loke & Cat on the opposite lane. They have already U-turned but not me :( . By the time we U-turned, I felt rather tired & hungry. Couldn't really bother anymore who were around. Suddenly, bb asked if the person on the other side is my friend. I turned, saw a round guy & thought,"Do i know him?". After a few secs, Rima came into my scanning zone & i realised it was her that bb was referring to. Wow, the tyre that she was pulling this time looked heavier! Strong lady!

At 26km, bb spotted June (whom i have earlier described to him). I was so happy! There's food finally!!! The gu-gel i took earlier only lasted me for a couple of km. Took a Snickers bar & a mouthful of Pocari Sweat from Sab & her and off i ran.

30-42 - The Unknown Zone
I didn't expect this stretch to feel so long. Somehow, it felt so different from the year i did AHM there. For one, the road was properly tarred & no longer off-road (darn!). Almost everyone was walking with only a few struggling to run. It was very hot and exposed. To make it worse, there wasn't any water point for the entire stretch.

Kept looking out for Marina Barage as i felt the urge to pee. But i later abandoned my "plan" to pee cos i felt it was time-consuming. I know i could endure for another 9km(?).

Once we were on the expressway, we could sight water points & runners who seem to have finished the race. Turned out that F1 pit was the baggage collection point. It was messy. U have finishers walking around, tourists pushing their trolley bags and runners who are running towards the end point. Kinda demoralizing actually.

Slightly before the 1km mark, we decided to continue running but when i saw the crowd on the upslope & the sun, i couldn't hold my pace. I only plucked up my "readiness" to run at the turn round Fullerton Hotel .

As i crossed into the remaining 195 metres, the feeling of seeing the finishing banner once again felt good. But this time round, it felt even better! The "suffering" was easier & sweeter *wink* Thank you bb!