Sundown Ultramarathon 2011

After crossing the finish line, i said i won't do it again in Singapore. Today, 12 hours after completing the race and having taken a good rest (hee, i am still resting), what's my take?

"Relieved" was what i felt when i was finally done with the 100km.
Relieved i didn't "shame" Johnson's name. Relieved i managed to do it within 18 hours.

Next word was "thankful".
Thankful for the support i had. Thankful for the great friends i have.

Even though i have done a few 100km, i didn't find Sundown easy. 100km on pure tarmac can kill your feet. And having not clocked enough mileage plus all my training runs were done on offroad, every km after 50km was a challenge. I was very nervous about the whole race, mainly b'cos there's a cutoff time. I was fine with the 18 hours but not the 16th hour at 90km. My Twilight result was 84km at abour 15:40. It's challenging to make up for the 6km shortfall.

Start point at Marina Barrage
It was the first time i see so many activities bustling here. The previous visits to this place were all relaxed & peaceful. It was a busy scene with competitors, supporters & the Barrage's visitors. Saw the usual familiar faces while waiting for that dreadful minute to start.

0-10km / Start to ECP
Finally the horn went off. I slowed down on purpose to get into the last pack. After all, it's 100km and wouldn't make a diff whether i'm in front or behind. The weather was sunny but not hot - a nice start. 1st 10km into ECP was fairly easy since i was fresh and the weather was getting cooler.

10 - 20km / ECP
As usual, ECP was filled with people but having ran up and down the busy stretch during Twilight, i could deal with it.

20 - 30km / Changi Coastal
By then, it was night. I decided to take a fast walk as my sole began to hurt again. It was a good pace since i kept overtaking 2 groups of guys who were doing a walk/run combo. At the end of Changi Beach Park, i saw them taking a break by a parked van with their supporters. They offered me smtg to drink which i declined politely. Then, 1 of them jokingly told me not to walk so quickly.

I continued clearing the awful Changi Road. Having worked at Airport Logistics Park is good 'cos i know where the nightmarish route ends. The next part was a mystery.

30-40km / Towards Pasir Ris Park
From the resort at Changi Village onwards, i didn't know where i was. I followed the well-demarcated road & blinking bike lights that were firmly attached to the lamp posts. Honestly, till now, i cannot make out how to get to there.

40 - 50km / Towards Bedok Reservoir
Finally it's Pasir Ris Park! A lady waved at me & i waved back, thinking it's a supporter but she was Bee! Hahahhaha. She said she'll wait for me at the other side of the pitstop after i make my U-turn...yes, that boh-liao U-turn.

I had to change my "diapers" at this 40km pitstop cos i felt uncomfy and could feel some abrasion between u-know-where *ouch*

Topped up my water and off we went. I told Bee that i may need to walk a lot cos my legs are quite gone. However surprisingly, i could still jog quite a fair bit. Bumped into many friends between the 52-56km...Lum, Ronald, Alan, etc. By then, they have came out from the 50km U-turn point. They looked strong and obviously happy after clearing more than half the race. Most importantly, they are still running and conscious enough to recognize me.

Then as we neared the carpark into Bedok Reservoir, i spotted Guoliang who was also there to support Sumiko. He "forced" me to take 1 gel and kept another altho i tot i already have enough with me. Took some iced Lemon-Lime Gatorade & continued.

Saw Chin KK and then Fennel with Esther on the way to U-turn point. They told me i'm very near. Hmm...the definition of "near" differs when u r tired :P When i finally reached 50km pitstop, i didn't want to stay too long. As we left the place, a busload of people drove off too. Bee recognized some of them & said they should be the runners who bailed out.

As we pushed on, i already stopped running. My body felt fatigued, as if i caught a chill. We had a great time chatting. I told Bee i needed some songs to sing to myself after they dropped me off at 52km. At first, she quoted some national songs which i "rejected" cos not very uplifting for a run :P Then we were reminded of the 新谣 days and got inspired with a string of songs that were sufficient to keep me entertained till 70km when i see Regina.

52km / Back to Pasir Ris
As Bee & Ronnie bade me goodbye, I was left alone by myself again. Ultramarathon is a lonely affair which i have, by now, gotten used to. At this juncture, the road was quiet. Most runners have either bailed out or on their way back to end point. I sighted some runners coming in and cheered them by clapping. At that instant, i tot it's a long way in and i really respect those who continued. It's easier to give up than to push on.

I decided to start running slowly. I needed to push myself now. It's easier now, without the heat. I overtook this young guy who was walking consistently but not carrying any food/water. Then, i set my sight on this lady who was ahead of me and still running. She seemed far but at least within sight. But soon, she was out of view again. At the overhead bridge, i finally caught up with her & discovered she's PS! I murmured a "jiayou" and continued. Not that i'm unfriendly, just that i didn't know how to do it politely. I felt a bit paisei to overtake her.

I continued running slowly cos i wanted to see the Joanna & gang at the 60km carpark. I ran and ran but still didn't see them :(

60 - 70km
Can't remember much from Pasir Ris Park to Changi V. Could only recall 2 guys taking some shortcut and i ran to overtake them on purpose to take a look at their bib numbers (0336 was the young but useless one).

When i reached Pasir Ris Park, i just wanted to slow down and walk but the supporters cheered us on the minute they saw us, making it difficult for me to stop :P

As i made my way to the toilet, i somehow slowed down and looked to the side of the road (which i rarely do). I tot i saw a familiar face & that familiar face looked back. Hahaha...it is Charlotte. She quickly woke Joanna up. I have previously arranged with Regina to meet at this point at 7am but i was ahead of time. It was 6am. Altho I was relieved i was ahead by an hour (which will give me more time to slack later) but i know i can't take things for granted. Things can crop up unexpectedly & mess up my condition. I asked Joanna to have Regina meet me at 80km cos i can't afford to stop. My sole was hurting and i felt my right ankle getting weak.

Joanna walked with me as i entered Changi Coastal. I was very exhausted & quite sleepy by then. Joanna did a fantastic job keeping me awake (and sane) by talking to me. They were tired too but they didn't let that show on their faces. Awesome friends!

Then suddenly, Regina appeared at about 76-77km. Tigger fetched & drove her there. Originally, I had planned to rest a bit after meeting her but we started moving towards 80km. After crossing the much-anticipated green fence, we were finally near ECP grounds.

80-90km
I felt hungry and took some NV bar rather reluctantly. The crowd at ECP didn't really bother me. Surprisingly, it was easy to size ECP into bite-able distances. Tigger exchanged SMSes with Regina intermittently to check on us. I asked where was the 90km mark and confirmed it's near McD. In order to keep me going, Regina perked me up with an ice-cream. That was really happiness in its simplest form! It's like iced water in a desert! A fellow runner even turned to look at the noise we were making from eating the ice-cream :P

Then she suggested getting some food from McD. Initially i wasn't hungry but i soon changed my mind at the next km. She relayed the msg to Joanna & Tigger. We then learnt that Fennel's hairline fracture injury recurred & slowed her down. But knowing the determination in her, i know she will persevere till the end.

Nearing Fort Road, i saw Esther running towards me with a McD bag! Yay! It must be my Fillet-O-Fish! Joanna, Yankee & Tigger then appeared with other goodies & fed me well with iced Milo sng baos & grapes :D With my tummy filled, we continued into the final 8km...the toughest part.

I time-checked with Regina. We were left with 100 minutes. Realizing i dun have much time, I asked her to help me keep track cos i was quite zonked. My maths at that time could only calculate 4km in 50min. Regina broke it down to 10min per km. Hmmm...not a long of time, i thought.

96-98km / Tanjong Rhu
Gruelling! I think i was experiencing either heat exhaustion or a result from lack of sleep. Was feeling kinda giddy. I told Regina that i really need to rest for a while once we reach the shade. Once i got into it, i broke into tears cos i was really feeling very bad and the remaining 4km seemed so far. I took my hydralite & spilt some onto my top *frustated*. I then sat down on the grass, for about a minute. I shook my head and said 不可以。Regina tot i meant i can't make it and told me i could. I clarified that i meant i can't stop for so long. I got up onto my feet & continued walking in tears. That's me in distress. If there is someone beside me, i whined...more. If there's no one at that moment, i pep-talk myself & continue dragging my feet forward.

Nearing the bridge across Marina Barrage, we could hear noises. The turning point into the bridge looked so faraway. I kept hoping to see the runners in front of me turned in. Those couple of minutes spent beckoning felt REALLY long. Slowly, i saw 1 by 1 "disappear".

We turned into the bridge & saw the volunteers. I picked up my painful feet & started running very slowly. The bridge didn't seem so long anymore. As the volunteers cheered & ushered us to the end point, i realized what ST said (before we started) was true - we have to run up the ramp for the final 150m to finish the race! DARN! It was upslope and with all that heat at 11+pm...ARGH! Fortunately, i never dislike upslopes.

As i ran past the finish banner, the emcee announced that Johnson dan Jacob has completed the race :P

The race was tough. My feet were in great discomfort. My insides even felt jumbled up. But all these vanished when i saw my friends & a delighted surprise i got at the end point ;D