Updated: 18 Sep 2005 by Yiling
The biggest running event in Singapore. Singapore?s an avid running country. So it?s hardly surprising 14,000 people signed up for this event. What?s surprising was at least 1/3 signed up for the full marathon and most completed it.
At 538am a huge mass of people had already staked their spot behind the starting line in front of the Esplanade. There were signboards indicating ?3-4 hours?, ?5-6? hours. Depending on how much time you think you?d need to complete it, you should park yourself in the correct section. Let not the slower ones block the faster ones. And rightly so.
Now, everyone?s looking confident, eager, fit and beautiful, adrenaline pumping in sync with the booming music. Hey,Singapore?s got no lack of fit & brawny people! It was quite a feast for the eyes. And hmmm? who said Singaporean men are short?
6am sharp, the runners were flagged off. As you crossed the starting line, you?d feel like a celebrity (loads of photographers snapping away). Put on your best smile/look. You never know if you?d appear in the papers.
Esplanade?s quite an ideal location to start ? the road was wider and could accommodate more runners at one go. Last year, there was a severe bottleneck at the starting point @ stadium (we crossed the start line 7 mins after flag-off).
The weather was so clear that it was almost certainly going to be hot. The stars were twinkling brightly (damn!). The air was warm, still and extremely humid. And people were sweating profusely 1km into the run.
The first stop was Marina South. That would cover 12km. As I passed the 4km mark, the lead runner had sprinted by in the opposite direction crossing the 12km mark. He was followed closely by the leading pack. We just clapped and clapped and cheered.
After meandering through lots of bends in Marina south (how boring could it get?), we finally exited marina south and headed back to Esplanade and then to raffles avenue and raffles boulevard towards Kallang. I?d never look at Kallang the same way again. The used car centre ? yes, that?s the 19km and 37km marks past SDBA, our usual training place and Cosy bay ? 21km. And the hot hot hot sun!
Struggling through Tanjung Rhu and Ford road, finally got to East Coast (another 10km). I was so tired and in pain I headed to the B2 carpark toilet for a sit-down rest. Should I stop here? But I didn?t and continued running/walking. More and more people had started walking. It was an unspoken solidarity. As we acknowledge each other?s fatigue tacitly, and cast understanding glances at those who stopped by the side to stretch their limbs. This year, I witnessed less tree-pushing. All the runners seemed very determined to cross the finishing line and to not waste time uprooting trees and lampposts. I?ve only seen 1 case of a runner sprawled right at the edge of the running path, daring others to trample on him. And many were very nice to come up and ask Are u alright? Hows your leg? Keep going and don?t stop!
I must have looked constipated with pain cos could easily count at least 5 people coming up to me to ask these questions. Dunch ask me how they looked like cos I couldn?t register anything except those signages proclaiming ?200m to drinks?, ?150m to Elite drinks?, ?23km?, ?30km? and the bananas handed out by the CDC people @ east cost, etc. At each point, I asked myself, do you wanna go on? Do you wanna stop and turn back? Walk back to the starting point. But I guess by the time I reached the 30km mark I thought I might just as well finish it.
There were quite funny things I saw along the way. Never never wear an under-sized shorts. There was this guy whose shorts hitched up so high behind exposing his fleshy butt that I felt compelled to sprint forward to get in front of him to avoid being visually assulted. And never ever wear light coloured shorts with dark undies cos the sweat would with a deadly certainty reveal the undies conspicuously. And wear proper tops so you wunch get abrasion or smear on petroleum jelly at the right spots. This year I din see any nipple bleeds but carie said she saw. Also saw sunglasses perched on heads. Wunch drop one meh? I never got to ask.
Then there were those young, porcelain-skin cheerleading girls shrieking away. Oh my oh my ? not enough that my legs were tortured but my ears as well?
Along the way people came to chit-chat like they were old pals of mine and I saw many fit army guys (young and not-so-young) struggling (some consolation). Thank goodness they spouted less profanities than those army boys did during the Sheares Bridge run. Or maybe they were too tired? And there was a guy dressed up as a cake. We had bathed and going for lunch (at 2pm ++) when we saw him still struggling to clear the 38km mark! He was so overhwelmed by the heat and his costume.
The last 12km wasn?t as tough as my earlier 10km. Only the last 3km was very enduring as it was getting hot again. My only grouse was that many drink stations had already closed shop by then so the poor slowly runners weren?t as hydrated as those faster ones. So glad to finally be able to collapse under the welcomed shade of the tent after crossing the finishing line. Phew! Was nice to have oranges. Legs and mind were too numb to feel anything.
The marathon is really an event that allowed the man-in-the-street to test the limits of his endurance and turn pain into triumph. The absolute demonstration that: Overcometh the Body, the Mind canth!