This morning at 7.00am, I joined a few thousand runners for a 15K trail and road run. The runners for the 10K set off at 7.30pm.
I ran this time with more preparation: I put on my Avia Avi-Stolz trail-running shoes, two-piece tri-suit, race-belt, and a packet of caffeinated energy gel. I meandered my way through the nervous runners and their vibes, so I could jockey a better position. With a High-5 packet of energy gel and a full bottle of water, I felt hydrated and charged up to race.
I struggled through the 1-killometre stretch (11-12K mark) of sandy beach, which was littered with molehills. I navigated my way near the shore where the sand was flat, although risked getting my shoes wet by the eager waves. This portion took me about 7-8 minutes as I was struggling to run on uneven ground. The time and position I gained earlier was compromised by this challenging stretch. This one kilometre of sandy beach was engineered to fatigue the runners and add variety; annoyingly, it worked splendidly.
I held a 4:55min/K pace overall, although I was zipping along at a 4:25min/K pace till the 11K. I enjoyed a PB until that point (after a 3/4K stretch of trail at the beginning). My final time was 1:12:57, which placed me at about 20th position in a field of 528 of veteran male runners. Although I was about 90 seconds slower than the previous year, I noticed that this was the pattern of delay for a significant number of the runners. I wonder what was different with the route?
Looking back, I have done since September a half-marathon, 10K run, Berlin Marathon, 30K race and 15K. Enough running! The long rides await me before IMWA on 5 December!
It was great catching up with Ironman finishers Danny, Roger, Chong Mein and David after the race. That’s another 15K to our individual tally for the newly incepted ENR226 challenge. The first person to complete a total of 226K in race running distance (within triathlons, biathlons, or pure run races) wins the award.
Photo credit: Ng Chee Beng
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