Why I ran the 100KM

The complete question would be, "Why did I decide to run the 100KM at the last minute." I don't think there is a good answer, in fact I don't think I have an answer. But you probably know it was not an easy journey, it was hard to the point of breaking down your spirit into many pieces. It was not just a test of your physical strength and endurance but it was also a test of your mental strength, and in my case almost 18 hours of it. I have many times, during the run even doubt whether I could actually finished it but what helped me was that I divided the distance into small pockets of 10KM. That was how I cope with the distance. It's less daunting to know that the next run was only 10KM instead of another 70KM. The organisers made that easier by having pit stops every 10KM and at each pit stop, there was a nice spread of sandwiches, muffins, fruits, gummies, biscuits, potato chips and endless supply of water and 100PLUS though I think what's missing was a cold glass of MILO....

I am really not a good text book example of how to prepare for a race. I went against everything I had learned and followed. I ran this race with minimal training, the longest single distance was 42KM four weeks before the race, and that was during Sundown Marathon and I did that once. I went from 10KM to 30KM in just one week during my training runs. I did not run anything more than 10KM since last December. I bought a new pair of shoes with less than 20KM mileage on it. I didn't even sign up for this race, I was given a free bib.

Physically, I was screwed. But I took with me a lot of insanity, some courage and a large dose of determination. I was hesitant to write this post as this was not something I would encourage or advocate anyone to do. It's thoughtless, it's stupid and it's reckless. If I got hurt, I would not only hurt myself but also the people around me. But, I still went out to do it. I have nothing to prove to any one. Not even to myself. And I wasn't even running this for charity. It's certainly not for glory. My name is not even on the Hall of Fame. But no one would believe me if I say I did this for no apparent reason at all. But if you put a gun to my head and ask me why, I will say I did this for the free t shirt. So there.

The race atmosphere that day was the same at every race. Runners are a cheerful lot, we took photos and wished each other good luck. I was trying to be inconspicuous, somehow I didn't feel that I belong here. I didn't train at all, it's like insulting these hardcore runners who had spent a lot of time perfecting their pace and putting in effort to train and in choosing the right outfit and shoes to wear. I wore the same outfit as last year when I did the 84, not because for good luck but because I had not really planned the race carefully. My special needs bag (if you want to call it) was almost empty apart from my cap, some plasters and Vaseline, I had no change of clothes or shoes or special powder to boost my energy. I bought the waist pouch and my handheld water bottle the night before at Mustafa Centre. That was how prepared I was for this race. I know some of you by now, would probably want to give me a good lecture. And honestly, I deserved it.

But with me, I brought the necessities. In my small waist pouch, I had tiger balm, medicated oil, blister plasters, electrolytes powder for cramps (in capsules), muscle rub, money, handphone, towel and most importantly powergel for that caffeine boost I needed. I also carried with me, sort of a pace guide, so I know what time I needed to get to each 10KM checkpoint, so I won't miss my cut off time. When you are tired and your mind can't think straight, the last thing you want to do is to start doing simple Maths.

It was hot when we started the race at 6pm and it was super hot when we finished at noon. I was already perspiring even before I started. I took the pace easily and ran with Zack but he was often ahead of me, that was OK as long as he was in sight. Sometimes I lost him and then we met again at the pit stops. The first 10KM was a breeze, ahead of my pace time. We ran passed some private housing along the East side, had to climb an overhead bridge and an underpass before getting into ECP. Of course, the first 10KM was easy but we had to do the same route coming back and when you had just done 90KM, climbing an overhead bridge took some Herculean effort.

The volunteers did a great job here handing out snacks and peanut butter sandwiches to the runners. There were cold sponges at every pit stop which was great because of the heat. I ate the sandwiches and snacks before filling up my water bottle with 100PLUS and made my way to the next 10KM.

It was approaching dusk as we ran along ECP. As usual, the whole stretch was filled with people having their BBQs with their tents pitched along the beach. We ran ECP and exited near Changi Air Base and another buffet was spread before us. I felt good on the first 20K and I think its because I kept the pace easy. I think this is where I met Zack again and he told to me that he had a bad case of stomach ache. It was slowing him down. We had another round of food, this time I had oranges and some muffins.

I couldn't wait to get to 50KM actually but the journey was long and tiring. It wasn't painful but it was tiring. I took about 7.5 hours to reach 50KM and it was passed midnight when we got here. And at each pit stop, we sat down, ate and stayed for about 5-10 minutes, longer at the 50KM mark. I also updated my progress on Facebook though I wished I could write more at every pit stop but my fingers were not really cooperating. We kept to the plan of running 1.5 hours every 10KM including rest time. The second half of the run, I kept to the pace of 2 hours every 10KM. For non-runners, if you must know, this is really a brisk walking pace. I have to be realistic here, I only aim to finish before all the cut-offs. In between the run/jog/walk, we also stopped to rest the feet, go to the toilet, adjust the shoes, socks or remove sand from our shoes and did the occasional stretching. And each time, Zack waited for me. His walking pace was my running pace. So when he walked I have to run. And when he ran, I would be somewhere behind him but even that, he waited for me to catch up.

There were really some amazing moments. We had second wind after 50KM. We split the 10KM into walking and running but when we ran, it felt awesome. We put in some speed and by the time we got to the pit stops, we were sweating profusely. I really liked that.

Everything seemed to be going well, but I got hit by the blister bug right after 80KM. Initially, I thought I got sand in my shoes but realised it was blisters forming near the ball of my left feet and another one on my right heel. I was trying to treat my blisters but as the distance wore on it got painful to walk. My feet also began to ache badly by now and my legs felt heavy like I was dragging metal. From here on, there was no running. Just walking. I felt horrible for Zack. He was walking really steady and I'm sure he could finished it earlier than he did.

The last 10KM was excruciatingly painful. Maybe if I had grit my teeth harder I could try to run. But I was afraid if I run, I might aggravate the blisters or worst, develop a cramp and that would render me useless to even walk. I would kill myself if I were to DNF at 90+KM. So I had to make a choice, walk through the remaining 10KM and ensure we finished within cut-off or try to run for a better timing and risk an injury. Obviously I chose the former.

Once we reached Marina Barrage, we had to cross the bridge and Zack signaled to me he was going to run to the finish. I wave an OK back at him. As I was walking with Simon, the guy whom we paced on and off, I asked him if he could run and he said yes. So we ran. And guess what, the pain on my feet went poof! Just like that.

There were a lot of cheering from the spectators as we ran up the bridge into the Barrage, and the final slope up the finishing gantry. And whether I came in first or last, it didn't really matter. I went through almost 18 hours on foot, covering a distance of 100KM. The cameras clicked as we crossed the finish line and they gave us a big white towel, my medal, 100PLUS and water and best of all, I got my free t-shirt. We all congratulated each other and we chatted for a bit before attempting to walk down the stairs in the unmistakable crabby walk, to wait for my family. Unfortunately, they couldn't come earlier as my children had tuition that morning.

On Sunday, I was almost bed ridden. My left feet was swollen and it felt tight. My thigh and calf muscles are going through the same soreness which I had when I did my first marathon. And the worst pain I thought I had during the run which was the blisters, was not even that painful anymore. I could say, I got away with doing the 100KM unscathed. I should be thankful. God did not punish me for my stupidity. It could have been worst. But I must admit I could not have done it all by myself. Zack definately had a lot to do with it but I also believed I had some divine intervention. It felt amazing.

Unofficially, I crossed the finished line in 17 hours 33 minutes, off by 3 minutes from the pace list I have written for myself. I don't really care as right now, I belong to an elite group of the 100KM Sundown ultramarathoners!

It felt amazing to pass through here. I can't describe it in words.

When I asked Simon to run ahead first, he told me we will finish this together. And no, I wasn't emotional like last year. No tears this time, Zack make sure of that. I cried before I started the race. And thank you for the shoulder to cry on, you know who you are.

Zack, you are indeed my hero. He carried my water bottle when I couldn't.