Sundown Marathon - The day I committed the cardinal sin.

19 May 2009
I sent this mail to our runners:
How to finish sundown 84km in 12 hour ?
Try The 7-8-9-10 method
1st 20 km 7 min/km : 2 hr 20min
2nd 20 km 8 min/km : 2 hr 40min
Last 2.195 km : 20 min

3rd 20km 9 min/km : 3 hr
4th 20 km 10 min/km : 3 hr 20 min
Last 2.195km 20 min
Bravo! 84 km = 12 hour!!!!!!

28 May 2009
one of the slide I presented during race briefing
I was lucky never to experience cramps during all mine 42km marathon. It may be due to the extra mileage I put in during training. But this time we are doing 84 km and I think taking hi-performance salt tablet as advise during race may be a good idea. BIG MISTAKES!!

Mistake #1 Hey isn’t salt tablet something new?
Mistake # 2 In my mind I thought salt was harmless. How wrong was I??

Saturday, 30 May 2009 6.30 pm, Sundown marathon Starting point
The day I committed the cardinal sin : Never try anything new on race day!

Spirit was high and we were eager and ready. I took my 1st salt tablet as advise before race started.

First there were 5 aw-ta man

Then it becomes 9 aw-ta man

The real botak, Mohan

William, the new 5050

At 7 pm sharp, the gun sound and with cries of sub 12, sub 12 sub 12, we begin the long journey.......

Above 2 Pictures courtesy of team fatbird

William and myself decided to pace as a team botak, while Ernest and Li bin form the other pair. Calvin was the lone ranger. We are trying out the 7-8-9-10 method. Other run2 eat aw-ta man were O.T.O.T. (Own Time Own Target)

1st 10km (my garmin read 10.7 km) in 1:12, we took our 2nd salt tablet. William starts to have numbness in his finger and toes and decided to stop taking the tablet. I continue dutifully popping it every hour. Compared to last year, this year water station have improved and the volunteers were very motivated and supporting by cheering us all the way. They warm our heart. We completed 1st 21km in 2:30 as plan.

Support station 1 @ 23km (Time of arrival : 9.43 pm)
Chloe and Steven were there to greet us, After a brief stop, we decided to speed up as we feel we were behind time. We were still running at "fat burn zone", relax and able to chit chat along the way. Those over head bridges that seem so daunting last year feel not so demanding now. The power gel and bananas stations were still there at the winding slope of Bedok reservoir. The elevation at Pasar Ris Ave 3 was quite benign too. All along at every water stop, the volunteers were quick to give us drinks and words of encouragement. It was an easy and steady run.

Support station 2 @ 42km (Time of arrival 12.26 am.)
Saw our brand ambassodor. Patrick waving the bright yellow sign board with blinkers, we knew we were at 42 km. Team Botak and Team Ernest arrived almost the same time. With Calvin coming in few min later. So there were fury action as all volunteers step in to assist us. After a quick wash, change to new clothes and shoe

Three monty at 42 km

I took my coffee, refill my red bull and ran down cross the bridge to finish our first lap @ 12:43am (5 hour 43 min) Feeling fresh, confident and strong!

Sunday, 31 May 12.42 am. 2nd 42 km
Pooping my 6th salt tablet, team botak decided to change our game plan, Instead of 9 min/km, we switch to an easier 10min/km walk for our 3rd 20 km. We will reserve our energy to do a 8.5min/km run for the last 20 km. Team Ernest kept to their run and walk strategy for the 3rd 20km.

Hit 52km check point @ 2:28am (1h:45m), just a bit slower then our plan 10m/km. Along the way, we cross path with Team Ernest many time, their walking and running seems a good strategy too. At this point we noticed that some bike marshal were zooming pass us at fast speed and they don't have blinkers on their bike, wasn't it a bit dangerous?

At 3.40 am, we reached 60km mark. I took my 7th salt tablet and did a quick calculation: 3h:20m for last 24 km. 12 hour is still within mathematical reach. It was at this time that calvin (man in black) overtook us. We told him team Ernest was just less then 100m ahead, he wave as we urge him to go sub 12 hour.

Disaster struck @ 62 km after the u-turn. I was doing my first toilet break under the cover of a huge tree, Tsunami attack!! It first came as a sharp pain in my inner tights. I thought it was abrasion due to chafing. Passed 7/11 and asked William to go buy Vaseline for me. Only while waiting for William that I discovered to my horror that it was double barrel, abrasion with Tsunami attack. Luckily there was that toilet after Burger King, what transpired there were too gross to describe here.

Support Station 3 @ 65km (Time of arrival : 4.45 am)
The 3 km to our support station 3 @ 65km took us 45 minutes. After a quick change of my wet sock, (no more power gel and minimal fluid as the Tsunami was still at siege) we were on the road again. I must thanks William who continue to encourage and urge me on. We have to kiss our 12 hour race objective good-bye, target now is just to complete. At 66 km Bedok Reservoir Park, Tsunami looming, I make a dash for the toilet again, team fatbird support station was there, their girls were ever ready to render their assistance to fatigue runners, but my eye was on the toilet. The toilet door lock was broken, so pie-say, had to shout at the girls to watch the door while I was doing my business........ (Learn after the race, that it was also at this park that calvin took a half hour nap on one of the bench)

Misery love company, at 74 km along Tampines Ave 9, I was already thirty and hungry, an old injury – my left Achilles tendon was so badly inflame that I was down to a crawling speed of 3 km/hr. To miss the 15 hour cut-off time was suddenly staring at my face. William ran ahead to get help at our Support Station 4 @ 75 km. It was like "teo bay pioe" when Ah kun came running with the much needed deep heat spray. He plunged half a bottle into my left ankle.

Support Station 4 @75 km (Time of arrival 6.55 am)
The cold towel and sponge provide some relieve, it smooth our bruised bodies and weary mind. More deep heat therapy to my ankle. I was going to carry a bottle of deep heat with me when Doris said this was the last bottle and we still have a few runners behind. So I just grab a tube of tiger muscular balm and continue our last 9 km. (Learned later, like father like son, shao chong also grabbed a tube of tiger balm at this station earlier)

At Pasir ris, i squeeze the drop drop of tiger balm to my legs, due to the late hour, all first aids stations had run out of deep heat. I must thanks my lucky star that at Pasar Ris Avenue 3, a volunteer gave me a tube of deep heat, I held it tight like "kyo teo gu-lan"

We turn left into Loyang Avenue, saw a runner releasing himself by the road side canal, Due to the urgency, I decided to join in. Unfortunately with it came the 3rd Tsunami strike. The nearest toilet was 4 km away at finish point. Don’t ever ask me how I managed this 3rd attack.

Amid all these doom and gloom, heaven sent us Mohan at 81 km :)He had heard that I was struggling and race up to see what happens. With his cheerful demeanor, can you believe he can still dance like a playful butterfly after all this km? Met shirtless Jia Pei who was also down to walking. Saw Jia Pei mother and ask for her bottle of zhen gu lotion. Mohan's encouragement brighten our mood and while we were chatting and laughing., we exit Loyang Ave into Cranwell road - last 2 km.
Our spirit was lifted when we turn into Netheravon road, 1 km to go!
I plugned the whole bottle of zhen gu lotion to my left ankle, it helps and I started to jog!! In no time we passes our station 5 cheerleaders whom gave us a rousing welcome.

Cheer cheer Station @ 83km (Time of arrival : 8.31 am)

Well done girls!

Riding on the high, we dig deep into our reserve for that last drop of fuel to charge down to finish point. To our horror at the bridge, instead of running across, it was a bridge too far! We were block by marshals that shouted to us : TURN LEFT! TURN LEFT!!

That extra loop of 400m was *&^%$#@. I feel like striking those marshals that were blocking the bridge down like ten pins bowling but had to grit my teeth, turn right and move on.
Dear organizer, IT IS BASIC COURTESY TO INFORM US IN ADVANCE OF THE SUDDEN ROUTE CHANGE!

Calvin aka man in black completed his 1st 84 km marathon in 12: 37: 01

Team Ernest completed their 1st 84 km marathon in 12 : 47: 01

Team Botak completed their 1st 84 km marathon in 13 : 43 : 56