Third to cross the finishing line! Yes, you heard that right. I was right behind a couple when I walked through the finishing line. This has got to be my best performance ever! So how can an amateur who started running less than a year ago do that? You can actually, provided you haven’t gone to the start point in the first place! So how did I end up there?

It was one of those days where I decided to try to park at a location near the race against my missus wishes. By the time we reached there around 7am, all the carparks at Safra and the nearby carpark were full. There were so many cars parked along the double yellow lines, it would have been a field day for the traffic police. We didn’t see the point in risking a fine so we had no choice but to park at one of the HDB blocks much further away. When I mean much, it was like an almost ridiculous 2km. By the time I have gotten to Safra Punggol, the first wave was already gone and the 2nd wave was lining up and ready to go.

Since the start point was across the waterway on the other side, the only way for me to reach there to there was to cross a bridge that was right in front of me. I happily followed this couple in front of me who was also making their way there. What we didn’t realised was that the finishing point was also right in front. By the time I knew what was happening, I heard the beeping sound generated when the racetime shoe tag went past the sensors on the floor. Oops. No wonder the volunteers stationed there gave us a strange look. The organisers quickly responded and promptly got the incoming runners for the 2nd wave to make a detour up the slope to cross the waterway bridge. Sorry about that guys!

Due to the massive number of runners, I couldn’t even see the start point from where I was. I started my running app early and realised that it took an entire 5 minutes for me to reach the actual start point.

Since I was starting from the rear, it was not an easy race to run. You need to constantly weave in and out of runners. Not to mention those who will suddenly stop in their tracks without notice. These sudden changes will throw your running momentum off track and will demand more of your body as it tries to adapt to the every changing scenario.

What’s interesting in this race is that the back of your race t-shirt can be customised to fill in a short sentence. I saw a few which are quite epic. You have one guy with the words “running after chick” while his female partner was donning one that says “running chick”. Other memorable ones included words like “WTH is the end point?” and “#runningmama”.  It is always things like these that make running events memorable.

To keep logistical solutions simple and cater to a wider range of participants with a varying distance of 2.5 km to 10km. I believe the organisers decided to hold the start and end point at Safra Punggol. This also means my wife will not go back to Coney Island again and the run for her will not be as scenic as her previous 5km. For me, it was time to go monkey/cow spotting.

Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn’t manage to spot any monkeys or the lonely cow. However, I did spot a primary school looking kid taking part in the 10km. Nice job kid! He was even faster than me! It was during this time when some male runners disappeared into the bushes for a while before returning. Most likely trying to keep Coney Island fertile.

Once we were back on the mainland, we spotted some old folks hiking in the area. I found that to be very strange so I checked the map and realised that there is a wetland park nearby. Definitely something to explore in the near future with the kids.

Before long, we were back on the waterway to the end point. During this time, I spotted some runners with very dry t-shirts. That’s when we started merging with the 5km/2.5km runners and traffic started to build up again.

By the time I reached the end point, my wife had already completed her race. Her ex-colleagues who had joined her earlier had already left. We bade farewell to the race village and it was time to walk another 2km back to the car before going back home to the kids.

1 May 2016 marked the start of the first race of The Performance Series. It was held at Punggol near Punggol SAFRA, a place that is rather easy to find as it is right in front of Sam Kee LRT station.

The flag off for 10km wave 1 started off at around 7.30am. Running alongside the waterway was rather nice all thanks to the beautiful scenery. And since it was still rather early in the morning, the sun wasn’t that hot. The running pathway was also rather wide and they had several volunteers stationed along the way to help guide the runners.

The run got a little boring when I turned towards Coney Island. There weren’t much to see except for trees and the trees weren’t providing us much coverage from the sun which was blazing hotter and hotter by the minute. The road was long and straight but the bridge towards Coney Island in the far distance kept me going. I’ve never been to Coney Island before and was really excited to explore the place.

We entered Coney Island through the west entrance. The moment I passed the gate, I could feel a drop in temperature as I was welcomed by rows trees that lined the pathway. The trees provided a shelter away from the blazing hot sun. The air also felt fresher and it was really wonderful to be able to run in such environment. Running along on the sand and gravel was a new experience for me too and I soon came to enjoy listening to the soft crunching rhythm of sand and gravel underneath my soles.

The run through Coney Island was enjoyable but rather short-lived as I exited the area and was greeted by a road bridge that led me back to Punggol. On that bridge, I experienced the merciless heat of the sun on me and I started missing the thick foliage of Coney Island very soon after.

The return journey was along a rather narrow path that was covered with gravel and occasionally a puddle of muddy water alongside the road. The road then led back to Punggol Waterway and eventually the finishing point.

Hydration Points & First aid

There were a number of hydration points along the way which was really helpful for the runners due to the hot sunny weather (P.S. And special thanks to the volunteers who worked hard to pass us drinks!). The energy drink provided – Lucozade, had a really nice taste. Just like orange juice! I was rather surprised by it as I have always been skeptical about the taste of orange flavoured drinks as they always tasted really fake.

There were several mobile first-aiders along the way and I could see that the organizers really cared for the safety of their runners.

Distance

The distance somehow felt longer than 10km!

And upon checking on my running app did I realise I have completed a distance of 11.4km, the longest distance I have ever accomplished.

Medal & Finishing tee

The queue after the finishing point was rather long as everyone got jammed trying to go up the stairs to the race village. The collection of medal and finishing itself was fast. But as I looked at the medal, I doubted myself a bit, wondering whether the colour of my medal was indeed gold. It doesn’t look that gold to me and since there weren’t any indication of the distance ran, I had to look at the medal of my fellow 10km runners to check whether I got the correct one. I did get the right one. It just doesn’t look gold enough.
The sizing of the finishing tee was good and mine fitted well.

All in all, the race was a rather good experience although the journey was longer than expected.

This post can also be found on mylittlepartoftheearth.blogspot.com

Transcend Yourself – that’s the theme of the Performance Series (PS) Race, conceptualised by Liu Zhiyong, a passionate runner. This is a series of 5 races encompassing Oasis/Island, Lake, Heartland, Reservoir and Farm, through the unique landscape of Singapore.  And as befitting it, all 5 finisher medals collected will form the shape of Singapore.  There are basically 3 categories of races, 2.5, 5 and 10 km.

I liked the idea of running a series of races as this also keeps one going consistently throughout the year.  I’ve just taken up running more ‘seriously’ last year and thought of signing up too for this series. So when JustRunLah (JRL) offered a free slot to me, I took it up instantly and opted for the 10 km race.   One of my goals this year was to try and break my PB for the 10 km distance.  The first race was at Coney Island and I’ve not been to the place before so I was looking forward to this race.

For those who had read my earlier blogs, I had just completed my first ‘audacious’ goal of completing two half marathons (2XU Compression and Run 350) a week apart, back in early April.  I was so happy that I completed it, I continued my training runs in the mornings on alternate days in the following week, slowly building up to a 7 km run again.  Unfortunately I twisted my left foot at home a couple of days later and had to take things easy for the next couple of weeks.  I stopped running in order to let my foot recover.  I was getting a bit concerned as I started to feel the pain coming back each morning I woke up, resembling Plantar Fasciitis.

One week before the race, I tested out my foot in the Snoopy Fun Run since I had signed up for that earlier.  Felt a bit stiff in my foot but I was hopeful and rested further and just did some swimming in the week before.

Earlier, the race pack collection venue was at City Square mall and the race was so popular that this was one of those longer queues I had experienced this year; took me about 50 minutes to wait my turn.  About 5000 participants were in the debut race.  Still the volunteers were efficient, and I collected the package within 3 minutes or so, without any mishap.  What was also special in this package, was a pair of red Compressport Socks with the right size that I indicated in the signup.  The Tee Shirt was a very nice orange with some black markings on the sleeve, very smart and bright.

Race day came – on Labour Day.   The starting time was 7.30 am for first wave.  This was probably the only thing I would love to request for a change if possible.  I prefer races that start much earlier at 6 am when it is cool morning air still, even though the distance may be an issue but I’m quite used to it by now, given that I’m staying at a most remote place far from most starting venue of races.  Still, this meant I had slightly longer hours of sleep vs the usual races for this Sunday morning.

At about 7.27 am, the announcer said the guest was making his way to the flagoff.  For a moment, the crowd thought this was going to be a late start.  Luckily soon after 7.30 am, the flagoff was done for the first wave, the horn blaring off.

I had earlier squeezed myself into what I thought was the back of the first wave.  After the flagoff, it took fairly long before the crowd in front of me started walking.  Yes, they were walking somehow.  So I thought I might be in the wave 2.  And then I saw the starting line, so I was in wave 1 after all.  But the runners in front were just shuffling along.  A sudden thought popped into my head : should I go backwards towards wave 2, so that I don’t need to shuffle and weave through the crowd.   Then the next thought of the rising warm Sun goaded me to carry on forward.  God was kind to me, I figured, this was to make sure I don’t run too fast a pace at the beginning and hurt myself further.

The first 4 km resembled the surface that I used to run on, at the park near my home.  After that, it was the entrance to Coney Island.  I had passed two hydration points by now but didn’t take the drinks.  The surface was now more like trail (pebbles and stones) and it lasted for about 3-4 km before it reverted back to the dull park surface again.   I took more care to not trip.   I drank at the next hydration point.  There was water and Lucozade Sports drinks provided.  Overall, the hydration points were adequate.  I think there was an extra one very near the finishing point.  I felt it was too near the finishing point but perhaps it was good for those who felt the heat and who had to start in later waves.  So kudos to both the organizers and volunteers – the volunteers were cheerful and alert.  And as always, there were also the heroic photographers braving the sun and heat to take beautiful photos (thank you all!).

Somehow the last couple of kilometres in a race always felt too long.  Still, I completed the race and collected both the finisher Tee and medal.   I enjoyed the run, the heat was still bearable, the scenery was a nice change from the usual race routes.  At times the pathway looked a bit narrow for the crowd.  Still there was no jam.  I had feared jams when I watched the video of the route at certain points.  Apparently there was quite a number of new runners in the first wave who may not be as aware of good running etiquettes like keeping to the left if slowing down, or even stopping suddenly.  I saw a runner almost crashing into someone who suddenly stopped on the right side of the path because I think he ran out of breath somehow.  Still, it meant the organizers were successful in attracting new runners to take part in this healthy series of event and a good start to their running journey.

The finisher Tee looked crisp and sharp in black and the ‘gold’ medal was uniquely shaped.  So I had collected the first jigsaw puzzle !  I didn’t manage to get a PB for 10 km but was able to keep the pace I wanted for this round, given my current state of fitness.  And I looked forward to the next race in the series, at Jurong Lake.   The best is yet to be…   For now, though, I have to prepare for the next audacious goal this Saturday.  Transcending yourself is a continuous journey.  Thank you, once again, JRL for granting the free slots !

(Photo Credits in this blog : JustRunLah and Run Shoot Repeat)

It was a hot one, with temperature reaching a high 36 degrees Celsius. With a late morning start, I can imagine the triathlon for the Sprint and Discovery categories would have been a tough slog.

Taking on the photographing duty, I suffered in the full sun alongside my participating buddies David, Michelle, Caitriona, Cindy and Lisa.

Sprint Category [750m swim, 18km bike, 5km run]

Whilst I missed David’s race as he started an hour earlier than the girls, I managed to see him briefly on his first cycling lap and at the end of the race.

I took the brunt of the sun watching the unusual “M” shaped swimming course for the Sprinters. With a choppy sea and strong current the swim was tough, slow and often knocked off course. As Michelle and Caitriona completed half the course by swimming into the sea, turn at the buoy and return, they needed to exit the water, run up the beach around an orange cone and then back in the water for the second half.

According to Michelle, the choppy water conditions created a bottleneck at the first buoy that stagnated for some time as swimmers struggled to push their way through the current. She also found herself pressed against the course rope in the congestion. Add to that dodgy goggles creating diminished visibility it was only natural that she would be pushed outside the course by the current. Caitriona seemed to have fared better and looked strong as she exited the water four minutes sooner, placing 13th in her category.

As they transitioned, I raced to the cycling track for their 3 laps of 6km each. A strong cyclist, we all anticipated Michelle making up substantial time and she didn’t disappoint with an average speed of 30km/h. Caitriona held her own with an average speed of 27km/h. I can imagine with a couple of tight corners on the course maintaining a high speed would have been quite challenging.

Onto the running stage. Due to construction on East Coast Park, the running course needed to be altered with 2 x 2.5km loop. Not the most appealing when as a runner you see the finish line but you need to turn and do another loop.

I took up position near the finish line and I waited for super speedy Michelle to barrel through with wide strides and a determined look on her face. Whilst certainly not her fastest run it can be understood when the run is tied onto the tail end of a swim and bike ride.

Three minutes later Caitriona flew through with her posse of girls. Joined by her three eldest girls towards the end, they were a vision to behold. The run looked like it might have taken the wind out of her but again after a tough swim and bike it’s to be expected especially since in cycling the muscles are used in different ways to running. Coming off a bike the muscles may feel like jelly and then the same muscles need to be further activated for running which typically requires more energy.

For Michelle and Caitriona this was their first Sprint experience and as challenging as it might have been I think I’ll be following them like the paparazzi in future triathlons.

Either way congratulations are in order to Michelle and Caitriona for their first Sprint Triathlon.

Discovery Category [250m swim, 12km bike, 2.5km run]

As Michelle and Caitriona were completing their cycling, I returned to the beach to watch Cindy and Lisa flag off. Fortunately for them, they only had to complete a portion of the “M” shaped route.

Of course it was no easier for them since they had to handle the same choppy conditions, except that it was for a shorter distance and less time.

Primarily a breaststroke swimmer, Lisa exited the water pretty strong and about a minute before Cindy.

However, Cindy made up her time on the bike, travelling at 28.7km/h and finishing in 25min with Lisa about four minutes behind. When they both took off for their run, they seemed to maintain the same steady pace of about 6.20/km, finishing the race exactly four minutes apart.

Once we all regrouped and obtained the live results it was to our delight to discover that Cindy took 1st place in her category. Of course we had to wait until she climbed the podium for the necessary pics and prize collection.

Even though it was terribly hot and some of us sported pink noses and burnt shoulders from the sun, we reunited poolside later in the afternoon for a celebratory drink and race debrief.

Cheers

I want to thank July and Sabrina that I am able to complete the 43km! Thank you both for encouraging me and motivating me and make the distance seems shorter and always checking up on me whether I’m ok ??

Photo credits: Running Shots

Day One

Don’t know is it me or is there anybody else have the same thought as me. The first thought I have when I reach the event site is: Why is the run in clockwise direction? ? I really don’t like running in clockwise direction when running in loops. No special reasons but it just feels weird to me. Maybe I have some OCD. Or maybe it is something related to turning left or right. Running in stadium tracks is also in anti-clockwise direction right, sure got special reason behind it?

50 hours non stop run doesn’t mean crazily run 50 hours non stop. This is a fun run and the runners are given 50 hours to complete 43km, which is equivalent to 10 loops around Bedok Reservoir. 50 hours non stop, means the run continues even in midnight! ? Upon completing 43km, there will be a total of 3 medals. Runners will get their medals after 3, 6 and 10 loops. So if the runners doesn’t want to run so much can just run 3 loops to collect 1 medal or 6 loops to collect 2 medals. Runners who are hardcore of course can run more than 10 loops, but no extra medal will be awarded. ?

There is no baggage deposit so I didn’t bring much things just T-shirt and slipper to change and put my bag in their tentage. But if my T-shirt went missing I think I will cry because it is my one and only Standard Chartered Marathon 42.195km finisher Tee, the tee I get from the only marathon I’ve ever participated. Didn’t know when will I have the courage to sign up for a full marathon again ?

I only ran 3 loops and collected 1 medal and decided to run the next day and Monday if I can’t finish it in 2 days. I had wanted to run more but I don’t want it to be so painful the the next day because I attended a very fierce fitness class earlier on. It is always guaranteed bodyaches and blue blacks the next day always. Love running with my friends but sometimes I very stress to run with them because they are very fast but they are super nice, assure me can run my pace with me but I paiseh to have them wait for me ?

The race fee is cheap so I don’t have much expectation. But every time in a run the water not cold makes me very sad ? I miss my secondary and primary school days sports events, I remembered there is always the Milo van! Please, any upcoming running events can be so kind to get the Milo van as a sponsor? Milo is like the most delicious drink!

Day 2

Seriously is run die me! Not going to run any 0.01m longer ? Mentally torturous run and really pushing boundaries. My sports bra strap is giving me two very painful abrasions after my 4th loop. It’s really ouch! Then I tell myself this is nothing! I saw a picture before that a guy nipples is bleeding while running a marathon, that must be much more painful! Be positive! ? I gei kiang wear a super short ankle sock, then kena abrasions at my ankle. Till before I start my 6th loop I changed into slipper and run in it because the pain is really not tahanable anymore. I thought why not？Got runner wear slipper in marathon also right, good inspiration ? Till the last 3km, I walked, totally no more motivation ? Weak right? Only last 3km only but never bite my teeth hard and end it strong. If combine my timings for yesterday 13km and today’s 30km I did a PB! But I know it’s not counted like this lah ? Last year’s SCMS I use 5hr50mins to complete ?

Still, I can’t believe I got the courage and push myself to complete the remaining 30km today! Must be running with friends who motivates me! ? This is my longest distance this year! It’s similar to completing a Newton Run. If to compare to my Newton Run last year ending 32km in 3hrs 59mins, the timing for this 30km is not bad already. I had hope that I can complete the remaining 7 loops today but I’m not sure whether can I do it or not if not I can just come back the next day to complete the remaining distance as my longest distance this year so far is a half marathon run ?

Reach there earlier to start running because I don’t want to burden July and Sabrina to wait for me too long. I ran my first loop of the day with Nina, it is my first time seeing her. But she’s familiar because we are on each other’s Instagram. We were complaining to each other about the sun. See:

It’s 4 plus when I run my first loop. But ya, I’m trying to be positive again. I tell Nina that let’s imagine that we are in a very cold place! Zero degrees! It really helps me because I’m scared of cold actually and I don’t feel the heat or the sun anymore ? I’m really good at consoling and comforting myself, which is something not good. Like I always tell myself that its fine to be single, so what if scrolling through Facebook are all proposal photos, wedding photos, photos of babies ultrasound? What if marry already then realised I have a abusive husband or after a few kids then one day my husband just says he don’t love me anymore and get a new girfriend 20 years younger is even worse right?

Overall, Bedok Reservoir is quite a good place to run in, can enjoy the scenery but the terrain is quite tough to run in, it’s sandy. The difficult part is everytime when I’m opposite of the floating platform, I look at it with pleading eyes, it seems so far away ? But yes, luckily I’ve already cleared the distance ?

Day 3

Luckily wake up with no leg pain or any where pain other than the site of abrasions. All my abrasions from all the previous runs and other fitness torture heals already but look like patches of ugly darken skin which will not go back to flawless skin again ? One day I shall tattoo and cover up ? Am also happy that I don’t waddle like a penguin ? Still admiring the hard earn medal ?

Background

Today was the inaugural run event of The Performance Series. It is the first of five races that promises it’s participants different unique landscapes of Singapore during each event. The 5 landscapes comprise of island, lake, heartland, reservoir and farm, bringing race participants a different and unique running experience each time. This races was created by runners for runners and each of the five races have 3 different categories, 2.5 km, 5 km and 10 km. This is to encourage all levels to join in this national movement of running and  at the same time help in enhancing the running culture in Singapore and also to empower individuals to take ownership of their health.

Race Pack Collection

Race Pack collection was held at City Square Mall over one of the weekends in March. I went down on Day 1 of the collection. Before I arrive, I received a message from one of my friends who was there already, she said that there was a really long queue and she has been in line for about an hour. She was nice enough to offer to collect on my behalf and I quickly accepted and forwarded her the relevant details needed for collection.

The race pack was a Compressport Tote Sling bag which contained lots of sponsor vouchers, a bottle of Lucazade Sport drink and a pair of Compressport socks. What I felt could be done better was for the organizers to give us an option on the sock sizes. The ones that they gave me were slightly too fitting and if they had provided me with a pair that was a size bigger, it would have been more comfortable.

Race Day

This is my second run event this week and thankfully I had enough time to rest and get ready for today’s race. Race 1 was held at  Punggol Waterway and I took bus 117 and it took me slightly around 40 mins to reach Punggol Interchange. As Punggol Waterway was relatively a new place for major run events, I was glad that the organizers had provided us tips over Facebook on where the race site was. It also helped that I did a recce run at the Punggol Waterway last Sunday before the race. What I thought could have done better was to place direction boards starting from the MRT station advising on how to get to the race site. From Waterway Point, it was relatively easy to get there and there were direction boards guiding us to the START Point.

Upon arrival, I headed straight for the START Pen. At first we were pretty far behind but we saw other participants heading closer to the front and decide to follow suit. The weather was starting to be warm as the sun had risen but I was glad to know I would be flagged off in the first wave if I were to be flagged off in the second wave, it’ll be such and agony to complete 10km in humid 31 Degrees Celsius weather.

Race Route

We were flagged off about 2 minutes after 07:30 hrs. The first 2 km had slight bottle necks but at least we didn’t come to a full stand still. We had to run up a slope of a bridge but that was okay. The route had gentle slopes but the difficult part had to be along the fifth to eighth km which covered trail. Coney Island was sandy and made it very difficult to jog nor walk. Sand would start to slowly enter your shoe when you do either. At that particular moment, I just felt that Coney Island was never ending and couldn’t wait to exit that place. After we exited Coney Island, there was about a more kilometer of trail before we finally headed back to Punggol Waterway Park.

What the organizers did really well was with the planning of the hydration points. They had initially planned 3 hydration points but they increased it to 4 thereafter. That was a really good call by them as the weather was really warm and humid. Having a cold drink really does energizes you.

Another thing they did well was the distance route markers! My GPS had not tracked my run properly but luckily there were these marks and that really helped me in know how far I have covered and whether I was making good time.

Collection  of Finishers Entitlements

I finished the race in 1 hr 21 mins (unofficial timing), not too bad for my first 10 km run event for 2016. Crossing the Finish line I felt a sense of achievement. Looking at the Finish gantry, it did not have your usual FINISH wordings on it but it said “Well Done” and that was a refreshing change. I made my way up the stairs to the medal collections area. Everything was well labelled  and well organised. I collected my Finisher Tee and my medal!

I really love the Finisher Tee as it’s cutting was really nice. It can be worn for both exercise and going out, can’t wait to wear it! The medal is also another unique one. It’s just one part of the Singapore Island. Now I’m tempted to sign up for Race 2 cause it’ll be a cool collection piece.

Race Village

The race village was bustling with life after the race with participants meeting up with friends and checking out the sponsors booth. I found a nice shaded spot to sit down and sit down for a while to cool down. When I’ve recovered, I went to find my friends for some post race wefies.

Conclusion

Overall I really enjoyed today’s race experience. Congratulations to everyone who participated and complete Race 1 of The Performance Series. Now I’m really tempted on signing up for Race 2 at the Jurong Lakes. Till my next race. Hope you all had a nice time reading this review.

You know how when you travel from the west to the east or north or south and it feels like a completely new place? Same here. Suddenly, it seems that Singapore isn’t so small. Punggol, to me, is incredibly far and I haven’t gotten the time to visit Coney Island since its opening (and since all my friends have talked about it). So despite its distance, The Performance Series gave me a chance to explore Punggol and Coney Island – both very highly rated new places in town!

Beautiful route and considerate people

The race started at 7.50am for me (I was part of the second wave runners as a result of my gross time planning). The weather was already starting to heat up and the tight starting pen didn’t really help. Personally, I would have preferred an earlier start time. True enough, the sun did beat down quite mercilessly in the second half of the race.

Once the starting horn went off, we eased out into routes that wind around waterways, cross canals and went into Coney Island at the 4km mark. The changing terrains made the race more difficult but a ton more fun. I liked the trail path in Coney Island!

At most parts of the route, there were residents running and cycling alongside us. This was a refreshing experience! It felt very much like running at the park connector at my own place but with the energy of thousands more runners. Despite that, the fellow park users were very considerate. They stopped when we went by, cheered us on and not once did I hear an impatient bicycle bell.

Sufficient hydration points and supportive volunteers

Since I haven’t been running much this week or doing much 10km races, I thought it’d be a good chance to take things slow. I decided to listen to my body and rely on the distance markers instead. They were at 2km intervals at the start and abruptly changed to 1km intervals. Although confusing at the start, I sort of made a game out of guessing the next distance.

Hydration points had water and Lucozade. It was a foreign isotonic drink to me and gave me a slight tummy ache at the start, to be very honest. But that’s to show that you should always try out your energy drinks/bars/gel before the actual race. What impressed me most was that the hydration points were so well placed that the station itself and the crowd forming around it did NOT affect the flow of runners. Major plus point! All the volunteers also appeared very sincere in cheering us on. None of them looked bored or played with their phones. (which is a pet peeve of mine)

In sum, can’t wait for TPS 2 @ Jurong Lake

This race brought new experiences. In part due to the new route and in part due to the vibe of the people there. It felt that it was a community run by fellow runners for runners. The volunteers and race organisers created a very positive, supportive environment. Have I also mentioned that the event shirt and finisher tee fit like a glove? They’re so beautifully designed. Plus, the next race is going to have another colour. In lieu of the upcoming races in this series, I should probably make it a personal goal to improve my race timing with each one.

Punggol has always been a mysterious part of Singapore to a Westie like me and I have yet to step foot into the newest popular nature hangout spot, Coney Island, until today. Thanks to The Performance Series, I managed to get a chance to explore the urban and natural landscapes of the area and get my running spirit on.

Race start

The start pen opened around 6:30am and I got into the first wave, standing amongst the humid race crowd all waiting for the flag-off which took place at 7:30am, as stated on the race schedule. I personally prefer races to start earlier, like 6:30am or so because the scorching heat would be less of a hindrance in the later part of the race. However, I was told that the public is only granted access to Coney Island from 7am onwards. As such, this meant that the event crew was super efficient in ensuring that all logistics were already in place, resulting in a punctual flag-off!

Narrow but smooth lanes with considerate road users

I took a quick look at the route the night before and was expecting some bottlenecks to form since we are running through a neighbourhood after all and other public road users might affect the flow. The start was slightly crammed as the roads were slightly narrow but the crowd gradually eased and road users in Punggol were super considerate by stopping their bikes or run to let groups of runners pass by. Some residents even took photos of us and cheered us on! 

Clear distance markers and sufficient hydration

Every km was marked clearly and the words ‘transcend yourself’ spoke to me each time I felt like giving up with my runny nose and weakening from the heat. Hydration stops had water and lucozade, with enthusiastic volunteers forming 2 rows on the side of the route to hand us drinks and cheers. Thank you all!

Longer than actual distance – transcending boundaries?

As per my GPS watch, the actual route was 500m longer than 10km and with that, I sprinted and gave my all in that extra road to make up for my multiple instances of pausing or almost giving up during the run. There were past races where actual versus stated distances differ which led to event organisers facing backlash from public. However, I believe that a race is a race – everyone runs that same extra distance and it is still fair because they pushed for it, and they earned it. So I guess it is all about the mindset and for me, I see that as a ‘bonus’ from the organisers to motivate participants to transcend ourselves :p

Humble race event with great potential

Being a first-time race event, I think the race organizers did a fairly commendable job of encouraging runners from all over the island (and even from other countries) to gather and sweat it out. I saw the proud smiles of Punggol residents showing fellow runners their beautiful neighbourhood; I felt the friendly yet competitive atmosphere amongst seasoned runners; and most importantly, I am motivated to train even harder for the future races! Congrats to all finishers and I hope the next few series of the TPS would be even more successful and I can’t wait to complete my medal collections 🙂 Happy Labour Day!