Your face lit up the moment you woke up. You do your pre-race ritual, had your quick breakfast fix and started doning your race gear. You take your race pack and dump all the essentials inside, dropped your hotel card inside, and headed out of the hotel. From the comforting air-conditioned hotel temps, you exited the hotel and headed out, bare, to the race site. You feel cold, and began to chatter as the chilling temps in the morning begin to get you.
Step by step, you walked to the race site to deposit your baggage. Your pre-race attire is stripped, baggage is deposited and you queue for the portaloos in your race gear. You are shivering now and began to jog on the spot and move your limbs to generate heat, akin to other runners warming up and down Nathan road.
You walked to the start point and got yourself jammed up in the middle of the pack. You feel warmer with the bodies around you. For now…
The siren goes and you are off. The adrenaline within you goes off as you run past the starting line. You felt great off the blocks but the human jam forbids seamless overtaking. 4km in, you are running on the West Kowloon Highway and one last turn awaits you and you’ll be running on the expressway. The crowd eases now with the entire length of expressway available to you. The undulating terrain starts now. You head up the hilly highway and witness the awesome Stonecutters Bridge in sight, approximately 2km away. The gradient increases and lo and behold, you are running up the bridge. It is an L shaped design. Once you are done, a water point awaits you for conquering the first major obstacle in the marathon.
Next up, you enter the first tunnel on-route. You feel warm, air seemed thicker and you feel harder to run inside. When you are near to the exit, the temperature drops and you feel the cold chilly winds coming your way as you exited the tunnel.
Shortly after, you will reach the legendary Tsing Ma bridge. The bridge is uphill, and you will uturn in the middle of it.
You will then uturn into another bridge which is almost the same, uphill to and downhill fro.
These routes enable you to meet up with fellow runners whom you might know. You caught up with many of your friends, exchanging hi-fives, shouting HIs.
Your route brings you down-slope to the second tunnel of the route. Upon exiting the tunnel, you have ran 25km and your legs is starting to give way. You feel determined to charged through the entire route, refusing to give up.
Upon exiting the tunnel, you’ll be back on the highway, with ups and downs greeting you at every sight. You feel strong winds brushing past you and witness different runners running different paths of the highway. You will reach the West Kowloon Highway and there will be a water point there. You have now ran 30km of the route and you will see a pool of 21km runners merging with you. The lanes seemed packed now but its still all right. You used the 21km participants as your pacers and start drafting off them.
You continue your route for 4 more km before entering through a gate with massive supporters.
At 34km, you will enter into the final tunnel on-route. This tunnel is unique and is one of the highlights of the race. You run downhill for 1.5km before running uphill for 1.5km. You are exhausted now, but you cannot give up now. You exited the tunnel feeling extremely cold with strong, chilly headwinds coming your way.
After conquering the uphill climb, you go through a series of downhill and find yourself by a pier. You try your best to absorb the scenary and the supporters whom came down cheering for you. Your legs is giving way, but you trottle through as much as you can.
Your facial expression depicts the pain you have on your entire body, but you are still there, fighting your way through.
Your last obstacle comes crashing down on you. You saw a flyover with a steepness akin-ed to Upper Pierce. It is approximately 200m high but you are determined to get past it. You saw alot of runners walking up this challenge. You ran past it, and you saw the sign ‘Causeway-bay’. Surely the end is near.
You wind through Causeway-bay, a familiar shopping district. Looking up, you see residents cheering you. There are tons of supporters on either side of the road. You absorb their cheers, you smiled at the photographers, there is no giving up now, not for yourself, not for the supporters.
One final turn and the finishing line is in sight, you ran the final 195m on green platform and ran past the finishing line.
The quest for a marathon flat can be taxing. For the most of us, it could get boring racing and training in the same shoe again and again. Most end up getting new flats to race and in turn realize, awww this shoe is not for me.
I saw the takumi sen in Hong Kong and never looked back. I was on a trip with my girlfriend and she purchased this pair of racing flats for me as a gift. It cost 1099 hkd in Jan 13.
This shoe felt really good on the feet. Initial impressions seemed positive. I was jogging up and down the store at Tsim Sha Tsui and was convinced this is the shoe i need. The key decision criteria lies in how this shoe wraps around your feet comfortably and the responsiveness it provides on every stride. I could feel it just by jogging in it!
I could fondly remember my first test-run in it. I brought it out for a 10km tempo run and clocked a very good pace but didn’t felt too hard. I describe the shoe as ‘the shoe that doesn’t slow down’ to my friend!
Thereafter, I used it for all my tempo runs and crucial LSD leading up to my marathon.
This shoe gave me a PR in 10km, 21km and 42km. I’m not an elite runner but this shoe works for me at sub 5:10 pace in a full marathon.
500km into runs and there’s significant wear and tear underfoot. The responsiveness is wearing off but hey, its a racer. 500km is hard to come by nowadays. I have this shoe for more than a year now and I’m still using it.
There’s new colorway for the shoe. Its widely available in Hongkong. SG is selling it through runners gait.
A man’s meat is another man’s poison. This shoe works for me and i highly recommend it to runners looking for the following attributes:
Low stack heights
Light weight racer
Meshy Upper
High Responsiveness
Midfoot / Heel-strikers (For heel strikers, do note that the outsole will wear out faster)
Minimal cushioning
No habit of going sockless
The Adidas Takumi Sen is available at Runners Gait at S$229.
Well, back in those days when we do not have the internet and running was simple, we only had one pair of shoes and use that pair for all kind of stuff. In the recent 10 years, shoe technology has gone from just simple gels, foam to all kinds of space jargon and what have you…
I am extremely guilty of being a shoe-whore (a word I learned from the internet) – now where do I start – alright, 4 years ago, when I decide that I want to take up running ‘seriously’, my first pair of running shoes was the Nike Pegasus – I never bothered what pronation was, what a neutral foot strike was, I just went with what caught my eye on the shelf, and what was comfortable. Ran the shoe down in my first uncompleted marathon. And after that I started to know that there is such thing as a running shoe review. Thereafter, I started to know about over pronation, under pronation, neutral, foot strikes… and all that jazz. Running became complicated, I was trying on new shoes every 2 months, and dumping shoes the moment I ‘feel’ they were not right for me!
2013 – Saucony Mirage 3, Mizuno Enigma 3, Brooks Pure Flow, Brooks Pure Cadence, Newton Distance S, Newton Motion, Mizuno Cursoris
2014 – Brooks Pure Flow 2, Brooks Pure Cadence 2
These shoes were purchased because I was reading too much and was bought into the marketing hype….
Now that I am listing them out, it looks scary! I was buying more shoes than my wife!! Some of those shoes, I only ran in them for a month, and donated them to red cross.
So today, I tell myself – just run in what is comfortable and what works. Having experimented and understanding how I ran, I now only have 2 pairs of running shoes which I am the most comfortable with…. Would I say ‘money well spent?’ – well, I don’t know, I just know I won’t buy 6 pairs of running shoes a year anymore….
Spectator signs are great; runners love to read them as it breaks the monotony of the course. They come in all sizes and shapes, from personal notes and inside jokes to purely motivational, and from funny and innocent to somewhat offensive. We have put together some of the best for you.
Funny
Who needs them anyway.
Husbands can probably relate!
Run, bitch!
One for the moviegoers
Can’t say I am not tempted, but I think I’ll pass…
Well, technically… you are right.
Listen to the ladies
#RunnersProblems
Brave the pain.
Cute
One for the running moms
Who can say no to this little guy?
Woof.
So deep this one.
Motivational
Listen to your heart
You can do it!
Post-run makan just got one step closer. And yes, this is listed under “motivational” on purpose!
Runners, which one is your favourite? Do you recall seeing any at your last runs?
Spectators, if you’re planning on watching a marathon, make some signs – the runners will love you for it. After all, nothing is better than putting a smile on someone who is struggling.
I usually don’t take part in races that are 10km or less, but this (and the Mount Faber Run) is an exception, as I wanted to support the community, plus it will be my first time running at the Punggol Park.
Based on info on the blog, there were a total of 280 male and female runners doing the 10km run. The weather was great and the race was very well organised. I had a very good run, and perhaps it’s because of the lower number of runners, I actually breezed through and managed a new personal best 10km timing of 55mins – may not be fast for many out there, but it’s my best so far 🙂
Need to keep up with the training, I’ve signed up for two 35km training runs organised by 2XU in preparation of the 42km in March… gotta keep going and going and going……
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Off to a good start of the year with this refreshing 10km+ run. Running through the NUS Kent Ridge campus (from UTown, passing by the sports complex all the way to NUH), followed by an enjoyable descent through the “green” South Buona Vista Rd. Next on, a flat stretch along West Coast highway and finally the slight ascent on Clementi Rd.
I recommend this route to those living near by, it is well-lit and there are water fountains near the NUS sports complex. You can also combine your run with Kent Ridge Park or West Coast Park.
Do you train nearby? How is 2014 treating you so far? Leave your comments below!
This is the first post on my sub-blog “The Running Angmoh”, and before I get on with my running year’s review, let me get the opportunity to introduce myself.
I moved to Singapore in mid-2013 to join the National University of Singapore, and I have been loving my time ever since. I had visited Singapore before as a tourist and fell in love with the place, and after about 2 years of trying to get a position here I made it in 2013. As far as it goes about running, I started doing it a few years back to get in shape, but it was not long before I got hooked on.
Singapore’ running community is huge, and it is an amazing place to run (if you don’t mind the humidity and heat, that is – which I don’t); there are plenty of routes to take for training, both in urban environment and trails, and the city offers an amazing selection of running events to participate.
During my first year here, I took part in a total of 8 races (even though I registered for 9, see below) and covered a total of 108km. Here is how it all went down.
Adidas King of The Road 2013, August 11th.
This was supposed to be my first race in Singapore, and I had registered for it before I’ve even arrived. I was really excited to take part in this race, as the route would take me through key landmarks. Running pack collection was at Suntec City, it was well organised but very crowded and it took about 30 minutes to collect.
At the day of the event, I took a cab and went down to the starting point on time. Everything looked fine and people were warming up for the race. Pretty soon though it started to drizzle, and within minutes it evolved into a full-on storm. We all tried to take shelter under the bus stops, the MRT stations and the underpasses. There was lack of information and no updates from the organiser for hours. Only by word of mouth we found out that the race had been delayed twice, before the final announcement for cancelation was delivered. This was a rough welcoming for me, and I still find that the decision to cancel the race was not fully justified. By the time they announced it there was not a thunderstorm ongoing. Adding weight to my point of view is the fact that another race on the same day was carried out as planned.
Runners taking shelter from the rain minutes before Adidas King Of The Road was called off.
To make things worse, the organiser offered to send the “finisher” medals of registrants by mail. I received their email asking for my postal address, to which I replied that I would rather get a partial refund or coupon, as finisher medals are for race finishers and is something more to runners than just a race memorabilia. As expected, they said that sending me the medal was all they could do, to which I kindly refused. Seeing now NTUC’s plan for race medal recycling, I regret not having accepting it.
Nestle Love Your Heart Run 2013, August 17th.
Running pack collection was at City Square Mall, it was a breeze and included a handy shoe-bag filled with delicious Nestle products. I remember being really nervous about the weather when I went to sleep the night before the race. Luckily though, when I woke up the sky was clear and I could only hope it would stay the same. I took the MRT (early opening of lines is a huge plus for Saturday races) down to Bayfront station and proceeded to the starting pin. It was a no-frills, race with just the right amount of participants. Everybody was lax and enjoying the run. We ran by the Garden’s By The Bay, the Marina Bridge and the Promontory, and I got to enjoy the amazing view of Singapore’s skyline.
Beautiful sunrise shot taken from Gardens By The Bay east during NESTLÉ® OMEGA PLUS® ACTICOL® Love Your Heart Run.
RunNUS 2013, August 25th.
I couldn’t miss my own University’s running event. The organisers were pretty generous with the race pack, which included a variety of handy items and vouchers. The race started at the sports complex and took us all through Kent Ridge campus, including the newly built “UTown” complex. I enjoyed the chit chat with people I had met during Love Your Heart run, and fellow colleagues. The run was challenging, and the number of slopes adding to the heat made this a rather slow course; luckily hydration was plenty and the volunteers did a great job.
Tri-Factor Run, October 6th.
This would be my first run on East Coast Park. I had only been there before for cycling. I went for the 10.5km category and arrived at the event site quite early. The ongoing expo offered good deals on many products, and the flag-off was on time. For many participants, Tri-Factor run is the last part of their triathlon challenge and they couldn’t hide their eagerness to receive that final piece of the medal-puzzle. The run was well organised and smooth, with plenty of sports drinks and goodies for everybody at the finishing line.
Tri-Factor Run 2013 aftermath.
Newton Challenge, October 20th.
Time to return to East Coast Park, for a 18-km race this time. I took the organiser’s shuttle bus from Dover very early in the morning. We arrived just in time for a quick hydration and stretching, and soon proceeded to the starting pen. Turnaround number was huge, but the event was well organised with plenty of hydration points and good crowd control. It got a bit too hot and sunny at the last few km’s, but it was a rather enjoyable run. I should add that both the singlet and finisher medal were of great quality. On a personal note, the black pepper crab waiting for me at the nearby Jumbo was definitely a motivation to cross the finishing line faster.
Chua Chu Kang BIG Farm Walk & Run 2013, October 27th.
A “neighbourhood run” which turned out to be one of the best value-for-money events. I decided to take part in this as it would offer a unique route in a part of Singapore that would otherwise be not readily accessible to me. On top of that, there was no big sponsor behind it. Race pack collection was held at Chua Chu Kang Community Center, it was a breeze and consisted of a t-shirt and a (not timing or named) bib number. The turnaround at the day of event was overwhelming, and it feels like it exceeded all organiser’s expectations. There were some bottleneck problems at the first kilometre of the race (mainly due to construction works), but as we moved onwards the road cleared and we then entered the farm area. A very generous goodies bag was waiting for us at the finishing line including fruits, biscuits, buns, golden rabbit candies and plenty of other product. There was even a Mr Bean truck giving away delicious soya bean milk to all finishers. I should mention that the registration fee was only S$10 (or S$8 for PAssion Card Members).
The starting point at Brickland Road. Image taken from Chua Chu Kang BIG Farm Walk & Run facebook page.
The Trailseeker, November 9th.
I had heard a lot about the Green Corridor, but I never got the chance to visit. I joined The Trailseeker for a 22km run stretching from Portsdown avenue to the Dairy Farm and back. It was a misty and cloudy morning, and the sun was only half way up when the flag was waved off. It was the first trail race for me and I really enjoyed all the greenery and running along the abandoned rail. Things got a bit too crazy after the 9th kilometre or so where we had to pass through various natural obstacles such as streams, logs and slopes. Needless to say we were all pretty soon covered in mud knee-deep, which made the remaining half of the race particularly hard. Hydration could have been better, and there was no food at the finish line. Apart from that, it was a well organised and not overcrowded event. Funny fact, for some reason it felt like this race had the largest angmo-to-local ratio.
Winding-down after the challenging 22km Trailseeker run.
Brooks Run Happy, November 16th.
This would be my first night-time race. I by far prefer running after sun down, and I love Singapore’s lit skyline, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to join. On top of that, I got a fairly good deal through Groupon. The organiser offered free shuttle buses from Marina Bay MRT station which was a very convenient service.
Even though parts of the event were enjoyable, I am not very happy with this run. It was overcrowded, crowd management at the starting pen was very bad and confusing, and most of the volunteers hadn’t been briefed about the locations of amenities. The first half of the course was at Gardens By The Bay East. The route was lit very poorly and there were plenty of non- participants hanging out. Kids on bikes and families with strollers made things dangerous, and I am glad that to my knowledge nobody was injured. Things were made worse due to the fact that this event attracted a lot of inexperienced runners and party-goers. I have nothing against people who decide to walk at races – I am not a pro athlete or very fast runner myself, after all – but to suddenly freeze, pose and take a selfie in the middle of the run, just feels wrong to me. The second half was somewhat less crowded and easier to run. Admittedly, the party at the finishing area was good, lots of drinks, alcohol-free beer and food.
Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, December 1st.
The last event of the year and a must for almost every runner here. Race pack collection was held at Singapore Expo; I went to collect on Friday morning, and it luckily didn’t take more than 5 or 10 minutes. Unfortunately, apart from the singlet and bib, the bag was only filled with useless flyers. I didn’t have time to explore the rest of the expo properly, but a wide variety of exhibitors were present.
I found the route for Half-Marathon (which I ran) excellent. The starting point at Sentosa boardwalk was readily accessible thanks to the early starting trains. There were plenty of volunteers to help people around. Flag-off was on time, and we made our way into Sentosa island. Running by the beach during sunrise was inspiring, and passing through Universal Studios was particularly fun. Mascots would greet and encourage runners, and many people stopped to take a photo with their beloved heroes.
On our way out of the island, we had to run through the underground parking lot. I don’t know if this was an absolute necessity logistics-wise, or who came up with this idea, but it definitely wasn’t a good one. Ventilation was poor, and to make things worse, some of the tourist buses had their engines on. I believe I was within the first 15% of runners at that time and it was already uncomfortable; I don’t want to imagine the situation later on, as the number of oxygen-gobbling runners increased.
After exiting Sentosa, we were already at our 9 or 10km mark. The next 7-8 kms before entering the city were smooth. A huge merge occurred with runners from the Full Marathon and the 10km run. Arguably, this was a poorly executed plan, as there were no barriers between runners of different categories, and made the last few kilometers of the -already struggling- Full and Half marathon runners much more difficult.
The final stretch near The Padang was very enjoyable to me; the cheering crowds* and feeling of completeness gave me a boost as I crossed the finished line with a time of 2h08m. Not a personal best, but definitely a run to remember.
* “There will be a day when you will no longer be able to do this, but today is not the day” and “Smile, your toenails will grow back” were two of the best banners I spotted!
My medal rack got richer by 7 medals this year.
It is now time to prepare my race schedule for 2014 and focus on training. See you all out on the streets!
Did you run any of these events? What’s your take on them? Let us know your opinion below.
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Start of the year, and well, I don’t believe in making new year resolutions anymore… I’ll just go ahead and do what I want to do, set short term goals, instead of making a resolution for the new year.
Happy New Year, and may you have a great year of running and keeping fit!
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays worldwide, and the running community has its own way of being festive. We bring you a list of Christmas-inspired runs and Santa dashes around the world.
The Las Vegas Great Santa Run, Las Vegas, USA
The Las Vegas Great Santa Run is one of Opportunity Village’s largest fundraising events and Las Vegas’ attempt to break the world record for the largest Santa gathering. More than 10,000 Santas participate annually, and this fun-filled, family event attracts runners from all parts of the world. This year it was help in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday, December 7, 2013.
Madrid Santa Run, Spain
Madrid Santa Run took place on Saturday, December the 14 in 2013 where more than 6,000 people dressed in Santa Claus costumes ran a 5.5km course in downtown Madrid. The race was organized by one of Spain’s leading department stores and it contributed 1 euro (S$1.7) for each entrant to a charity that buys Christmas presents for deprived children around the world.
The Santa Corrida de Noël 10K Race, Paris, France
A yearly event organised in the capital of France that attracts more than 3000 people. Check out the official site and this extensive photo-review of 2013’s edition.
Osaka Great Santa Marathon, Japan
The “Osaka Great Santa Run” is a charity event, started in 2009, where the participants wear a Santa Claus suit (included in the participation fee). The proceeds of this event are donated to children who have to spend Christmas day in a hospital.
Santa Claus Marathon, Rovaniemi, Finland
Every year in mid June, Santa Claus Marathon‘s full and half marathons, as well as a 12 km run and walk and children’s mini marathon, take place on the Arctic Circle. The starting point couldn’t be anything else than Santa Claus’s Workshop. The event is organised by the athletic club Lapin Lukko, Member of Association of International Marathons and Road Races AIMS since 2006. Next Santa Claus Marathon will be kept on June 14th 2014.
Santa Run, Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay, Philippines
The first ever Santa Run in Philippines took place on December 14th, 2013, themed “Be a Santa” for the benefit of the orphans of typhoon Yolanda. With the first ever “Santa Run Philippines” A campaign run for a cause in collaboration with ROOS and Pasay’s 150th anniversary. More info and photos at Pinoy Fitness.
Santa Run, Chania, Grece
A distance of 3,5 km is covered in the historic and commercial center of Chania with the sole purpose of raising money for children with health issues. The Santa Run is a festive, charitable organization, whereby we will be walking the city streets of Chania wearing Santa Claus costumes. Refuelling stations are the shops of the city who will be offering beer instead of water! In this Santa run official timing and medals do not exist. In Santa Run Chania we are all winners because we offer aid to children in need. The event was established in 2007.
Q-Santa-Run, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Kyoto Santa Claus Marathon, Japan
Runners ranging from children to seniors wear white beards and red coats to celebrate Christmas in the old capitol. The race began 5 years ago and quickly became a regular event. Its growing popularity attracts runners from Kanto and Shikoku in addition to locals. Runners in costumes such as Christmas trees and snowmen as well as people with dogs dressed as reindeer also take part.
Santa Hustle Race Series, USA
Each race provides participants with a free Santa Hat, Beard & customized dri-fit long sleeve shirt to wear while running. The Santa Hustle Race series of runs spans many states across the US, from the Windy City to the beaches of the Lone Star State.
The dates for this year’s runs are:
– December 7, 2013: Santa Hustle Chicago 5k
– December 8, 2013: Santa Hustle Milwaukee 5k
– December 15, 2013: Santa Hustle Smokies 5k & Half Marathon (Sevierville, TN)
– December 15, 2013: Santa Hustle Indy 5k & Half Marathon (Indianapolis, IN)
– December 15, 2013: Santa Hustle Cedar Point 5k & Half Marathon (Sandusky, OH)
– December 22, 2013: Santa Hustle Texas 5k & Half Marathon (Galveston, TX)
Santa Run, London, UK
Pick your distance, pick up your trainers and raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital, all whilst wearing a Santa suit. More info.
The Great Langdale Christmas Pudding Run, UK
The Great Langdale Christmas Pudding Run has become the peoples choice 10K winter run. With over 1000 entrants in 2009, the race appeals to the ‘fun’ runners. Every finisher gets a Christmas Pudding for completing the course and we encourage entrants to dress in festive costumes to add to the party atmosphere. The course is an out and back, slightly undulating route, along the Great Langdale Road. Starting at the New Dungeon Ghyll, running to The Langdale Estate in Elterwater and returning to the New Dungeon Ghyll.
The Santa RunTanTan, Aseana City, Philippines
A festive 16km run that takes place in Aseana City, Philippines. This year’s edition was held on December 15th, 2013
A Christmas Story House run Cleveland, Ohio, USA
The mission of the A Christmas Story Run is to provide a race that promotes health and fitness, stimulate the local economy and galvanize the community. It is organised by the A Christmas Story House & Museum. 5km and 10km categories are available.
Greenfield City Christmas Run, Philippines
A holiday run in Philippines. This year took place on December 8th, 2013.
LA County Holiday Half-marathon, USA
The LA County Half Marathon starts and finishes at Fairplex So Cal, home of the LA County Fair and encompasses the beauty of the Pomona Valley. The scenic course takes runners through various parts of the Fair and then heads right down the world famous Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. A 5km run is also available.
The villages of Nether Heyford and Flore are proud to host their third annual Santa Run. A 5 mile road run including mile and half mile Fun Run that takes place in Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire
For a list of forthcoming Santa Dash charity runs worldwide, and info how to register, please see this link: www.santadash.co.uk
We wish you happy holidays and a happy new year!
Have you participated in any Santa dash? Did we miss any event? Share your stories below.
It’s been one month since Singapore’s own Ms Yvonne Chee was completing Antarctic Ice Marathon, an extremely challenging off-road marathon, held on 20 November 2013 in 6hrs 34mins. This marked the final leg of her self-funded Seven Marathons and Seven Continents drive to raise money for charity.
Ms Yvonne Chee at the International Marathon of Marrakech 2013
The idea
Yvonne thought of this feat after helping with raising funds for cancer research in the build-up to the 2008 New York Marathon. “What if I tried to run a marathon on each of the seven continents?” she quotes. It was a big “What If” and as she was thinking about it, she chanced upon this quote by Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
That was it! Working hard and juggling personal and professional commitments to train, she managed to first complete marathons in four continents: Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. 2013 was the year that she successfully attempted to complete her “journey” by running the three remaining continents: Africa, South America, and last but certainly not the least, Antarctica.
Yvonne was inspired by her late-grandmother, to whom she dedicated this effort. “Without her, I would not be who I am today. Therefore I strongly believe that we have a lot to learn from our elders and that older folks deserve to have a good quality of life. As such, I have committed to raise funds for the Tsao Foundation. Through my own little way, I hope to make a difference for the elderly.”, she quotes.
The marathons
NORTH-AMERICA – ING New York City Marathon, 2 November 2008
ASIA – Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, 6 December 2009
AUSTRALIA – Blackmores Sydney Marathon, 19 September 2010
EUROPE – Paris Marathon, 15 April 2012
AFRICA – International Marathon of Marrakech, 27 January 2013
SOUTH-AMERICA – Rio de Janeiro Marathon, 7 July 2013
Only another two Singaporeans, Dr William Tan (in 2007) and Ms Gloria Lau (in 2012) have managed the feat of running seven marathons on seven continents and have joined the -rather exclusive- Seven Continents Marathon Club.
Donate
The public can make donations to support Ms Chee’s effort to raise funds for the Tsao Foundation via her website at: www.yvonne7marathons7continents.com. When donating please follow the simple instructions listed to facilitate the tracking of funds.
In Yvonnes’ words, “Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course and think whatever you want. Nobody tells you what to do.”. We couldn’t agree more, and we want to congratulate you once again on your amazing running journey for a good cause.
Last leg of an amazing journey completed. Yvonne posing with the Singaporean flag and her Antarctic Ice Marathon medal.
For another year, SCSM was awarded the Golden Label
We all took notice of the “IAAF Road Race Gold” label being proudly displayed next to this year’s Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon logo, but what does it really mean?
Let’s take things from the beginning, IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, under the name of International Amateur Athletics Federation. Since October 1993, it has been headquartered in Monaco. It retained the word “amateur” in its name until 2001 when the IAAF’s name was changed to its current form. Included in its charge, amongst others, are the standardization of timekeeping methods and world records.
Each year, IAAF grants recognition to a number of running events as being among the foremost competitions of their type. Races are divided into three categories: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Label Road Races. They are also divided into three types: marathon, half marathon, and other classic distances. Based on the criteria, the best races are awarded the Gold label. Amongst those to hold Gold Label status are all five annual races that make up the World Marathon Majors and the World’s Best 10K.
IAAF Road Race Labels
Requirements
Eligible races categories: Marathons, Half-Marathons, other “official distances” for which World Records are recognised: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 100km and “Classical” races over non-standard distances (i.e. Paris – Versailles over 17.6km).
Races must have an ‘international elite field’ with a minimum of five men and five women participating in the competition in the relevant Label category. Elite runners must be of at least 5 different nationalities (note: this could be, for example, elite men from 3 countries and elite women from 2 countries for mixed gender races).
Courses must have been measured within the 5 years preceding the race by an IAAF/AIMS “A” or “B” Course Measurer and an International Measurement Certificate issued by the International Measurement Administrator
Full electronic timing must be in place to provide split timing and final results.
The event must be broadcasted on a live or delayed basis on television within the country, or delivered to a good standard through online streaming. Gold Label races must be broadcast in a minimum of five countries, while Silver Label races must have live coverage available on a national broadcaster. A centre must be specifically provided for media personnel, and TV monitors and commentary facilities must be present for Gold Label races.
The race organisers must have a dedicated website with published results and must hold press conferences to support the event.
Race must have been established for at least 2 years prior to application.
The race must be organised in a way that minimizes ecological damage to the surrounding areas.
All traffic must be closed off from the race course at all times during the competition.
There must be adequate medical provision for the number of runners at the race.
A number of doping tests must be carried out after each race.
All prize money and bonuses offered should be equal, irrespective of the athlete’s nationality or gender – however, race organisers are allowed to offer additional bonuses to competitors from the host country in order to boost local participation.
All Gold Label Races must provide a giant video screen
The complete regulations document can be downloaded here [pdf].
How are long-distance races measured?
AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) works in partnership with IAAF, and together have adopted the calibrated bicycle method as the only approved method for measuring road races. In this method, a simple geared device known as The Jones Counter, which counts the revolutions of a bicycle wheel is used. The device is calibrated by a measuring tape at least 30 meters long. Next, the bicycle is ridden over the race course to determine its length. Finally the bicycle is recalibrated by riding again over the calibration distance. This is done to check for changes in bicycle wheel diameter due to temperature changes, air leakage and other causes. The method’s overall accuracy, depending on calibration and other factors, is normally better than 1 part in 1000, that is, about 42 meters over the course of a full marathon. The extra 42 meters are there because international rules state that all races must be measured one-tenth of 1% long, a provision known as the Short Course Prevention Factor. The point of it is to err on the side of safety to ensure that the course cannot possibly be found to come up short in case of a record. If an independent measurer did find the course to be short, the record would be invalidated.
IAAF Label Road Races 2013
The labels are valid for one year and a new application must be filed for the preceding one. These is the list of events that were awarded the labels this year.
IAAF Gold Label Road Races:
Amsterdam Marathon
Beijing Marathon
Berlin Marathon
Bogotá Half Marathon
Bogotá Women’s 12K
Boston Marathon
Chicago Marathon
Dubai Marathon
Frankfurt Marathon
Fukuoka Marathon
Giro di Castelbuono
Great Manchester Run
Great North Run
Great South Run
Hamburg Marathon
Istanbul Marathon
Lake Biwa Marathon
Lisbon Half Marathon
London Marathon
Nagoya Women’s Marathon
New York City Marathon
Paris Marathon
Portugal Half Marathon
Prague Half Marathon
Prague Marathon
Roma-Ostia Half Marathon
Rome Marathon
Rotterdam Marathon
Seoul International Marathon
Shanghai Marathon
Singapore Marathon
Tokyo Marathon
Vienna City Marathon
World’s Best 10K
Xiamen International Marathon
Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon
A Gold Label certification. Image courtesy: www.dubaimarathon.org
Enjoy an aerial time-lapse walk through the The Green Corridor, Singapore. The trek is begins at Bukit Timah Railway Station all the way to Bukit Panjang (Junction 10). Video courtesy of Travelled Paths.
