It’s over.
The largest running event in Singapore, the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (“SCMS”) took place on Sunday 7 Dec 2014 and saw over 53,000 runners [source] over various categories, flagging off at different points in the country.
My running buddies were divided in the Full & Half Marathon cats. A handful of us were bringing our little plushies along cos we thought it’d be fun. Here’s mine – meet Little Bump!
I was supposed to meet the other Halfies at Harbour Front MRT @ 5am (yep, the public trains were extended for the event – this is how big the SCMS is for the country), but in the morning mad rush, I left my wallet at home. I then stupidly hitched a taxi ride with 3 strangers, totally forgetting about the road closures. Needless to say, I reached there waaaay late, past 6am, got further delayed at the baggage deposit counter and had to start in the 2nd wave – my friends, save for another girl, went ahead with the 1st *facepalm*
PS. Before I continue with my tale, I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to the 3 guys who let me share their cab – they didn’t even let me pay for the cab fare though I offered. Am unsure whether our paths will ever cross again, and they are unlikely to be reading this… but ah well… :o)
The crowd was huge. Both suffocating (I’m claustrophobic) yet motivating.
0km. A lovely sunrise saw the half marathoners off. The journey, my journey, began at Sentosa Gateway.
10km. The first half went by pretty uneventfully. I managed to pace myself comfortably, and was too distracted by the crowd – having to dodge, sidestep & overtake + the fact that I was running in Sentosa, to feel anything else but great. I stopped to gulp some water/isotonic drink at the checkpoints and consumed my first Gu chomp between the 7-8km mark. The gummy was a pleasant alternative to nasty goo though it did make my mouth pretty dry – gotta time it with the water points next time!
14-15km. Up the West Coast Highway, where I started to feel the effects of the sun. The heat was… merciless. I can’t remember when exactly was that I started walking, but I think it would have been sometime around then.
16km. My knee hurts. F**k, I remembered thinking to myself. This pain was only supposed to come after the race. Not during. And I still got another 5k to go. Walk-jog-walk-jog…
18-19km. By then I was walking 3/4 of the time, if not more. I did toy with the idea of giving up, but pride dictated that I must not DNF, not even if I have to limp the rest of the way. *chuckles* Limp rest of the way I did. I hobbled, I dragged my right foot, I slow jogged a little… along the CBD streets that were so familiar.
20.5km. Fkn finally. The finish line is so close now, can almost FEEL it. My fellow runners around me must have felt the same, for they too started to perk up. The 10km runners are coming in from the other direction. The heat was still insane, but soon, the ordeal will be over.
Annnnnddd I crossed the finish line as fast as my knee would allow. There!! My 2nd Half Marathon completed!! \(^_^)/
LOL ~ and despite what I had thought, the ordeal was NOT over. Baggage collection was all the way at the Marina Floating Platform – must be someone’s idea of sick joke, getting all the long distance runners to cover more distance, while the 10k-ers have their baggage conveniently at the Padang. /pif
Post-run makan was at Marina Square Food Court. The halfies headed there first and were joined by the full runners. My running companion, Little Bump, joined up with the rest of his plushie friends.
We grabbed a window seat overlooking the Espalande. While stuffing our faces, we could see the later runners on their return leg, and monitored the rest of our “gang” on the SCMS app religiously.
Verdict: Only complaints are the West Coast Highway area where runners were subject to the hot sun without water support for a significant stretch of road & the ridiculous walk to collect my baggage. Well… tbh I actually have much to say about the route diversion for the full marathoners, but that has nothing to do with my Half Marathon experience, and will hence leave it for another time.
Oh alright… here’s a group picture. Not the full group present, but that is the majority.
Simple Complexity 