My Army Half Marathon Race

My Army Half Marathon Race

I've just returned from my Army Half Marathon race, a competitive 21 km run around Marina Bay this 12 September 2010 morning.

Some reasons that made me sign up to race the 21km race of the Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon:

I had already done the 10km Singapore Bay Run on earlier attempts, thus it was time to 'upgrade'.

I wanted to experience the largest mass running race (70000 runners in 2009, 2010) in Singapore.

I wanted to experience the new race route across Marina Bay Reservoir on the Bayfront Bridge and run past the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

I wanted to renew my experience of running up the Sheares Bridge.

I wanted to witness all the street-side entertainment that included belly-dancers, percussionists, and cheer teams.

I wanted to experience running under the full glare of lights along the Singapore Grand Prix F1 racing route.

I wanted to receive the Army Half Marathon T-shirt, goody bag, personalised certificate and a half marathon finisher medal.

I really wanted to race in an enjoyable atmosphere which was what I received the most benefit from.

Did you run in the 21km Army Half Marathon race?

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Passion Run 2010

Passion Run 2010

It takes plenty of passion for a person to push his or her body to run 10 kilometres. It takes even more passion if you try to push your body to its limit in order to better your personal best (PB) times or to set a personal 10km run record (PR). Those with the greatest passion put their legs and bodies through training programmes like interval runs, tempo runs,long distance slow runs, core training and the like, week in week out, rain or shine, and feel good at the end of each session.

I guess I must possess similar passion to have taken part in another 10-km race on 22 May 2010. This was the Passion Run 2010 held at Angsana Green in East Coast Park. The race was organized by Geylang Serai 3i Enterprise, Geylang Serai CSC and Geylang Serai Community Club.

The Passion Run 2010 was my first attempt to set a 10K personal best after having done two leisurely races of similar distances (Singapore Marathon 10 km run and 10-km Singapore Bay Run) last year. So did I manage to break a record?

Before I answer that, let me recap my version of Passion Run 2010.

The weather on 22 May 2010 was favourable. A light rain in the morning had displaced the week's hot sun that kept slapping sweat-stained skin. When the Passion Run 10-km race started at about 5.30 pm, it was cool with a little sunlight peering through thick clouds.

I lined up with the second wave of starters for the Passion Run Veteran 10-km race. The second wave of runners consisted of runners from both men and women in the Open and Veteran categories. However this mixed group of runners flagged off at a crawl. With layers of walkers before me, I was trapped in a traffic jam for several hundred metres. In bursts of running and weaving and braking, I found my pace disrupted.

By the time the field of runners opened up, it was almost near the half way point. Just when I could settle into a regular rhythm, I hit a wall. A wall of joggers who made the u-turn for the shorter 5km fun run. Again the weaving through the Passion Run crowd re-started, interspersed with periods of accelerations and decelerations. To make matters worse, many runners were slowing and stopping for drinks along the narrow route as we neared the finish line.

By this time, I stopped looking at my watch to check on my race pace for Passion Run 2010. (It was dangerous to take my eyes off the crowd to look at my watch as I could crash into other runners who stopped running suddenly). Thoughts of any record breaking attempt was not on my radar at that point in my run.

I had hoped to follow through with some faster runners before me but alas I guessed all the faster ones had already filtered their way to the end point of Passion Run 2010. I decided to make the final one-km dash and opened up my stride, all the time still weaving between other competitors.

Finally crossed the Passion Run 2010 finish line with an unofficial time below 59 minutes, which was just beyond my training times achieved in the past three months. My Garmin watch recorded a total distance of 10.1km (The extra 100 metres was probably due to the zig-zag weaving through the field).

Made one conclusion: this Passion Run 2010 at ECP route with its timing and format for 5km and 10km competitive runs using the same tracks is not conducive to setting records. Still, I am happy to create a personal best (PB) in an official racing event, despite some challenges.

The rewards for completing Passion Run 2010? A keepsake medal (plus other goodies) and a valuable learning experience for my racing. I did not stay for the Passion Run 2010 concert and soon found myself stuck in another race: the race to get out of the East Coast Park car park that was jammed with an unbelievable number of vehicles. That story, however, could be another long post.

Photograph: Passion Run 2010 10-KM finisher medal and runner's T-shirt.

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Winner Of Singapore GP 2008 Is ...

Winner Of Singapore GP 2008 Is …

The winner of Singapore GP 2008 is the racer who is the first to cross the finishing line of the world’s inaugural Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix (GP) night race on 28 September 2008 AND does not receive any penalty for GP infringements during the Singapore GP race.

In the last race before the Singapore GP at the Belgium Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton crossed the end point first in classy winner mode, ahead of other GP racers. However the race steward penalized him with a 25-second time penalty.

This GP turn-around pulled his winner’s placing down to third, thereby losing his winner tag. Official appeals by the ex-winner are on-going to re-instate his win (which did not succeed). I am sure multiple GP race-winner Hamilton will be able to put aside these distractions as he undergoes final preparations and aims to become the 2008 Singapore GP night race winner.

I have no preference on who would make a great winner at the first Singapore GP night race. Whoever wants to win the Singapore GP must attempt to be the winner during the qualifying test rounds. He must also be a winner at navigating the street circuit of Singapore GP throughout the street circuit to stand a good chance to be the winner. Other races on F1 street circuits like Monaco have shown that it is difficult to be the winner if they are not in pole position right from the start.

Due to the nature of street circuits elsewhere, over-taking was not possible because of the narrow width of the street tracks. Perhaps Singapore GP’s street circuit may be a different proposition, as some GP experts believe that a winner may emerge from among racers that start behind pole position if overtaking can be done safely in the Singapore street circuit.

I shall watch the show on local “live” TV to assess who see who will emerge as winner of Singapore GP. Past results have demonstrated that only a few teams have the engine pedigree that can win races without an excellent driver. In reality, outstanding F1 driving skills are required to ensure that an F1 team can pick up a winner’s title.

Who will win the inaugural Singapore GP 2008, pop the champagne on the winner’s podium and be crowned Night Race King of Singapore GP’s street circuit? Go on; guess who will be the winner of Singapore GP 2008…

I shall update you on the winner of Singapore GP 2008 when the result is known.

You can also check out the official Formula One website here for the name of the Singapore GP 2008 winner after the race is completed.

Read more:

1. Photograph of Singapore GP 2008, St Andrew's Rd

2. Best Singapore GP 2008 Seats

3. First Singapore GP 2008 Night Race

4. Singapore Motor Show 2008

LATEST: 29 September 2008
Fernando Alonso has won the world's first F1 night race. Click to read.

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First Formula 1 (F1) Night Race In Singapore

First Formula 1 (F1) Night Race In Singapore

There are not many days left to the first Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore. The inaugural Grand Prix Formula 1 (F1) night race to be held on 28 September will herald many firsts for the racing scene in Singapore.

It will be the first ever Formula 1 (F1) race in Singapore. It will be the first racing event to race down our City area. It will also be the first Formula 1 (F1) race in the world to be held at night. And ultimately the first of many questions without any answers as yet that will race through people’s head is, “Who will be the first winner in this leg of Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix Night Race in Singapore?”

Despite its pedigree as an international world-class motor-racing event, not many individuals I know are as excited about the Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore as the media frenzy surrounding it. The Sunday Times of 7 September 2008 certainly pointed out the obvious lack of Formula 1 (F1) race buzz among Singaporeans.

Certainly fewer would be fond of paying top dollars for the cheapest seats just to walk around the spectator stands. If you wish to rub shoulders with Bernie Ecclestone (boss of Formula 1 (F1) race series), Michelle Yeoh (Hollywood actress from Malaysia), Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen or any of the other Formula 1 (F1) superstars, be prepared to loose several digits from your bank account. Commoners like me with thin bank savings accounts and mild interest in Formula 1 (F1) may just have to settle for home TV broadcast of the world’s first Formula 1 (F1) Night Race in Singapore.

What’s Formula 1 (F1)?
No, Formula 1 (F1) is not a breakaway singer from the boy band called F4. I have no idea why the originator of this racing event named it F1 other than to mean “Formula One”. Like a complex mathematics equation, I guess they had to discover who could decipher the mystery and come up with a formula in order to become number one in motor racing.

The official name of this night race in Singapore is quite a mouthful. Its name is the 2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. According to its website, in the Formula (F1) Singapore Grand Prix race, contestants in their souped-up cars must complete 61 laps (I think) around Singapore’s central business district in a street circuit. Each lap of about 5.067 km long street circuit will see F1 drivers make 14 left hand turns and 10 right hand turns. How fast an F1 driver can complete one circuit will be known by 28 September 2008 as each F1 driver will try to push his vehicle at speeds in excess of 300 km per hour. An F1 car can hit 100 km/hour in 2 seconds compared to the 10 seconds that cars on our ordinary expressways can achieve.

The prize for the winner who finishes first in this race? Bragging rights, multi-million dollar endorsements, international media exposure, and endless high-maintenance celebrations and parties. Whoever wins the first 2008 Formula 1 (F1) night race in Singapore will celebrate like no other.

Singapore Inc will certainly join in the celebration as well. For turning out to be the ultimate race winner as the host to the world’s inaugural Formula 1 (F1) night race on a street circuit. Plus the bonus of basking in global media attention; and attracting high net worth individuals and companies to contribute to the nation’s treasury.

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Read more:
1. Seen This Scene That: Singapore Grand Prix...
2. Winner of Formula 1 Night Race
3. Singapore Motor Show 2008

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