You never
KNOW what you can do till you try
Sports in its true
definition embrace all kinds of competitive activities that involve physical effort
and skill and when applied meaningfully, could be a gauge to one’s personal
challenge. EZ Riders not only cycle but also indulge in other sports as well,
primary for the purpose of diversion due to weather, environmental and
circumstantial changes.
The Sundown Marathon
provided an opportunity for some of the EZ Riders take up the challenge and to
gauge our physical and mental ability besides our normal activity of cycling. Only recently we have cycled to Sedili and
Desaru for a distance of 200km and me 100km respectively, thus by participating
in this marathon in the 21km and 10km run was just a mere 10% of what we did on
bike. No big deal. What we actually need was some training in preparation for
the marathon.
Sundown Marathon was
held on the 26th May 2012 and when the big day arrived, as early as
7.00 pm many runners assembled at the starting point. Most of this group opted
for the 10km run which was supposed to start off at 10.30 pm. The 21km and the 42km
run start off at 12.30 am and are expected to come in later. I, full of
excitement, came and joined the crowd at about 9.30 pm and immediately soaked
in the atmosphere. As I mingled around, unconsciously I was measuring myself
against these runners. They came in all kinds of shapes and sizes, tall, short,
fat and thin. Some of the guys and ladies were as fat as wine barrels and I
said to myself, “can they run?” doubtful of their ability, whilst some
were trim and fit. Then I came across some, guys and ladies who were ultra fit
and that have me wondering how to keep pace with them. As I was deep in my
thought, something attracted my eyes. Upon closer scrutiny, I saw that their
tag was different from mine with different color and a bold 21km was emblazoned
on the right side. Oh, lucky me, what a relief. My fellow running colleagues
will have a problem pacing with them.
No mountain is too high to scale
Then the announcement
came to assemble and be ready for the run. The crowd was huge, maybe 8000
runners or more. Finally the whistle blew and off we went. Due to the huge
crowd, the going was very slow initially, virtually walking elbow to elbow. As
the momentum increased, many runners were squeezing and sneaking to overtake. I
did the same and overtook those who were slow. Just like the OCBC 59km cycling
event, it was fun and challenging as I overtook more and more and then, right
in front of me I saw the fat ones whom I mentioned earlier. How can that be
……….. hmmm maybe they managed to queue to the front before the run. They were
panting and hissing away. I overtook them easily. I have much admiration for
their “can do” spirit to take part in this competition in spite of their size
and they were seriously trying very hard to complete the race. How I wish some
of our office ladies who are enjoying a sedentary life could exit from their
comfort zone and engage in some form of physical activity to lead a healthy
life style.
In this marathon, I
ran a very good race, the best thus far as I did not stop or walk. I just
followed and synchronized myself with the flow, on and on I ran, not letting my
fatigue overtake me. It was great, enjoyable and I felt rejuvenated and even
sprinted at the last 100m to the finishing line. I am sure that the rest of the
EZ Riders have the same kind of feelings as me. I did not, like many of them,
stop even for a drink except the last drink station before the finishing line.
It was a feat for me since I had my leg operation 2 years ago. During my
training session I hardly manage 6km not to mention 10km. My fellow running
colleagues did even better. Four guys and two ladies ran 21km under 3 hours. If
10 minutes or more were taken out due to serious bottle neck situation, the
timing will be even better.
I am looking forward
to the next run, maybe the Standard Chartered Marathon, anyone?
Cheers to the EZ
Riders.
Raymond Yow
5th June
2012
