Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

It was a great day to race. The skies were cloudy, so everyone was spared the harsh rays of the sun. My heartiest congratulations to all who took part and completed the various categories in the SCSM today, especially the full-marathoners, well done!

I didn't really have a good half-marathon myself...I failed to meet my sub-2 hour timing. In fact, my Polar HRM hung the moment the race started, so I had no indication of what time it was during the run :P Nevertheless I kept up a strong pace at the start. But I paid for it towards the end. My legs were like lead by the time I reached the turning point at Nicoll Highway (~17.5 km). Run3 overtook me in the last 1-2 km, as she usually does :) I got the end-point, saw the gun time of 2:02:15, felt really disappointed, collected my medal, grabbed a drink, then went over to the Esplanade bridge with SassyRunner and Run3 to cheer on the rest of the half-marathoners. I've now lost my voice and my arms are aching terribly with all the cheering, clapping and waving... but I think it was for a good cause, so that's ok.

At around 11 am, I stationed myself at the Esplanade underpass and started to take photos of the full-marathoners that ran by. It was their final stretch before the finishing line. Some were in good form, others limping in tears, and still others holding hands and encouraging each other to persevere to the end. It was an emotional experience for me to see the power of the human spirit driving people to complete their 42.195 km. It takes a lot of guts, a lot of courage and a lot of willpower to do it. And when one considers how many of these full marathoners are doing it for the first time this year, it's simply incredible.

For me, I didn't meet my target this year, and I didn't even attempt the full marathon. Personally, that feels kind of lousy, but I am grateful nonetheless for the opportunity to have cheered fellow runners on and to have been swept up in the shared experience of the thousands of runners today.

Well done, everyone. Good job. See you at the starting point next year.