MR25 Ultra-marathon 2012

My last race in the last days of a very hectic 2012.

Race mechanics are simple - repeat laps of 10km of Macritchie Reservoir, run 5 laps and you receive a finisher medal/tshirt. It is not a circular loop, but a 5km in/5km out loop - so everyone is somewhere along the 5km trail at any point in time - won't get lonely running.  It was a prettty interesting run, a nice end to the year, a good chance to work off some Christmas excess weight, and we didn't need to get overly serious about it.

When I awoke that morning, it was raining.  By flag off time, it was a slight drizzle that continued for the most part of the run.  While it makes for cool temperatures, it also means super slippery trails and some places were water-logged (read, it was a mud bath!).   The only sane speed was slow and careful.  On lap 2, I met A and mentioned I might go for a 6th lap, was really enjoying the run.

At the end of my lap 2, I met P.  He was just behind me and was going to take a short break.  I carried on running (I rather walk than to waste time in transit - the retired triathlete in me speaks!).

The next time I met P, I was starting my lap 4 and  he said he was finishing his lap 4.  I took a double-take.  Unless he ran 21km (laps 3 and laps 4) in the same amount of time I took to finish lap 3 or about a blistering 5mins per km pace, it is mathematically impossible considering the terrain, and his normal speed.  He doesn't even run flat roads at 5mins per km pace!  Cheater bug!

By lap 4, my hips started to ache from the rocky terrain.  I am thinking I need trail shoes for better cushioning, so I started to walk a lot.  While walking I could stare at my fellow competitors : I saw Sim Wong Hoo - my ex-CEO, Ng Kai Wai - formerly CTO with Sim & also my friend's dad, my former VP in Creative - Lee Teck Seng, Angela Flynn our angmo friend who I first met at the North Face run...  Awesome!  The women were rather strong, many still running steadily, while most of us were walking a lot, only running downhill, by then.

By lap 5, I could hardly run, the rocky terrain was too jarring, the impact from every step if I keep running, was hurting all my joints.  I chose to walk to spare my internal organs!  Alex appeared at the start of my lap 5 - he was completing his lap 5, jumped very close in front of my face and asked me if I was still going for 6 laps.  I was too tired to kick him or I would!  All I could do was shake my head sadly : 5 laps and that's it!

I finished my 5th lap at 9 hours and indicated to the marshal to stop my run at that point.  Compared to the North Face 50km run which I completed in 6:50, this is way way slower.  The overall winner was a woman, Sumiko Tan who ran 9 laps in just under 11 hours.   She beat the winning man by 2mins who also ran 9 laps.

MR25 is a sports club, not a professional business, we paid less for registration fees, but also got less out of it.  Other than Pocari sweat drinks - which were served refreshingly cold & a whole lot of bananas, there was nothing else. No energy gels, nor muscle rub.    At the end of the race, they handed out finisher medals to everyone!  You queue up, they ask you your timing, you tell them (no verification!), they hand-write your name and timing on a certificate, then pass you the certificate along with a finisher medal and finisher tshirt.  Tadah!  Guess this is meant to be a everybody's race!

It was a pretty fun run for me, especially after we headed off for chengdol and a big chicken rice meal along Thomson Road after the run.  If I want to run it again this year, I should get trail running shoes to save my bones/joints!  I just might!