In the weeks leading up to the marathon, I was feeling slightly trepeditious.
Meng Ee, my visually handicapped partner whom I was working with for the better part of this year to help him break new ground, was starting to feel the strain of distance running.
In our last long run a few weeks back, he was flagging with the distance that we hoped to cover. By the time we got to PA in Kallang, it started to rain and we took shelter at the bus stop on the main road.
It was no doubt a welcome pit stop for him though I was very concerned that we might have had to cut short the session without having completed the all-important 30-32km pre-marathon run.
But because I noticed that Meng Ee was drained, physically and emotionally, I decided to hold my tongue.
After a long time waiting for the rain to subside, I was very glad when Meng Ee decided to continue.
Just when I thought we had crossed the biggest of our obstacles, Meng Ee in the week after told me about an injury sustained in that last long run. We decided to rest for one week.
Then one day at work, he fell into a 7-foot manhole outside of work because there were insufficient warnings around the manhole!
With all these challenges, it really was a miracle that we got to the start line on Sunday. Thank you Jesus!
After a prayer, we started inching our way to the timing mats at the start point of the race. Barely had we started our run when the elite runners had already returned to the Esplanade bridge!
We took things relatively easy and were kind of on pace with the 8 kmh that we were doing during our training runs.
By the time we entered East Coast Park Service Road, we saw Kibet, the reigning world champion, about to leave for Fort Road on his way to the finish line with his rivals trailing well behind him!
We started to do a mixture of walk-run during the whole East Coast stretch, taking our time to go to the toilet twice. Despite our leisurely pace, Meng Ee was actually passing lots of able-bodied competitors who were looking depleted.
I tried to look out for Crazies but saw no one. Eventually, we got to the U-turn point at the sailing centre and Meng Ee was so happy!
I was also very happy because for once, Meng Ee was happy to eat whenever I told him it was time to, be it PowerBar gels or Nuun electrolytes tablets. Thank you Jeffrey, Fiona and PowerBar!
In fact, Meng Ee started to ask me when it was time to eat on the stretch leading out of East Coast and even requested for a banana when we got to the stadium. Because we were replenishing so regularly, we were spared of cramps and the dreaded wall.
Unlike our normal training sessions, we had only stopped once at East Coast to spend some time stretching.
However, I experienced something I never had before during the race – an aching in my lower ribs/intercostal muscles. It was not a bad pain but I noticed it was like an ache similar to how our quads and calves feel after a tough training session.
Dr Andrew, what does this kind of ache signify? Should I be worried?
Meng Ee and I eventually got to the Padang where he sped up so rapidly he whizzed past his parents and sister who were there to witness his amazing achievement.
Our time was, I think, 6hrs 3mins (I had pressed my watch too early at the start of the race, about 3mins before we got to the first timing mat). Though our goal was to complete the marathon in one piece with no timing pressure, I had estimated at the back of my mind an approximate 6-hour finish.
Meng Ee has come a long way since the start of this year when he had never been able to complete a run longer than 5km without huffing and puffing. Praise God!
I hope he will go on to do more.
Speaking of more, I am very pleased to inform you that Yuan Ping, whom I had worked with in last year's StanChart Marathon, went on to do more.
She was so uplifted she decided to wheel herself in the 10km category this year. However, she probably got a bout of the jitters which was why she sent out her SOS sms at the last minute.
Thank you Kok Tian, Kok Aun and Chris for stepping forward to volunteer their services.
Kok Aun, in particular, was remarkable because unbeknownst to me at the time, had not run 10km in the last 6 months! But such is the confidence of Crazies, yes? :)
He told me after his race with Yuan Ping that Yuan Ping had wheeled herself for 70 per cent of the way. That's truly amazing, considering that she was only able to wheel herself for less than 200 metres every 15 mins in last year's marathon. Thank you Lord, and well done, Yuan Ping!
BP
