Jurong Lake Run 2014

21 June 2014. I arrived at the race site about 15 minutes before the 6km race. I had decided to not set high expectations, nor make much preparation. Instead, just go and run a hard effort without fear.

As I eased my way to the front, I noticed that unlike previous races, a greater number of runners for this race towards the front were seemingly less competitive individuals. Consequently, it was worrying that the start would be messy due to the large number of people walking or jogging, despite queuing towards the start of the race pen.

The 6km race was flagged off promptly at 7.15pm. I was thankful for the time of the flag off, because the temperature today was searing. Based on others’ data, it was reported that the temperatures were about 32-35 degrees in the evening. As I expected, the flag off was indeed messy. It probably took me about 15 seconds to get past the start line (despite being about 10m away). After crossing the line, the first 100m was messy – forcing me to shift over to the pavement (instead of the road) to run.

About 300m into the race, when the road was finally clearer, I shifted back to the main road. I passed the 1km marker at about 4:00 and the second at 8:00. Slightly ahead of schedule for the first km, but it felt manageable. Overtook many less competitive individuals and possibly the more competitive runners as well. This was probably because of the rather delayed start (15 seconds – though not much – but the more competitive runners would probably have minimised their delay by less than 5 seconds). Passed a runner in a black vest but sensed that he was tracking me. Didn’t particularly enjoy setting the pace for a stranger. Overall, route was smooth for the first 2km.

Mild havoc towards the third km, when the routes of the 10km and 6km races combined. This meant weaving through the slower runners (the 10km race flag off was at 6.30pm) because naturally in Singapore, runners did not stick to any side of the road, leaving no clear path for the competitive individuals. After the 3km marker (about 12:08 due to the dodging), I told the runner in the black vest to stick with me because I knew this portion of the race would get tougher. I wanted someone to run with, not someone to follow me. However, he encouraged me to run my own race because he felt he could not hold on. By then, I recognised that my optimal goal of a sub 24 would not be possible with this crowd, hence I slowed down for him to stay with me for a period. Subsequently, after passing the 4km marker(16:16), I moved ahead of him.

It was a mess as I passed the bridge leading to the Chinese Gardens. The 2.5km fun run route had now merged with the other competitive categories. I could not stick to my pace – not because of fatigue – but because of the sheer volume of runners. They were nicely diffused through the pavement, leaving no clear path to run. Passed the 5km marker at 20:27. Noticed another fast runner in front of me (possibly running the 6km) and I decided to surge past him and it certainly felt good. It felt tactical – a quick surge to discourage a pursuit from him. A final turn towards the end point before I commenced my sprint finish – this time with much energy to spare because of the inability to expend it earlier due to the crowds.

I passed at 24:38 on my watch. I understood it was not a reflection of ability due to sub-optimal race conditions. Upon crossing the finish, volunteers promptly stopped me. I was surprised. However, they read ’17…’ (my bib number) then apologised and told me to move on. Could I have been mistaken for another category’s prize recipient?

Overall, this race was a quicker, shorter run (instead of the 10ks that I had been running). The temperature certainly wasn’t optimal for a good run, but this is by no fault of the organiser (Taman Jurong Community Sports Club). However, the merging of running routes for the various categories meant the faster 6km runners had to hazardously weave through throngs of runners.

Regarding race logistics, they handled the situation responsibly upon runners’ discovering that event tee sizings did not correspond to the initial measurements they posted (during the early bird registration phase, though this was modified subsequently). I would sharply contrast their rectification with Sundown Marathon 2014’s resolution of event tee measurement discrepancies, which the organiser (Hivelocity) did poorly.

This race has certainly made me look forward to passing the finish lines of additional shorter races (than the 10km). Nonetheless, for now, the more pressing race of my life would be passing my upcoming examinations on the 27^th and 30^th June 2014.

Running in my sleep, with the runner in black following me through to about 3km. Credit to Running Shots.

A good 13 days after the conclusion of the event, the official results are out and I rank 13 in my category (Men's Junior) based on Gun time. Nett time was better than I expected at 24:32.