Monday, December 03, 2007

Run Your Own Race

20070716 Singapore Marathon
Run Your Own Race.. that's what I did.

If I were to grade myself on my sixth full marathon participation, I would probably give a 'C-' or lower. But I am not going to grade myself and just be content with completing the Singapore Marathon yesterday. I clocked under 5:00 hours by my Garmin and will know the official time in a day or two. Some pictures from this memorable event for me and a bunch of Chennai Runners.

Overseas Entry pack collection center @ Suntec City..
I collected my entry pack on Saturday (Dec 1, 07) along with a bunch of Chennairunners. Since the local participants had collected their entry packs in advance, Saturday was left for overseas participants. There were ample volunteers helping the visitors through the process. Here, I must mention about the flawless organization. From the time I registered online 5 months back to the event day, organizers kept us informed on a regular basis and kept us motivated.

Chennai runners at the entry pack collection center.. Suntec city
Chennai Runners gang.. About 12 of us participated this year.. (some not in the picture)

Road Closure clearly marked and adhered to..
Roads were blocked for the duration of the run and notified well in advance. Compare this to the ad hoc closure for just three hours in Chennai.

Baggage deposit center near the starting point..
Baggage deposit area... Organizers had set up a huge tent and staffed it with enough volunteers to help the runners.

Line Naturally.. Waiting to use the 'toilet' before the run..
Line Naturally.. If there are two people for the same thing.. then a line get formed naturall... Runners lining up to use temporary rest rooms here.

Huge Ad. blitz for the run.. Adidas must have big bucks on for this event
Adidas and Standard Chartered Bank must have spent big bucks.. The entire city seems to have been decked up for this occasion. (Does Standard Charted Bank spend similar amount on Mumbai Marathon ?)

Some runners at the finish line - Singapore Marathon
One of the early half marathon runner near the finish line..

Senthil - at the Half Marathon finish line
Senthil, a Chennai Runner near the half marathon finish line.

Your Truly.. All smiles after successfully completing 4th full marathon..
Yours truly.. This is my fourth successful full marathon. My only regret is not having started sooner....

Several Groups like this participated and ran together..
Several groups like this one participated and they acted as great support group.

Finish line.. support for the runners.. in plenty
Support available in plenty for the worn out runners.. from drinks to foot massage everything was available.

Overall, this was a good run for me and for many of the Chennai Runners. I clearly see a positive progression of the Singapore Marathon in its stature and strength. As I mentioned before, the overall organization was impeccable and the volunteer support system was wonderful. However, I do have one suggestion and that is to do with the course. The running course was simply not sufficient for the thousands who hit the road last Sunday. In most of the places the the course was narrow and couldn't handle the volume. I hope the organizers take care of this problem and make the run even more enjoyable.

More Photos here

11 comments:

  1. Photos are cool. Too bad, I could have been in those photos :(

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  2. Siva
    Next year around.. btw.. Ramesh collected your 'entry pack'.. so you at least have that..

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  3. Ram,
    Nice pics.. Like Siva says "wish i'd participated"

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  4. Ram,

    Congrats on the finish under 5hrs. Surely you can better that next year. But nice to see the photos, crowds cheering...good motivation to work to the finish line.

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  5. Hari
    Thanks.. we will go there next and will do under 4:30.. that's a goal for both of us..

    Sundar
    Thanks.. Look forward to seeing you hitting tracks again.. soon

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  6. Congrats on the finish and the time!

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  7. Congratulations,Ram,this has motivated to participate in the next year's edition,I'm slowly upgrading to do the full monty by next year,I've started with 10k in Hyderabad,next target is 21k in Mumbai on 20th,then the 'big' one sometime during feb-mar,'08.Once again,a BIG CONGRATS-kp suresh

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  8. Ram,

    Nice pictures. Really motivating. I hope can give a shot next year.

    -Bhargav

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  9. Congrats on sub 5.00 & very nice photos..

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  10. awesome Ram!!! great running!! hope i'll be running with you next year.

    Srivatsan

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  11. Congrats, and thats some great time! I think you can now put those retirement plans to rest :). It was fun meeting you folks there, and I look forward to being there again.

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