Singapore Marathon 2009

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon was my 4th Half Marathon participation and the first over sea's run. A lot of positive words about the run have been heard before and it was also claimed to be the "biggest" in terms of participation. And they were right! A total of 50,000 runners took the streets of Singapore on foot come Sunday. The organisers did their job really well I must say. Not a single motor vehicle come across the path of runners! None! Not even ONE. Runner's safety were at the pinnacle of the organisation. And for that I congratulate them and feel very very satisfied with the run.




I left for Singapore via Air Asia on Saturday morning. We (myself and Ayman) stayed at a backpackers hostel (The Hives Backpackers) not far from Boon Keng MRT station. We left our bags and went to collect the race pack at Expo. If one were to compare the efficiency of the Running Event, race kit collection and route safety were the top 2 priority. And they did and excellent job in both! They had 20 counters for half marathon only and the line was non existent-the waiting period were kept to as low as 3 seconds-how effiecient is that?! Verification of ID took another 45 seconds and you are done in less than 2 minutes. We were then directed to the Sports Exhibition next door before exit. You can get cheap and attractive sporting goods and accessories from headbands down to running shoes at crazy prices. I got myself a running shirt for $5.







Personalized Race Number - Nice

We had an early dinner at ZamZam restaurant near Arab St, and went for a walk to check out the starting point for the run before heading back to the Hostel.



One Insanely Cool Ford


Race Day - We took the MRT from Lavender to City Hall to the race start point. I was telling myself to go slow and steady and hydrate well to avoid cramps before turning on my Ipod. The route involved a lot of U-turns, so you get to see the faster runners on the opposite directions and I got to see a LOT of runners on the opposite side haha. But in line with the Organisers Motto - "Run Your Own Race", I kept running on my own. But I was never alone anyway, there were too many runners to make you feel left out and alone and I enjoyed every step of it :)



Before the start - Espalande can be seen at the background








I managed to get myself the finisher's medal after 3h 17m 03s I first crossed the timing mat at the start point, it was nothing spectacular but I enjoyed every part of it. The Water Stations/Medical Aids/Supporters/Signage were properly marshaled and placed, I only need to carry my ORS and powergel.






After the run we went to ZamZam again to have lunch. Another highlight of the trip! The beef briyani was SEDAP GILA. Maybe because I was hungry after the run, but it was really nice and the price is very fair with the portion, even if you convert to ringgit you won't be complaining ($5).

In the evening we went for sightseeing in the city centre to do some shopping and have dinner. On the way back we stopped at Mustafa - the only 24h shopping mall in Spore, it reminds me of Mydin, but much bigger and with more varieties. A must visit I think.





On the last day, we spent the entire daytime sightseeing and last minute shopping. We headed to Changi Airport at around 1930 for our flight home. It was a memorable visit and I am already looking forward to next year's run.



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