Races, Events & Gathering Corner

OhMyGod, 50 pushups, well done 👍   Saw Lexus Tan facebook, he own self say know qi gong, can apply.    I scare scare, should I call? 

Slightly OT, but from the Straits Times article quoted by Lady Ice: A time of 2:46:57 is fast of course. Impossibly fast for a slow runner like me, but whenever I look at race results from marathons elsewhere in the world, and compare it to the times of our best runners of countries in Southeast Asia, even if one were to exclude the times of African runners from the equation, our runners here in SE Asia appear to be outclassed. I've always wondered why??? 🤔 Even in Japanese marathons, the Japanese winner's times are usually at 2:30++ on average. Are we at some disadvantage because we live in a hot climate, compared to those in temperate countries? When I mentioned to a runner from Victoria (AUS) that I usually run in temps of 27-33C, his jaw dropped...

SCSM T shirts are also usually sold at the pre-race expo, not just in SCSM but also other IAAF certified marathons in other parts of the world. The actual finisher shirt handed to you at the finish line is of course different though. I have nothing against those who want to buy a souvenir or presents for family and friends back home, but I strongly believe finisher shirts should be earned. Medals are usually just made of cheap metal or plastic, but to a runner, that "token" represents all the blood sweat and tears  you put into finishing the race. I don't remember where I read this, but there was this story about a guy whose wife completed her first marathon in Chicago. He told his friend: "I just bought her an expensive designer bag. That finisher certificate she got from completing the marathon probably cost the organizers a few cents to print. If she had to choose between the two of which to keep though, I know it would be that finisher's certificate & medal on our wall!" 🥴

I’m not a local, so I didn’t know the story about that pastry chef, but the link to the Straits Times article was an amusing read. It said he picked up running in 2011, and only runs 1 km at each time (!?!?!?) on weekends, yet he managed to cover  19kms in an actual race before giving up. I suspect though he probably walked most of that. If he could cover that distance running without training though, he must be either gifted, or very fit from another sport or life activity. Imagine what he would actually be capable of if he just took the time to train properly!

Oh, don't know how they got hold of them. But during last year's OCBC Cycle, I saw the organizer selling past years' shirts at the race pack collection venue. I think this is good recycling practice as there should be excess and will be a pity just to scrap them. As well sell cheap to cyclists who may want to buy them.