Note:
If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)
Written By Marcel Sng
Tarandeep's dream of Personal Best Time dashed
Picture 1- (left to right) Galen Ruben, S. Jeevaneesh, Tarandeep Kaur, Coach Rameshon and Ashley Liew.
I saw Tarandeep Kaur limping after falling down in the Run 350 race. Much to my amazement, I saw some of the runners on chair injured because of hitting a one to two-inch kerb which formed as part of the running route. I interviewed Tarandeep on this. Coach Rameshon who could not make it for the race decided to go to the first-aid tent to attend to Tarandeep to see that she was alright.
Galen, Ashley, Jeevaneesh, Coach Rameshon and I consoled her on the race and told her to focus on the next race.
An interview with Tarandeep
Why did you take part in the race?
I took part so that I could do a personal best time.
How was your training?
Somehow I got some form of training and I had to balance between work and training.
How do you find the route?
Accurate course distance.
What happened during the race?
I was running faster than what I did in Feb 2012 at Hong Kong running in the Hong Kong half -marathon. I was aiming to do a time of 1hr 45min to 1hr 50min. I was doing something like 50min plus for the first 10km then I fell on the floor when I hit a one to two-inch kerb like thing. It was pitch dark at that time and I could not see anything at that time.
Then did you get some help?
Yes, I waited for first-aid help. I was not able to run. Later the organisers put a cone to signal to people not to run at that area.
What feedback do you have for this race?
It was organised very well except for the part that we fell down.
I
started running in the first wave of the 350 21km, it was quite dark and crowded at the start. As we ran towards the 10km marking, we ran over some kind of carpeted ground. Basically, the organizers had covered a
bumpy path with some red carpet. The area
was quite narrow and I was being pushed to the right side by guys who were bigger than me. It was quite dark at that point and I couldn't see the bumps on the ground. I hit my foot against it once and almost tripped but was able to catch the fall. Closer to
the 10k turning point, I tripped again and this time I fell forward,
twisting my ankle and getting abrasions on my arm. I was very disappointed as I was on track to hitting the time that I wanted for this race but it was too painful for me to get up and put
any weight on my ankle. The race volunteers helped me out and as we waited for the medic to
arrive, 3 other people twisted their ankle at that spot and at least 6
other people tripped at the same spot. The volunteers then put a cone at the spot but as someone ran there, he tripped
and knocked over the cone. Clearly, the methods used by the organizers were ineffective as many runners had the same problem. Going forward they should not allow people to race on such paths as its dangerous especially in the dark. It's a waste of time to get
injured, pull out of the race and then recover. Once they discovered there was a problem with the route they should have put lighted markers or something brighter to alert runners to avoid it. I hope this won't happen again!
Which is your next race?
I am discussing with coach Rameshon on this.
Note:
By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).
He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.
