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)
By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)
One of the best cross-country races that I
have ever run in Singapore was in the National Schools Cross Country Race of the 1970/1980s.
Many races
that have been held in Singapore have their strengths. I have run races for the
past 30 years or so. Of the race, the best races I can remember was the School
Cross Country races organized in the 1970s.
As a
student, training under Mr Joseph Vargese (1977 to 1978), Coleman Baptist (1979
to 1980) and finally, under Mr Lui (1980 to 1981), I finally managed to come in
6th in the Nationals Schools Cross Country race. It was the result
of Mr Lui’s training. I was in Saint Joseph’s Institution at that time. At that
time, there were heats and finals in the National Schools Cross-Country Races.
It was a joy for us to run these races.
In the heats
of the national schools’ cross-country race in 1981, I came in 1st
and did a time of 16min 02sec for the 4.8km running route in Mac Ritchie
Reservoir. In the finals, about 5 days to a week later, I ran the finals in
15min 56sec, one second away from my best time for the route of 15min 55sec. I
was having a bruise which dashed my hopes of coming in top 3 for the race.
Anyway,
having run the national schools’ cross-country race in the past has made me not
just happy but at the same time, it made me satisfied also because of the fact
that the races were organized very well. I really enjoyed the races of the 1970s and 1980s during my schools days.
The race was
very memorable and I have no regrets for losing to my competitors at that time as
my potential was tested at the time and it created the developmental stage for
becoming an avid runner over time.
What made
the races in 1970s/1980s to be remembered.
It made an
impact on me as I was able to see whether I was top ten for my age group race.
All I wanted to do was to run a race where I could test myself with those of my
age group athletes. I trained very hard for the races, especially when I was
learning to take up running.
In the past,
from one a week’s training, I moved up to three times per week training at sec
3, and consequently trained 6 times per week at least in sec 4.
The reason
for me to train hard was to move up from 50 over individual position in the National
Schools’ Cross-Country race to top 3 positions.
The races as
I could see in the past, was done in such a way that there were three to four
heats. After running the race, a number of schools were eliminated with 18 schools
left to compete in the finals.
The organization
of the race was such that even though the school did not enter in the finals,
the top 10 athlete runners of the heats were
allowed to enter the race by moving forward of all the teams that are about to
run in the race.
I got
excited when my name was called to come to the front, in front of all the
school teams lining up to run the race.
In a race,
in actual fact, there were 30 runners in front of the 18 teams to run in the
race. Usually, 6 teams per heats usually qualify to the finals. Even though, my school was out of the finals
in some races, I was very happy that I was called to come to the finals to run
on that day of the race, which was usually 5 to 7 days apart.
With this
performance, I also was asked to run in the 5000m time trial when I was a sec 4
student. I did 17min 31sec at that time.
I also
remember my brother, a year older than me, running in the year 1976, where SJI was
out of the finals. However, when he was found to be the top 10 individuals in
his heats, out of the rest of them in the three heats, he finally came in 7th
overall in the individual section of the National Schools’ Cross-Country race. My
brother was at that time a secondary one boy, while I was in primary six then.
Hence,
luckily we were able to come in top 10 in our heats as even when we are out, we
could still enter the finals to win the races. I also remember my team-mates who
did not come down during the holidays to train. My friend Tan Eng Howe, my training
partner at that time, and I were the only ones training hard. It was only after
the holidays that my friends start to train for the National Schools
Cross-Country Race. Hence, running in the finals as the top 30 runners right in
front of all the teams was a thing which had contributed for my development as
a marathon runner and eventually a national record holder, without which I may
have faded as a runner. Thanks go to the great organizers at that time. The
races were run with great charisma and enthusiasm.
Also, a good
and favourable thing to do by the organizers to do is to make school teams that
are not serious in training to be weeded out of the competition so that one
could watch the schools that had really conditioned the athletes. It is good to
watch the real challenging race.
Even my
father, who came for my finals at that time was excited to watch the race.
Nearly none were seen jogging and coming back. This was evidenced by me. The race was as competitive as we didn’t feel ourselves being blocked by anyone In the finals
of the race. It was all good teams and no weak teams seen. It was nice to watch
this.
This reminds
me when I ran for Loughborough University, in 1992 and 1993, as the university cross-country runner, where I
could remember all 90 people in the league one race of the cross-country having
a time of sub 33min for a 9.6km race. None did slower that this time at that
time. It was very impressive. I was literally running fast from start till the
end.
During the Nationals
Schools’ Cross-Country race, I also saw better physique of the runners running
in the finals as compared to the heats. In the finals, it was overtly seen that
runners at the time were very well-conditioned as it showed that only the
fitter ones ran the race rather than the school sending the team and in the end
this ensues in them blocking the good runners from performing.
By Narayanan
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.
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.
