runningcoachsg

Monday, November 8, 2010

Latest News - Haile Gebrselassie Announces Retirement

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)

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Haile Gebrselassie - A Tribute To The Greatest Distance Runner Ever.

Lim Thow Wee - (10th in Standard Chartered Marathon 2008 race)
Who gave the online point to point race details of ING NYC marathon 2010.
This ending is really not worthy for someone so great like Haile. He's done so much to inspire the world on track and off it. Personally, he has inspired me deeply. His picture is on my computer wallpaper and I intend to name my son in future as 'Haile'.

Ruben Galen
He retired?

Joshua Gabriel Tan
His spirit is powerful.

Brendan Lee - A comment from Singapore Standard Marathon 2009 runner (3hr 05min)
Always a sad day when a great champion retires.

Mun Yong Liang - A comment from middle-distance runner
I'm very sad. sigh!

Hafiz Bin Hamden - Two comments from another fan of Haile
(1) I'm very sad to see him like that. It was very emotional to see such a great man like that while watching his after-race interview. I thought Haile Gebrselassie wanted to run the London Olympic Marathon in 2012?

(2) A legendary and illustrious career for one of the greatest runners of all time, Haile Gebrselassie.

A comment from Thomas Ganzhorn (Std Chartered Marathon - 2hr 55min)
Thomas Ganzhorn
Thanks for your post on Haile Gebrselassie... He's a great runner. I saw him doing the 5000m world record (13:10.98 in 1996) in my hometown Sindelfingen. But it's great he's retiring when he's still in good shape. People will remember him as a champion.

Thomas Ganzhorn - Giving his frank opinion on Haile from Germany

A comment from Ashley Liew (2nd Local Standard Chartered Marathon 2009)
Ashley Liew
It's very sad to hear it's the end of the road for Haile Gebrselassie. He is truly the greatest distance runner and has inspired many. Here's his nail-biting 5k track WR 12min 39.36sec in 1998.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnyx06yjhU4

Picture 1 - Haile on his way doing 2hr 03min 59sec in Real Berlin Marathon 2008

I remember visiting Kenya in the year 2001, December. When an airport official knew that I came to Kenya to stay in Kip Keino Camp, he became very friendly and started talking about running. While I was waiting for my flight back, he told me that I should one day meet Haile Gebrselassie. From there, I realised that Haile was actually well-liked in Kenya because of his values as a sportsman.

Picture 2 - Daniel Ling (left) and my meeting with Moroccon American Khalid Khannouchi (centre) a former world record holder - 2hr 05min 38sec (2002 London Marathon).

Over time, I met Haile, Khalid Khannouchi (former world record holder, 2hr 05min 38sec) and Paul Tergat (former world record holder, 2hr 04min 55sec) in England, when we had to run the London Marathon 2007. During the race, Haile actually stopped in that race and commented that he must have had food poisoning. I remember the newspaper's comments, questioning his form. In that year, Haile ran the Berlin International Marathon 2007 and broke the world marathon record, which at that time, belonged to Paul Tergat, the invincible five times World Cross Country Champion. Again in the year 2008, Haile broke the world record to sub 2hr 04min. He did 2hr 03min 59sec. Several days before the race, Haile said, "I will show you" when asked on whether he can do faster than 2hr 04min for the Berlin International Marathon 2008.

Picture 3 - Haile Gebrselassie (left) and Paul Tergat displaying sportsmanship

Very recently, 6 weeks before the New York City Marathon 2010, Haile showed his magnificent form by coming in first in the Bupa Great North Half-Marathon Run in 59min 33sec. With such wonderful performance, it was expected that he may break the world record again. However, because of the tough course of the New York City Marathon route, it was predicted that Haile may break the course record instead. Nevertheless, it was known that a world record could be broken it one is at the right time, place and venue.

In the ING New York City Marathon, giving an interview to the Runners World, Haile shared that he will never use the word quit unless he is really quitting. He also mentioned that if he goes for a race, he always run if there is an opportunity to win, not lose.

Running the race yesterday, at the 16mile mark, Haile had to pull over and stop because of the knee pain. Fluid was drained from his right knee a day before the race. Hence, there was the probability that the state of his knee condition may affect his performance the next day. True enough, while running in front of the pack at the 16mile mark, leading and coming downhill, Haile had to make a tough decision to stop the race. The decision also made Haile make a very painful and emotional decision to retire from competitive running totally. Gebrselassie, after giving the comments, (see below) filled with tears in his face, limped out of the press conference.

Haile's comments on retirement.

A depressed Haile told, "Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed, disappointed with myself,”. “I knew about this problem when I arrived in New York. I thought that it was not serious, but things happen which I can’t change."

“I don’t want to complain anymore after this, which means it’s better to stop here."

“I did really very hard training to win this race. It didn’t work. Each time I have a problem like this it’s hard, and to complain again and again is bad."

“You know how many times I complain? Before I came here I trained so hard. It’s better to stop here."

“I have no complaints. It’s better not to complain anymore.”

The astonishing international career of Haile Gebrselassie

Picture 4 - Meeting Gebrselassie just before the London Marathon 2007

Back in 1992, he won the 5000m and 10,000m at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Seoul. He has four IAAF world 10,000m titles, two Olympic victories in 1986 and 2000, and 27 World records or World bests on the track and road at different distances ranging from 2000m to the Marathon.

This is only the second time he has failed to finish a Marathon (the first was in London Marathon in 2007 which was due to suspected stomach upset), and only the fourth time out of 13 races since he started running a marathon from 2002 that he has failed to win. Such was his impressive record.

In actual fact, recently because of his Bupa Great North run success, Haile was setting his goal to win the London Olympic Marathon, which was to fall in the year 2012, although he is aware that younger and more promising elite Ethiopian marathoners were getting much faster nowadays.

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.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Gebre Gebremaniam and Edna Kiplagat - Winners of ING NYC marathon

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

ING New York City Marathon 2010

Pic 1 - Gebremariam said, “Before the race, I thought I would be happy to finish. To win makes me very happy! It’s my first marathon, and I’m Number One here!”

The total number of registration for this race was 45,344, all running the 42.195km run. Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia and Kenyan Edna Kiplagat, who were top runners but not favourites to win the race, won the men open and women open race, respectively. It was Gebremariam's first-ever marathon run. He ran excellently in the New York race with a perfect day, pace, time and temperature. He did not stand out at the early part of the race. The temperature was around 10 degrees centigrade and a little more as the race progressed over time.

At the first 8km, it was Meb Keflezighi from the USA leading the pack of elite marathon runners. At the 17km mark, Haile was seen leading the marathoners. Over time, at the half-marathon point, Haile Gebrselassie brought the group of 20 to a 1hr 05min 19sec pace. After a while, while going downhill near Queensboro Bridge, around the 16mile mark, Gebrselassie, who was suspected to have right knee injury during the race, slowed and later pulled over to the right.

Over time, Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai started to push the pace with a sting at 17th mile, reducing the group to eight, dropping 2009 winner Meb Keflezighi from the USA to nearly tenth position. At 18th Mile, it was then between Gebremariam, Emmanuel Mutai, Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco, and Kenyan James Kwambai.

After 21st mile, Mutai and Gebremariam moved away from the rest of the pack until they reached the 40km mark, where Gebremariam opened up the gap further from Emmanuel Mutai. Finally, he won the race in 2hr 08min 14sec in his very first race. It is a well-known fact that Gebre Gebremaniam had won the 2009 World Cross Country Race in the past.

Coming back to this race, with few hundred metres to go, it was a second and third for Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai and fellow countrymen Moses Kigen Kipkosgei doing a time of 2hr 09min 18sec and 2hr 10min 39sec, respectively. Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri overtook Kwambai and ended fourth in 2hr 10min 51sec. Kwambai was fifth in 2hr 11min 31sec, and Meb Keflezighi from the USA ended a respectable sixth in 2hr 11min 38sec, after falling back earlier on, during the last few miles of the race.

Edna Kiplagat wins the women's race

Pic 2 - Winner Kiplagat said, " In the 24th mile, I tried to put more effort, and I found I was pulling away."

The women’s race began with a group of 20 running together. The number of runners running in the front group reduced over time. At the 12km mark, it was Daunay from France leading the pack. Derartu Tulu and Erkesso, both runners were hot on Daunay's heels. Somewhere at the midpoint, the group of top runners did 1hr 15min 47sec. At the 21st mile, there were about 12 runners packed, making it hard to predict who will become the ultimate champion. It was anybody's game and Derartu Tulu from Ethiopia was not in sight to win at this point.

Mary Keitany (KEN) and Shalane Flanagan (USA) made some sudden and surprising surges during the run and that brought the group down to three runners only. Edna Kiplagat was patiently holding on to the third position. With about two miles to go, Shalane Flanagan opened up a five-metre momentary lead. Later, with fatigue setting in, she dropped back to the third position.

Mustering courage, Kiplagat surprised everyone by moving ahead of the two runners confidently. She increased the pace towards the end of the race and finished the race in a time of 2hr 28min 20sec. While Flanagan was finishing the race, she overtook Keitany to come in the second position with a time of 2hr 28min 40sec. Keitany ended third with a time of 2hr 29min 01sec. Inga Abitova of Russia was fourth with a time of 2hr 29min 17sec, with Kim Smith of New Zealand doing 2hrs 29min 28sec, and Christelle Daunay fo France doing 2hr 29min 29sec.

Note:

By Narayanan

ING New York City Marathon 2010 - Men and Women Results

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)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

ING New York City Marathon 2010

Gebre Gebrmariam from Ethiopia and Edna Kiplagat from Kenya are men and women champions, respectively.

Summary of the race

Pic 1 - Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia

Pic 2 - Kenya's Edna Kiplagat won the women's race Sunday for her first major marathon championship.

Ethiopian world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie pulled out at the 16-mile mark with an apparent right knee injury. Shalane Flanagan of the United States was second in the women's race in her marathon debut. The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters became the first American woman to finish in the top two since 1990. Gebremariam was the first man to win New York in his marathon debut since 1991.

New York City Marathon Route
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnxknAnBVk0

Online Race Report - By Lim Thow Wee
Women Race
At the 12km mark at the first position is Daunay from France, 2nd is Yamauchi from GBR and Derartu Tulu from Ethiopia is 3rd, 4th is Erkesso from Ethiopia.

At the 21 km mark (1hr 16mins), the first woman is Erkesso from Ethiopia. 2nd is Deba from Ethiopia. Pushkareva from Russia is 3rd and Daunay from France is 4th.

At 28km mark (1hr 43min), it is Abitova from Russia leading, 2nd is Erkesso from Ethiopia, 3rd Deba from Ethiopia and Flaganan from the USA. Looks like it is going to be a top 4 for Ethiopia in the women race at this point of the race.

Women are now at 36km and the position as to who is first is changing. Flaganan from the USA is first, Keitany from Kenya is second with fellow compatriot Edna Kiplagat from Kenya in the third position and in the fourth position is Rotich from Kenya.

At 40km mark, 1st and 2nd positions are Keitany and Edna Kiplagat from Kenya, followed by Flaganan from the USA.

At 41km mark, it is Edna Kiplagat, 2nd position is Keitany and Flaganan, in third place.

42. 195km - Edna Kiplagat tops the list of 3 runners at the last 1km. 2nd is Flaganan and 3rd is Keitany.

Men Race
Singapore Time 11. 10pm, the male race in ING NYC Marathon, at 8km, 1st position is last year's champion Keflezeghi from the USA, 2nd Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia and 3rd Torres from the USA.

At 17km, Haile is first, followed by Torres from the USA, Keflezeghi from the USA, Mutai from Kenya and Kirui from Kenya.

At 23km mark, 1st is Haile, Emmanuel Mutai from Kenya is 2nd and Keflezeghi from the USA is third, 4th is Moses Kigen Kipsogei from Kenya.

In the later part of the race, Haile had to give up as his knee pain did not permit him to run. It looks like two runners from Kenya to get top 3 and a boost for the USA if Keflezeghi from the USA comes in 1st just like last year.

5 runners are running the race and there is a change in position of the race. It is not fixed as to how is going to win. Keflezeghi is out of contention for top 3 from here.

36km mark, it is Gebrmariam from Ethiopia leading, 2nd is Emmanuel Mutai from Kenya and Kwambai from Kenya.

40km mark, it is Gebrmariam from Ethiopia leading Emmanuel Mutai and Kwambai.

42.195km - Gebrmariam from Ethiopia 1st in 2hr 08 14sec, Emmanuel Mutai from Kenya second in 2hr 09min 18sec and third is Moses Kigen Kipsogei from Kenya.

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.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Haile Gebreselassie - Running ING New York City Marathon (07/11/2010)

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

ING New York City Marathon (07/11/2010, Sunday)

Picture 1 - The always cheerful Haile Gebreselassie, currently the world record holder for the marathon, running the ING New York City Marathon on 7th Nov 2010.

I remember just weeks before running the 1993 Berlin International marathon, Haile Gebreselassie ran the World Championships Track and Field 5000m race. In the race, Ismail Kirui, from Kenya, and Haile, from Ethiopia, ran the race and they were just 18 years of age. In the race, I remember both runners breaking the World junior record. It was a fantastic run which I will always remember. I watched the videotape, again and again, every day in England, where I did my further studies, before running the Berlin Marathon in 1993. I believe that seeing the run every day contributed to me doing a 2hr 28min for the Berlin Marathon.

In 2007, I met Haile during the London Marathon. He was a cordial person. He joined me for a photograph which we took at the hotel in England together. It was a dream come true. As his race was the next day, I decided not to talk to Haile in order not to distract his attention from his highly competitive race.

I also remember Haile breaking the World record for the marathon in Berlin in 2007 and again in the year 2008. Although I did not meet him in 2008, I could hear him announcing his joy of breaking the record in Berlin in the microphone as I was finishing the last 300m of the Berlin Marathon race that year.

Picture 2 - A rare opportunity to take a photo shot with the current world record holder of the marathon (2hr 03min 59sec), Haile Gebrselassie.

As tomorrow is Sunday, the New York City Marathon will be taking place. The favourite to win for men is Haile Gebreselassie (men) and Derartu Tulu (women), both from Ethiopia. Hence, they are widely expected to thrill Sunday’s New York City Marathon.

Gebrselassie, who is still the current world record holder with a time of 2hr 03min 59sec will run the New York City Marathon for the first time. Although questions have been raised on his winning the race, his agent says that Gebrselassie remains motivated and optimistic. “We have to be realistic; we know there are not that many opportunities left,” Jos Hermens of the Netherlands told The New York Times. “But in his mind, he is so competitive, he feels he can run half a minute or a minute faster in ideal conditions and in good health.” Gebrselassie will be competing with fellow Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam and the professional men’s defending champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States, among others.

Picture 3 - Derartu Tulu, a favourite to win the ING New York City Marathon 2010

In the women’s group, two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu, the first Ethiopian woman to win the New York City Marathon, will defend her title while leading a pack of other Ethiopian women from her country. Other participating Ethiopian female athletes include the 2010 Boston Marathon champion Teyba Erkesso, Werknesh Kidane, and Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba. Derartu also faces a tough challenge from American Shalane Flanagan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medalist, and Mary Keitany of Kenya, the 2009 World Half Marathon champion – both making their marathon debut. Derartu Tulu will get to compete with experienced marathoners like Ludmila Petrova and Inga Abitova of Russia as well.

Note:

By Narayanan

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Chamkaur Singh - Doing 5000m in 15min 17sec (30/10/2010)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Chamkaur Singh - Taking the bull by the horns.

Picture 1 - Chamkaur, setting his sights on doing 15min 00sec for 5km track race.

On 17th October, Chamkaur Singh did a good time for the 5km road run in 15min 17sec. Later on, over a period of two weeks, he brought his time back to a competitive time of 8min 48. 46sec in 3000m on 30 Oct. That showed that Chamkaur Singh is coming back to form, to my perception. He believes and shares with me that his standard as compared to the previous year, 2009, is better and is hoping to get 15m 00sec in time to come, possible this year or middle of 2011. I have asked him some questions which will benefit serious athletes in the form of an interview. So now let us look at his answers.

An Interview With Chamkaur Singh - 3000m and 5000m National Record
holder.

How has your training been coming along?

My training has been going on well. I am ahead this season when I compare my times of this year's to last year's. Moreover, I did not have many interruptions in my training. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will still be healthy for the next few months.

What is your mileage like at this point of time?
Currently, it is between 100 to 110km, doing 6 days of 9 sessions per week training.

What is the training phase now? Preparatory? Specific or season itself where you need to taper and peak and then do transition by between 2 weeks to 6 weeks?

Currently, there is a progressive transition to the racing phase. I am building up towards the track season here in Australia which starts in mid-Oct and ends in early April 2011. Tapering is only done towards certain important races where we feel we might get good depth and competition from the races.

How many days per week will you do strength training?

I do not do any weights session in order to gain strength. Strength training is done through doing hills sessions and we do that once a week. The reason is that we are having a smooth transition to racing season. At the same time, we are gradually showing less importance to hill work overtime. I am about to do once a fortnight hills, instead of once a week of hills. This is to get to the specifics of getting faster.

Can you tell us about your strength training at this point in time?
Basically, we are doing grass hills on a Saturday morning which will something like 3 to 4 sets of 100m, 200m, 100m, 200m with a 3 to 5 mins recovery.

What kind of time are you targeting for in the upcoming races on 13th Nov (3km) and 25th Nov 2010 (5000m)?

I am hoping to better my last week time of 8.48mins for the 3000m. My best for this event is 8.31mins and the whole objective for this race is to get as far away from the 9mins so that it will give a good buffer for the 5000m. Hence, ideally, a sub 8.40mins will be nice, so in that way, I will know that I will be having about 20secs of buffer if I run 9mins for the 1st 3km for the 5000m. As for the 5000m, I would like to run close to a 15mins flat. I did a 15.17mins on road. This is a good sign that an improved time for 5km track may take place anytime, I hope.

Can you tell us about your 3000m national record that you broke in the past?

It was somewhere back in 2003. All I can remember is that it was a club championship and I wasn't expecting to run quick and the idea was to come in top 3 to get the points for the club. I did the 1st km was 2m 50sec and it felt comfortable, hence, I kept pressing the 68s pace per lap. I had a runner, Jamie Harrison, behind me who was, at that time, having a better personal best time than me from the 3000m to the 10000m. I did the 2nd km in about 2min50sec and I was feeling the intensity of the pace then. However, because of Jamie, still, behind me, I kept holding on to the pace. I was surprised that I managed to hold that pace when I was already feeling fatigued. Jamie beat me in the last 200m and I came in 2nd with a time of 8.31mins.

Do you have any injury at this point in time?

I don't have an injury that is stopping me from running but I am having a couple of niggles and I am keeping a close eye on it. It is best that I don't talk about it. I have this theory that if you talked about your injuries then it will come back and pay you a visit :)

What are your plans for the future?
I will be running the New South Wales State 3000m Championships on 13th November 2010 and also take part in the Victoria (Melbourne) State 5000m Championships on 25th November 2010.

Note:

By Narayanan

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Sheryl Loh - Another Local Raw Diamond (Fastest Under 19)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Sheryl Loh - One who believes that fun and competition should go together.

Picture 1 - Sheryl Loh (right), with Great Eastern race champion Vivian Tang

Picture 2 - Left to Right, Alexandria Wong (5th women junior), Rameshon and Sheryl Loh

Five months back, Sheryl Loh, the former Hwa Chong Institution (college) tennis player was apprehensive about taking up running. Her friend, another Hwa Chong alumni, Emelyne Teo Jia Wei, a former cross country captain of Hwa Chong Institution (college) recommended the former to join my training.

Picture 3 - Sheryl Loh taking a photo with the aerobics dancer in the background

At that time, I was not too keen on taking anybody and train. I did my best to deter her from joining me. However, because it was Emelyne who was recommending, I decided to give Sheryl a program to do her own run and to see me once a week.

Picture 4 - At the background, Sheryl will always remember this finish point, where she was able to achieve a massive personal best time of 41min 25sec.

To my experience, I realised that Sheryl was always meticulous about her training program. She also checked what I said and compared with overseas coaches on thoughts on coaching. Earlier on, she asked me essential questions which pertains to sports science. Over time, she showed signs of believing in my training program. This was a plus point for any coach. Over and above, she is a person who has appreciation and gratitude towards people who help her in anything. In my observation, these are the values a trainee should possess if one wants to succeed in training.

However, earlier on, I did not want to talk much with her. The reason is that I did not know whether Sheryl is serious about training or not. Hence, at the start, I drew a line, a kind of barrier, and wanted to see whether there is a commitment on her part when it comes to training.

Over a period of time, I also realised that her motivation in running was on the rise. She started asking me more challenging questions and I had to use past and current research in physiology to answer her questions. Some explanations came from things that I taught in Republic Polytechnic as an Adjunct Associate. With some good understanding of periodisation in training, Sheryl became even more interested and enthusiastic about running.

In my earlier blog, I have mentioned that Sheryl as a person who attained 8As for her GCE 'A' Levels. Hence, she is excellent in her studies. Not only that, but she was also humble about her achievement in academics. Currently, she is pursuing her studies in Medicine at Monash University, Australia from February 2011 onwards.

In the recent Great Eastern 10km race for women, with 5 months of progressive training, she came in overall fourth in the Women Open. She was the youngest to come in top four in the Great Eastern 10km Race, with a creditable time of 41min 25sec. The winner of the event was Vivian Tang, who came in with a time of 38min 32sec. About two weeks before this race, Sheryl did 45min 59sec in the women 10km race in the New Balance Real Run event. This effort of hers was found to be awesome. Her real intention was to improve the time of 45min 59sec. That was all she wanted to do and felt that if she achieves this she will be happy.

Right now, she has come to a realisation that her actual talent lies in running. I realised that she improved by a massive 4min 34sec in this Great Eastern race. After the race, while taking Sheryl's photos, I also took a photo of Vivian Tang. I decided to do an interview on Vivian Tang and then on Sheryl.

Since I have finished interviewing Vivian Tang, I decided to introduce the talented Sheryl Loh to people on her 5 months training to do 41min 25sec for the Great Eastern 10km run.

An Interview With Sheryl Loh

Picture 5 - Sheryl must have felt that these are her lucky numbers for the day.

Can you share with us on your race today?

Today, I felt good at the start of the race. Later on, at the 1km, I felt demoralised to see 10 runners right in front of me. I was thinking that it will be difficult to come in top 10. However, I remembered what my coach said. Stick to the game plan! Hence, I decided to stick very closely to the game plan and not to lose my head and react according to false perception.

How are you going to train in the future as you will be doing medicine in February?

Definitely, I will have to train less for a start as I am not sure of the medicine course that I am going to go through. Hence, although I will be bringing my mileage down, I will still be maintaining my stamina. Also, I do have the desire to run distance races as compared to races that are short. A good example to follow to make one train is Mok Ying Ren. He is excelling in studies and training. I am just hoping that I can do something like that.

When are you reducing your training?
All the way to December, I am hoping to run some of the Singapore races and I will start to relax once it is January 2011. I will still run for fun but not compete from January onwards. I will start training when I am in overseas in February.

What did you learn from the Great Eastern Race?

I realised that one should work with the coach on race strategy. One should have a good preparation for some months before the race. Train hard but train smart. Most importantly, I realised that it is vital to follow the race plan whenever one runs a race. Moreover, it is a must for one to believe in oneself in order to do well in anything. Also, in a race don't forget to smile. Be always cheerful. Today, the crowd at the finish made me smile towards the end by their enthusiastic cheer. I really would like to thank them for that.

How did you feel when you realised that you have done 41min 25sec?
I felt very happy and unbelievable. Of all the races, this race was one that I ran with fun and without any form of pain as compared to other races.

How was your parent's reaction when they heard that you came in fourth in the women open and the youngest top 4 runners?
They were very glad to hear about my achievement. I appreciated their support and hence have gratitude towards them for their kind encouragement.

Would you like to say anything that is appearing in your mind now?

I am very happy to have met my training mates like Mr Lim Thow Wee (10th local in 2008 Standard Chartered Marathon), Kang Yan, Dr Benny Goh (Best local in 84km Sundown marathon), Dr Benedict Tan (2hr 56min - 2008 Standard Chartered Marathon), Brendan Lee (3hr 05min - 2009 Standard Chartered Marathon) and Ashley Liew (2nd local in Standard Chartered Marathon 2009) during my workouts. I realised that they are very focused on people who are very interested and enthusiastic about running. I can see the real passion in them when I mingle with them. They have, one way or another, motivated me to stay focused on running. My training partners are good role models to follow. They have very good discipline. Meeting them keeps my enthusiasm up.

How was the organisation of the event and how do you find the route?
The organisation of the race was excellent. The route was very good. However, at some portion of the race sapped my energy whenever I was negotiating the u-turns. There were about 3 of those around. The hills, during the run, were gradual but manageable.

One aspect of the organisation that I found disappointing, however, was the fact that the organisers did not clearly convey the race categories to the participants before the race. On the event website, it was stated in the Categories and Fees section that there are 3 categories- Women's 10K Competitive, OCBC Fun Run 5K and Mother and Daughter 5K. There was no mention of the 10K competitive section as having 3 sub-categories- Open, Masters and Under 19. However, if one were to go to the FAQ section, it was mentioned that upon signing up for the 10K competitive run, the system would sort you into either Open, Masters or Under 19 category. It further specified that Under 19 meant 18 years and below as of 1st January 2010. Thus I was under the impression that I would be considered for the Under 19 category.

However, when the results were released after the race, I realised that I had been erroneously placed in the Women's Open category although I was U19 according to the criteria stipulated by the website. I went to the organiser's tent to make my appeal. The person-in-charge acknowledged that according to the race regulations I qualified for the Under 19 category. He said that one of two things could have happened: either I had entered my birthdate wrongly when I made my online registration, or the computer system had sorted me into the wrong race category. I showed him my confirmation slip to prove that I had entered my birthday correctly, and he assured me that they would look into giving me an appropriate compensation had a mistake been made, and asked for my contact details.

The next day, I received a call from the event director. Over the phone, he informed me that there had been an error in stating the terms of the Under 19 Category. Although Great Eastern intended to convey the idea that Under 19 meant 18 years old and below as of race day, they had wrongly stated that Under 19 meant 18 years and below as of 1st January 2010 instead! The justification they offered as to why I would not be offered compensation or considered 1st in Under 19 was that they had sorted all participants my age (born 1991), not just myself, into the Women's Open category. This was the standard protocol they followed in previous years as well.

While the event director I spoke to make my appeal was polite, I was not offered any apology about the mistake that was made on their part. Thus, when the event director made an offer to deliver my goodie bag and prize directly to my house, I politely declined. Although that is indeed a nice little gesture, I felt that the justification they offered was not satisfactory. It is just absurd for one to change the race regulations stipulated on the website only after the race. It is not fair to all the participants my age who had the impression that they were considered Under 19. To my mind, such a move is akin to your teacher telling you before an exam that you have an hour to complete your paper, then giving you only half an hour to complete it, and justifying her action by saying that all's fair since the rest of the class is being given half an hour too! Most people would feel cheated.

Furthermore, to my horror, when I checked the event website again, later on, they had changed the criteria for Under 19 to 18 years and below as of race day. This gave me the impression that they were trying to cover up their mistake. This is just my subjective opinion.

However, I do not wish to pursue the issue further because I feel that it will only distract me from focusing on my running and affect my performance. I just hope that the race organisers will be more careful in future to avoid similar miscommunications. I would suggest that they change the format of online registration such that participants can sign up for only ONE race category. From my limited experience in signing up for events, the New Balance Real Run is one event that enables participants to sign up under either the Junior or Open categories, so that there is no confusion as to which race category one is under. I feel that this is an excellent system that the Great Eastern organisers might like to adopt in future. I hope that they will seriously consider it.

Note:

By Narayanan

Monday, November 1, 2010

Great Eastern Women 10km Race (Part 2) - 31/10/2010 (Sun)

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Great Eastern 10km Run - A great day where women participated actively in running 10km.

As soon as I heard that the first runner was coming in, I had to run about 70 metres to the finish point area, just outside the gantry, near Padang. The expectation of a Kenyan runner coming in was great in me. However, this was proven wrong when the announcer told loudly that it was Vivian Tang who was coming in at the last 100m stretch. I wanted to have a glimpse of her finishing. She looked very happy as she was approaching the finish point.

Over time, it came as a surprise to see Sheryl Loh coming in fourth. She had a lot of energy still at the last portion of the race and I witnessed her sprinting at the last 70 metres, mercilessly. After taking some photo shots of Sheryl Loh, I told myself that I would like to interview Vivian and Sheryl for their feat in running in a creditable time. I thought of doing Vivian's first.

I went over to Vivian and took a photo of Vivian and Sheryl together. When I asked Vivian some questions, she was very glad to answer all the questions.

Hence, I was thinking of sharing with others what a champion usually think of while running a race, by my asking essential questions to Vivian through a one to one interview.

An Interview with Vivian Tang.

Picture 1 - Standard Singapore Marathon Champion 2008.

How was the run today?

It was a good day for me. Generally, the first 5km was flatter and the next 5km was a bit tough. I had to negotiate 3 U-turns which decelerated my speed at that portion of the run. Also, at the FI track, I felt alone running through the route and there was nobody to cheer me up to run faster and I found that it was very challenging and I had to use own effort to drive myself to run faster, in order to get a good time or personal best. It was very challenging mentally and physically at that part. Other than that this portion of the race, I felt very motivated throughout the race route.

Were there hills during the 10km race?

There were 3-4 gradual hills to negotiate altogether.

Your lead was huge. How do you feel when you finished the race with no competition?

I was running with a group at first. Over time, I realised that there was no competitor who was giving competition during the race. Taking opportunity of this, I was able to open up the gap further.

The negative point about running without competition was that I could have done a better time with competition. The more the competition, I know that the chances of an improvement in time is higher.

The positive thing of not having much competition today was that it made me confident when I was leading the race. It gave me composure, calmness and I felt very relaxed when I ran just now. I told myself to go as fast as I can and it was a very good feeling that I was having.

How was the weather generally?

It was cool at first and it was getting warm over time. However, I found the effect negligible as this is just a 10km race and my performance was not affected.

Were you predicting that you will definitely win the race?

I did not know that I will win today. There is always the element of things being unpredictable. Only time will tell, over time, who will win. I am fortunate that I won the race and I am happy even though the time of 38min 32sec is not up to my mark.

Note:

By Narayanan