Summary of Singapore and World Running Events.

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 M.Rameshon

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

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

Flexifitness Website for Important Races 

 
We have already seen the Xiamen marathon 2012 course record being broken. Some of the races to be updated are in Flexifitness Website. I hope that this will help passionate runners to keep themselves updated in Singapore and the world over for those who want to run Singapore races, especially.   www.runningcoachsg.com

I realised that there are some important races for Singaporeans and around the world to consider or to be aware of. I have posted some

Figure 1- Mumbai Marathon 2012

MUMBAI: The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon to be held on Jan 15 in Mumbai, will be attracting top athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia. Top among them will be Bernard Koskei of Kenya and Siraj Gena of Ethiopia.

But the fastest among them is William Kipsang who has a 2:05 to his name. Gena, though is in top form, having clocked 2:08 in Frankfurt in October. The race starts for marathoners at 5: 40am and 7:25am for Elite runners. Samir Bhandari who has lost 10kg for this race will be running in this race.

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2011/12/samir-bhandari-massive-weight-loss-from.html

SAA Track and Field  Series

14th Saturday 2012

Please check the SAA website for details.

SAA Cross-Country 

21/01/2012

Please check the SAA website for details.

Safari Zoo Run 2012 - 05/02/2012

Take note that Race Entry Pack will be held on 14 -15 Jan 2012 at Velocity@Novena Square. Participants are requested to bring their IC for speedy collection. Those who are not able to make are to bring a copy of ic for the person that they are collecting. We would suggest one to sign and endorse the signature before giving to those collecting on one's behalf. I am pondering whether to put Ashley in this run.

MR25 5km Time Trial - 05/02/2012

Hong Kong Marathon 2012 - 05/02/2012 Mok Ying Ren and Ang Chee Yong may be representing Singapore for this race, according to one SAA official. 

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2012/01/hong-kong-marathon-2012-review.html

Figure 3 - Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon

27 January 2012

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.

Man Dies While Doing His 2.4km Test - During IPPT Test.

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)

Summary of Today Online

A man died in hospital on Tuesday morning after fainting in camp during his Physical Fitness Test (IPPT) at Kranji Camp, this was reported in the paper. 

28-year-old Li Hongyang, a security trooper from the 62nd Combat Service Support Battalion, fainted after completing his 2.4km run at Kranji Camp at 8:38am.  He died in hospital this morning. A statement was released by the ministry on Tuesday afternoon.

A medic attended to him first on-site. Later on, it was reported that he was brought to the Kranji Medical Centre. That was where the Singapore Armed Forces doctor attended to him five minutes later.

Li was sent to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital at 9am. There were continued attempts to resuscitate him en route to the hospital. Finally, Li was pronounced dead at 9:40am.

The ministry said it is assisting Li's family, which has been notified of his death and is currently investigating the incident.

http://flexifitness.runningcoachsg.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.

Peter Kamais Breaks Xiamen Marathon Course Record (07/01/2012, Sat)

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)

XIAMEN, Fujian province, China

With a nice weather and a beautiful day for a run, Kenya's Peter Kamais broke the men's course record at the 2012 Xiamen Marathon on Saturday. Kamais has another feather in his cap winning last year’s men's New York City Half Marathon in the year 2010, clocking 2 hours, 7 minutes to finish first. 

Peter Kamais told reporters, "I did good and I fell very proud about the result today.". "It rained yesterday and the temperature got low, but the weather today is in good condition, which helped me to have a better performance, especially in the first half of the race". 

Saturday's temperatures were ideal, hovered between 11and 16 Centigrade, with no strong wind but a gentle breeze behind the runners. 

In the women section, Ethiopia's Ashu Kasim came in first with a time of 2:23:09. China’s runner, Jin Lingling, finished sixth in the women's race in 2:38:04. 

Xiamen race was first held in 2003 and sanctioned in 2007 as a Gold Label Road Race by the International Association of Athletics Federations. 2012 Xiamen International Marathon marks the 10th anniversary of the event. 

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2012/01/xiamen-marathon-top-2-marathon-race-in.html

www.runningcoachsg.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.

Gold Coast - Becoming a Hot Destination For Marathon Runners

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

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

Gold Coast Marathon 2012 - One will not be blocked during the race. 

Picture 1 - (Left to Right) Ashley Liew, Dr Ben Tan and his wife, Lim Mui Khim, Ansley Ng and Rameshon

I remember Ng Soo Hong, who at the age of 19, doing 7min 26sec for 2.4km. I did in 7min 02sec for the NAPFA ENCOUNTER (1995). I believe that a sub - 7min was possible during the race, before going for SEA Games 1995. However, I was not able to do it because of being blocked in the early part of the race and the race route was too narrow from the 400m to the 1.2km. After the 1.2km mark, I came out of the situation of being blocked but it was already too late. The damage was already done. Nevertheless, I was happy with this time before going for SEA Games in Chiengmai, Thailand. In the meantime, I told Soo Hong to go to Gold Coast to do a personal best time. Soo Hong did 2hr 44min, while I did 2hr 24min 22sec in SEA Games 1995.

Picture 2 - Gold Coast Airport Marathon has a variety of races, including kids dash

Earlier on, all along, I have gone for London and Berlin Marathon plus other international races. However, I have been always wanting to run the Gold Coast marathon in the past to improve my timing. The opportunity did not come but instead, I was able to go to Australia as a coach to Ashley Liew where he did 2hr 41min there. 

After the race, we were invited for dinner by the Queensland Government Tourism Board. It was cordial and the Director who was in charge of the South East Asia region, by the name of  Lim Mui Khim was warm to us. Dr Benedict Tan and his wife, and Ansley Ng, from the Today Paper, was also there. We discussed about the race. We found that the race was generally cool. After 2hours of the run, we felt that the weather became warm.

 Picture 3 (Left to Right) - Stephen Lock, Ashley Liew and Lim Mui Khim

Overall the weather was good. The best thing about the race was the route. It is a very flat and fast course. A day before the race, the 10km race was held so that the race focuses on half-marathon and the marathon race. The race started such that people can see the start of the race. It was organised very well.

Lim Mui Khim told me that it was a 2-day event of 10km on the first day 31/06/2012, on a Saturday and the half-marathon and marathon on the second day 01/07/2012. She told me that this was just implemented and it has been a success so far. We thought that this was good in term of logistic in order to provide proper support for the race. 

Lim Mui Khim told me that Singaporeans coming for this race have increased over the years. She told me that in 2007, about 24 people from Singapore went down to Australia to run in the Gold Coast Marathon. Over time, the figure went up to 36. Lim Mui Khim also told me that gradually the figure went from 62 in 1009 to 99 in the year 2010. Last year estimate shows that Singaporeans going for the Gold Coast Marathon had risen to 210. This shows that the Gold Coast marathon has become one of the most popular destinations to Singaporeans to run a marathon. 

Lim Mui Khim revealed to me that Japan brings in the highest number of runners for this race followed by New Zealand.  Singapore is now in the third position and then followed by Malaysia. She told me that the weather has always been an advantage for the runners. I was told that the people here do cheer the runners from the start, middle and at the end. The residents here are very supportive to cheer all or any runners to do their personal best time. She finds that the flat course provides one an opportunity to run a fast time. She cited a runner who kept improving 3 times until over time he chose to run in the triathlon events. All the way there was personal best. In comparison, in Hong Kong, the marathon race is run in near perfect condition but the terrain is hilly for one to do a personal best time.

Lim Mui Khim also told me that there are various attractions at Gold Coast where one can go, for example,  Whale Watching. They could also go to the Theme Park. She told me that from Gold Coast one could drop by at Brisbane. There is also Sunshine Coast in Gold Coast. Besides Marathon race, in Gold Coast, one could register in the triathlon race. Right now, there is NOOSA triathlon which is popular in Gold Coast for triathletes. There is also the Challenge Cairns package for those who want to go for the Full Ironman race which is similar to an Ironman International race. 

www.runningcoachsg.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.

Ever Running Paul Thompson (Part 3) - Once the fastest in Singapore.

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)

Paul Thompson - Sharing session on running during our 10km run at MacRitchie.

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2011/04/ever-running-paul-thompson-having.html

Today, I met Paul at MacRitchie Cafe at about 7am plus. I realised that Paul was still trim and slim. He is still fit as ever and he is still running with his running club in the USA called Warren Street. 

For those who do not know Paul, I would like to introduce him to you here. He took up running when I retired from competitive running. At 30 plus, Paul took up this passion and was able to come in tops in Singapore. He has been living for about 5 years here, in the past. He is an English Citizen. Now, he is based in the USA and he is here on a holiday.

Our conversation, from A to Z, when we went for our 10km run, was all on running and nothing else. 

He told me that in the past Warren Street was able to do well in the veteran team race and has recently slipped to 3rd. The good news is that they are still in the top 3 brackets at the moment. 

Slowly, our topic went to motor skills development which helps running. Paul was also sharing his point of view on how he developed his co-ordination from doing sports and games. Looking back, he felt fortunate on the way he developed his motor skills. 

We also believed that intelligence actually comes from having good co-ordination, through playing games when we are young. 

I shared my experience on 2 children in preschool where I did voluntary enrichment programme on motor skills. The 2 children were slow to learn. When they were asked to play games, I found that the two children mentioned did not have the motor skill to properly kick the ball, even though they were told to just kick the ball, even without accuracy it was alright, but they were not able to kick well. One of the children, a boy, was just stepping onto the ball and was not able to balance well to kick the ball. 

Our discussion was in-depth when we were discussing children. We felt that life long exercise comes from developing the young where children will get the habit to exercising for life so that they do not incur a medical cost in the long run and stay healthy throughout their life. 

We ended our run with a light breakfast of a cup of coffee and a banana. After that, we had to part our ways from MacRitchie Cafe. It was a beneficial and constructive day, today. 
 

http://flexifitness.runningcoachsg.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.

Xiamen International Marathon - Top 2 in China (7/01/2012, Sat)

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)

Xiamen Marathon - A race that those who want to do good time

Picture 1 - Robert Kipkorir Kipchumba

Just like Tokyo and Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Japan, In China, there are Beijing and Xiamen marathon where people of the world may consider if they want to do well doing a reasonable time. Running in a temperate climate is not a wise option, from my years of experience. It is also safer to run in a cooler environment. Even for those who want to do a sub - 3hr, they should strongly consider this marathon. 

Let us see how the marathon would help. It would be good to see the results of the race. 

http://www.xmim.org/en/result_1.asp

The General information in the website states that since 2003, Xiamen International Marathon will be held for the 10th time this year, 2012. It is IAAF Gold Label Road Race for consecutively four years. There is a very high chance that the first medal of the world for marathon race will be given at Xiamen  

The event has Marathon (42.195km), Half Marathon (21.0975km), 10KM Run and 5KM Run. There are: Cross-Strait Invitational Marathon Tournament, Wheelchair Half Marathon, and also Roller Skating12KM Race. Registration is done online, or by travel agencies or services. The entry fees are 50RMB for Domestic runners, including Hong Kong, Macau inhabitants. Overseas participants pay 20USD or 135RMB, Students pay 20 RMB. Please go to the website for more info in you are interested. Judging from the result, people who want to have a good chance of doing well should strongly consider this race.  

Picture 1 - In the women's section Zhang Ying Ying of China still has the course record contained with a time of 2hr 22min 38sec (2008)

Course: Xiamen International Marathon course is rewarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world.

1. Marathon:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center (The Strat) →Huandao Road → Minzu Road → Lujiang Road → South Hubin Road → Mid Hubin Road → North Hubin Road → Dongdu Road → West Hubin Road → Lujiang Road → Yanwu Bridge → Huandao Road → Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center(The Finish)
    
2. Half Marathon:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center(The Strat)→ Huandao Road → Minzu Road → Lujiang Road → South Hubin Road → Mid Hubin Road → East section of North Hubin Road£¨Qixing Road) (The Finish)
    
3. Wheelchair Half marathon:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center(The Start)→ Huandao Road → Yanwu Bridge → Lujiang Road → South Hubin Road →Mid Hubin Road → North Hubin Road → East section of North Hubin Road£¨Qixing Road) (The Finish)
    
4. Roller skating 12km:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center(The Start)→ Huandao Road → Bus stop of Xia Da Bai Cheng (The Finish)
    
5. 10km Run:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center(The Strat) → Huandao Road → West Zengcuoan Road (Intersection of Xiamen Software District) (The Finish)
    
6. 5km Run:
   Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center (The Strat) → Huandao Road → South Yunding Road£¨Entrance to Yunding Tunnel) (The Finish). Picture 2 - In the women's section Zhang Ying Ying of China still has the course record contained with a time of 2hr 22min 38sec (2008)

Last year, in China, Jan. 2, Kenya's  Robert Kipkorir Kipchumba won the 9th Xiamen Marathon with a new course record. Robert did 1hr 04min 01sec for the first half-marathon and at the 23 km mark, he did 1hr 11min 24sec. The 26-year-old,  clocked two hours, eight minutes and seven seconds for his first career title, breaking the course record of 2:08:47. Ethiopia's Mesfin Hailu Lemma finished second in 2:09:50 and his compatriot Alemayehu Shumye was third in 2:09:58.

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.