Sundown Marathon 2010: Beat The SunRise

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Highlights of Sundown Marathon 2010, Courtesy FatBird DO

It was the night of reckoning for 20,000 runners and marathoners, especially for the NightHawks who have trained and conditioned for 3 months. It was time to put into practice what they had diligently practiced and trial-ed, to complete for what many of them were maiden half and full marathon distances.

The NightHawks went prepared and conquered the night, beating the sunrise in no uncertain manner. Kudos to all of them for their grit, perseverance and commitment to accomplish one of the more memorable feats in their personal sporting history.

The Ultra-Marathoners were inducted into the Sundown Hall Of Fame with great pride.

The Full Marathoners completed their feats in Personal Bests and memorable finishes.

The Half Marathoners were in a league of their own, with a few sub-2hr completions, and many claiming Personal Bests and good finish timings.

Team FatBird congratulates all NightHawks and FatBird Runners for your outstanding performances at the Sundown Marathon. You have BEATEN THE SUNRISE. We salute you for your perseverance n commitment to accomplish your marathon dreams. Dusk Has Cometh, NightHawks Have Conquered!

Team FatBird would like to extend congratulations to all our running friends and kakis on your outstanding performances, PBs and many Podium finishes. You have RACED THE NIGHT & BEATEN THE SUNRISE. *KUDOS*

Facebook Photo Contributions From HC1, HC2, LiLian,
Picasa Photo Gallery From JJ (Marathon), JJ (Half Marathon)
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ONH #12: Operation Finale

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FatBird Photo Slideshow

Facebook Photo Albums 1, 2

A large turnout of NightHawks at The PlayGround @ Big Splash for the final session of Operation NightHawk. With 90% of the trainees having attended at least 1/2 of the 12 sessions, it was evident that many were mentally and conditionally prepared for the final test, The Sundown Marathon next weekend.


All the NightHawks were proudly donning their NightHawk finisher tops, in recognition of their pride of having completed the 12-week marathon training program. A number of the NightHawks and Crew having done the 10-25km Passion Run yesterday, many were planning to do a shorter recovery run to just wrap up for the final weekend of Sundown training. It was nice to have Coach and his team turn up for this final session, and all were flagged off promptly for the 10km, 15km, 18km, 21km distances on race-day target pace.

There was a mini sharing session after the run for those who are participating in or planning for The Gold Coast Marathon. The Tourism Queensland and some experienced Gold Coast Marathoners (Azhar, Mohan) and members of Coach's team shared with the NightHawks and TFB Pacers the highlights and features of The Gold Coast Marathon. In appreciation, all who were present were given a specially-made Gold Coast Marathon top. With one more nice-looking top, we could not resist the opportunity for more group and fun photos.

After an interesting and fruitful 12-weeks of marathon training, many of the trainees have grown stronger in terms of endurance running base and know-how. Many have formed close friendships and developed informal support groups to help motivate and encourage one another to go through the trials and tribulations of marathon racing. Operation NightHawk has been a success, and we can all be proud of the journey we have gone through together, which will surely make us better trained marathoners and aspiring ultra-marathoners. We will now only have to rest and prepare our bodies for what will be the maiden Night Marathon for many of us. Bring On Sundown, The NightHawks Are Ready!
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ONH #11: Tapering Night

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PHOTO SLIDESHOW by DO

The final night run of Operation NightHawk was greeted with enthusiastic trainees who were looking forward to their Sundown 'full-dress rehearsal' in night conditions. The air was heavy and humid, with the haze conditions only slightly better than in the earlier part of the day. The NightHawk finisher tops were distributed to qualifying trainees who have achieved at least half of the sessions, and all were pretty excited at claiming the prized possession. There will be another round of distribution for those who qualify at the final 12th NH session.

With the Tapering Phase in swing, the NightHawks were to be running at a reduced distance, albeit not at a reduced intensity. Armed with race-day equipment, gear, running shoes, Pace Bands, all were to go for their target race pace for 18km (Half-Marathoners), 25km (Full-Marathoners), 25km (Ultra-Marathoners). After the group photos, the respective timing groups were flagged off to perform their 'thing' in what would be rather challenging atmospheric conditions :D

The runners held their paces well for the first half of the run, and were bunched up in their various groupings. It will be great if they could maintain those groupings on race day, buddying-up one another at least for the initial stretches. There were a number of groups training at ECP as well, possibly tapering off for Sundown too. The warm air was making us sweat profusely and many toilet visits were made to cool ourselves off. The fluids in the hydration belts were quickly consumed, but still the throats felt dry and the lips quite parched.

To prepare for race day conditions, we were avoiding stops of long duration, in order not to break the momentum and distort the pace. Drinking on the run has become quite natural for the NightHawks by then, and most were keeping to their paces quite consistently. In the second half, I moved up from the 4.30h group closer to the 4hr group. It was nice to see that with just two weeks to Sundown, the trainees were all running strong, and holding well even in off-perfect conditions.

The half-marathoners were comfortably conditioned for this run, and all did very well to finish within the estimated timings. I was pushing the pace a little for the final 9km to run along with the 4-4:15hr runners. They were going strong, and were striding along nicely down the final stretches. We completed our 25km within the average 4hr pace of 5:41min/km (according to my Garmin 405), capping a nice solid run. The finishers were happy with their performances and ability to sustain the intensity required. More runners from the 4:30h, 5:00h, 5:30h and 'Happy Runners' groups returned, each with their stories of the night, and how the run was tougher compared with the previous night run along cooler conditions in MacRitchie.

Everybody completed the training by 12.30am, one of the earliest we have ended for a night run. It was made possible with the determination and commitment of the trainees to complete their runs within the stipulated turning and finishing timings....such were the strength and conditioning these NightHawk trainees have to be able to manage their paces to within close ranges of the targets. The Training Crew, who have been training alongside with the NightHawks, were most impressed and happy with their progress, and more importantly, their commitment and determination to go through with the training sessions, whether they were day or night, irrespective of terrain and impending weather conditions. The few who have sustained minor injuries were also at training to rehabilitate and build up for race day. They were not about to give up on the race, and will seek to complete, instead of compete.

Completion of the Sundown Marathon would be in itself an accomplishment for all the NightHawks, as many were attempting a night marathon for the very first time. Next weekend will be the final and 12th installment of Ops NightHawk, the finale to what would be one of the more comprehensive and eventful marathon training programs Team FatBird has conducted. We hope to see as many of the NightHawks turn up with the Ops NightHawk finisher tee to celebrate the successful conclusion and completion of their training, and to recognize the dogged effort, sweat and tears that all NightHawks have put in. Bring On Sundown...The NightHawks Are Prepared.

FatBird Photo Gallery
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ONH #10: WILD NIGHT

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PHOTO SLIDESHOW by HC
PHOTO SLIDESHOW by DO
FACEBOOK PHOTOS 1, 2 by HC


It lived up to the promise of one Wild Night! 70 NightHawks and Running Guides concentrated at the MR Visitor's Centre for one of the more exciting outings away from the usual haunt at The PlayGround. The capacity crowd was looking forward to their final 21km-30km conditioning run before the full Tapering Cycle kicked in...it was to be a test to see that all systems are ready for that targeted race timing at The Sundown Night Marathon.

Coach KM gave a useful talk on Quality Of Training, and reminded the trainees to focus on having proper training paces and mileage, instead of overdoing and risking injuries and burnout. He gave examples of how, by just doing 3 runs a week was sufficient to get relatively good sub-4hr marathon timings. Henry and DO followed up with a detailed brief of the night's route, and the critical junctions and crossings that we had to note. The photographers were out in force as well, clicking happily away and 'flashing' lots during the group and team photos.


With pace training having started 3-4 weeks since, the NightHawks were already familiar with their targeted and training paces. Armed with their special TFB Pace Bands, they were all set for a 'test-drive' of their race paces. On the word go, we ran along busy Thomson Road (PONY AXIS) at a 'warm-up; pace. The NightHawk Running Guides (RGs) were taking care of the various traffic junctions and guiding the trainees into the respective turns around quite a 'challenging' terrain. The group were safely directed into the quieter Pierce Reservoir Road, and then along the winding Old Upper Thomson Road (OUTR).

The already cool night was made even more pleasant by the quiet and serene environment of the 'green lung' areas of the Reservoir habitat. With 3/4 of the training under the belt, The NightHawks were a lot more experienced and conditioned during this run. We took the initial stretch at a more conservative pace to get the engines warmed up, and then settled into a steady zone, taking care not to push the lactate threshold too early. The water point at the 9km mark was a welcomed Check Point of the night, providing iced-cold isotonic drinks and even flash photography to mark our passage of line...hehe. The NightHawk Support Crew had really made the training so much more bearable, providing the much needed boost of motivation to all the trainees and RGs alike....thanks to Sunny, DO, HC, AC and the extended support crew.

After the refreshing fuel top-up, it was full pace ahead along Upper Thomson Road all the way to the Mandai Junction. The 21km NightHawks turned for their return trip back, while the 30km trainees turned onto the paved sidewalks of Mandai Road. The paved roads were soft to the legs, and made the pounding so much more bearable. With the cool night temperature, we felt good to be able to pick up the paces to close the gap towards the targeted training pace. Most were hydrating regularly, with some refueling with powergels and sweets to top up the energy reserves. We had nice conversations and chit-chats all the way to the U-Turn at the Mandai Rd/Zoo entry point junction.

After having done the longest distances of 22km-35km at The Coastal Melody, the Wild Night Run certainly felt easier and manageable, helping to boost confidence levels of the trainees. After 16km, the groups began to increase their paces and were running strong. There were regular reminders by the RGs to maintain the pace, and not to go too hard. We had to run like it was 42km and not 30km. As we ran into Seletar Reservoir, the temperature got even cooler. It felt refreshing. The ZZZ Monster was kept at bay for most of the run, even as we pass the 'witching' hour.

The night and early morning scenes of Police Patrols, stationary cars with newpaper coverings, strange characters lurking around, and the quietly 'noisy' surroundings made for an interesting long run (in groups) along the lonely stretches, especially the Seletar Reservoir and OUTR sections. We were constantly watching out for one another, at the same time keeping to our target paces. The Full Marathoners met up with the Half Marathoners near the final 4km along PONY AXIS. We gave one another words of encouragement to continue on to the end point. It was great to see all the NightHawks finishing strongly and with reserves in their tanks to spare.

The 21km trainees did very well, with many of them doing their best timings or longest distances. They are ready for the big day, and successfully completing the Sundown Half would be a foregone conclusion for them. The remaining weeks will be spent honing their tempo, while maintaining injury-free and strong mental attitudes for race day. The 'Full' NightHawks completed 25km-31km of an undulating and rather challenging course, driving up their confidence and readiness to new levels. It was satisfying to see that there were only isolated incidents of trainees not completing this important 'test-drive' night LSD, with many mentioning it felt easy and comfortable, especially those that have done the 35km Coastal Melody prior.

With the whole training wrapped up by 2am, the mood was good, and everyone felt 'hungry' enough from the workout to venture to The Prata Place for early morning 'supper'. It was interesting to see that all were looking fresh and still alert, evidence that we have come some way to get conditioned since the beginning of the Ops NightHawk program. Lots of interesting conversations about the run as well as food ensued. There were even talks of going for steamboat buffet after the final LSD in week #12...haha.

As we enter into the main Tapering segment of the training, we can only look forward to having good rest and recovery from all the 10 weeks of hard training, and taking the time to plan for food to nourish our bodies in preparation for race day. This will be a much more relaxing period, and although the mileage will be cut, the intensity of the shorter training runs will be maintained. It is always a love-hate affair with Tapering....some love it, while others dislike the lower level of activity that needs to be observed. Nonetheless, The NightHawks have already put in their fair share of base building and pace honing, and will just have to apply a good balance during this remaining weeks to the race. The NighHawks have tamed the WILD NIGHT. We Are READY!
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ONH #9: The Final Cycle

.The NightHawks started on the Final Cycle after more rest and recovery from last weekend's Longest LSD night run conditioning. With the 18-25km base-building mileage for this morning, most of the runners came with a stronger mental outlook, knowing full well they would be doing a training pace LSD (Long Slow Distance) without pushing unnecessarily hard.

Coach Kien Mau shared with all his nutrition tips for training and race day build-up. Trainer DO followed on with his pace guidance of the day, and the route briefing of the comparatively short distance for NightHawk training. Bent on practicing what they have learned of pacing so far, the NightHawks started on a steady pace, led by the reliable FatBird Running Guides. The 4.00-4.30h and 4.30-5.00h groups were bunched up for most of the first half, while the 5.00h-6.00h groups were also trying out strategies for building up pace sustenance.

The heat of the morning sun provided additional challenges to the trainees in the return leg of the run. With regular top-ups of hydration bottles, and dousing the heads with water to cool off, soon the runners were strung out farther from one another. With 6-8 weeks of conditioning LSDs under their belt, most of the trainees were able to make adjustments and take measures to sustain their runs. The conditioning and endurance levels of the NightHawks were much better than when they first started, if they have been regular with the training sessions and applying the tips and techniques provided.

The bulk of the NightHawks finished the morning session in 3hours, and judging from the flow of Accelerade and 100plus, the heat did take a toll on most of the runners. Having survived the challenging conditions, many of the trainees looking out for day marathons would be more confident of being able to 'survive' in such heat. The 2XU Compression gear don by many of the NightHawks did the 'jobs' well in prevention of cramps and circulating blood flow especially in the leg areas. My Compression Calf Guard, although looking a tad unusual initially, settled comfortably onto my calves and lower leg areas, providing a pretty comfortable feel. TFB Pace Bands were handed out to the NightHawks for their full-gear rehearsal and race day guidance.

With the short session #9 done, we now look forward to yet another long NIGHT LSD next weekend, The WILD NIGHT RUN. It will be the final long conditioning distance, to be done at targeted race pace, before we settle into the TAPERING Phase. All NightHawks and Running Guides are advised not to miss this very important session, and to come prepared with gear, equipment, nutrition and hydration that will be used for Race Night...a good full-gear rehearsal of sorts. The Night may be long...The NightHawks are all set to ride the Final Cycle from here on.