.It was the mother of all marathons in Singapore. It was a culmination of the 12-week
Ops Sunbird training program, and the Sunbirds being put through the final test. It was a race that we have trained hard for and looking to better PBs and achieve Marathoner status.
The Full Marathoner Sunbirds gathered at McCafe Orchard, while the Half Marathoners RV'ed at VivoCity. Lots of excitement in the air, along with the Christmas Lighting along Orchard Road and the promise of Universal Tours in Sentosa, made for a nice setting to this year-end marathon mission. Lots of cheers and shouts as the Sunbird Marathoners arrive, with many group snaps and handshakes of encouragement.
We walked as a group to the start line, making 'noise' along the way, guided by the leaders'
whistle blows. Good that we assembled early, for soon, the sound of the horn for start were blown. Our various Sunbird Pacers were lined up with the respective participants, and execution of the pace went according to plan. There were also the Official Marathon Pacers we used as guideposts as we meandered through the many turns around the city area. The weather was cool for the first 2 hours, but then the challenges were thrown in from there.
The Half Marathoners faced many slopes within the Sentosa grounds, while the Full Marathoners had to contend with the heat in the Marina Barrage area, as well as the 'human wall' that began from Sheares' Bridge. Many runners were hit by cramps and dehydration from the 28km mark, and even the faster runners had to crawl to a walk at the Sheares Bridge area.
The Sunbirds displayed sheer determination and character in tackling the challenges, and were duly rewarded with a sterling set of results in SCMS 2010. Many Sunbird PBs and maiden Marathoner status were established. There were a number of PB improvements by more than 30-90min.
The New Balance-Ops Sunbird tent were abuzz with Sunbirds, FatBirds and friends, offering congratulatory messages, sharing of the route and weather challenges, getting refreshments and recovery to the bodies of the warriors. The Sunbirds & Pacers were in line for their special pampering massage to knead away those very tight muscles and ease off the tensions from the battlefield. The hospitality tent provided a good shade away from the intense heat from the midday sun, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our race as many were just happy to seek comfort in the tent with great company. Thanks to
New Balance for all the support during the 12-week Ops Sunbird training and on race day.
Team FatBird would like to express our thanks and appreciation of the efforts and support provided by the Ops Sunbird Marathon Training & Pacing team, training with, guiding and helping the Sunbird participants to their target completions on race day. We are proud of the entire Team FatBird Marathon Pacers team for successfully achieving our SCMS10 Training and Pacing objectives.
Team FatBird commends and salutes the marathon spirit displayed by the Sunbirds throughout the course of the 12-week training, with the crossing of the finish line in fine form and timing as evidence of their deserving Sunbird Certification. The SunBirds have ROCKED @ The SCMS 2010. We look forward to even better runs and performances in 2011.
Follow Our Pace, Win Your Race!
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For those of us who want to do more than just run, this year's U Run brings an additional challenge of a 33-storey climb up NTUC Centre, after a 10km run.
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