Mizuno: Wave Run 2006 @ Kovan Hub (Singapore)

It is one heck of a cinya susah race but then, I had gained invaluable experience racing with the largest group of good runner’s where anyone of them could have clocked sub 47mins for 10K. Read on to find out.

I participated in this race as a last minute decision thing. I was scheduled to be working this Saturday but then, it was called off as all matters had been settled beforehand. With such ample time and the closing of Klang race, I decided to run in Singapore’s edition of Mizuno Wave Run 2006 @ Kovan Hub. For your info, Kovan Hub is a main bus station for the Kovan Area. I put up a night in Broadway Hotel situated in Little India and the experience is really terrible. The room really sucks big time where carpet was dirty and there isn’t even a wardrobe!! For the whole night I had not settled into a peaceful sleep and I woke up dead tired. Oh ya, I was charged for SGD75/night.

It was 5.00am on 23 July and I was up by then while experiencing burning sensations in my eye due to lack of sleep. Not only that, my body felt extra hot and I knew this does not bode well for my 10K but nevertheless, my desire to break sub 52mins for 10K is really overwhelming, masking off my tiredness. I took the earliest MRT at Farrer Park station towards Kovan station and already, there were many runners occupying the train. From the outset, they looked mean and superfit with bulging leg muscles and beautifully sculpted upper body physique. If looks could kill alone, there would have been many dead runners on the train itself. I alighted from the train after a 15min ride and upon exiting from the train station, I was bowled over by the sheer number of runners participated in this event. The food court, train station and the bus station were filled with runners, both menacing and unconvincing ones while the strong were discussing how to potong sayur and the unconvincing ones were standing at the sidewalks as if they had no idea what on earth happened. You have to seriously check out the ladies, there were swarms of lady runners with the tightest outfit you can ever find, suddenly the heaty sensations in my eyes disappeared mysteriously.

Much time was wasted on the aerobics kind of thing and the race only started at 7.45am!! May god have mercy on our souls.

Blam!!!!!! Everybody started as if they were thieves running away from police. They were damn fast!! I was starting from the end of the pack and already, I wasted close to 20sec trying to squeeze past ‘walkers’ occupying the road. A road lane was designated for runners only but then, the sheer number of ‘walkers’ actually made the whole situation bad where there is no room to squeeze through them. Being courteous, I had no choice but to wait for an opening in the field and it did not happen until a good 2k where I got the opportunity to run in the non-designated running lane, which is the wide open road! From there I blasted forward, potong tons (really, it is tons) of sayur occupying the lane. I pushed relentlessly, just like how I did in my 21K’s and it was a satisfying feeling. There were water station at the 2.5K (read this Seremban officials!!) but then, I just ignored it as to me, it was unnecessary to drink so early. The route proceeded with undulating hills (yes you have read that right!) and just right before the 5K turning point, I saw my watch 23min 25sec. I knew I was on the way to break sub 50mins for my 10K. Already, the strongest runner in the field was on the way to finish the race and here I am, still running like a madman out of jail. I stopped at the 5k mark to have a drink and already, I am suffering from the effects of not having enough rest prior to race. The heat in my body was so great that I felt it is enough to cook my organs and this is not due to weather. I was tired. Dead tired.

However, it was my desire to run sub52mins pushed me to continue. Although I knew I had some time to play around with but then, it is not my style not to run all out. I pia from the 5K mark again and I was racing against an Ang Moh lady. She is one heck of a seasoned runner, where her tanned skin and small muscular stature is telling you ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll smoke you’. She kept on pushing me, telling ‘don’t stop! Run!!’ I followed her buntut for a good 5mins before smoking her near the finishing section. But then something unexpected happened at 1.5km just before the finishing and it was the bloody traffic police!!! They actually stopped the runners to let the traffic through where I had to stand at the sidewalk waiting for the light to turn green!! I kept track of my lost in timing and after 40secs, the Ang Moh lady just told me that she is going ahead. I said ‘yeah let’s go!!’ Both of us just blasted off with full traffic coming at us from left and right. It was really nerve wrecking and the police was shouting at us!! Haha!! I blasted and blasted my pace and my head was dizzy from the effect.

Looking at my watch, I knew I was in place to run a sub 50mins. I just kept on pushing at the finishing sections, suffering from heat and pain in my abdomen.

I have crossed the finish line. It was 49mins 41secs. I’ve made it.

Just right at the foot of a tree where I was sitting with plain water in my hands and a slice of juicy watermelon, while thinking back, I felt it was a satisfying run and it is not due to the timing. I ran all out today. I did my best given what I had got and that, is what made me a runner. I was dead tired due to lack of sleep but I still managed to finish the race strongly and the sub 50mins is just a sweetener to add more taste into my efforts. In my heart, I wasn’t even complaining of the 60secs I had lost due to the slow runners and traffic police but I relish in the fact that the field is really strong. Some runners were so low profile that they wore only T-shirts and baggy pants but when they pia, they are really fast. The same applies to the Ah Pek’s whom took part in this race, you just can’t read from their dressing itself where there is a saying for the Chinese, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ This is what best describes them. I proceed to get my goodies bag containing a Mizuno T-shirt and a sling bag. I guess it was quite worth it but then, if the run comes with a finisher medal, it would have been a complete one.

I had a good time in Singapore, looking for stuff’s that I was being asked by my friends to get for them (you know who you are!!) while containing the urge to go all out in shopping. This is one good event provided you don’t mind forking out for a run without any finisher’s medal.