wang writes

Snuggled under the warm covers of the comfy hotel bed, clean, fed and needing more than an hour’s nap, getting up at about 9.30pm for Legs 19-24 was literally a drag. For all the excitement I had to race, a small part of me was reluctant to get back to the cramped van, the dirt, the cold, and certainly not to a pitch dark run on a mountain side.

Well, getting up was the hardest part actually. Once I was with my vanmates and we were on the road again, I was raring to go!

We drove for about 40 minutes to the van handover point, along the way passing dimly-lit highways dotted with luminescent runners clad in compulsary reflective vests. The handover point, a pitch dark grassy field in a snoozy suburb, was buzzing with excitement. Volunteers had set up little shops selling hot drinks and snacks. Runners with headlamps and torches in hand were everywhere. All I could think of was how the hell I was going to get through my leg, which was going to be in total darkness and on narrow gravel roads.

I needn’t have worried, because it all went pretty okay actually. So, as in the afternoon, AL passed the baton on to D, who passed it on to AK, who passed it on to me. Everyone had been doing excellent runs, meeting all their target times. I certainly didn’t want to be the first to miss mine.

So, wanting to get out of the dark and cold as fast as I could, I ran as quick as my feet could carry me. My headlamp was ill-fitting and dropped off after just 10m, so all I had was a little torch in my hand. It was not easy trying to shine a path, as it restricted my arm swings. Every now and then a van would pass or I’d catch up with a runner, their extra source of light giving me a surge in vision, confidence and speed. Eight Ks in the dark felt a lot longer than in daylight, and I was thankful to see the end within sight. The only trouble was, where was R?

I could see AK’s unmistakable figure waving the Singapore flag furiously on one side of the dimly-lit path, but I could not for the life of me spot R. I yelled desperately as I neared the exchange point: “Where are you? Come into the light!”. The bloke obviously didn’t hear me, for by the time I saw him I’d run right in front of him and nearly passed him.

Oh well. Baton was finally safely handed over to R, who then passed to HS who passed on to M. Somehow Legs 19-24 passed a lot faster than legs 7-12, and soon we met up with our Van 1 teammates at the handover point. They were looking enthusiastic and fresh, not surprising given they each were looking forward to their one leg to go.

As for us in Van 2, we drove to a nearby high school that had been designated by race organisers as a food, shower and sleep site. A $3 hot shower later and some $7 all-you-can-eat breakfast, we were fast asleep in a corridor. Some of us had sleeping bags and hotel pillows. I had the cold hard ground and my backpack as a headrest. No matter, I slept like a baby…

At 7am we upped and left to the last van handover point for Legs 31-36. Most of the runners were left with the easiest runs of the race, between six to eight kilometres each. I had the hardest run left and the longest among all 36 legs, a 12.54km rolling route. It rained all night and was still drizzling all morning, and my teeth were chattering as I waited for the baton from AK. My only thought: the faster I run, the faster I’ll finish, the sooner I’d be able to rest.

So once the baton snapped around my wrist, I sped off. I think I started a bit too fast, because I started feeling it about halfway through the run. The thing is, I couldn’t be sure how far I’d run, because there are no route markings nor distance markers along the whole 320km of the race. All I had as a guide was the time on my watch and my innate sense of pace. If not for a duty to the team, I may not have run as fast as I did. My teammates supported me with drinks along the way and kept me going.

As I approached the exchange point, deja vu — R was not too be seen. When I was about 10m away I screamed, and then saw him casually strolling towards the point. With earphones stuck firmly into his head he probably had no inkling of his surroundings or my screaming. Anyway, R finally got the baton and was off. Hey, at least he was there, right?… Right?

The series of handovers thereafter went smoothly otherwise, and soon M was taking the Singapore Noodles home. Pity about the dreary day, though, cos Seaside was so foggy you could barely see 100m ahead of you. The sea was nowhere in sight.

But there was no mistaking M even through the mist as she crossed the finish line some 28 hours after we’d started a morning earlier. We met up with the Van 1 runners and then, for once as a complete team of 12, ran past the finish line in a little AK-designed costume…

Beers, grub and fellowship in the Nike tent followed. The other Singapore team, the Chilli Crabs, arrived soon after. I was sticky and smelly but oh-so-satisfied that we completed the race. It’s quite a different kind of feeling from winning the Sundown Ultra. Different, but not any less fulfilling. For sure, it’s a race I wouldn’t mind doing over and over again.

Considering a fun team race? Next year’s Nike Hood to Coast will no doubt be a great choice. Trust me.