Translantau 100 2016

This is the 3rd time joining this event. My previous 2 years are recorded in

http://run-to-live.blogspot.sg/2015/04/translantau-100-2015.html

http://run-to-live.blogspot.sg/2014/03/translantau-2014-50km-race-review.html

This year was more prepared after experienced from last year 100km but this year route has changed for  more than 50%. The first 25% and last 25% is either reversed from previous route or changed to new one. especially the last 5-6km was a total shocked to everyone. completely new route and tough going. The removal of both horizontal and vertical bush whacking and the 800m elevation climb in 8km switched to down running does make the route much faster than last year.

Last year I carried 6kg of load. This year I just going to carry 3kg after I knew most of the stuff I carried were useless.

I was not in good condition going to the start. Down for 10 days before the race with 7 days struggling with chronic throat infection and 5 days of heavy antibiotics does take a toll on the body.

Stayed at Seaview Holiday Resort http://seaviewholidayresort.hk/ which is a small cosy accommodation that is nearer to startpoint than silvermine. 

The temperature for this year was cold. Very cold for Hong Kong standard although not as bad as January Hong Kong 100 cold spell. The cold does helps to numb my senses and make my progress possible even though I have to slow down a lot to clear my throat.

I started out conservative as you can see in the progress rank I caught up more than 200++ runners fro start to finish.  Started conservative gave me plenty of energy left towards the climbs and run on the 2nd half of the run.

Food is one big issue that I have to mitigate. I can only down instant cup noodles and porridge and lucky tailwinds works very well in comforting y throat compared to my electrolyte powder. S

The first night was cold going up Lantau Peak and temperature closed to 4 degree but the sky and air was clear and beautiful. Second Day afternoon started to see fog and the fog got heavier and heavier. The wind up Sunset Peak was very strong ad the heavy fog made the condition challenging to proceed. I was fast enough to clear sunset i the day but the night climb up Lou Fu Tau was tough going because of the low visibility due to the fog and the strong wind pushing continuously.

The race got to call off at 9pm for those who reach CP8 and CP9 was stopped because of heavy fog and strong wind.

And I was lucky to survive...lucky to complete...90min faster than last year.

Looking for inspiration to Start again

Twilight Ultra Challenge 2013: 100km in Vibram FiveFingers Classic

 

Twilight Ultra Challenge is an Ultramarathon where Participants will run as many laps of 10km within the 16hrs limit. Held at East Coast Park, the route is a simple out and back and is generally flat. It can be crowded before midnight and after day breaks. The Main support point at 0km/5km which is also the start and finishing point and 2 secondary support point at 2.5km & 7.5km. This year, the Bib consists of boxes of for marking by official at 2.5km and 7.5km.

This is the third year I took part in this Event since it started in 2011. This is my 5th ultramarathon and my 2nd on the hard road.

The first year in 2011 was hit with severe de-hydration. I was running with good pace until a visit to the restroom at the end of 4th lap. My urine was completely Red with blood and I got to stop immediately and seek medical attention the next day. 4 blood tests in a week to declared cleared of damage.

A big hydration lesson learnt helped to achieve my longest Road Run last year in Vibram FiveFingers Classic for 80km. Preparation for last year was NIL as I was hit by illness for long before I recovered 2 months before. My longest single run before this Ultra is only 15km.

Fitness level for this year was much better than last year and much well prepared. Even Though my weekly mileage was low and my longest run is only 22km, I did more cross training like stairclimbing which helped a lot to sustain the long hours. The only problem I have is a broken toe on the right feet beside my pinky toe which is still not healed after a month.

I am blessed to complete well for this year and there are 3 major achievements in this year Twilight Ultra Challenge:
1. Longest Run at 100km and also the longest with Vibram FiveFingers Classic.
2. My timing for 80km was more than 1hrs 30min faster than last year.
3. My 2nd sub-5hrs full marathon in 4hrs 50min (The first was my first marathon in 2005 in 4hrs 43min)

Preparation started 2 days before..control diet and keep drinking water and isotonic drink...and lots of it....no coffee, no tea, no coke.

I prepared 2 sets of everything from head to toes just to make sure if any equipment goes wrong, I have something spare to replace. Lots of vaseline on important places but I do missed out the tights which resulted in terrible abrasion after the run.

Nutrition for the run as see in the photo below. At the end of the run, I am left with 1 can of Ensure, dextro candy and one packet of GU Chomps. Nutrition Sponosors is the same as previous year but Hammer Nutrition given use Fizzy instead of Heed as isontonic this year.

 

  

 Just before putting on my Vibram FiveFingers Classic for the run:

About 100+ runners started the run at 7pm on Sat 30 March 2013 in the busy East Coast Park. This year crowd looks a bit bigger than last year and there are many familiar faces and many missing faces and also new faces expecially from overseas.

Lap 1 (1hr 06min 23sec):
Talked to GAPPY at the start as he was also wearing VFF..but is a bikila. He ran 50km with this and his feet felt trashed to continue and I told him I did 80km last year. Body is fresh and tends to get on fast. Most runners have a relax stroll expect for those really fast ones zooming ahead. I was surprised to see GAPPY racing ahead of Ong Kai Wei(Last year champion with 130km). I adopted the same strategy as previous year to start walking at every 1.25km for 1min 30sec to 2min.
No Nutrition taken.

Lap 2 (1hr 09min 48sec):
Adopted the same Run/Walk strategy and the legs are still feeling good. I actually wanted to do about 1hr 15min for the 1st-4th laps but the first 2 laps are way too fast. BBQ smell is overwheming and the seafood centre is really crowded. I believe I took my first packet of Gu Chomps at the end of this lap.

Lap 3 (1hr 10min 35sec):
Legs started to feel tired and I am still able to maintain the same Run/Walk strategy. A lot of "Good Job" " Looking Strong" "Well Done" "Keep It Up" along the way as we can see runners started to slow down. The park is still alive with parties. I was lapped by Ong Kai Wai for the first time as we finished out lap at the same time...My 3rd and his 4th..I am way too fast for my target....I took a can of Ensure at the end of this lap.

Lap 4 (1hr 12min 50sec):
Started to feel the strain on the body especially the feet.,,I guess I am really going too fast for the first 3 laps...I decided to pull through the same Run/Walk Strategy for this lap. We hit midnight in this lap and the Park is still awake! I managed to complete this lap slightly slower than previous...took my first "toothpaste" gel along for comsumption during my next lap.

Lap 5 (1hr 21min 16sec):
I went ahead and complete my Full Marathon distance under 5hrs and I decided to slow down further after that. I went for distance markers and waterpoints to start walking for 2-3min. Adjust accordingly if needed. The strain got significantly worse from this lap onwards.finished my "toothpaste gel" at the 2.5km water point..Encouragement from fellow runners does help in enduring thru the hardship. I was lucky I have not hit the Wall like last year. Completed just 9min slower than the previous and I am satisfied. Took a packet of Honey Stinger Chews at the end of the lap for shewing during the next lap.

Lap 6 (1hr 29min 48sec):
I managed to maintain the same Run/Walk scheme for this lap...As we see the Park Started to rest...Less people on the path...still managed to complete under 1hr 30min...I took my 2nd can of Ensure at the end of this Lap.

Lap 7 (1hr 32min 27sec):
The strain did not get worse and I managed to maintain proper pacing. The Run/Walk strategy still can work. Lapped by Ong Kai Wei for the second time somewhere along this lap (So he must be on his 9th got now). At 2.5km water point, saw Handsome Henry chatting with his friend...He caught up with me in his slippers flip flop and we chatted the whole 2.5km back to the main support tent at 5km. Chatting with friend does help to forget about the pain and strain. He got to go off for 2XU Compression Run in a few hours time so I went off alone again towards Big Splash. End this lap just 3min slower than the last...Took my second "toothpaste gel" along for comsumption during the next lap.

Lap 8 (1hr 34min 40sec):
Started to feel the next level of strain in this lap. Lucky never hit the wall so no second wind also. I saw the time and I was quite shock that I might come in more than 1hr faster than last year timing for 8 laps...I calculated that I should not hit the sun in this lap also...trying hard to maintain running after walking at every distance marker for 3min. My Walking was significantly slow because I need to stretch as I walk to loosen my tight knee and I have to constantly adjust my toes. I guess I going to have black toe nail for my pinky toes....just 2 min slower than last lap...I took my packet of orange Breeze from Resource at the end of this run.

Lap 9 (1hr 38min 43sec):
This lap was very tough...I decided to slow down further since I have ran more than last year....I started walking much slower and more frequently but I still try to keep to 3min walking before I breakout for the next run. After 5km, the Sun is up...after 7.5km waterpoint, I started to chat with this gentleman from Germany who is on a tour around this region with his wife (His wife ran in this ultra as well). He said I have more than enough time to finish my 100km even if I start to run backwards...He is 2 laps less than me and he will take his time to walk after hitting the main tent..The sun started to show more strength...My slowest lap and I am surprised is still within 1hr 40min....I took my 2nd packet of Honey Stinger Chew at the end of this lap to chew for my next lap.

Still in High Spirit during the last Lap:

Lap 10 (1hr 37min 47sec):
Started to wear my sunglasses as the sun came out in full blast...I was more conservative for the first 5km..trying to run as much as possible before I walk..much less runners than before as most have retired. Ong Kai Wei is still going strong. I managed to pull thru and ended within 14hrs in 13hr 54min 37sec.

The last Jump after 99.9km...100m before finishing line:

Photo with the finishing time clock:

All the Runners who stayed on to the end:

 

My Bib with the ticks:

 

Comparison of lap timing for past 3 events (click to enlarge):

This is possible because of the great support from the volunteers and the good organization from Running Guild and also encouragement from fellow ultra runners. Many of them has done very well for their first ultra and some even ran longer than me.

The result is at RESULTS 2013

After the Run, I went for ice water dip and also a Post-run Sports massage from volunteer Andy. My mistake from missing out rubbing more vaseline at my inner Thigh and the Abrasion was terrible. It was quite a scene at the shower room where many others suffered the same abrasion and we are screaming together in the shower.

Post-Recovery Swim the next day:

I will be back to suffer for next year.....

Twilight Ultra Challenge 2012: longest road run in Vibram Five Fingers Classic

This is my 4th ultramarathon and my 1st on the hard road....The previous 3 are MR25 Ultramarathon 2005(73.5km) , MR25 Ultramarathon 2010(81.6km) and The North Face 100 2011(50km)..All 3 in the trails.

This is also my worst prepared and worst fitness level going into an event.I was ill since Nov last year and only recovered and started running end of Jan...My longest run was only 15km so I am going into this run with no target...just to complete as much as my legs can take.

I took part last year in good condition aiming to do 100km but after 40km, I went to the toilet and pee only red blood...It was hell of a scare and I stopped immediately..It took me 4 urine tests within a week to get myself cleared of any health problem.

The run started at 12 midnight so I got myself to the ground at 11pm. It has been raining for few days and it was quite cool at night. Got myself prepared and the race started on time with a crowd of 100+.

The first lap was fine..I adopted the same strategy as last year...running towards bedok jetty, I will slow to walk when I hit Jumbo seafood and start running again when I hit the cable ski bridge. After U-turn at Bedok Jetty, I will slow to walk at jumbo and start to run at the new MacDonald. After crossing the Start/Finish line at 5km, I will slow to walk at the first shelter after old MacDonald and the U-turn is just after Big Splash. The return leg will slow to walk at around the same shelter. 1st lap is always the fastest becos full fuel tank. Some runners are very fast .......1hrs 14min

My 2nd lap started to feel fatigue after 15km as that was my longest distance be my longest distance before this run. I thought my pace got slower and managed to maintain almost the same as 1st lap......1hr 15min

The 3rd lap is the marathon "wall" distance. Less runners on the path and can see some are getting tired and sleepy. East Coast Park is still alive and many party away at the chalet. The smell of BBQ food is causing some disruption. I just continue to drag on my feet and maintain my run/walk and I was much slower than the 2nd lap. And some runners has completed a marathon distance!!........1hr 23min

4th lap was a drag. Even less runners...East Coast Park suddenly went quiet after 5am....started to feel cold during my walks..Can see the volunteers are drained and many has dozed off..This is the time we started see the early bird runners out on the road. I completed this lap still feeling good to go..It was a good achievement for me to be able to cover this distance......1hr 29min

The 5th lap was the toughest. I managed to covered marathon distance in about 5hr 40min. I started to walk more....my run/walk momentum was lost...the strategy cannot last as my whole body started to break down. My feet started to sore and I started to feel knee locking due to my tightening back. I have to stop and stretch my lower back to loosen my knee. I drag my body thru the cool dark morning....started to see runners' sleepy eyes....even more volunteers are turning "zombies"...I was telling myself...If i can survive this lap, I will just try to walk the next and stop. This lap took the longest to cover......1hr 52min

The 6th lap was a surprise...2nd wind as One of the organiser at the Bedok Jetty water point was saying. I managed to run more than the last and was able to maintain my pace well...The sun started to come out and it was getting real hot..more park goers are here...managed to finish much faster than the 5th...nipples started to burn, quickly put lots of vaseline after this lap....1hr 30min

The 7th lap was much harder than 6th...I guess was going too fast on my 2nd wind and started to drain out. The sun got hotter and really left not many runners around. Most of them walking most of the time and I am also walking a lot..I have to stop frequently to stretch my back to loosen my knees...my feet are battered and i started to really feel my legs breaking down....I dragged on and completed in one piece. My feet were in bad shape and I decided to push on for the 8th and last lap.....1hr 44min

The 8th lap was a killer....My feets are trashed...at some point of time, not feeling my toes...my legs are working hard to move forward..there is a stretch which I stopped to stretch for every 200m....i was doing like walking 10min run 1min..It was almost noon and the sun is right above and the last 2.5km was real torturing to my feet.........1hr 42min

I managed to complete in 12hrs 12min..still have the energy to smile and walk around after completed the longest distance on the road with my Vibram FiveFingers Classic.......

There are many factors that contributed to this fantastic run. I managed to hydrate well with the sponsor's HEED and plain water. Nutrition is very careful not to over eat and caused stomach bloat and also to walk long enough after eating to let the stomach digest before running again. Surprisingly no abrasion or blisters.....I guess lots and lots of vaseline helps and this is the first time I am using so much of it especially in my VFF. Lastly, the weather condition is perfect. I believe the humidity is not high as this the first time I ran more than 10km without getting my shorts wet. Most friends know that I sweat a lot...so much so I look like I took a dip int he pool after run...but not for this ultra....my shorts are totally dry...and I was lucky to stop early as heavy rain came not long after I left the race site.

Thanks to the organiser, Running Guild for organizing such a fantastic race with great support. The volunteers who has give up their comfortable bed for a night to be with the runners and the photographers who has captured many memorable moments. The recovery ice foot bath was shiok and also thanks Hammer Nutrition for providing the isotonic drinks and recovery beverage for all runners.

 

http://www.runningguild.com/

In conclusion, this was a very bad example of running an ultra. A runner come into a race unprepared, untrained and tried to go "commando", pushed beyond the normal threshold of pains and aches and physical limits. I was very lucky to escape with zero injury but at least, I have compensate this run for last year bad showing.

So for next year..........well.....till then we will see

Completed 81.6km trail for MR25 Ultramarathon 2010 in Vibram FiveFingers Treksports

5 Christmas ago...I did "My longest run in my life: MR25 12hrs ultramarathon"..I made a promise to myself..the next time I come back for this event, I will complete 8 laps....This year Boxing day...I extended my longest run by about 10km and fulfiled my promise made 5 years ago..

This year...50% of the route has changed due to some approval issue to use some part of the original route...as a result, instead of a looping route round the reservoir, it has changed to a out and back route...Which is much tougher because

• 5 years ago, it was 70% trail and 30% road/pavement but now is 90% trail and 10% road/pavement
• 5 years ago, it was 65% slopes and 35% flat but now is 90% slopes and 10% flat

However, weather was more kind enough to be sunny in before lunch and short heavy shower in the afternoon whereas 5 years ago, first 2-3hrs was super heavy rain pour and it was super hot after lunch. I used 2 pairs of shoes 5 years ago but this year..I only use a pair of Vibram fivefingers KSO Treksports

lap1: super crowded after a start for 253 runners on  a single path trail...I just try to maintain my riddle of walking upslopes but run on downslopes & flats.
lap2: runners beginning to spread out..i was able to run without much bloackage and clocked my faster lap time of 1hr 08min
lap3: even less runners int he trail as can see about half stopped to take a longer break fromt he punishing terrain...I am still able to walk upslopes properly and run at substainable pace
lap4: when i started this lap, the lead runner just completed his lap 4...he is flying...less runners...overtook some
lap5: finished my first can of ensure meal replacement...started with tiring upslope walk but running still ok..seems like running is ok but walking is not ok...this is not normal....after 3-4km, legs felt good..seems that ensure works.Feels like runners' high is on me....
lap6: started to pour....I jsut went whacking the muddy pool unlike most runners trying to keep their shoes out of water...i stouted I am splashing to runners in front so that I dun get them dirty...walking get more difficult but still running easy on downslopes and flats
lap7: slowed down on walking significantly as legs get heavy climbing....but surprisingly, I am still able to run fast downslopes and flat which amazed some runners who saw me in there....ground still with paddle of water..not much runners in the trail now...
lap8: struggled to walk upslopes but continue to fly downslopes & flat which I also amazed by myself...finished still with energy left which i decided to stop as I cannot finished one more lap within the 1hrs 15min more to 7pm...not much supporters left...as we wait till 7pm to catch those front runners coming back strongly on their 9laps...

At the U-turn point after a stretch of foot massage on very rocky downslope

Coming in after 1st lap

With my finishing time after 8laps

Special cloth based finishing cert

This gentleman is my idol for the race because he ran  his working shirt with a hydration bag and came in 91.8km in 11hrs 26min...and got 3rd position!!

Race Summary:
Overall Position: 15
Mens Position: 12
Total Time: 10hrs 41min 31sec
Food taken: 4x Bananas, 1x Shotz energy gel, 1x accel energy gel, 2x ensure
Footwear: Vibram FiveFingers KSO Treksports

official results 

Ultra Runners - a snapshot of a day in the life

Ultra Running books from Sengkang!

I must say, I am very impressed with the community library in compasspoint....It probably contained the most comprehensive running books among all the national library branches...from hal higdon's marathon, frank shorter's books in running, jeff galloway's books of running to others which are not found even in most bookstores....

And this day, I came into the library against with the intention just to get some magazines to read and I atually found the following 2 books:

Extreme Running is a new book published in 2007.....This book is written by these 2 extreme runners who completed 7 marathons in 7 continents....the books covers 24 most extreme ultramarathon races in the world from sahara desert, gobi desert to death vallery and the north and south poles...with full coloured photos and a write up on the races details

The ultramarathon Man is a book written by Dean Karnazes published in 2006.........This book covers his ultramarathon life, running for days without sleep, running in extreme conditions and other races and events

elite Ultramarathon's shoes

Just when I thought TNF Arnuva 50 BOA was a good choice for ultramarathoners, I was quite surprised when I read about Valmir Nunes's record breaking win at this year badwater ultramarathon, to found that both he and previous death vallery record holder, Scott Jurek, are brooks runners and they both used Brooks Racer STs for their ultramarathons record breaking wins. Who say racers are only for short distances?........................................ BROOKS: Run World, Run

Death Valley Badwater Ultramarathon 2007

2 weeks back, I posted about our very own badwater ultramarathon challengers: Teacher Yong Yuen Cheng and MediaCorp News Senior Producer Lim Ngee Huat. They have successfully completed the challenge just more than 50hrs....As they are not able to qualify to compete in the actual race, they did it a week before the actual race and run also to raise fund for the charity cause............... Now, for the actual race, very exciting year if you look at the statistics: The two year-old course record was smashed by the rookie runner Valmir Nunes, 43, who came back from third place to take a hard-earned race win after an eventful night out on the road. His finishing time of 22:51:29 was a long way inside the previous mark of 24:36:08, set by Scott Jurek in 2005. Second place Akos Konya was also able to beat the previous record with his 2nd place finish in 23:47:47......78 of 84 starters finished officially in under 60 hours, 65 of them received the coveted belt buckle for completing the course in under 48 hours. Robin Smit, 70, of Fresno, CA, completed the race in 55:52:24 and became the second ever 70 year old to finish the race. He broke the 70+ age group record of 57:52:12 set by Jack Denness in 2005..... Here is the video that covers the FLACO Mendoza from start to finish at this year's 135 mile race: full result HERE............ Here is the video on Scott Durek, the champion for last year and the previous record holder during last year race finish:

Death Valley challenge by our very own Singaporean

Teacher Yong Yuen Cheng and MediaCorp News Senior Producer Lim Ngee Huat are setting out to conquer America's infamous Death Valley in a 217 kilometre run today...........Wishing them all the best........their progress can be monitored thru the website at www.asiatracks.org....while waiting for them to start, here is an interesting read about Marshall Ulrich's solo attempt abt 8 years back.........next year...barefoot Ted will be attempting another solo one too...read Barefoot Ted's Pony Cart Adventures....all the best to Ted as well

The amazing runners: Tarahumara

Runner's World did covered an article on them quite recently. But I managed to find an account and even photos of them HERE Make my legs itchy to run HERE is a very good article of these amazing people

My inspiration Man

Dean Karnazes: The Ultramarathon man has always been the one i really admired in the running world. He has completed Endurance 50, running 50 marathons in states in 50 days. He blogged after every marathon . From his blog, you can see his enthusiam about running and to share his experiences. Ended in New York Marathon, He finished at 3hrs flat, 1 minute after Lance Armstrong's virgin marathon. After a few days rest, he went on and is on his way home to San Francisco and his progress can be track HERE. I always enjoy his interviews especially The following by cbs 60 minute programme. The interesting thing about this interview is that another great female ultramarathon, Pam Reed was in too, this interview is actually about Dean and Pam's race in The badwater ultramarathon: The Toughest Race Another interview is done with The Gregory Mantell Show: Another interview done after he attempted a non-stop 300 miles run He was also interviewed by another trail ultramarathoner, Scott Dunlap. The interview content can be found HERE He has also written a book called Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner He has ever said "There is a limit to human physical body, but it is the human spirit that carries you to run longer beyond that."

Ultramarathon Man Runs 300 Miles

I was browsing the video for some running resources when i came across this: Dean Karnazes, author of ULTRAMARATHON MAN, astonishes James Michael Tyler as he describes his runs of 200+ miles to the South Pole (naked!), in Death Valley, and in the grueling Western States race.

My longest run in my life: MR25 12hrs ultramarathon

Note: This is a super long event and I do not have the memory to remember evey single details...below are wat is in my memory at the point of typing It was early morning 610am and was pouring rain and dogs. TheLonelyRunner and his parent came to picked me up in the wet morning. As we travelled along PIE...the rain came heavier and heavier....we was thinking what will happen to the MR25 Ultramarathon which is starting at 7am....we reached MR25 carpark and saw runners pouring carrying umbrella and raincoat...the run will go on...we registered ourself and waiting for the event to start. Meanwhile, run.run.runaway, astrogirl, WS, ultraman, tiwazz, sotong, philips and many other familiar faces came by....at 7am sharp when the sky is still pouring, the run was flagged off.... I was still not ready and started a minute later with run.run.runaway, astrogirl and WS on my Salomon Techamphib. And here, 4 of us started our first ever attempted on ultramarathon. It was an annual finale event organised by MR25 running club which runners was given 12hrs to finish as many rounds as possible. 10 fastest and most number of laps will have prizes and runners completed 5 runs of 52.5km will be given an exclusive event tee. after running about 100m, we were shocked to see a big group of sgrunners doing stretching and warmups...we joined in a while and started off after a few minutes...it was very wet and the ground was water-logged....basically, we were all wet and soaked in the morning rain. after a few minutes of running as a group, we started to break off slowly and each of us went at our own pace. As usual, I will adopted my run/walk strategy. The slopes was a killer to my strategy as i have to adjust accordingly. After my first round, not feeling so good as the body was still unadapted to the wet terrain and weather...but the cool environment did help to keep the body cool. lucky i was wearing my Amphib shoes, my socks and shoes was dry when i reached the end point. After finishing first round, i decided to take a banana and hold a powergel eat at the waterpoint about 3.5km away. I did not rest more than 3 min before i take off again. The second round was still a wet run but the weather started to calm down. I ended strong after 21km. This time, I took 2 bananas at the start/end point for my 3rd round and held on to a powergel for the waterpoint and went comfortably away. I met quite a few familiar runners at my third round...but but i have forgotten what has happened. So not going to elaborate more...remember meeting gentle and also YankeeII who complaint to me after run.ruin.runaway running too fast and he has to give up. Finished my 3rd round strongly and i believe i might be able to go beyond 5 rounds. taking 2 bananas and holding on to the powergel, i did not rest more than 5min before i went off again. I feeling great during this round mainly becos my body has warmed up. i even felt second wind during the last 3km part but i decided to hold my ground for more rounds later. The ground is till wet and muddy. Luckily, I wore my Techamphib, my socks and shoes was able to dry by the time i reached back the start/end point. I decided to change my shoes after my 5th round if i was OK to carry on,...I finished the 4th round which is a full marathon distance at a decent time of 5hrs 30min which my fastest lap time. still feeling good, i only stopped for less than 5min after eating all the necessary food and drinks. The 5th round was quite a torture as my legs started to feel the strain, i decided to take more walk breaks....still feeling good and push on, i slowed down my pace so that i still feel comfortable..in less than 1km after start, run.run.runaway suddenyl came by with choonwei and dasher who were accompany her....as usual, she was going with a fast speed...cannot see her minutes after she past me. I pressed on and on and finished the 5th round feeling strong. Decided to push on for 6th round, i changed my Techamphib to my salomon XA pro 2 which has more support and fresh cushioning. I took a longer break of about 10min. Took the necessary food and drink, pushed on for my 6th. the legs started to get heavy for a start but after the midpoint, my legs were able to flow smoothly..finsihed my round feeling a bit lousy but with 3.5hrs more to cut-off time, i decided to go for the last 7th round...maybe i will walked for the whole 10.5km which will take about 2hrs. I started for a while before i met gentle. He finished his 3 rounds in the morning, went home for christmas lunch before coming back in the afternoon to finish the remaining 2 rounds. he was walking and he said he just take stroll...but he decided to follow me and we can keep each other company....he told me that astrogirl was in front and he wanted to overtake her. As my previous 5 rounds, i continue to do run/walk and gentle try to follow....i slowed my runs and actually we walked a lot chatting all the way...very comfortable and interesting last lap for me....saw astrogirl at the golf course and we decided to catchup up slowly...finally, we past her at the last 2.5km from the end. Gentle and myself was doing a very good pace and we finished strongly with astrogirl finishing behind us. I managed to finished 7laps of 73.5km in 10hrs 12min. having my alst 7th lap as my slowest lap of 10min slower than the average of my first 5 laps....a great achievement for my 1st time doing distance longer than marathon with no special training for it...just a light maintainance run and tapering after my Singapore Marathon. After reporting, i was told that I was within the top 10!!! a big big surprise for christmas this year!!! my 1st marathon finish is a great accomplishment...but this is even a greated achievement than that..... I must really thanks all the sgrunners who supported me during my 10 hrs run. Without them, i doubt i was able to complete 7 laps comfortable. below is my 10.5km lap timing for every run including rest time: lap 1: 1hr 24min lap 2: 1hr 19min lap 3: 1hr 21min lap 4: 1hr 21min lap 5: 1hr 27min lap 6: 1hr 38min <- 10min rest lap 7: 1hr 39min total time: 10hrs 12min total distance: 73.5km position: 8th for my 8th position, i got the following prizes: 1) extra MR25 Ultramarathon 2005 polo tee 2) a NIKE backpack 3) a NIKE waistpouch 4) a pair of NIKE socks 5) a pair of NIKE Free shoes (got both right side of the shoes 8-( ) Photos: I've fall in love with ultramarathon. I can't run fast, but i can run long. Cheers.....................