An Insane 200miles (6-9 Aug 2021, 76:41h)

 

TLDR:

Pain. Grit. Hallucinate. My very first 200miler as a single-stage tarmac event. 😵‍.

 

Pre-event: 

Planned to attempt this over the National Day long weekend. Studied the route-map for nth time, spinning it in all configurations for start-sleep/rest-end points. Typing out 10km-markers and possible timings on excel. It was too much for my brain. After days of staring, I finally landed on my ideal plan! Or so I thought…

 

D-day (6 Aug):

 

Showed up fresh and perky at my “ideal” start point at the Marina Barrage and saw signages about special event zone. It suddenly dawned on me that I might not get back to the area when I finished on 9 Aug! Alarm bells went off in my head. Googled NDP road closures etc, and made an impromptu decision to shift my start point “forward” so that I would clear the Esplanade/Gdns area first. Took a Grab over to Little India, where my office was, took a selfie and a deep breath, and started my watch. Off I go! 

 

Reached the Barrage again, and took a photo with my little SGP flag, ahh the feels of National Day. The first 50km or so was quite straightforward. Got to Changi Beach Point and took a photo of the “pointing finger” sculpture. I checked on my knees often because I had some issue recently during runs. Gino did a fantastic job (as always) with releasing all tightness the day before and also taped the relevant parts. Happy to be pain-free so far! Arrived at Punggol area to catch a glorious sunset before looping around the Waterway Park and taking the PCN over to Sengkang. Many runners and cyclists were out that evening. 100km suddenly felt “easy”, oh if only I was ending soon. I eventually meandered to Chomp Chomp area and knew that I was nearing MR.

 

D+1 (7 Aug):

 

Arrived at MR around 730am. 118km done. Melvin was there with fresh clothes and a McMuffin. I took a quick shower and headed off. Ran through northern trail to Windsor, and surprised that legs were still quite fresh on the trail! Spoke too soon because I died in the exposed heat on Old Thomson Road. Bought two packs of iced drink and sat at a carpark to cool down. Got to Yishun Safra and a torrential downpour started. I waited it out and took the chance to eat and rest. When there were no signs of abatement, I bought two ponchos from 7-11, donned one to block the wind, and continued in the rain. That was the start of my sole-blister. Somehow made it to Belukar Trail and Rifle Range. It was dark again, and I hurried on, looking fwd to some sleep at my parents’ place enroute later. Alas! the physical and cognitive slowdown meant I had to catch some winks at bus stops. Twice x ten minutes. Hitting Lor Sesuai up and down before sleep point was wicked. I saw my sleep buffer slowly dissipating… Grrr…. 

 

D+2 (8 Aug):

 

214km. Reached home with no time to sleep. I slurped a huge bowl of porridge with marmite, dunked feet into ice buckets, recharged all my gadgets, and took another shower. I had to tape my blister too, each step was a pain. 30h left for 108km looked comfortable (naive thought). Heading out on Brickland and Jln Bahar, I was absolutely toasted. The heat plus pain, I was reluctant and distracted to move. I texted Marie to ask whether she could treat blisters, next thing I knew, she was coming down to NTU with her rescue gels etc! 🙏x1, I owe my continued movement to her. It started raining again, and I whipped out a new poncho. I felt sleepy by now and just going through mechanical steps.

Getting to Yuan Ching was like finding the end of the world. I ate some packed rice and moved to Pandan Reaervoir, where it went downhill. I hallucinated about why I was there in the dark and where I was going. Thankfully there was only one way out. I asked Marie to meet me at Sunset Way, but I dozed off at Clementi til she called (luckily not for long!) I was so afraid to fall asleep and miss the times. I hurried over to meet her and so thankful there was someone to keep me sane. Took a snooze at West Coast and in NUS. Marie ran home to get me her trekking poles (🙏 x2) and they were so helpful esp on Vigilante and Pepys. I was sleep walking zig-zag by then. 

 

D+3 (9 Aug):

 

We hurried to ARC for MacDonalds breakfast and kopi-o. Last 30ish km! Reached Mt Faber and I posed for an almost-300km milestone photo. But the last section is always the most painful and endless. Each time I stopped, it was literal pain to restart my legs. The damn blister caused me more anguish than muscles or anything. At some point, I tried not to sit down at all. The 10km through Tanglin, Ridley, and Botanic Gdns was a whirl-mess. It was burning (we were both trying to sneak under twigs of shade), we were tired and sluggish. The slower I moved, the faster the time ticked on. I was panicking. We got to Stevens Road and it was about 5km to the end. With 1h left, omg! Marie said it would be a hard push and I was not prepared to be cut off. So we “sprinted” abt 8min pace (what I thought I did VS what I really did), she led the way and I simply followed. Two crazy ladies cutting through Orchard Rd, me clacking the poles throughout. We might really get heat stroke! Somerset. Istana. Cavenagh. Why so far?! KK Hospital. Melvin had walked out to check because I way exceeded my estimated finish. I dropped off my hydration pack and poles and just went for that last 400m to Little India. Omg! Done! 76:41h, so close to the 77h COT. Incredulous & unbelievable! Happy National Day! 

 

Thanks so much Marie for accompanying me for 50km and keeping me going (plus all the photos) 😊, and Melvin for meeting me with fresh supplies and picking me at the end. 😍😘

 

Shoutout to Coros Vertix whose navigation mode kept me on track, lasted on full features with only 1.5x recharge. It ended with 30% juice. 💪

#RunningGuild #Singapore200miles

#singapore200miles2021

#rdrcsg #teamRDRC

#exploreperfection #corosSG #corosglobal #mile27

Shiok! 200km (24 - 26 Dec 2020)

A non-stop 200km route around Singapore, organised by the Running Guild, to be completed within 45h in any direction or start point. It will be my first attempt at this distance (though not the duration).😊

Work was crazy hectic and I only studied the route hours before I started. It was a good thing to print out my little “race” table because it really came in handy later on. I started on Xmas eve night from outside my place, and went in a WSEN direction. It was a little unnerving to be self-supported without mental sign-postings of where the next “checkpoints” were, esp. when in unfamiliar parts of Singapore.

It was also my first time using the navigation modes on my Coros Vertix and Garmin 935. Where the sharp turnings were unclear, I referred to the Google map with the Shiok! route. Unfortunately, my G935 hanged at 44km, and totally died after some hours! I used the Vertix til the end; I plugged it into my powerbank for 5-10min a few times, and it finished with 85% juice! But somehow it recorded an extra 20km despite tracking a known route. The drift confused my distance-time estimates, so in the last 50km, I referenced my handy printout for the distance countdown.

0 – 50km

The first 30 – 40km went ok. I ran into NTU, over that little steep slope, and past the Yunnan Garden. There were several 24h coffeeshops and McDonalds around Jurong West, Pioneer, and the Jurong Lake Gardens (first time there!) area, so no lack of food or toilets. Some of the housing estates were decked in festive lights, and many leisure cyclists were still out at 2am! Stopped at 40km at the West Coast Esso and downed a litre of coconut juice and milo. I used to live opposite the petrol kiosk and was reminded of my growing up days in the area.

Continued on to Clementi, Alexandra, and discovered that my G935’s display screen was frozen and unresponsive. Grateful for other sights that perked me up – a historic” road sign named “Albert Winsemius Lane”, a coffeeshop at Dover which opened at 530am, and old folks on early morning walks. I bought a steamed pau at the Henderson food market and made my way to Mt. Faber. I used to train here regularly with the Safra Running Club. Ahh, the memories of doing hill workouts on MF Loop.

50 – 100km

Stopped at Tiong Bahru MRT coffeeshop (~59km) for a hot tea and hum-jin-pang, and saw that my Garmin had flatlined... Eleven elapsed hours later, I was at the Jalan Kubor Cemetery (~65km). It is the oldest Muslim burial ground in Singapore and situated next to the pedestrian pavement. I had arranged to meet Jasmine at East Coast Road, so I hurried on. Still, I was distracted by the interesting cafes around Tg Katong, Mountbatten, and E.Coast Road. Oooh, those freshly baked croissants looked absolutely inviting!

I realised that my Coros Vertix had drifted by about 5km when Jasmine joined me at Frankel Avenue, and my time-distance estimates were wrong. We ran for 18km through Bedok and Tampines, and stopped for a quick lunch. Ahh the salty soup with wanton noodle and a teh-o-peng. 😊 We got to Tampines Ikea, and Jasmine went back. I plodded on in the hot sun through the exposed Pasir Ris Industrial Drive to Punggol; 5km of heat with nowhere to escape.

100 – 150km

Sengkang to Buangkok to Hougang was a blur because I was tired and unfamiliar with the area. Spotted a “Mt Everests Spa” in the Hougang Ave 8 heartland, hmmm… 😉 Took the chance to have porridge and tea, and escaped a sunny-downpour. “Rainbow after the rain”, and I was glad to catch a double rainbow over the Sallim Mattar Mosque.

It was soon dark and I navigated through more unfamiliar places – Upp Aljunied Road, past the Gurkha’s compound, Bidadari and Woodleigh, Upp Serangoon Road, Potong Pasir, and Bendemeer. All the looping around major roads was playing tricks on my mind. Didn’t I just cross Macpherson Road? (Note: It cuts Paya Lebar, Aljunied, and Upp Serangoon). Didn’t I pass the Kallang River? Oh ya, that was early in the morning… It could get fairly disorientating.

Jalan Besar was impossible to run through, with the crowds and traffic. I stopped for dinner at the food centre, but with little appetite. I was hungry yet slightly nauseated. Took a slow frustrating jog through Orchard Road; half of Singapore was there on Xmas night. Got to Dunearn Road and I took a snooze on an open bench; very helpful in picking up energy level!

Cutting through Kheam Hock Road to the Sime/Lornie Road junction was a new for me; had always wanted to explore that route. Must say that it was a bit unsettling jogging past tombstones in the dark, and I muttered some silent prayers. Some pavements looked so dark that I ran on the road instead. As I reached the Lornie overhead bridge, I bumped into Kannan and his friends. At that time, I didn’t know that he was back to correct his missed segment and clock the correct route. 😊 I took the same wrong turn onto Lornie Hwy as well, until my Vertix prompted that I was deviating too much! Got to MacRitchie and met Lizzy and her friends who were attempting loops for HKSG Ultra. Glad to have see familiar faces, and managed to catch another snooze while there was company.

It was the second overnight and the snooze frequencies were becoming higher. I stopped again at a random bus stop along AMK Ave 1. Jasmine came by to keep me company through the night, and we struggled through the next 10km – AMK Ave 3 (3km) was long and boring, and YCK was even more depressing (7km), with no amenities along the way. We walked all the way because we needed a toilet and there was none. Poor girl had to put up with my whining and incessant complaints about why YCK went on forever. It was the single longest segment in the whole route, and we only finally found a porta-loo at the Thomson Nature Park! It was almost daybreak and we stopped for Teochew porridge breakfast after Nee Soon Road. At that point, I was so far behind my estimated schedule that I had doubts about completing the event within 45hrs.

150 – 200km

The next segments through Sembawang, Yishun, Canberra, Admiralty, and Woodlands were slightly bearable as I was more familiar with those areas (no thanks to previous editions of Craze Ultras). Had a mini-nausea episode at one point, which went away after I rested in the shade for a bit. I think it was a cumulation of heat and physical exhaustion, and I felt much better after that. We even managed to get some happy photos at the Woodlands Waterfront Jetty! Jasmine headed off soon, after some 34km with me, and I looked forward to the remaining 26km home.

Familiar roads for most parts, and Woodlands Road to Kranji MRT was fiery hot. Picked up a large palm leaf base from the ground and held it over my head, incurring some curious stares from the foreign workers by the road. I went into Kranji MRT and got two cold drinks. Ahhh, the sun eased off a little after that, so I quickly made my way to Sungei Kadut.

I walked mostly from CCK to Teck Whye and met Melvin there. He came with cold supplies of coconut juice and a soft flask of pocari, and picked up my hydration pack. 😊  (And while I ran, he very kindly unpacked and rinsed the dirty pack for me. Awww……)  Whew, thankful to offload the weight and focused on finishing the last 10km! But first, another miserable 5km tracing the Bt Panjang LRT viaduct before I reached Dairy Farm for the true home run. Up and down Hume Ave and I jogged as best as I could in the last 2km. Yes!!

The End

But! I then spent a couple of minutes waiting for a traffic crossing to “close the loop” on my map tracking, and another few minutes figuring how to stop and save my Coros workout record. *roll-eyes* 43:50h. And I almost thought I lost the record when the watch took a few syncs to upload to the app. The Coros Vertix had 85% juice left that I really thought I did not start the watch recording!

I was lucky that there were no cramps this time; maybe because of my slow-plod pace. I could still shuffle a respectable 8min pace on the last 2km. Thankful for my Altra Torin 4 shoes with their wide toe-box; my feet were unscathed this time, zero blisters! No hallucinations either (which happened during UTMB). Grateful for the chance to run and be healthy. It was a new level of pain to push through the sleep deprivation and sore feet on never-ending roads. No regrets, no repeats, and no reverse. 😉  Good luck to all who are attempting this!

Food intake

 

-        Bottles of non-carbonated Pocari and H20, coconut juice, Milo, and Vitasoy

-        2x bahkwa slices, 2x peanut butter satchets, 2x Honey Stinger gel (caffeine), 1x Honey Stinger waffle, 1x snickers bar, sweets

-        Steamed pau, salted “pancake”

-        Wanton noodle soup

-        ½ Porridge + egg

-        ½ prawn noodle soup

-        ½ Porridge + veg

 

Mt Everest (8,848m) Summit Dream

Seven Summits Challenge

How do I begin to take stock and process something that has consumed my imagination and mindshare for 15 years? (I write.... :))  Everest has been at the back of my mind ever since 2004, flirting with my attention, teasing my confidence. I had no ability nor resources to attempt the mountain until now. On earlier expeditions, I would always meet many others who were climbing non-stop or aiming for one record or another, and I always wondered where they got their time and money from. But no point being envious, slowly and surely I would get there. I was reluctant (afraid) to say that I wanted to climb Everest, but the thought nagged incessantly until one night in late 2017, I told Melvin that I would complete it and the Seven Summits; a rather bold and tall declaration to make. Where would the funds come from? How would I do that? Can I do that? …. and a deluge of self-doubt.

Fast forward to the past two months of expedition life. I landed in Kathmandu on 1 April 2019 to meet up with my Climbing the Seven Summits (CTSS) team mates, took about 2 weeks to trek in, scaled Lobuche East peak (6,119m), and arrived at Everest Basecamp (EBC) on 15 April 2019. It was home for the next 1.5months; I did not leave BC for lower villages during rest times. It was such a long expedition and anything could happen in the interim. Joanne, Linda, and Melvin kept reminding me to focus on one rotation at a time and not think too far ahead. (Note: a rotation is an acclimatisation move up to higher camps and returning to BC for a few days’ rest.) So I went through our rotations faithfully, taking great care not to fall sick. I think that was really the tough part – it was too easy to pick up an infection or two, and end the expedition right then. Everyone (at least within my expedition company) comes into Everest well-trained physically. The edge has to be how we take care of ourselves, pace out over 2 months, and stay mentally tough and focused through to the end. The “why” has to be strong enough to pull us through the low ebbs and tough times. I tuned down my emotional lever, dialled up my task mode, and got on with the expedition.  

With Doma Sherpa on
Lobuche East Peak (6,119m)

Ladder crossing in Khumbu Icefall during rotation
(Photo by team mate Wayne Morris)

Summit Push

It was mentally trying waiting at BC for a good weather window. We finished our last rotation and squatted there for about a week, our guides scrutinising every weather report. Finally, the decision was made to move out for our summit bid. I was nervous, yet relieved at being able to be finally going. Based on the weather forecast then, we picked a summit day a day ahead of other teams and moved out before the crowds. The Khumbu icefall was fairly quiet and empty the morning we set off. (Post note: I was surprised to see videos of crowds going through the icefall the next day.) I reminded myself to focus on one campsite at a time; it was a familiar mental discipline, like being in a trail race and targeting checkpoints one by one. Off we went, covering grounds and campsites that I had previously been to. I was without oxygen until the night at Camp 3 (7,000m). It was also the most precarious campsite, where climbers had literally slid off the mountain while on a bio-call.

After that point, it was unknown territory to me and I did not know what to expect. I sought comfort in my experience on Mt Cho Oyu (8,201m) last year and knowing how my body would work with oxygen at higher altitudes. I could see the Yellow Band (a particular rock feature across high mountain ranges), and the Geneva Spur (a steep rock buttress section) that we had to pass in order to get to Camp 4 (8,000m) on the South Col. We started using oxygen on moving to Camp 4. Ahhh the sweetness of O2. It was very drying for the mouth and throat to inhale through the oxygen mask, but one could feel the difference in effort immediately. It is said that oxygen reduces the altitude effect by about 2,000m!

Camp 3 precariously on snow "ledge"

We reached Camp 4 on the South Col on 20 May 2019 and targeted summiting the next morning. Alas, the weather forecast suggested high summit winds, which did not abate through the late afternoon. After much discussions between our guides and BC, everyone decided to wait out and postpone our summit attempt to the next evening. Strong winds meant high wind chill factor, and higher frostbite risks. However, at 8,000m, Camp 4 was not the most hospitable place on earth either, and there was a constant wind blowing through the South Col. At that death-zone altitude, the body could not take many nights and still perform thereafter. The unspoken implication was that if the weather did not improve the next day, we would descend and end the expedition.

Camp 4 at 8,000m featuring a constant wind through the South Col

It was also then that we realised that several bottles of oxygen and some tents had gone missing. That greatly impacted our plan and the next team that was waiting at Camp 2 to come up after us. To the credit of our company (CTSS and Tag Nepal) and committed Sherpas, they managed to rake in sufficient stock overnight for our summit attempt. Some of them carried supplies directly from Camp 2 to Camp 4, and that meant the other team would be delayed. Given the tent shortage, we were four to a tent; a tight squeeze but really warm. Everyone slept with oxygen that night, and ironically, some of us had our best night’s sleep then.

I laid in my sleeping bag, my mind running wild. The rational side recognising that we were all at the mercy of the weather, an uncontrollable variable. The emotional side feeling unfair and helpless that this once a lifetime summit opportunity was in jeopardy even though I was fit and ready for it. A lot of conflicting senses went through me. I did not want to move from my sleeping bag, yet I desperately wanted to be on the move. I wanted to pretend that the situation was a dream, but I really wanted to fulfil my dream. The anxiety and worry was very real, and I tried hard to calm myself down. I mumbled endless prayers and eventually fell asleep, clutching my Buddha pendant tightly the entire night. 

Summit Day

We spent more agonising hours the next morning as we awaited weather updates from BC. The outlook was supposedly promising, but I have learnt not to take weather forecasts as “confirmed”. There was also the possibility of a sudden change, throwing more spanner in the works. Climbers from other teams were also streaming into Camp 4, with the intent to head up the summit that evening. With all the pent-up nervousness, it was a huge relief to get the green light on the weather and summit bid. I did not want to risk getting stuck in traffic and having to turn around in potential bad weather (if any), or some other delays that prevented a summit. I also did not know how much time I would need. So I decided to start way early ahead of the crowd, and have some time buffer for myself.

A few of us set off around 530pm and headed up the snow slope to the Triangular Face. It was still bright and relatively warm then. There were only a handful of climbers in front of us. I started with a 2L oxygen flow rate, which would gradually be increased to 3L as we neared the summit. We climbed at a comfortable pace, gaining altitude steadily. Before long, we reached The Balcony where we changed to a fresh bottle of oxygen and had a drink and snack. By then, a very long snake of lights had formed behind us, stretching as far down as the eye could see. The next “checkpoint” was the base of the South Summit, where I would have another change of oxygen. There, I could see some lights streaming upwards; it reminded me of night ascents during trail races. My Sherpa, Doma, increased my O2 for that steep slope and off we went, following those lights, crested over the South Summit (~8,750m), over the very exposed Cornice Traverse and eventually up the Hillary Step (rocky face ~8,790m).

Start of summit attempt from Camp 4 towards triangle face

It was a blessing in disguise that I ascended and descended the most treacherous sections in the dark. I could vaguely make out the silhouette of sharp drops on both sides of the knife ridges that I was on. (Ascending) To my left, Nepal, and to my right, Tibet China. I poked at some of the ice-snow next to me and watched them roll into Tibet. Shudders. Since it was dark, I was not exactly sure where the summit was. I saw some lights that had stopped a distance ahead, and I thought they were resting for a drink. It soon turned out to be the Everest summit at 8,848m. I had arrived and was standing on top of the world at 3am, 22 May 2019 (Nepal time)! A couple of my team mates were already there, and we exchanged congratulations. It was not too crowded, but difficult to orientate in the dark. I could make out the Tibetan range on the other side below the summit. A slight wind had picked up, and it was a challenge using fat-fingered gloves to fish out a deeply buried camera and take any decent photos. Likewise, trying to remove either goggles or oxygen mask without dropping anything and not get wind lashed on exposed skin. We clipped ourselves into the few safety ropes and tried to find spots for pictures. It was mostly a quiet affair up there, with summiteers trying to keep ourselves (and phones/ cameras) from rolling off the summit, while posing for some shots. After about 15min on the summit, it got cold and Doma hurried me off.

Flying the flag on summit

Prayer flags on summit

With Doma Sherpa on summit

All bundled like marshmallow

Descent

It was challenging trying to pass the endless line coming up the Hillary Step. Everyone tethered precariously to a single rope, on snow/ rock ledges that had just enough space for one. We slowly clipped our safety (sling) in and out between climbers, one by one, and made our way back on the cornice traverse and to The Balcony. An hour later, the sun peeked above the horizon and lit up the cascading waves of mountains around me. I paused to inhale the amazing sight and looked back at the Summit, the traverse, the ridges. The magnitude of the moment had not sunk in yet, my brain and body were still on survival-mode and full alert – get to C4 safely. Doma and I continued down. Even after the Balcony, we were passing climbers still on their way up. We were amongst the first few to return to South Col that morning, getting in around 830am. I was still on an adrenalin-high and too excited to rest or process the summit bid.

Sunrise over the horizon (Photo by Pemba G Sherpa)

Magnificent view on descent

Cascading sea of mountains, breathtaking

After a few hours of rest and some food, we started to descend to C2 for the night. The expedition was not over yet until we got off the mountain; focus and vigilance was still needed. I think this is where all my ultra-race experiences paid off, a 21h on-the-move day on no sleep and a little food and drink – sounds like a typical 100km race but at high altitude. I got to C2 tired but otherwise ok. The soreness would hit the next day when we had to go back through the Khumbu Icefall and down to BC. Those quads and legs, they felt like post-race morning. After a few days of poor eating (camp food) and high energy burning at high altitude, most of us were in calorie deficits. (Apparently, we burn some 15,000 – 20,000 cal on summit day!) I started the morning in screen saver mode, went into energy saving mode, and by the time I was in the middle of the Icefall, I was quite battery-flat. I plonked myself on the snow, had some snacks, and slowly plodded on. It was my fourth round-trip through the Khumbu Icefall this season, those ladders and routes that kept changing over the past 6 weeks. I took in the surroundings and stood in awe of the glacier for one last time.

The ever-changing Khumbu Icefall (view towards basecamp)

Majestic Khumbu Icefall (view from basecamp)

I returned to BC to news of over-crowding and deaths on the summit. It was sobering to appreciate that so many variables could have gone wrong on the climb. We were so very close to not even getting a summit attempt. So do I regret not getting Instagram-perfect photos? Kinda. Do I want that at the expense of any body parts or life? Not too keen. Counting my blessings and giving thanks for a very safe and successful expedition. From minus-40 to plus-30C, very glad to be home, intact. Grateful.