Hi everyone!
It’s now been a week into my #rinazdoes42km training and I feel pretty good. No pain so far, just tiredness, which is why I take my rest days very seriously for my muscles to heal and recover. It feels good to be crossing out the trainings that I’ve done. Another 15 more weeks to go!
Speaking of marathons, there was the Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore last week. Normally it would be nothing out of the ordinary, except for this amusing incident :
Apparently, Singapore’s top marathoner, Mok Ying Ren, was leading a group of male runners with two pacers in last week’s Marathon. He was very surprised to find out that another person, Tam Chua Puh, won the men’s category , a person that he has never heard of before, finishing about 7 minutes ahead of him.
It was found out later that Tam Chua Puh, who allegedly hurt his knee at the 6km mark, hitched a ride in the medical van which drove towards the finishing point. He then decided to run to the finish line after assuming that it was safe to run after seeing some local and Kenyan runners go past.
Look at his expression when he reached the finishing line. Turns out that he was the first Singaporean to arrive :
I can almost hear him think, “Oh fudge. Did I come here too early? Why is this place so empty? And why is everyone clapping for me?”
Several hours later, he was disqualified and Mok Ying Ren was declared the winner for the local category. When interviewed about it, the former claimed that he just wanted a t-shirt and a medal.
According to the article I read, it wasn’t the first but the third(!) attempt at cheating in three different events, all of which he was disqualified of. Reading more, he claims that he enjoys running, but only during the weekends and runs 1 km each time.
A lot of my friends on facebook were outraged about it, about the lack of integrity of the guy, just for the sake of getting a medal and t-shirt. Shockingly, through the discussion, I found out that you could even buy them online.
It never even crossed my mind to do that, because for me, the journey is part of the excitement, although I’m not going to judge anyone who does buy them. Claiming that they completed the marathon, however, is another matter.
Nevertheless, rather than being angry, I find the entire article amusing. What on earth was going through his mind when he decided to do that?
Not that I’m condoning it, but a lot of us cheat, be it in school, or life. But we all know when when we’ve reached the limit of credibility. Trains 1 km each weekend and joins a marathon. HA HA HA HA HA!
OMG! That is so bizarre! Some people are pure goons. I know a girl who told everyone that she completed the Geneve (full) Marathon, funny thing was, I saw her finishing the 5km, in fact I was even there with her! I suppose they just want the glory without all the hard work.
You are a runner too Anna? 😀
By the way, about your friend, maybe she thinks that 5km is a marathon? Some people even consider 10km as a marathon! Although, of course by definition it is not …
I was a runner until last year, I had to stop because of health reasons. I do miss running though and one day I’d really love to complete the marathon. Anyway I’m always fascinated by people who run/train for the marathon. I think it takes A LOT of discipline and courage. That’s why I’m so proud of you 🙂
That’s really really sweet of you! *hugs*
I really hope that you get well enough to start training again and hopefully do the marathon in the near future! 🙂