The hell of the Singapore marathon

“When things go well, you are the king. When they don’t, you’ll find out, that you are… just human. And that it is human to fail.”

It is not a big effort to run a marathon in 3 hours, it is to run it in 5 hours. I always thought how the runners feel who are running the marathon for so long. How much they suffer. Long time in the finish, I always saw them finishing, with last energy, while I was jogging after the race or going for a beer. I always thought how it is, but I never thought I could experience a similar experience. Until the moment I experienced it on my own.

I still don’t understand what happened in Singapore. Always, when I raced being not 100% fit, I told to myself, „you will make this, even if you should walk to the finish line.“ No, not this way. Few days before the Singapore marathon I arrived from Cambodia with something in my tum, stomach and intestines cramps started to worry me. I even had a higher temperature, for sure I didn’t feel fit. One day before the marathon it improved, and I was ready to start.

Just before the Singapore marathon I ran a half-marathon in Malaysia (Penang, 27 rank) and in Cambodia (Angkor Wat, 43 rank), every time under horrible weather conditions (hot, humid), but I did, in addition, the ranking was above expectations. Half-marathon is not a marathon. Already during the warm up session in Singapore, I sweat and sweat, it just doesn’t stop. And it will not until the start. Not good.

The race starts and from the very first meters I feel real discomfort. I am not well. So far so good, the first kilometers I am somehow able to keep a relatively good tempo. This lasts until the kilometer 5, when I must visit the toilet for the first time. Intestines playing their opera. From the kilometer 10 I start walking, I just cannot continue running. I hate running, I hate Singapore, I decide to give up and walk to finish with the half-marathon runners. I look forward throwing the towel. The next 10 kilometers I spend with half-running and half-walking, waiting for the end of the suffering.

The crucial moment is here, two boards, half-marathon left, marathon right. I start doubt and think. Suddenly I start running… to the right! I still don’t understand, what was the reason, why did I do it. Who will tell me, gets a kiss on the bow. Maybe giving up wasn’t the way how I would want to leave Singapore. Long before this race, it was my wish to suffer, and now I decided to continue suffering till its end. In a different way than I expected but… I continue running, on kilometer 23 I must visit the toilet again. I am sorry for all the runners running behind my back during the race.

The next kilometers are never-ending. Run, walk, run, walk… since with the time there is less and less energy left, it’s becoming more a walk, than a run. The sun is rising, it decided to grill us. I am not ready for this, this time I should have been in the finish already. Instead of that, I am suffering at the beginning of the last third. The suffering has no end. On kilometer 36 I decide to not run a single meter anymore, I will simply walk to the finish line. I remember the „you will make this, even if you should walk to the finish line.” No, this is not going to happen, on kilometer 38 I run again, I will fight this till the end.

So it was, I fought this till the end. I never thought I will run a marathon in 5 hours, maybe in many many years. I didn’t have to wait so long.

What am I taking home from Singapore? Two important learnings:

1.) Never again I will run a full marathon in Asia. Never say never, but in this weather it’s really stupid.

2.) Next time, when I will feel like giving up, I should normally give up, instead of suffering. Giving up is human.

The hell of Singapore will stay in my mind for a while. It will take a while to find the positive part on it. So far, I found one – my marathon number 17 I was able to finish till the end. Nothing more, nothing less.

Never sign up for a marathon in Singapore, if you love running. I mean it seriously…