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Thursday, May 03, 2007

JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge 2007

11.00 am - Shiok. It's raining! Good weather to run tonight.
12.00 noon - Oh shit, it really's pouring! The ground going to be real wet.
3.30 pm - *&&^%$$# The revised route take us through the duck tour's path - that's place is going to be mud pool in this weather. My shoes:(
4.00 pm - May called. Can she go and change now? Wah so kancheong!
5.00 pm - Where the _ _ _ _ is Sebas? We supposed to leave office at 5 sharp and he still not here yet! Like that how to go to the front of the start line?
5.15 pm - Finally, we can set off but first a group photo. But running late, had to abandon plan to deposit the bags.
5.30 pm - Esplanade Bridge. It's so crowded. Luckily, they got separate lanes for walkers and runners. Alamak, ABN has the same NB singlet as us. And there are so many more of them! Now people will think we are them. Sure enough a guy came up behind me said hi and quickly run away when he realised not from his bank. Ha Ha!
5.45 pm - Tried to move to the front. Stuck about 60 metres from Start line. So crowded can't even find room to do some stretches. You sure everybody here are runners? Only Sebas is with me. The rest are behind.
6.00 pm - The race is horned off. Er why is the crowd not moving? Oh it is but at a snail pace.
6.01 pm - Crossed the finish - oops wrong start line in a time of 1:11 minutes. Wow so fast - 1:11 minutes to run 60 metres. There are simply too many people. And most of them are jogging. Struggling to find a way through. How come my colleagues are in front? Can't move faster. Keep being checked by people in front.
6.13 pm - where did the 1km go? 12:48 minutes.
6.19 pm - 3 km. The crowd has thinned out a bit. Got more space to run. Good - they paved the duck tour's path. Yipee. Shoes still clean. Sebas zoomed past. So he has finally decided to run.
6.25 pm - 4 km. Siah - Another 1.6 km to go. No way to have a PB. Just enjoy this last stretch. Oi, how come the boss is in front of me? Should I give him face and let him finish ahead of me? Maybe score some brownies point and hopefully get a good increment? Nah.. fat hope. Accelerate a bit and he's history.
6.31 pm - Yeah crossed finish line 31:06 minutes. A PW for me. Personal Worst that is!
6.32 pm - Shit.. the field is so muddy. Now my shoes are dirty! *^$#$^))
6.35 pm - 2 bananas, 1 mineral water. Collect goodie bag. Contains 1 t-shirt, 4 packs of Anlene Strawberry Yogurt Milk and 2 postcards).
6.40 pm - Bumped into Kick. She looks great. Well done lady.
7.00 pm - Finally everybody turned up.

This is the 3rd year running I'm doing this crazy race. It is a total waste of time/waste of money type of race. So many people and they cannot never managed to get the start organised properly. Than at $35 and increasing every year, it must ranked as the most expensive race here - and what do we get? A never changed same design drawstring bag and a cotton t-shirt. And they have to print all the sponsor names on the t-shirt some more! And best of all, year in year out, the winning team representing Singapore in New York are all foreigners! The Gurkha's and the ladies from the American School! And the crowd....

So why am I taking part than? Oh yah.. Becos Boss willing to pay 100% for registration and every year got free singlet and the quality getter better each year (1st year - made in China OEM Nike t-shirt:(, last year AGT singlet + short and this year NB singlet!) Also, as team captain, I get to attend the annual briefing - there got makan, lucky draw and a free gift (last year yoga mat, this year pedometer:)

2008 here I come:)

2 comments:

  1. Hi Tekko... i enjoy ur writings. i can relate v well with them cos m a runner too but not as gd as u or M. keep writing... :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice post mate! I just ran the corporate challenge in Sydney this year. It's just as shocking on the starts...

    Our goodies bag was just a shirt and whole bunch of useless ads. Great stuff ;)

    ReplyDelete

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