I'm finally awake after what seemed like forever in dreamland.

A loud crash of thunder sounded earlier and I thought it was a bomb - yet I couldn't get up. My stomach started cramping up with hunger, yet I couldnt' get up. Andrew says I easily used up two days worth of fuel over the race, so that's no wonder. So by the time I was able to shake myself (and him) up for some food, I could have eaten a cow. The duck rice blokey at the market was a little amazed at the amount I consumed. Oh yeah and I don't think I have ever had so much chocolate or power gel ever.

So anyway, here's what happened...




After a quick stop by my grandparents' birthday bash to say a quick hello and send our best wishes - embarassingly, in our gear - Andrew and I zipped off to meet our teammates. Andrew was in a team with Amazonian-power-woman Rina and fitman Ken, and I was in a team with hardcore-husband-and-wife team Nik and Pei Ling. Cheongsters Ming, Ling and Rebecca formed our third team. We did our race registration and gear check-in, but the bunch of us were yawning away by 10pm. So we grabbed ourselves some kopi ping (iced coffee to you joss) and sat about trying to psych each other up.

Due to a few last minute toilet trips, Andrew and I didn't get a chance to wish each other good luck before the race started. We were flagged off and everyone left the start line at 11.30pm. I knew he was somewhere in the front, and was pretty gutted we hadn't been able to say goodbye. IAfter all, I did feel like I was going to be in on a trip of my life. But anyway, off we went. saw him a couple of times during the race though, and we cheered each other on with a coupla sweaty snogs.

Hmm.. How do I describe my first adventure race? Err. It was an adventure, to say the least! Here was pretty much what we did over the entire time, without stopping once.

- Run from Marina Promenade (next to Esplanade) to Fort Road
- Team biathlon to Big splash. Water challenge. We had to sit on each others' shoulders (mostly Nik's, poor thing) to un-tie a row of really tight knots
- Run to MacDonald's on East Coast. Team challenge - Water puzzle.
- Run via Tanjong Rhu back towards Kallang.
- Abseil down the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
- Team challenge offroad. Find clue using orienteering skills.
- Run to Kallang river. Kayak to the bridge. Fill a bucket up with water and hoist it up to the race marshalls. Kayak back.
- Run back to Marina Promenade. Orienteering back to Marina South.
- Run the Marina South loop back towards the Promenade next to Esplanade.
- Ropes ascending (Jumar) up the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
- Run across and abseil back down the Benjamin Sheares Bridge.
- Run towards the finish line!

Total distance: 30km
Time taken by Team Slow Smurf: 8 hours and 20 mins
Bizarre moments: Running past a drunk naked man pacing around the bridge from Fort Road to the Indoor Stadium

Andrew and his team finished the race close to 2 hours before we came in. Woops. He was there cheering me on at the last abseil station though, which is where he managed to capture the above few pictures for my family. He thought they'd be proud to see them. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a more beaming husband-o-mine ever before. :)

But man, I don't think I've ever been so tired in my entire life. I don't think this was the hardest thing I have ever done though - I didn't stop and I didn't cry, which I totally thought I would do. In that respect, climbing Cameron was a lot worse. But still, my knees are pretty much shot for a few days and I'm aching all over. My toe nails are, once again, going to fall off. In fact, one of them is already showing signs of early detachment.

There's something Andrew said to me before the race that I found extremely true - that you learn new things about yourself when you push your limits in a race like this.

A lot of it is a mental game and you find yourself wondering why the hell you're doing what you're doing - especially once you pass the 4 hour mark. But when you find yourself pressing on anyway, you realise how true the whole philosophy of 'wanting something hard enough and going out there and getting it' is. I really enjoyed myself though, especially during the rope segments. Abseiling is really so much fun and I don't think I am afraid of heights anymore! Whooooosh!

I would definitely do it again.


We made it!


Not bad for slow smurfs :)


team absolut: ken, rina and andrew


team jaft: rebecca, ming and ling


team slowsmurf: me, nik and pei ling


jumar up the sheares bridge


images courtesy of ace adventure challenge