Sundown Marathon 2017

Never did a FM for a good 2 years in Singapore, got a free bib from a good friend to give me this opportunity to do the FM.  Sundown is never a good race for me, because of the sleeping hours and also it is dark and kinda boring ( especially at the East Coast Park portion).  Being one of the only 2 Full Marathons available in Singapore, Sundown Marathon gathers all the Singapore running clubs and running enthusiasts, professional or just novices.  It is definitely a Ball for all the runners in Singapore.

2017 is Sundown’s 10th anniversary in Singapore, starting back in Changi Area, Sundown these days is at F1 pit Singapore.  The location is more centralised and eliminate the need for a shuttle service.  The availability of ample space for runners to rest and creation of the race village makes F1 pit a very good location for runners to gather.

Having disappeared from local FM for 2 years, I felt homely to come back this year.  Seeing all the old friends and fellow Singaporean runners coming together.

RACE PACK COLLECTION

2017 must have been a great milestone and great down fall for the Sundown organiser, Hivelocity.  Having a pre printed race bib before, this year for the Sundown Marathon, organiser decided to try out the new system of printing on the spot.  Many were jammed up while waiting for the bibs to be printed.  Many negative reviews were made on the social media with regards to the collection.  Majority were angry about the poor organisation and caused the collectors to wait for hours before getting their race packs.

Being the 10 year anniversary for the event,  the race was dedicated to the Earth Day and also for the first time was done in Taiwan.  This made it the milestone for the race.  The price for the bib ranges from $68-$108 depending on the distance running.

As usual the race pack comes in a big Sundown bag, with brochures inside.  There is also the event singlet and the muscle rub.

RACE ROUTE

Five Km and Ten km runners got to flag off first in this year’s race, followed by the Full Marathon race at 12 am and finally 1 am for the Half Marathoners.  The starting point was in waves which helped to reduce the congestion in the area.  As always the starting point was gleaming with lights and high beat music getting the runners all hyped up for the race despite the sleepiness.  For the full marathon, runners were segregated to four hours and below, between four hours and five hours and lastly above five hours.

As usual the race goes through the Kallang park area, threading into Gardens by the Bay and finally into East Coast Park all the way until the Yacht Club and U turn back.  The killer is when the runners exit the park and go on to the Sheares bridge.  By then it will be the last league and most of the 42 runners were already very tired.  Pushing up the bridge is a real challenge especially at this time of the day where most people should be deep in their sleep.  This is also the point where the 42km and 21 km runners will be running together.

Along the way there were ample water points.  The volunteers were also very helpful to dish out the water or the 100 plus to the runners.  All water points had pure water but not 100 plus.  There were also no fuel along the way like bananas or water melons etc.  At only one water point there was energy gel.  The strange thing is that this race is supposed to be ” environmentally” friendly, paper cups are still being used for the serving of hydration, making it a little contradicting.

For the real serious FM runners, this race might have too many turnings that makes the splits a bit more inaccurate.  But other than that, the race is relatively flat throughout and I must say the initial congestion was not experienced later on.  Personally if not for the humidity and the fatigue.  This race is actually not that bad for a PB.

ENDING THE RACE

Around 3 -4 am is the busiest as most 21 and 42 finishers will be rolling in.  Last stretch is really glamorous with light balls strewn on both sides of the ending path.  With the music hyping you up, it really give you the perks to dash through that last few hundred metres.  All finishers for the 42km got a finisher medal with a finisher tee shirt, hydration and banana.  The bag drop is also very efficient and good.  If you are looking for a good shower, this year Grohe ( the bathroom fixtures company) sponsored the mobile bathrooms for the runners to get a real good shower. So no more squeezing in toilets and bearing the stench of temporary toilets.

Those waiting for just want to take a rest before going back, there is a big screen movie stage where everyone can just sit down relax and have a good rest.

Overall, besides the race pack collection, the race organisation is really not bad compared to the yester years.  Also I am actually quite impressed with the Race Village.  It is like a mini fun fair with many containers strewn around the place.

website: http://www.sundownmarathon.com/