completed jurong lake run 2012…

..with 3 minutes behind my finishing time from last year. the run was a slight struggle for me, after missing the training runs for 2 weeks. i was almost out of breath by the time i approached the 7km mark. the hubby managed to pace me till there, before my colleague caught up with me, and together, we paced one another to the finishing line.

the rain in the early morning helped to cool the weather, which was a joy to the runners. the starting point was different from the finishing point, and all three lanes were closed along jurong town hall road towards boon lay way. still, it took me more than 3 minutes to cross the start line.

compared to the race last year, it was better organized this year, in terms of the hydration stations, distance markers and indicators. i skipped the first 2 hydration stations and had cold isotonic drinks from the last 2 stations. the running path in some parts were narrow, and i had to overtake from the sides, which resulted in the shorter 10km captured on my RCX5.

in my opinion, the race pack collection, medal and finisher tee collection, and crowd control, are the key areas of improvement.

just my 2 cents worth on the event:

1. race pack collection – separate queues for the 3km, 6km and 10km collection.
2. medal and finisher tee collection – we furnished the finisher tee size during registration, but there was no indication of the chosen size on the bib. this would mean the finishers have the option to change sizes upon collection, which would deprive the late finishers from their registered tee sizes. probably due to the crowd at the finishing point, our bibs weren’t marked for the collection of finisher medal and tee, and i doubt the volunteers checked the bib too. if the queue to the collection had been clearly indicated and controlled, one or two volunteers would have been sufficient to check on the runners’ bib. i frown upon the participants who helped themselves to the medals and tee, which they were not entitled to.
3. crowd control – separate entry points for the 6km and 10km to the runner’s welfare tent. in the yellow ribbon prison run, there are separate finishing points for the 7km and 10km runners. similarly, the 3km community walk can end in chinese garden, which is closer to the carnival area. and this could have eliminated the issue on the medals and tees which they were not entitled to. furthermore, majority of the 3km are family with kids or the elderly. the finishing point was congested with the 6km and 10km runners. imagine the heat emanating from the runners’ body, packed like sardines with very little airflow, and you definitely do not want your young kid or grandparents to be in there.
4. hydration stations at the finisher point – to be fair for all, each runner should be entitled to only one isotonic and one mineral water. in addition to that, it would be nice to find a hydration station at the finishing point. i saw hydration stations being setup beyond the finishing point in the recent 2xu run, for the finishers who require to replenish the lost fluids from the run.

despite the long wait to the welfare tent, and the chaos in the tent, we were congratulated and welcomed back with smiles from the volunteers, which did help to disperse the displeasure i felt initially.

kudos to the volunteers, and the organizers who took note of our feedback from last year, to ensure the same mistakes were not repeated.

running as one – working as (runners/volunteers/organizers) one to make jurong lake run 2013 even better!