NishaSingapore’s Central District saw people from all walks of life on Feb 8 as the 15th National Vertical Marathon (NVM) brought action to the otherwise lifeless Sunday.
Organised by National Technological University (NTU) Sports Club, 1,639 participants scaled 1380 steps (or 60 floors) of the Republic Plaza building. It is the 3rd year running for NVM to be held at Republic Plaza.
The YOG Element
While the core activity took place at Republic Plaza, lion’s share of the crowd was seen at the large field towered by soundless skyscrapers and office building.
There, participants took part in various sports tryouts, like handball, with a cardboard version of Japan’s NHK televisions station’s mascot Domo-kun as the goalkeeper to attract attention, and archery, with student instructors guiding the participants. This was integrated in an effort to create action for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010 as part of CAN! (Create.Action.Now).
Archers in the making…
… and Domo-kun on the verge of being battered
Back at the Republic Plaza, the ‘staircase marathon’ welcomed the oldest participant, 83-year-old Mr Tan Soo Cheng, a retired accountant, as he clocked in 37 minutes and 9 seconds for the Veteran Challenge, which included other 9 veteran participants.
Oldest Competitor
As a dedicated contender since 11 years back, Mr Tan did not display excitement of the event, as he described it as, “like a normal morning jog”. Thus, even though his timing is longer than his last year’s 35 minutes, he exclaimed that he was just happy to make it to the top.
He added that the difference between his daily morning jog and this vertical marathon is that one just has to run up and it’ll be over in a short time, unlike jogging or a typical marathon, in which sustainability is crucial.
Mr Tan Soo Cheng, the oldest vertical marathoner
Having had actively participated in sports like basketball and swimming during his younger days, Mr Tan was introduced to NVM through his friend and since had been receiving NVM participation invitation through snail mail from NTU Sports Club, as he does not have access to a computer.
Though he is a devoted competitor, Mr Tan shared his mild discontent in the method used in informing the participants their timing.
He said, “The end point should have a timer to show us our timing. Then, we can feel the sense of satisfaction.”
Just like what Mr Tan pointed out, it was evident as participants who entered the finishing point frequently requested for their timing, only to be directed to the ground floor.
Ramona Koh, 19, chairperson of NVM 2009, said that the organising committee would work on this for next year’s NVM.
She added, “We want to work on finding a scenic view for the finishing point. That way, it’ll be more memorable for the participants.”
Though there were slight hiccups as such, some marathon entrants were glad about the improvement made this year.
One such refinement is the better ventilation at the stairway, as the organising member had installed fans to make it less stuffy. Other than the fans installed, there were other measures taken to provide better ventilation to the competitors.
In an e-mail interview with the organising committee, it was stated that to make sure that the air was not stuffy, controlling human traffic at the stairway was an important task. It also stated, “To efficiently handle human traffic, we actually conducted multiple dry runs, lending real-time experience to the helpers to perform on the actual day itself.”
There were a total of 10 categories at this year’s NVM, including the Lover’s Challenge.
Valentine’s Day Comes Early
For lover’s challengers Julie Ong and Teng Teck Hou, who were spotted with identical sports attires, NVM is “sort of a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day”. This is the couple’s 3rd time participating in the NVM’s Lover’s Challenge.
Couple Teng Teck Hou and Julie Ong
Julie, 31, a physiotherapist at National University Hospital (NUH), said, “The feeling (of completing the vertical marathon) is fantastic! Especially with (Teck Hou) beside me, the satisfaction and motivation heightens.”
Her partner Teck Hou, 30, NTU postgraduate, added with a smile, “The Lover’s Challenge is more of a lady’s challenge. A lady can judge a guy by the race as the guy has the role to support the lady.”
The couple clocked in a timing of 10 minutes and 22 seconds, just 22 seconds away from the winning couple 25-year-old Sikhander Singh and 24-year-old Sumiko Tan Sok Hue.
Photo Courtesy of 15th National Vertical Marathon Organising Committee