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| I'll be so happy if you could sign my guestbook.Thank you very much. |
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| My Stories for the following marathons: |
| "Marathon running is a terrible experience: monotonous, heavy, and exhausting." -- Veikko Karvonen, 1954 European and Boston Marathon Champ |
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| Singapore Marathon 2005 Perhaps my final marathon |
| Singapore Marathon 2004 First and only marathon running with a partner |
| Singapore Marathon 2003 Training for this marathon hampered by prostate infection |
| Singapore Marathons 1997, 1999, 2002 Struggle to overcome a painful severely torn hamstring injury |
| Honolulu Marathon 1991 My last marathon in Hawaii |
| Honolulu Marathon 1990
A marathon for which I did not train at all |
| Honolulu Marathon 1988 My first marathon in Hawaii |
| Singapore Marathon 1987 My very first marathon |
| Other Races: |
| New Balance 10 km Run 2005
First time I ran barefoot in a race. |
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| Year Event
1984 - Singapore Half-Marathon 1987 - Singapore Marathon 1988 - Honolulu Marathon 1990 - Honolulu Marathon 1991 - Army Half-Marathon (Honolulu, Hawaii) 1991 - Honolulu Marathon 1992 - Windward Half-Marathon (Kailua, Hawaii) 1995 - The Far Side Run (10 km, San Francisco) 1997 - Singapore Marathon 1999 - Singapore Marathon 2002 - Terry Fox Run (5 km) 2002 - Singapore Marathon 2003 - Singapore Marathon 2004 - Singapore Marathon 2005 - Singapore Marathon 2005 - New Balance REAL Run (10 km) - I ran this barefoot 2006 - Singapore Marathon 2006 - Swissotel Vertical Marathon (73 storeys) - Barefoot 2007 - Singapore Marathon |
| Marathons and other races that I've completed :- |
| Why do I run the "suffering" Marathon? (Written in Nov 2003) Many people wonder why I run the marathon. Why would anyone torture himself or herself by running 26 miles or 42 km? I sometimes joke that it is to earn the T-shirt at the end of the race. (And they might think that I am crazy. Sometimes, I think that I am crazy too, especially when I am running the last few agonising miles of the marathon screaming in my head "what am I doing here?") But one reason is simply to be physically fit. I see the marathon not as an end in itself. But rather the process of preparing for the marathon keeps me fit. I also take the marathon as a challenge. I feel that there’s something inspirational and noble about testing the limits of human endurance and of fighting against all odds. |
| Run to Honour and Remember Others
This December 7 (2003), I am running the marathon in tribute to my courageous friend Katy Hubbell, who has been fighting severe aplastic anemia and its effects since 1997. And since it is the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, I run in remembrance of those who have died that day, especially those in the USS Arizona. And I run also in remembrance of the Japanese flight leader Mitsuo Fuchida who sent the famous message “Tora, Tora, Tora” (Tiger, Tiger, Tiger) when attacking Pearl Harbor. He was filled with hatred for the Americans. But after the war, he became a Christian and his heart was filled with love for everyone, including Americans. He became a missionary to spread this love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The following quote sums up my feelings: "No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences. My times become slower and slower, but the experience of the race is unchanged: each race a drama, each race a challenge, each race stretching me in one way or another, and each race telling me more about myself and others." - George Sheehan |
| "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast.
And when I run, I feel His pleasure." -- Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire |
| Official picture of me at the finish line of my second marathon overall and first marathon in Hawaii in Dec 11, 1988. |
| That's me in 2002 with my reward for running 26 miles. My latest marathon was in Dec 2005. |
| Cute Katy proudly showing her IV. |
| Katy at the hospital "eagerly" waiting to have her blood drawn. Katy, it is people like you who give me the courage to run the marathon and the race of life. During the marathon, I'll think of your courage and cuteness to help take my mind off my pain. I love you, Katy. |
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| USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Names of the brave sailors and Marines who died on Dec 7, 1941. I took this picture on Jun 19 2002. |
| Behind me is the gun turret of the USS Arizona. Jun 19 2002. |
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| P.S. - (added May 2006) Here's an interesting article: Who Would Ever Run a Marathon? |
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| Singapore Marathon 2006 The clumsiest of all my marathons so far. Tripped twice and fell down once. |
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| Swissotel Vertical Marathon 2006 My very first stair-climbing race - 73 storeys. I was the only barefoot runner. |
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| Singapore Marathon 2007 "Don't run this marathon", Mom said, "you are still sick". I didn't take her advice - I soon regretted. |
| Run the Race of Life The marathon is a race similar to life itself. Life is not a 100m sprint but more like a long distance race. Each time I run, I learn something new about life. One example happened while running one of my Honolulu Marathons. Upon reaching the first milestone (the sign that indicates the distance you have covered), I was too busy mentally calculating if my pace was right. I failed to watch my steps, tripped and slightly sprained an ankle. I didn't know if I was able to finish the race, but by God’s grace, I did. That incident made me believe that each time I fall, I can get up with God’s help and persevere even through pain. The Bible compares the Christian life to a race too. It says:- "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly..... "(1 Corinthians 9:24-26) So true. To run the marathon, "strict training" is required. I cannot cut corners during training and expect to finish the marathon. In another passage, the Bible again gives the idea of the Christian life as a runner pressing on. It is written:- "....But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) Likewise, I must press on towards the finish line of the marathon. Someone else uses the term "straining ahead" towards the goal or finish line. It gives the idea of a force working against us and that we have to "strain ahead" to counter it. That's just how I feel when running the marathon, especially when hitting the wall or nearing the finish line. Here are four articles that compare the Christian life to the marathon - * The Marathon Runner * Keeping Pace as a Marathon Saint * Run In Such A Way That You May Win * The Greatest Reward |
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