An uphill wager

By Ng Yan Xiang

PHOTO: YEO WEN BIN

Some run to keep fit. Others jog as a means to unwind. As for me, I am running for my life.

A series of bets between lads had spun out of control. First, it was who could scoff down three plates of chicken rice the fastest. Then it was who could do the most graceful backflip. Next thing I knew, I had agreed to run in the Sundown Marathon Singapore 2014.

The thing is, I don’t like to run. I am the sort of person that would rather walk (to my destination) than run after a bus. Every attempt to peel myself off the couch and train for the event ended in abject failure with a fist inside a bag of chips, and a tiny voice in my head saying: “maybe tomorrow.”

That voice turned into a full-fledged shriek last week, with approximately a month to go until the day of reckoning on May 31. I didn’t know where to start. I am going to be the first person to die in the history of the event, I thought.

Fast forward to now. I am at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a group of runners from the NTU Runners’ Club. The club purports to be a gathering of running enthusiasts and leisure runners who train weekly to run longer distances, with the ultimate goal of eventually completing a marathon. Their club event is a regular is a Six-Kilometre X-Campus Run. Not quite the 42.195km I have to survive, but a challenge nonetheless.

The order of the day was ‘stairs intervals’. We had to run up the stairs located next to the swimming complex at the Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC), straight up to the Nanyang House. Then we had to run back to the SRC and repeat the entire routine for a total of 10 loops.

“I heard that the stairs are three-storeys high,” someone whispered behind me.

PHOTO: YEO WEN BIN

I was suddenly a lot less enthusiastic. But I reasoned to myself that I could bite the bullet today, or risk a heart attack on the actual day of the marathon. I fell in behind the rest.

Mid-way through the run, I started to regret it. Wheezing heavily, I struggled to lift my abused thighs one step at a time. It was only my third round and my lungs were on fire.

The fatigue from climbing the formidable stairs was starting to add up. I tried thinking of the satisfaction I’d get when I finally win the bet; the flash of smug happiness lasted for all of two seconds. Maybe if I just lay down here and play dead, no one will notice that I’m gone. You can go too far for victory, apparently.

“Don’t look up, you can do it,” an encouragement came from behind.

Turning around, I saw a runner ascending the excruciating flight of stairs. While he was probably a few rounds ahead, he looked worn out.

“Don’t give up! We’re nearly up the slope,” came yet another cheer from a runner that was ahead of me.

Even as the runner smiled, it was clear that he wore the same look of fatigue. It dawned on me then that my struggle to overcome the flight of stairs was shared by almost everyone in the group.

I forged ahead with renewed vigour, determined to complete the run. After much encouragement and cheering from fellow runners, I managed to complete all 10 rounds.

Although we were exhausted, I noticed that our mood was light and cheery. Jokes and smiles aplenty, it was evident that the 20 or so members of NTU Runners’ Club were close-knit.

NTU Runners’ Club president, Sakino Tan, 23, second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “We try to build this bond among people who like to run and bond within the club. There is no pressure to win competitions and we don’t discriminate against weaker runners.”

While I may not be the ideal athlete, I was genuinely interested in a club that could encourage me to exercise.

“Running together with my peers makes the run more enjoyable and gives me the needed push to cover longer distances,” said Bay Si Yao, 24 a regular runner of NTU Runners’ Club.

The session with the club reminded me of an African proverb — “When you run alone, you run fast. When you run together, you run far.” Truly, the session with NTU Runners’ Club allowed me to realise the enjoyment of running together with company.

The possibility of taking up running as a hobby (and completing the Sundown marathon alive) does not sound as implausible as it would be a week ago. My mind is already racing ahead to the next bet. Maybe we’d go bungee jumping.

NTU Runners’ Club gathers at NTU’s Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) every Wednesday at 6:30pm to train.