Gobi March - with KOTH Champions and Trailwalkers

I was stoked when i learnt that KOTH Champion, Stone Tsang will be racing in the Gobi March. He is my idol for three simple reasons. Firstly, he is fast ( i witnessed how fast he went in Gobi, OMG), secondly, he is from the Fire Service ( yeah...) and lastly he is really down-to-earth and humble. Stone, if u chance upon my site one day, this is for you!

Not forgetting Kah Wai. He is also from the Fire Service, serving as Ambulance Officer. He is another fast runner. Pity that he had bad blisters that affected his running. Nevertheless, Kah Wai, way to go!

BTW, both of them will be heading for the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail (168km) this year. I wish them both the best.

Gobi March Part 2 - Off to Urumqi and Kashi

We woke up at 530am to the sound of our phone alarms. Supposed to board the airport shuttle at 600am sharp. Shuttle came on time and off we went to the airport. We arrived at the airport and for the first time, we saw many of the participants. All of us are recognizable by the same Raidlight backpacks. Soon three familiar faces appeared. It was Team MR25 which consisted of Steven Lim, Jacob Johnson and Christian. We also got to know Nicholas whom now we know that he had the biggest lobangs when it comes to desert races. Flight time to Urumqi was approx 3hrs. We arrived smoothly at the airport because the airport itself is small. This is the beauty of being small. Can be efficient and not complicated.

We saw Dean Karnez "The Ultramarathon Man" and decided to take a picture. Nice bloke and we learnt from him that he had just finished an 700km race a week ago. It made people like us very normal. We learnt that our next flight was 9 hrs away! Being stuck 9 hrs in such a small airport is totally a test of our patience. Somehow, we survived that ordeal. We would be heading to Kashi airport for our final destination.
After 1.5hrs flight, we have finally landed. I believed ours is the last plane of the day. Once of the buggage area, we were greeted by the RTP staffs. We were whisked off to our buses and began our 20 minute drive to our hotel. We were told that our hotel is the newest in town. Once arrived, we were greeted by Mary Gadams, Zac and the rest of other RTP team. Checking-in to the hotel has been arranged. Within 5 minutes, Lam and myself got our room cards. We were pretty amazed by their technology. The doors are using tap card system and the facilities are new.

As tomorrow would be equipment-check and race briefing, Lam and myself got down quickly to prepare our backpacks. By 2am, we were ready to hit the bed. Has been a long day.

Gobi March Part 1- From Dusk to Dawn

Beep...Beep...Beep...the alarm rang at 5am on 5th June that morning. For some reason, sleeping was difficult the night before. In my mind, i was filled with excitement and apprehension. Questions such as "Have i bring everything i need", "Is the food enough", "Have i train enough for this" etc..Hurriedly, i woke up and went through my bag one last time. After which, i went and prepared myself to head off to the airport. In the car, there was some silence and i knew my wife was worried for my latest insane activity. Although for the past few months, she has been very encouraging and supportive, i knew that she had been praying hard for me, "God, bring him back one piece to me and our children". I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her at that moment as i was afraid i would hurt her.

TiTi...my phone beeped twice. It was Tian Yew who asked me if i have left. I replied no and arriving soon. Lam texted me and said counter 8 to check in. I thanked my father-in-law for driving us to the airport and he wished me good luck. Check-in was smooth and no excess baggages. Surprising, my check-in bag weighed only 16kg. We looked around and was surprised that we did not see other fellow Singaporeans on same flight. We headed to one of the cafes in T1 and had wanton noodles. We took some pictures with Tian Yew. Soon, it was time to board the gates. I hugged my wife tightly and we prayed together for our safety(She was also leaving for Taiwan in next few days). I waved at her as i walked and the image of her grew smaller as i walked further. Before baording the plane, i called her last time and thanked her.




It was an 3:45hrs flight to HK. Managed to catch the movie, Vantage Point. Was surprised that Steven was enjoying all the free Heineken Beers in the plane and i snapped a picture of him. Very soon, we touched down in HK airport. We have 1.5hrs transit and we hanged around in the departure area till our next boarding time to Beijing.



Again, another 3.5hrs to Beijing. Entertainment sucked! I missed SIA! Oh well, i "forced" myself to catch some sleep. I was so happy that we landed at Beijing aiport. I was surprised that airport was almost empty. Isn't the date near Olympics? Where are the people? Immigration officers were friendly and efficient. Soon, we were out of the transit and in the arrival hall. Quick check with the Info counter, she scribbled our hotel in Chinese. We took a cab, boy, the driver was totally lost and had to stop passing vehicles and people to ask directions. By God's grace, we found our hotel (Sino Swiss) in 15 minutes, amist of our aimless wandering!

Our airport hotel was in the middle of a self contained town. Many interesting shops, supermarkets and restaurants nearby. We came across a huge SPA centre and went in for a full body massage. Dirt cheap! RMB88 for 1.5hrs. The back massage was good and the rest was crap. Went for a real authentic chinese dinner that had pork, fish and veggies. Went back airport to retire early and have a flight to catch to Urumqi in the morning.



To be continued!

This is it - Gobi March

Finally the day has arrived. In about 12hours time, we will be onboard the plane to my greatest adventure to date. The 1 year of planning(literally) and preparing for this race will be realised. Before the race starts, a few people i would like to thank for

(1) My wife - She has been my greatest supporter. Taking care of the family while i am away for training and overseas races, on top of her work. The only reason i ever want to complete the Gobi Race is because of you! I will carry our family pictures when i cross the finishing line.

(2) My mom and mom-in-law - Thanks for sacrificing your time to take care of the kids while we are away.

(3) Friends and well wishers - You know who you are. We will be victorious and come back in one piece!

(4) GOD - My spiritual and inner strength. He has worked many miracles for me and i believe HE will do it again in Gobi.

It has been a fantastic journey. I am sure that it will be one of my most memorable events that i will remember for long time.