cross-country running

i discovered my so-called talent when i was in pre-university. i found out that i could outrun most of my classmates if the distance was longer. i might not be able to match them in the sprints but when it came to distance running, i could outpace and outrun them.

while a trainee teacher, i participated in the cross-country race organised for all students at the teachers' training college. i finished second, behind my classmate koh boon long, a seasoned runner.

for a while i competed under the banner of the swift athletics club. there were weekly cross-country runs held at different venues all over singapore. the toughest race in my experience was the 10km run at selarang barracks, changi.

running alongside the likes of namazie, avtar singh, suppiah and alagirisamy was a humbling experience. they were national athletes and in a class of their own. also found out that kunalan, the national sprinter, was able to cover the 4.2km track at macritchie in under 15 minutes compared to my nearly 17 minutes.

my achievement in this area was in training one of my athletes - wong wing choy - to win the b division title in the national inter-school cross-country championships held at macritchie reservoir.