RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
  • Home
  • Tools
    • BMI Calculator
    • Pace Calculator
    • Daily Calorie Calculator
    • Kilometers to Miles Distance Converter
    • How to Calculate Heart Rate with Heart Rate Calculator
    • How to Use The Best Ideal Weight Calculator
  • Online Races
  • Crossline Shop
  • Virtual Race as a Service
  • Cool Deals
  • About RunSociety
  • Advertise
  • Contact RunSociety
Categories
  • Community
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Gears
  • Health & Injuries
  • Highlight
  • Inspiration
  • Interviews
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Races
  • Reviews
  • Training
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
  • Races
  • News
  • Highlight
  • Reviews
  • Gears
  • Interviews
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Training
  • Inspiration
  • Health & Injuries
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
  • Home
    • About RunSociety
    • Advertise
    • Contact RunSociety
  • Tools
    • BMI Calculator
    • Running Pace Calculator
    • Daily Calorie Calculator
    • Kilometers to Miles Distance Converter
    • Heart Rate Calculator
    • Best Ideal Weight Calculator
  • Online Races
  • Virtual Race as a Service
  • Super Sale!
  • Shop
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
Home»Races»HomeTeamNS – New Balance REAL Run 2011: X-tension Gone Right
Races

HomeTeamNS – New Balance REAL Run 2011: X-tension Gone Right

Shaun LinBy Shaun LinOctober 17, 2011Updated:November 9, 20184 Mins Read
Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest
HomeTeamNS New Balance REAL Run 2011: X-tension Gone Right
Share
Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest

In every race, an increase in distance comes with added responsibility, whether it’s safety cover, marshalling, the availability of water points and in this case, transportation. The HomeTeamNS – New Balance REAL Run, formerly a 15-kilometre race, had its distance notched up to 21 kilometres this year, with the inclusion of a supplementary 10-kilometre challenge.

RunSociety hit the grounds of the Changi Exhibition Centre from as early as 5am to avoid heavy traffic – experience gotten from previous races (on the same site) such as the Sundown Marathon. Wise move but kudos to the traffic wardens. It was much less of a nightmare than we expected.

Runners arrive early to prepare themselves for the race
Runners arrive early to prepare themselves for the race

The REAL Run got off to a rousing start with the 21-kilometre flag-off at 6.30am – upon the arrival of Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State (Home Affairs & Foreign Affairs). Some 3,000 runners wrangled their way in what looked to be a closely fought affair. Well, RunSociety was expecting a more nonchalant 10-kilometre start at 7am – another 7,000 runners – for which we were proven otherwise. Competition was intense!

And they are off and away - 21km Men’s & Women’s OpenCourtesy of HomeTeamNS
And they are off and away - 21km Men

If you had a glance at the Race Prelude, we highlighted the latter sand portion of the route (1.5 kilometres) as the ‘killer’ segment. Our “theories” weren’t entirely off tangent.

“The beach portion of the race was definitely one of the most challenging aspects of the race, seeing that it comes in the last few kilometres of the race and the fact that running on sand saps more energy than on hard surfaces such as roads. Whereas one can be sure whatever energy one puts out running on the road is transferred into the propulsion of oneself, the same energy put out on the sand is bound to have some absorbed. So my focus during this portion of the race was just to take small, quick steps and be as efficient as possible. Thankfully, the sand was not too loose as that would have meant a tougher struggle.” explains Colin Tung, 23, an undergraduate.

Perhaps you’re wondering why the fascination with sand? Well, we understand how gruelling it can really get, all the more if it’s toward the end of the race where you’re running on reserves. As insignificant as it may seem, trust us, it really isn’t. That said, we had a particular runner who had other views.

“The beach wasn’t as tough as I expected it to be. To be honest, the surface was pretty solid due to the low tide,” says Aaron Lin, 24, a Group Director in the real estate line, “To me, the trails were more difficult. There were waterlogged sections with soft mud which I had to constantly hop over. It really sucked the energy out of me.”

The much dreaded or much welcomed beachCourtesy of HomeTeamNS
The much dreaded or much welcomed beach

Down to the results. The 21km Men’s Open was won by Onesmus Muindi (Kenya) with a time of 01hr 08min 09 sec. Qi Hui, a fellow Singaporean, did us proud with a victory in the 21km Women’s Open. Her time was 01hr 21min 51sec.

Men's Open winner, Onesmus Muindi from KenyaCourtesy of HomeTeamNS
Men's Open winner, Onesmus Muindi from Kenya

What really did catch our attention though were the winners of the Women’s Junior 10km category. Nena and Dana Fritz, 16 year old American twins, crossed the FINISH line 1st and 2nd respectively. Talk about family bonds in competition.

(Left to right) Dana and Nena Fritz from USA
(Left to right) Dana and Nena Fritz from USA

“We attended Chestnut Drive Secondary School which did not have an athletics team initially, hence Dana and I started one in 2009. Since then, we have represented our school in inter-school competitions. We’ll be heading back to the States for university soon.” says Nena.

You should know that the twins are also members of the elite MR25 running club in Singapore.

The REAL run has always been special for its x-terrain surfaces – runway, road, trail and sand. It was made even more distinctive with the introduction of the half marathon distance this year. Our verdict? Seamless – from our standpoint at least. Well organised. No hold ups. Excellent runner-service. It’s also one of the few races where we actually witnessed a police escort up front. That’s commitment!

*For more pictures, kindly visit our Facebook page.

HomeTeamNS REAL Run New Balance Post Event REAL Run Singapore
Share. Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest
Shaun Lin
Shaun Lin
  • Website
  • Twitter

Years back, seeds were sown when Shaun undertook a marketing communications role at a Singapore-based sports distributorship. There, a couple of international sporting brands fell under his purview. He's made the decision to migrate to the receiving end since, placing himself right at the heart of true competition.

Related Posts

Windsor Nature Park: 6 Interesting Things To Do

November 21, 2022

How to Be Part of the ASICS World Ekiden 2022

November 17, 2022

Last Call to Register for SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2022

August 19, 2022
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Updates

Get free access to the latest running event updates, promotions, product announcements and much more!

How to Be Part of the ASICS World Ekiden 2022

November 17, 2022

Run For Singapore 2022: Moving Towards a Fascinating Future Together

June 3, 2022

Under Armour’s All Out Mile Has Your Name Written on it

May 29, 2022

How to Find Your Own Interesting Routes to Run

May 26, 2022
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact RunSociety
  • Community Guidelines
  • Ethics Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Policies

With a commitment and pride to quality content for the running community. RunSociety is, and always has been an independent body.

Copyright © 2011 - 2023 RunSociety. All Rights Reserved. Designed & Developed In House.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Go to mobile version