Expect the Unexpected

Just want to post my thoughts here instead of the NF100 fb page, don't want to add to the negative energy displayed by some of the competitors.

There were so many complaints about how the race was so badly organised and signages not placed etc. I also got lost and did an additional 1-2 km. I also stopped at the Belukar track on my way to the finishing point and wondering whether to go back to CP2. In the end, I checked the map and saw the instructions and went on the right route. I am not trying to defend for the organisers; they have a few areas to improve on, things like changing the starting time of 100km duo at the last min (this I think need to be seriously considered, 1 hr is a big difference because of the heat), not deploying the bikers to do a quick check of the signages, which prof organisers would (at least I know the Sabah and Powerman do), better training for the volunteers (many of them were clueless of directions and I mistook some non-runner volunteers as the TNF volunteers) and the safety patrols (I only saw them cycling up and down but don't really know what they were doing?). Perhaps, TNF can share the organising experience across the TNF races in different countries? Overseas races tend to be better organised, my experience so far. 8)

However, my sharing here is, this is after all an off-road race, being self-sufficient and self-reliant is required, i.e. why the map was given, I am a local and I also got lost. I personally feel that the disgruntlement and complaints from some of the runners were a misalignment of expectations. Some, I feel, treated it like a normal road race, where the route should be clearly marked. But as in all off-road and adventure races, anything will and can happen, the natural elements such as rain and thunder, creatures such as humans (who want a piece of the race such as signage for souvenirs) can add to the unpredictability. Again, a check by the organiser before the race and deployment of staff at strategic points would have sufficed.

Of course, those who hailed from overseas who needed to fork out much more would expect everything to be in its perfect state. I can only empathise with you. Having done more than 40 over races from 10k to ultra distances since 1996, i have seen races that collect premium but turned out worse than this one in terms of organisation. The overseas ones I took part in were many notches above better.

Anyhow, I vividly remembered the Sabah Adventure Race that I took part in early this year, the organiser had to make so many changes to the route because of landslides and weather situations. In the end, the trail runners did an additional 10-15km while the adventure racers did a modified water crossing and third day race. But the organiser was very efficient and good, they updated us at the night briefing before next day's race; (mind you, the map for next day's race was handed out there and then and we have to study the map at night and navigate as we run the next day). I dare say that all the participants had no qualms about the changes and we just bite the bullet and had a jolly great race. One of the top 5 runners whom I have the privilege of bunking in at the same accommodation, got lost along the second day of the race and eventually dropped from 1st to second or third, i think, and he took it in his stride and moved on (I hope so, yip, right? 8))

I think the biggest issue I see in local races is they have become more and more commercialised and attracting nos is THE KPI for many of them (that is one of the reasons why I have stopped taking part in local races, except for this one which has ultradistance), so in Singapore, it seems that quantity triumph over quality.

I am not saying TNF is like that....or may be they are? Why do I say that? There are already many races out there that is half-marathon and marathon distances, why not stick to the ultra-distance or the minimum a marathon distance for TNF i.e. 84 km duo, 100 km duo and 100 km solo and cap the number? was it because of value for money, so much resources deployed, so must well increase the participant nos to maximise the resources? May be I am a purist, so no offence to those 50km duo, I apologise if I have offended anyone. sorry sorry.

Nevertheless, I think with their limited capacity (i suspect the organising team is a pretty young and inexperienced one), they have done their best to accommodate whatever "spanners" that were being thrown at them, for instance, with well-stocked check points and last-minute addition of 100 plus and wet towels plus cheerful volunteers, some who braved the sun for hours, to ensure our safety, e.g. this road marshal that pressed the traffic lights at Mandai road.

My only misgiving and huge disappointment is the rampant and irresponsible littering and wastage by a number of runners. Why can't you just keep the used gel packets in some part of your hydration pack until you reach a dustbin or the next water point? and leave the 1.5 l water or 100 plus bottles at the water points instead of taking them and litter along the trails? Respect Nature? respect our environment? I can't help but remember the Sabah experience, when the Organiser emphasised, re-emphasised and re-re-emphasised the treatment of rubbish to all competitors at every evening's briefing. I guess the huge increase in no of runners this year in TNF kindaf exacerbated the situation (Sabah nos was kept small, TNF Singapore's nos increase exponentially to 1700).

Anyway, to those TNF competitors who want to have a personal best and expect everything to be laid out prim and proper, then, my take is this kind of trail race might not be suitable for you. Perhaps, you should stick to road races then and get your PBs. For those elite runners who paid the premium to race here and got disappointed by the poor organisation, let's hope they will learn their hard lessons and uphold the high standards that ultra-distance and adventure races should have.

In any case, I would say,

Don't assume,

Expect the unexpected.

Waddle on and run like a trail runner.

No personal attack intended, just my two-cents worth.