Story by Jan Lin. Pictures by Ng Cheng Cong.

Runners make their way at the adidas Sundown Marathon, the first night marathon in Singapore held in the eastern part of the island last weekend. (Photo 1 © Ng Cheng Cong)

Changi Village, Saturday, May 31, 2008 – Adrian Mok had a vision: to organise a race for people to remember. And last weekend’s adidas Sundown Marathon 2008 lived up to its billing when 6,000 participants took home a running experience that put their minds and bodies to a stern test.

HiVelocity Pte Ltd, of which Adrian is director, organised this inaugural night marathon, which was held from Saturday evening through to the wee hours of Sunday morning. The vision for a night race in Singapore was birthed in 2005 when Adrian, who wanted to spend more time with his family, started training for the NTU Run Round Singapore 168km event through the night.

Adrian told Red Sports in an exclusive interview in April, “It was an amazing experience as the solitude and the quiet streets let me experience something you will never feel during the day. I wanted an ultra component for the Sundown marathon because I wanted to create an event that moves beyond the usual mass marathon. I wanted a race for people to remember.”

"The adidas Sundown Marathon is a unique experience for seasoned runners with a route and terrain that is designed to challenge the mind, body and soul of athletes. We hope that the runners who participated in this race enjoyed the nocturnal urban landscape of Singapore, and we look forward to improving the race experience next year to attract more serious athletes from all over the world," said Adrian at the event.

The challenge of the 84km Ultra Marathon lies not only in the extreme distance, but also completing the race against the rhythm of one’s body clock. The ultra marathon started at 8:30pm and would have required at least 6 hours for men and 9 hours for women to complete. Most runners were expected to cross the finish line just before sunrise.

Seasoned runners 30-year-old Fabian William Raj and 26-year-old Jeanette Wang clinched the men’s and women’s Ultra Marathon titles and were rewarded with adidas-sponsored trips to Germany to participate in this year's Berlin Marathon. Fabian came home in a time of 7hrs 37min 15sec while Jeanette clocked 9:14:36.

In the 42km Marathon event, Benjamin Meto and Anne Date took the respective men’s and women’s crowns in 2:40:21 and 3:13:59 respectively. Both of them won adidas-paid trips to New Zealand to participate in this year's Auckland Marathon.

The inaugural event was also attended by Singapore Members of Parliament including Senior Parliament Secretary Mr Teo Ser Luck who ran the 84km Ultra Marathon. Jessica Tan (MP for East Coast GRC) and Mr Michael Palmer (MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) attempted the 42km Marathon event while Christopher de Souza (MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) ran 10.5km in the Team Challenge.

Individual Results at the adidas Sundown Marathon 2008:

84km Ultra Marathon Men's Open: Fabian William Raj (7:37:15)
84km Ultra Marathon Women's Open: Jeanette Wang (9:14:36)
42km Ultra Marathon Men's Open: Benjamin Meto (2:40:21)
42km Ultra Marathon Women's Open: Anne Date (3:13:59)

Related Articles:
While you were sleeping, thousands ran Singapore's first midnight marathon
Teo Ser Luck rounds up parliamentary colleagues for overnight marathon
Adrian Mok: “I used to run to school from home…”

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Fabian William Raj raises his fist in triumph as he approaches the finish line first at the end of the 84km ultra marathon. (Photo 2 courtesy of event organiser)
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Fabian William Raj with his medal in front of the advertising image of himself. (Photo 3 courtesy of event organiser)
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Jeanette Wang, the winner of the women’s Ultra Marathon category. (Photo 4 courtesy of event organiser)

Eager runners line up behind the starting tape, ready to take off. (Photo 5 © Ng Cheng Cong)
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Start of the 42km marathon. (Photo 6 courtesy of event organiser)

Benjamin Meto, the men’s champion of the 42km Marathon event, crosses the finish line with a big smile. (Photo 7 © Ng Cheng Cong)

Anne Date clocked a commendable 3:13:59 to claim the 42km Marathon women’s crown. (Photo 8 © Ng Cheng Cong)

Members of Parliament showing their support for the inaugural night race in Singapore. Left to right: Grace Fu, Teo Ser Luck, Adrian Mok (organiser) and Christopher de Souza. (Photo 9 © Ng Cheng Cong)

Richard Mutua Mutisya came in 2nd runner-up in the 42km Marathon event clocking 02:46:13.20. (Photo 10 © Ng Cheng Cong)

Murray Hodgson conquered the 84km Ultra Marathon in 10:18:28.73. (Photo 11 © Ng Cheng Cong)

A midnight marathon that will be fondly remembered by many. (Photo 12 © Ng Cheng Cong)