wong-hoong-wei-ultra-marathon-2013

Wong Hoong Wei, 33, crossing the finishing line first in the 100km Sundown Ultra Marathon. He stopped the clock at 9:05:34. (Photo 1 courtesy of HiVelocity Events Pte Ltd)

vision 2030 live better through sports

Marina Barrage, Singapore, Sunday, September 15, 2013 – Singaporean Wong Hoong Wei, 33, was the fastest finisher at the Sundown 100km Ultra Marathon.

Starting the race at 6pm on a Saturday evening, Hoong Wei crossed the finish line just after 3am on Sunday morning for a new Singaporean record time of 9 hours 5 minutes 34 seconds.

Hoong Wei’s time is more than seven minutes faster than the previous record of 9:12:53 set by Singaporean Ewin Tan in the 2011 edition. The previous editions of the Sundown Ultra Marathon were 84km in distance.

Wong Kam Cheong, 36, of Hong Kong was second in 9:16:26 while Ong Kai Wei of Singapore was third in 9:23. The top six men finished under 10 hours.

Hoong Wei, who completed the 2011 race in 11 and a half hours, said: “The experience has helped a lot. I did not expect to come in first so I feel really surprised. I was just hoping to do my best and beat my previous timing. Now I just want to go home and tell my wife I won!”

Hoong Wei clocked 3:05:56 at the 2013 Seoul International Marathon in March, 3:03:05 at the 2013 Gold Coast Airport Marathon in July, and 1:22:47 at the Army Half Marathon earlier this month.

Sumiko Tan was the fastest Singaporean woman with a time of 11:54:14. American Jenny Huang was the fastest woman in 10:38:09, the only woman to go under 11 hours.

The ultra marathon route saw runners start at the Marina Barrage, then head towards East Coast Park. After East Coast Park, runners headed towards the u-turn point at the end of Changi Coast Road, after which they ran back along the same route.

2,000 runners took part in the race which had three pit stops. The organisers put on a buffet spread at the end of the race.

“We are very pleased to see the record turnout for the Sundown Ultra Marathon despite the tough nature of the 100km challenge,” said Adrian Mok, the managing director of organisers HiVelocity Events Pte Ltd. “It was fantastic to see the record timing by a Singaporean as well this year, particularly by such a margin.

“With the increased popularity of distance running in Singapore, we know that by introducing the team categories, more runners can be part of this joyous occasion. Also in the pipeline are plans to expand into the international sporting calendar by creating more Sundown Marathon events in the region, giving more runners the chance to experience the charm of running at night.“

In the Team of 4 relay event, Team New Balance, comprising Singaporeans Colin Tung, Fang Jianyong, Muhammad Shah Feroz and Marcus Ong, emerged the winners with a time of 6:52:01. Each runner ran 25km.

“Adding the team category to the Sundown Ultra Marathon was a very good initiative and it allows more people to soak in the ultra marathon experience,” said Feroz, 29, a physical education teacher.

The Police Sports Association (PSA), comprising Nepalese Tilak Bahadur Magar, Nabin Kumar Rai, Man Bahadur Limbu and Buddha Raj Rai, dropped from second to fourth during the anchor leg. Their final runner Rai wrote on Facebook that he was misdirected and he ended up running an extra distance.

The fastest women’s Team of 4 relay team was MF Tinkles, comprising Singaporeans Ng Qianyi, Chen Zhilei, Yvonne Yeo, and Stella Lee. The quartet clocked 8:36:07.

Individual Men’s 100km (Top 10)
1st Wong Hoong Wei (Singapore) – 9:05
2nd Wong Kam Cheong (China) – 9:16
3rd Ong Kai Wei (Singapore) – 9:23
4th Quek Wee Tong (Singapore) – 9:25
5th Andrew Dawson (Australia) – 9:31
6th Law Chor Kin (China) – 9:48 
7th Muhammad Umar s/o A Kamaludin (Singapore) – 10:27
8th Sim Cheng Siew (Singapore) – 10:49
9th Ng Aik Thiam (Singapore) – 10:50
10th Giles Jacobson (Britain) – 11:15

Individual Women’s 100km (Top 10)
1st Jenny Huang (America) – 10:38
2nd Sumiko Tan (Singapore) – 11:54
3rd Chen Ming Ming (Singapore) – 12:26
4th Jenny Lem (Singapore) – 12:35
5th Teoh Siew Lee (Malaysia) – 12:39
6th Neo Lay Peng (Singapore) – 12:55
7th Lee Bik Sai Ida (China) – 13:51
8th Yumiko Nakagawa (Japan) – 13:56
9th Clara Yeo (Malaysia) – 13:59
10th Jacqueline Tan (Singapore) – 14:08

More photos next page