Bizad Charity Run 2015

Run date: 10th Jan 2015

I have not participated in any paid runs, ever since my Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) injuries 2 years ago. I have some what recovered since than to be able to run 5-6km without much pain to my outer knee. I decided to try out a 5km Charity run organized by NUS Business School to test out the recovery of my knee.

I should have picked a easier run.  


The Bizad Charity running route goes through the hilly terrain of National University of Singapore and some of these slopes are pretty steep. The start of the run already sees the runners challenging the slope between the Business School and the Arts School. By the time we reached another slope at the varsity main library, many of the runners are already starting to walk, too exhausted to climb the second slope after conquering the first one.

Fortunately, my weekly runs paid off and I managed to clear the second slope with ease.

The trouble started when we reached the National University where we had to climb a long flight of stairs which was around 7-8 stories high. My knee started to act up as I started to climb the stairs.

One of the biggest culprit of ITBS is running on slopes which NUS has an abundance of.

By the time I reached the top of the hill, I knew that my run is finished at the 3.5km mark and the pain started to get more acute. I started a brisk walk back to the starting point hoping that walking will not aggravate the injury. The pain just got worse and worse and I was stuck between a long stretch of road between Prince George Residence and the NUS Business School with no transport in sight to ferry me back to the starting point.

Killer slope bwt Business and Arts

Killer slope at the NUS field

Killer slope at NUH

Killer Stairs

The last Killer Slope at the end point

I literally had to hobble back to the starting point.

By the time I got back to the air-con comfort of NUS Business School, I had to encounter my next set of challenges facing me in order to collect my finisher medal.

Stairs.

Runners with ITBS often feel the most amount of pain while walking down stairs and NUS Business School has an abundance of them. I grimace as I slowly inch my way down the steps to the collection point. Meanwhile, the younger folks who had finished the run were staring at me curiously, wondering why I was hanging on dearly to the railings taking my time to walk down the steps, and blocking the traffic while doing so.

Can't you tell I am in PAIN?!?

I should have asked for the organizers to climb the stairs to bring me my finisher bag and abuse my power as an alumni of the school.

Lucky Draw! Nope. Didn't Win

Photo booths around to take unglam sweaty pictures

Finisher Medal

In any case, the goodie pack for Bizad Charity Run has come a long way since they started organizing it years ago. I pretty like the shirt which is made up of pretty good material and they are giving out finishing medals for the first time.

In terms of the organization of the run, I will say that it is not organized as professionally as the bigger running events with professional tags, running tags and marshals. However, as the event is organized by alumni and students who volunteered their time on a non-profit basis for a charity cause, I will say that the event is organized with a lot of heart and effort.

For the organization of the event, I give them 3 Star, but a maximum of 5 Star for the heart and effort put in.

Oh yeah, one last word.

Do not participate in this run if you have knee problems or totally hate slopes.

It will definitely make you feel miserable.