Crossing the bridge

I crossed the bridge today. The Benjamin Sheares Bridge that is, together with several thousand others in the Army Half Marathon. I took part in the 12km fun run, not the 21km half-marathon. It was an eye-opening experience, my first race since taking part in the Singapore Marathon in 1984 and completing half that distance. More importantly, it allows me to put to test, my new-found motto, that "There are many reasons to give up, but just one to press on - to finish the race." As with all my practice runs, I finished the race, without stopping or giving up. I thank God for everything.

Running also helps me identify with my father, as I have shared with some in my home cell fellowship group.

My father is a retired veteran marathoner. He has run and won countless marathons in Singapore, Malaysia, and elsewhere, including the famed London Marathon, the Long Beach Marathon, and one in Osaka, I think. He also did vertical marathons, took part in team triathlons, and in the last few years before his knees started giving him problems, trekked and climbed mountains around the region. His running life started at 40 and ended just a couple of years ago at 65 when he could no longer run without feeling pain in his joints and knees.

I am proud of my father.

From being diagnosed with high blood pressure at about age 40, and turning that into a triumph that saw him becoming a Nike-sponsored runner for several years, having The Straits Times feature him in an article about overcoming barriers, and an independent short-film maker feature him in a 20-minute short film about running, he is truly my living role model for setting and exceeding goals. He keeps track of his race results in a hand-written log book, and constantly pushes himself to do better and train harder. Everything he does about running, is built on his passion to do better.

Although he is not a Christian, I saw in him 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 exemplified.

1 Corinthians 9

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.


I do not dream of achieving the dizzying heights in running as my father did. But one thing I did learn from him is not to take things for granted, not to squander away the talents which God has given to us, and to make good use of the few scores of years which God has given us in this world, to impact lives positively, and to selflessly help others. It makes living worth the while.

God bless you.

Category: Sounding Board, cf_