1) What are your exact thoughts at the Starting line before setting off?
It was like a long preparation for something I always wanted to do and finally the moment had arrived! All the encouraging speeches just before the flagoff and being with my family, friends and supporters there, it was a bit heady. I tried to calm myself as the flagoff master gave the cue to be at the starting line. Did a quick look over behind me where Ms Penny Low, Member of Parliament (MP), Punggol-Pasir Ris GRC who sportingly agreed to join me in the flagoff on another motorised wheelchair.
The big horn blew and I just zoomed ahead and said to myself "Now, on the road for the next three days. Stay focused at all times" . I must say I was focusing on the path infront of me and managing this powerful machine carefully, overcoming road obstacles and not taking my eyes and concentration off at any time.
Here is a group shot of my family, friends and supporters just before the flagoff on 21 April 2009 at the premises of the Spastic Children's Association of Singapore.
(Photo courtesy of my colleague Sebastian Song who covered all three days on the road with me)
2) What are your difficulties during the course, both physical and mental?
One of the days was the hottest day in April where the temperature hit 35 degrees! This is enough to cook an egg. Being prepared for the hot weather, I wore light coloured tshirts, applied sunblock and wore a cap. These helped to make the journey abit more comfortable.
I must say the first day was challenging as my escorts from the elite army division and me had to cover a distance of 92km. We reached Sembawang Bottle Tree park at 11.00pm after being more than 10 hours continuously on the road.
Mentally, I was prepared as I let my feelings flowed, not exactly taking in the passing scenes as I was concentrating on the next few metres ahead of me and travelling at a speed between 7-12 kph, and experiencing it moment-to-moment.
Here I share my colleague Ivan's video who did a great job to capture the essence of Day 1 which I covered 92km in ten hours. We ended at the Sembawang Bottle Tree Park at 11.00pm.
3) Which is the most challenging part?
Well I would say it is the last day or the third day. The footrest of the wheelchair just plonked off! I guessed the gruelling journey just took a toil on the footrest. My escorts improvised on the spot by using a nail found nearby and some nylon wires to put it back in place. Kudos to these great guys :)
(photo by Sebastian Song)
I salute these guys who were my escorts during the journey :)
4) Did you ever think about giving up during the course? What motivates you on?
Not at all. I mean this is premised on the spirit of adventure and doing a charity cause, the motivation is an end in itself. I guess it is mind over body :)
My colleagues from the National Library Board who cycled with me on the second day at the East Coast Park.
5) During the course, is there anything you crave for?
haha, I am well taken off by my escorts who ensured I am properly rehydrated. A kind volunteer even cooked and brought us dinner throughout the journey. It is amazing as she did this totally out of her kindness and generousity. As for craving, well when I was passing through the long stretch of Lim Chu Kang and Neo Crescent where many farms are there, I did look out for durians trees in case we could find some fallen fruits. Being a durian lover, the local variety is the best. But no such luck!
6) What are your thoughts as you approach the finishing line? What are your thoughts after crossing?
When I was approaching the National Library building, I was told to drive very slowly (the Adventure motorised wheelchair of Alber Germany is one of the fastest motorised battery-powered wheelchairs around with a top speed of 12kph, so I guess calling it driving is more cool than to say moving on it :)) so that colleagues and supporters would walk slowly in unity to SMU campus, the endpoint of the wheelchair marathon. It was ethereal. I could sense the spirit of friendship and commaraderie as we marched in one heartbeat to SMU. This was my exact feeling and thought at that time.
7) What do you most want to do now after completing the challenge? Any immediate or future plans?
Just to rest and catch with some good sleep. I did think of some future challenges ahead. This year's Adventure200 was a land mission, maybe the future ones could be sea and air missions and later, perhaps go cross-borders. Well, many factors come into play: my health, sponsors and support to make future ones a reality just like the Adventure200 2009.
8) Lastly, here is a chance for you to say what you want to say to all who have been supporting you, run beside you or cheer you on , and those who have donated generously.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone for all your support, encouragement and donations. It is heartwarming that civic society is very much alive and well as I experienced it. What I did is just a small part and it shows that coming together, a meaningful impact can be done for a charity cause. My take is we can be a catalyst to do something in our own unique ways to help somebody, one step at a time.
To view more action of Adventure200, please visit my colleague Sebastian Song's photo link below. Sebastian is the volunteer photographer of this event. Sebastian, you are a great photographer and superfit too for running around all the three days :)
http://www.pbase.com/sebastiansong/a200
No comments:
Post a Comment