The day of reckoning arrived for the more than 100 Operationally-Ready Falcon Half and Full Marathoners – who were to put their 12-weeks of training to the final test at the 2XU Compression Run. They all passed with flying colors with more than 70% scoring Personal Bests at their respective race categories, and this included a large number of Falcon Trainers who did exceptionally well.
The early morning start and the cool, windy weather might have contributed in part to the good results by many of the Falcons, but it was their discipline and dedication to race preparations and sticking closely to their race plans that contributed to the sterling results for many of us.
The Falcons met up from 3:00am near to the 2XU Compression tent on race morning, starting with the Full Marathoners for a scheduled flag off at 4:00am. It was serene and calm where we assembled, with just the official 2XU Pacers in the next tent, dressing themselves up with balloons and props for their official duties.
There was excited chatter among the Falcons, and after a quick group photo of those who were present, we made our way to the start line at 3:30am – a quick word of encouragement from the trainers, and the Falcon runners were all psyched up to put on a good showing.
While the HM Falcons were doing a little warm up routine at 4:00am, the FM runners were flagged off to blasts of the horn and loads of excitement in the air. The HM Falcons were getting pumped up, and soon it was time for their turn to move to the start line. We inched to about 10m from the front for a smooth start,which eventually helped most of us to keep to our pace plan to score numerous Personal Bests.
About 2:15 hours later, many of the HM Falcons returned with solid timings and there were much joy and satisfaction as we celebrated our successes with photo poses and jump shots. A short while later, our first few Full Marathoners returned with sub 3:30h marathon timings, with Ngee Hung (3:19h, 7th) and Rahul (3:23h, 9th) claiming top 10 positions in the Men’s Marathon category.
As more Full Marathoners returned, we were overjoyed to hear of many good results of sub-4h, 4:30h, 5:00h and sub-5:30h PBs….so many that we soon stopped counting, but instead, chose to celebrate the successes of the entire team and operations Falcon.
The consistency and commitment to the 12-week structured marathon training program have paid dividends immensely, and we are so proud and happy for all our Falcon trainers and trainees alike who have shone through and bested their personal achievements in the respective HM and FM categories.
Hearty congratulations to the entire Falcon team for this hugely successful training operations, which we are sure will motivate even more marathoners to adopt structured training to better prepare themselves for races in future.
Offering the full marathon category for the very first time, the 2XU Compression race organizer did a good job of delivering a smooth race, with ample drinks support and some nice touches at the finishing chute as well. The majority of the runners enjoyed themselves thoroughly and the nice results should provide a positive boost to the race, ensuring increased participation for the 2015 edition.
(In Report) Photo contributions from FatBirds CK Chin, Ivan, Lizzy, Lily
Following are segments of appreciation from some of the Ops Falcon 2014 participants:
Ratty Lizz, Group 3 HM Falcon
I had a good run of 21km n clocked at 2.27……i started too fast and slow back after few km….managed to pick up to finish strong, below 2:30h…..this is my 2nd time joining Team FatBird training programme and I’m very pleased n grateful for all the guidance, tips n encouragement given….never give up!!!!!will see u again at Nighthawk….Thanks again
Christopher Lim, Group 2 HM Falcon
This is my first 21km run. Was aiming for 2.45 and did it 5 mins faster than my target timing. Thanks to TeamFatbird Running for the training.
Half Marathon at 2:38. Came in at a much better timing than expected. This is my second training with Team FatBird and is an improvement from the SCM HM by 7 mins. Looking forward to Ops Nighthawk.
I clocked 1:49 for HM. First HM and hence PB. Wouldn’t have done it without the pacing advice, tempo runs, hill climbs and team spirit. It’s a nice community to be part of! See you all at Ops Nighthawk.
Ng Ngee Hung, Group 1 FM Falcon