By Les Tan/Red Sports
Mok Ying Ren (left) crossing the finishing line accompanied by his racing buddy Jason Lawrence. (Photo courtesy of Samantha See/Fulford PR)
Padang, Sunday, December 4, 2011 — Mok Ying Ren finished as the fastest local marathon runner again this morning at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore.
Mok, 23, clocked 2:46:00.28 to win the local category for the third year in a row. Ang Chee Yong (2:49:01.28) was second while Paul Soon Suan Boon (2:49:31.16) was third.
Mok clocked a then personal best (PB) of 2:43:42 at last year’s 2010 marathon. This year, he set a new PB of 2:26:34 at the 2011 Christchurch Marathon.
Mok was set to compete at the 2011 SEA Games in both the marathon and 5,000m — where he set a national record time of 14:51.09 in May 2011 — before a sole injury in August forced him to pull out of the games.
Said Mok, a National University of Singapore medical student: “I feel very fortunate with the support I got from SSC and SSA. I got injured in August and aggravated it badly when defending my title at the Army Half Marathon. I had to take 3 months off while focusing on evidence based rehabilitation and cross training.”
“Under consultation with Dr Cormac O’Muircheartaigh from SSC, my training advisor Jason Lawrence and Mr Kunalan from SAA, we decided to withdraw from the SEA Games. I started jogging four weeks ago with my first run being 5km, then 10km and so on, as I built up slowly. And here I am. I had clearance to run the Singapore Marathon and it seems that the injury management was well optimized and the decision to forgo the SEA Games was a good one as I ended the year on a high note without aggravating my injury,” added Mok.
When asked about missing out on the SEA Games, Mok said: “It was a tough decision to make but I had to do it to ensure that I did not further aggravate the injury. I have been trying to qualify for the SEA Games for the past four years ever since Triathlon was not in the events list. [Mok won the 2007 SEA Games triathlon gold.] And this year I manage to qualify for the 5,000m (while) in Japan. So I was disappointed but as an athlete we sometimes need to make tough decisions in order to bring the best out of ourselves.”
For Mok, winning his third in a row despite the injury made the win memorable.
“I think this year is even sweeter due to the very fact that I had to lay off for such a long time but utilizing evidence based cross training, I was able to maintain a reasonable level of general fitness,” said Mok.
“And with one month of build up, I was fortunately able to get myself as prepared as I could be. In fact just two weeks ago, the top of my feet got swollen due to possible extensor tendonitis and that got me worried. But I monitored and adjusted accordingly and managed to get myself on the starting line.
“I am also very fortunate to have Jason Lawrence, my training partner, to pace me throughout the race and have fun along the way. My girlfriend Dinah Chan helped by cycling along ECP and giving my splits at certain markers. It was awesome. I also want to thank my friends who stood along the way to support me and my fans who cheered for me all along ECP. Really appreciate it.”
On his running plans for 2012, Mok felt it is going to be a tough juggle.
“Well, it’s going to get tough. My final exams are in March and I start work in May. It’s going to be tough with night calls and everything as a house officer in the hospitals and I just need to figure out somehow to keep running. But I believe it’s possible and I hope more Singaporeans will start running to keep a healthy lifestyle,” said Mok.
Read Mok’s first-person account of his race here
FULL MARATHON OPEN (MEN)
1st Charles Mwai Kanyao (Kenya) — 2:14:33.75
2nd Luka Kipkemoi Chelimo (Kenya) — 2:14:38.75
3rd John Kelai (Kenya) — 2:15:45.65
4th Thomson Cherogony — 2:17:02.89
5th Charles Kibiwott — 2:18:28.50
6th Gebresellasie Tsegay Reda — 2:18:45.49
7th Peter Muriuki — 2:18:56.50
8th Jackson Kipkoech Kotut — 2:20:20.24
9th Ben Kipruto Chebet — 2:23:53.00
10th Jonathan Cheruiyot Kipkoskei — 2:24:10.99
FULL MARATHON OPEN (WOMEN)
1st Irene Jerotich Kosgei (Kenya) — 2:36:42.39
2nd Roman Gebregessesse (Ethiopia) — 2:37:30.74
3rd Magadelene Mukunzi (Kenya) — 2:38:06.50
4th Halima Hassein Beriso — 2:39:33.00
5th Jacqueline Nytepi — 2:40:57.41
6th Lyubov Denisova — 2:59:19.89
7th K.K.A.Manjula Kumarasinghe — 3:03:02.96
8th Anne Qi Hui — 3:06:20.89
9th L.S.Anusha — 3:14:00.21
10th Elaine Lim Su Lin — 3:20:14.41
FULL MARATHON SINGAPOREAN (MEN)
1st Mok Ying Ren — 2:46:00.28
2nd Ang Chee Yong — 2:49:01.28
3rd Soon Suan Boon Paul — 2:49:31.16
4th Devathas Satianathan — 2:49:57.89
5th Alex Ong Seng Lee — 2:56:23.01
6th Ning Wen Long — 2:59:54.75
7th Ashley Liew Wei Yen — 3:06:03.89
8th Fung Ka Kin — 3:07:58.39
9th Evan Chee — 3:10:06.90
10th Patrick Ang Wee Leong — 3:13:34.64
FULL MARATHON SINGAPOREAN (WOMEN)
1st Anne Qi Hui — 3:06:20.25
2nd Elaine Lim Su Lin — 3:20:07.49
3rd Angie Tan — 3:24:38.25
4th Sumiko Tan — 3:25:13.93
5th Lin Run’er — 3:34:00.66
6th Melissa Keong — 3:35:29.39
7th Lim Bao Ying — 3:41:10.14
8th Rachel See — 3:41:49.62
9th Stella Lee — 3:42:29.15
10th Laine Fu Wen Fang — 3:47:46.64
FULL MARATHON VETERAN (MEN)
1st Eric Kiprono Kimaiyo — 2:26:31.49
2nd Philip Chirchir Lagat — 2:47:21.00
3rd Chiu Chien-Hsing — 2:50:02.89
4th Adachi — 2:51:18.50
5th Mark Williams — 2:53:57.14
6th Stuart McLay — 2:56:45.50
7th Masahide Saito — 2:58:37.14
8th Mark Wilson — 3:02:16.41
9th Prasoet Phaisan — 3:02:42.21
10th Michale Craig — 3:02:47.96
FULL MARATHON VETERAN (WOMEN)
1st Njuguna Magreat — 2:53:59.39
2nd Keiko Takeuchi — 3:18:10.93
3rd Julie Foreman — 3:28:09.89
4th Siobhan McHugh — 3:33:52.14
5th Emer Breen — 3:38:36.40
6th Judy Leslie — 3:42:04.90
7th Itsuko Tanaka — 3:44:31.89
8th Stella Tay Hwee Choo — 3:53:40.15
9th Melisaa Yeung Mei Lun — 3:55:46.66
10th Jeannine Slaven — 3:58:48.62
HALF MARATHON SINGAPOREAN (MEN)
1st Benard Mwendia Muthoni (Kenya) — 1:08:33.18
2nd Soh Rui Yong (Singapore) — 1:15:34.29
3rd William Kimutai Kurgat (Kenya) — 1:15:56.53
HALF MARATHON SINGAPOREAN (WOMEN)
1st Esther Wambui Karimi (Kenya) — 1:22:27.28
2nd Satoko (Japan) — 1:23:02.28
3rd Yucabeth Chelangat Bore (Kenya) — 1:25:29.03
10KM OPEN (MEN)
1st Kent Normark (Denmark) — 35:02.77
2nd Alfred Chan Hon Man (HK) — 35:10.78
3rd Arthur Chan Hok Man (HK) — 35:19.78
10KM OPEN (WOMEN)
1st Malene Munkholm (Denmark) — 41:43.34
2 79435 Sylvia Md Arwan (Brunei Darusslam) — 46:25.60
3 70048 Kalsang Gyalzur (Switzerland) — 46:52.02
EKIDEN RACE
1st Sim Lai Huat, Alan Choong, Ivan Lee, Eugene Sin, Eugene Tan, Chee Hong — 3:04:41.64
2nd Patrick Poon, Kang Ming Zhi, Pang Jin Xhou, Mister Sven, Shawn Chew Jimin — 3:31:40.39
3rd Fluodric Ang, Ng Swee Keat, Dilys Soh, Desmond Soh, Kelvin Peh, Javis Tan Jia Han — 3:40:07.91
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[…] as the third-fastest Singaporean at the 2012 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. Mok, who won the local crown in 2011, came home in a time of 2 hours 54 minutes 57.54 […]
[…] Chee Yong was second in 2:54:14.03 while Mok Ying Ren, who was the fastest Singaporean last year, followed in third in […]
I think must consider ice pack after 21km as many runners hit by cramps.too crowded at the finishing for 42km runners, this runners run long distance but the were many runners from other cat that full marathon runners are ignored or cannot be identify. Finish other cat at the other points
[…] Mok Ying Ren clocked 2:46:00.28 and finished as the fastest Singaporean at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore on Sunday, December 4, 2011. He shares with us a first-hand account of his race. […]
Great race! Everything was fine … Except baggage deposit was ridiculous! Stuck for an hour from 5.45 to 6.45am; queued from telok blangah road to end of Seah Im car park. No control… Idiots were cutting queue!