2007 SEA Games triathlon champion Mok Ying Ren to make marathon debut

Story by Colin Tung/Red Sports

Sunday, 29 November, 2009 – Mok Ying Ren, the 2007 South-East Asian (SEA) Games triathlon champion, will make his marathon debut at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on December 6th.

The sport of triathlon was omitted from the biennial SEA Games which is scheduled to run from 9-18 December in Laos.

Having had the door to the SEA Games closed to him through triathlon, Mok had earlier in the year harboured hopes of making the SEA Games through track-and-field where he is the top local 5000m and 10,000m runner.

But when 21-year-old Mok, who is in his third year of undergraduate studies in medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS), missed the cut for the SEA Games track-and-field team, he found another way to keep himself occupied – making his marathon debut.

The Singapore Marathon is one of two marathons on the local calendar and it has come to the point where more than a handful of runners will attempt the race without preparing adequately for the distance.

But for Mok, the marathon deserves a lot more respect because he believes it is “one of the toughest sporting events on Earth”.

After all, as legend has it, the original marathoner, Pheidippides, died running the distance from Marathon to Athens.

Mok added: “The marathon is a challenging event and it gives me something to look forward to as well.”

Therefore, he does not rue the missing of the SEA Games as he sees the completion of the marathon as “as good an experience as going to the SEA Games”.

Mok has in the last few years established himself as the top local runner for the 5000m, 10000m and 21km. His personal records are 15 minutes 12 seconds (5000m), 33 minutes 37 seconds (10000m) and 1 hour 12 minutes (21km).

With his impending marathon debut, It is inevitable that many will ask the question: Can he extend his domination to the marathon?

M. Rameshon, the top local runner at last year’s Singapore Marathon, is the national record-holder with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 22 seconds set in Chiangmai in 1995.

To that, Mok just said: “I just want to enjoy my first marathon without focusing too much on the results and the time.”

He added in jest: “The first time is always a best time right?”

He also commented that with such experience available in the leading trio of Rameshon, Daniel Ling and Dr. Benedict Tan, he would like to learn from them as they run.

In preparation for his debut, he has been chalking up higher mileages than usual, up to 100km a week. Any long journey is not easy going alone and everyone cherishes some company for the long road. It is no different for Mok.

He considers himself fortunate to have friends who run with him on weekends as a break from the monotony of having to run alone on weekdays due to his hectic schedule. On those solitary runs during the weekdays, he derives his joy from scenic routes.

On race-day, he certainly will not be alone as he will be accompanied by thousands others who are entered for the marathon.

For them, with or without adequate training, he had this advice: “Pace well. Run more conservatively for at least the first half of the race and it should help you to finish strongly.”

For those of you who seek more tips on running, Mok and fellow top runner, Jason Lawrence, will be giving talks at the Sports and Fitness Expo, co-located with the Singapore Marathon race entry pack collection at Singapore Expo Hall 5 from 3-5 December from 3-5 PM.