310 participants get ‘ultra’ wet and high at SAFRA AVventura

Contributed by Fatimah Nehron Nisha

SAFRA Yishun, Sunday, January 23, 2010 — Some 310 participants took part in the fifth edition of SAFRA AVventura this morning, the largest x-terrain adventure race in Singapore.

Two of the Ultra categories were won by familiar faces from the Adventure In Motion teams who bagged top placing in the Men’s Open and Mixed Open categories in the past two years. While Alvin Lim Sing Hock, 40, and Yeo Kim Hong, 39, took the top spot in the Ultra Men’s category with a timing of 3 hours 52 minutes 43 seconds this year, Wilson Low and Chang Ee Pin took first place in the Ultra Mixed category with a timing of 4 hours 31 minutes 42 seconds.

Alvin Lim commented: “We have been participating in the SAFRA AVventura since it was introduced. The diagonal abseiling was fun and I enjoyed it. The most difficult segment of the race this year was the series of water challenges. The kayaking and tubing challenges were really tough.”

Yeo Kim Hong added: “What made the race more difficult was that these two challenges were at the start of the race so it made us really tired. But the race was well organised and it went much smoother for us as compared to previous years.”

Getting wet and navigating high elements was the main challenge of the day. Teams in the Ultra category pushed their endurance and mental grit to the max along a 43km race route. They had to kayak, paddle their way on rubber tubes across Punggol Reservoir and even swim along the Simpang coastline with their gear. For the very first time, teams also had to abseil diagonally across the SAFRA Yishun swimming pool from a height of 18m.

Participants in the Sprint category were not spared the grueling challenge either. Besides the coastal swim and navigating their way in a team biathlon, they had to crawl up a 21m high rope ladder and scale the 15m rock wall at SAFRA Yishun before completing the race with a total distance of at least 28km.

The race also saw participants run, bike, rope ascend, traverse, negotiate a series of jungle trails and navigate their way with maps through the Northern part of Singapore. A series of mystery challenges at selected checkpoints also tested their creativity and ‘survival’ skills to show that adventure racing is as much about brains and teamwork, as it is about brawn.

Mr Jispal Singh, Chairman of the Organising Committee for SAFRA AVventura 2011, commented: “The surprise element is what keeps participants coming back for more each year, so we try to introduce new challenges and activities for every edition.”

15 pairs of fathers and their children have also decided to bond in a unique way this year by competing in the special Dad’s For Life challenge. This is the first adventure race in Singapore to feature a special race category for father and child teams. Teams had to run and bike along a 6km race route and clear mystery challenges, including prawning, air pistol shooting, the Canopy Challenge Walk at SAFRA Yishun and many other fun-filled activities.

Father and son pair Peter Yap, 47, and Daniel Yap, 13, emerged as the winners. His interest in sports and adventure rubbed off onto his son, said Mr Yap. Mr Yap is an avid thrill-seeker who has climbed Mount Kinabalu and has gone white water rafting and diving in several countries. Daniel is a member of his school’s Outdoor Activities Club and this is the first time the father and son pair is competing together.

Peter Yap commented: “I had initially signed up for another race, but decided to join the Dads for Life Challenge with my son as I wanted to bond with him through adventure. Our main aim was to complete the race and have as much fun as possible while enjoying each other’s company, instead of competing with the other teams. It was quite a pleasant surprise when I heard that we won.”

Mr Jispal Singh commented: “All these activities are planned in such a way to encourage communication, teamwork and trust between father and child. They have to work together to clear each of the mystery challenges. It is a good opportunity for them to bond and have fun at the same time.”

Brigadier General Lim Teck Yin, Vice President of SAFRA, was Guest-of-Honour at the prize presentation ceremony held at SAFRA Yishun Country Club.

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