Sundown Marathon: Marcus Ong 10km Podium Finisher | PrisChew

Podium finishers, from left to right: Marcus Ong (2nd, from Singapore), Samson Kiplagat Tenai (1st, from Kenya), Jasman Gurung (3rd, from Nepal) and Adrian Mok (founder of Hivelocity, Sundown Marathon organiser)

Marcus Ong finished second in the individual 10km category of the Sundown Marathon last weekend – with a timing of 33 minutes and 23 seconds.

Said the 28-year-old IT Executive, “I was happy that I came second, as the field was very strong.”

The fight for second place

But it was not easy-going for Marcus during the race. After around the seventh kilometre mark, the eventual third-placed winner Jasman Gurang (a Gurkha), overtook him, and Marcus had to claw his position back.

Said Marcus, “Jasman overtook me during the last three kilometres. I told myself, don’t sleep lah, fight one more time.”

“So I did that and managed to out-sprint him for the last 1.2km, with a split time of 3.28 minutes,” Marcus added.

Spotted the eventual Kenyan champion

At that point, Marcus probably thought he had won the race.

But suddenly, during the home stretch, he had spotted the Kenyan champion, Samson Kiplagat Tenai, running about 150 metres in front of him.

Said Marcus, “I pushed as hard as I could, but I couldn’t close the gap. He finished the race in 32 minutes and 56 seconds.”

The IT executive completed the race 50 metres behind the Kenyan.

Runners cheered him on

On the most memorable part of his run, Marcus said, “When I ran against three Gurkhas during the race, many runners cheered us (the local elites) on. Some even stopped and shouted out, Do Singapore proud, you can do it!”

And Marcus certainly feels that this positive encouragement may have helped him to run even faster too.

Champion in the 10km Team of 4

While the timing placed him second in the individual category, Marcus was the champion though, in the 10km Team of 4 category – where each group member runs 10km.

He has won the Sundown Marathon team event previously – with victories in 2009 and 2013, as well. In addition, he also came first in the individual 10km category in 2009.

Marcus Ong fighting for position with Jasman Gurung, the third-placed winner.

Marcus Ong fighting for second position with Jasman Gurung, the third-placed winner.

Big Improvement

Marcus was very happy with his performance in the race. He said, “This was a big improvement to my 35 minutes and 56 seconds last year.

So despite the challenges that he faced, with running at night, Marcus has performed well.

“Just focus on your running and you will achieve your goals,” he said, on his great run.

Did Not Forget Others

Even in victory, Marcus certainly did not forget his sponsors, family, friends and others.

He added, “And I would like to thank my sponsors – New Balance, Altitude Gym, Julbo, Rocktape and CEP Compression. I also want to thank my friends, fans, family members and most importantly, Almighty God for journeying with me during this race.”