She signs up and wins her first ultra run

Described as the “ultimate beast” of a race specifically designed for seasoned trail and ultra runners, the 64km category of last weekend’s Force of Nature Ultra was certainly no easy feat for its participants, taking runners through challenging and technical trails located deep in the central catchment nature reserves of Singapore en route to MacRitchie Reservoir.

But despite having never run an ultra distance before though, Jemaine Goh, 28, had gamely signed up for the 64km category, even though she’d had no idea what to expect at that stage.

Said Jemaine, a personal assistant, “Initially, I had only wanted two sign up for the 23km distance. I had done The North Face 25km previously and I knew that I could comfortably finish the race. However my sister Jasmine suggested to push beyond my comfort zone and try the ultra distance of 64km instead.”

Jemaine’s sister Jasmine Goh is an experienced ultra runner as well as a national marathoner, having won many local and regional races, including the 100km category at TransLantau in Hong Kong earlier this year. Jasmine has also having represented Singapore at the recent South East Asian Games last year in Kuala Lumpur.

Jemaine added, “I had hesitated at first because I was worried I did not have it in me to be an ultra marathoner. My sister convinced me that anything is possible and her belief in me, made me believe in myself. Since I am a girl who loves challenges, I decided to take a leap of faith and signed up for my first ultra.”

To train for the race, Jemaine only had two months.

She said, “So I sought advice from well-known ultra runner Alex Koh and also improved my training programme to incorporate strength training.”

As she could only train three times per week, Jemaine’s training was a mixture of core workouts and runs.

She said, “I did my longest run during the weekends and I slowly increased the distance from 10km to 35km. My sister made sure the increase in mileage was well paced and that my body still had sufficient time in between sessions to recover.”

Continued Jemaine, “In addition, I built strength in my core and lower limbs with workouts and running drills. These were accomplished on the other two weekdays through HIIT (high intensity training) in the gym and the iRUN organised by HPB (Health Promotion Board).”

But despite her structured training programme, Jemaine was still nervous as the race drew nearer.

Jemaine with her prize on stage.

Said Jemaine, “I was nervous as it was a distance that I had never attempted in my life. I had to constantly remind myself that I should trust my training and believe that I was physically and mentally ready to take on the challenge.”

During the race, Jemaine admitted that she had no idea what to expect, as it was her first time running such a long distance, so she decided to play safe and take a conservative approach.

She added, “As I had never run so far before, I really did not know what to expect. I knew however, that it was going to be a long day for me. Thus, my plan was to start slow and run by feel throughout the race. I planned to run on flat and downslopes, while walking upslopes.”

She added, “Towards the second half of the race, when I expected myself to be tired, I would use a time based run-walk strategy to finish strong. I did exactly that, to complete my race.”

To fuel herself during the 64km of running, Jemaine did not feel comfortable with taking solid foods, for fear that her stomach would play up along the way.

She said, “So I took gels and High 5 Zero Tabs – which are handy to carry and can be popped into bottles to make instant isotonic water with no sugar. I had very little solid food as I wanted to avoid any gastrointestinal issues on the run.”

Continued the runner, “During my trainings too, I would often run without any food source in order to help my body adapt to the effort of running on empty. However I would replenish the loss of electrolytes via High 5 Zero tablets.”

However like all runners, she admitted that she still had moments along the way when she began to doubt herself.

Said Jemaine, “Running through the open Green Corridor path and the Beluka track was a challenge. I had to run under the hot sun and both paths felt never-ending! There were also moments when doubts of my ability to finish crossed my mind. Like many runners, I was cursing myself for signing up for a 64km race. Doubts would surface from time to time, especially in the second half of the race where I was mostly running alone and pain & fatigue had set in. I had to be my own cheerleader, pulling myself physically and mentally to the finish line.”

She added, “During the run too, I was constantly thinking if I was on the right path. There were no signages and crew at various parts and I was wondering if I was lost – the last thing I wanted was to run extra miles.”

As she was running, Jemaine was also constantly in tune with her body so that she did not over-exert herself. She said, “I was constantly checking in with my body, asking myself how I was doing, whether the pace was ok and whether I was well hydrated.”

Jemaine and her proud sister Jasmine.

And with each check point that she reached, Jemaine also mentally told herself that she was one step closer to the finish line, to keep her spirits up as she ran.

Said Jemaine, “I would be my own cheerleader whenever I reached each check point. Knowing that I was getting closer to the end point with each step, was encouraging.”

Throughout the entirety of the 64km run, Jemaine however, never suspected that she could win her first ultra.

She said, “Throughout the race, I never suspected I was first. When I saw my sister at MacRitchie with 2km more to go and she told me that I was going to be the female champion, my jaw dropped.”

Jemaine continued, “Knowing that I was temporarily surprised by the turn of events and probably too exhausted to think, my sister gave me something to focus on – catch the guy just ahead of me. So at 62km, determined to finish strong, I picked up my pace, overtook the male runner ahead – and the rest is history!”

Crossing the finish line was the most memorable part of the race for Jemaine, too.

She explained, “Completing the longest distance of my life was a big deal. But becoming the local champion and the overall female champion was really the icing on the cake.”

And what had been her immediate thoughts as she had crossed the finish line?

Quipped Jemaine, “Thank god no more running for the day! And yes, I am champion!”

Now that the reality of her victory has sunk in, Jemaine dedicates her maiden win to her sister. She said, “I dedicate this win to my sister, who has always been inspiring, motivating and pushing me. Secondly, to anyone who has ever felt self doubts and wanted to give up; running an ultra is like being on a life journey. There will always be ups and downs. But anything is possible as long as you do not give up.”