To mark the 10th anniversary of the iconic Sundown Marathon, event founder Adrian Mok launched his first ever book yesterday, at the Ang Mo Kio Public Library.
Runnerdotes is an inspirational book for runners.
Documents short stories of inspirational local runners
The book, titled RunnerDotes: A Collection of Anecdotes from Inspirational Runners, documents short stories of inspirational local runners who were involved in the creation of the Sundown Marathon or had participated or succeed in the night race, in a hope of similarly inspiring others to overcome their challenges and achieve their dreams.
Said Adrian, 42, the founder of HiVelocity Events – the organiser of Sundown Marathon, “The idea for this book started two years ago, as bits and pieces of my memories. I thought of penning these down, not as a book at first, but as a journal of sorts. Then World Scientific Publishing (the publishers of the book) came to me and asked me whether I wanted to launch a book on the 10th anniversary of Sundown Marathon.”
At the book launch with (from left to right) Adrian Mok, Ashley Liew and Mok Ying Ren.
Adrian added, “I then had the idea to create RunnerDotes, and I started working on it. I figured that it would be boring to just write about my own story, so I decided to explore and speak to other like-minded people. I wanted to speak to the best in the running scene and pick their minds about what makes them tick and how they pick themselves up from all of their hard training sessions.”
Features elite local runners such as Mok Ying Ren and Ashley Liew
The book features elite local runners such as the 2015 SEA Games Marathon Champion Soh Rui Yong, Olympian Neo Jie Shi, 2013 SEA Games Marathon champion Mok Ying Ren and many others, sharing their insights on what they had gleaned from their own running experiences.
Ashley Liew, 29, who has a marathon personal best of 2hours and 32minutes, shared in the book, his story about how he had blossomed from a chubby, overweight young man, to the national runner that he is today.
Said Ashley, “I started running for selfish reasons, to lose weight. I was looking for a way to gain self esteem and running provided the catalyst in the right direction. But I had the wrong mentality when I began running; I thought that by virtue of running you could eat whatever you wanted; I gained even more weight as a result.”
Ashley added, “The turning point came when I saw the photo of me crossing the finish line at the Standard Chartered Marathon in 2004 and I couldn’t recognise myself. That was the catalyse to change my eating habits.”
Adrian Mok speaks on stage. (Photo Credit: OSIM Sundown Marathon)
Lessons learnt form running can be applied to any goal in life
At the same time, the RunnerDotes book shows readers how the lessons learnt from running can be applied to any goal in life.
Said national runner Mok Ying Ren, 28, “Sometimes there are days that we feel down and so I think that this is a go-to book for many runners. Runner transformations like Ashley’s inspire me and everyone has a story that is relatable. This collection of stories about running is a great way to tell more people about running and continue to inspire runners to keep running. At the same time, I also hope that non-runners who chance upon this book may want to try out running.”
Added Adrian, “Try heading out for a run in the rain, for a hard workout, for laps on the track in the wee hours or early mornings, and try doing it alone. The power we draw on, comes from the drive to better ourselves, to beat the Cannot and Will Not. In my darkest moments in running, I have learnt to draw strength and to conceive positivity.”
Where to get the book
Adrian Mok, Mok Ying Ren and Ashley Liew autograph books at the launch event.
RunnerDotes retails for $23 for major bookstores. But OSIM Sundown Marathon 2017 participants can purchase the book online at a discounted price for $20, at the official Sundown Marathon website.
As well, the book will also be available at the OSIM Sundown Marathon 2017 Night Festival for $23, held at the F1 Pit Building from 21st – 24th March, 5.30pm – 10.30pm, as well as 25th – 26th March, from 2.00pm – 7.00am.
$1 from the sale of each book will be given to Sundown With Love, the charity outreach programme of Sundown Marathon.
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