Serena Teoh Dong Xiang never considered herself as a runner during her student days. In fact, the Singaporean runner had picked up running only about four years ago when she moved to Basel, Switzerland, for work.

A delighted Serena after her completion of the Gran Canaria Half Marathon in Spain.

Said Serena, 31, a risk analyst, “I ran a bit here and there in my younger days, but became more passionate and consistent in running when I moved overseas for work. In secondary school, I was actually part of the symphonic band and the only times I ran were for practice for the annual 2.4km test.”

She continued, “In college, I was part of the swimming team and in university, the biathlon team, but I was not a regular member back then, as sports were not my interest and focus. But after moving to Switzerland, the scenery and climate made me pick up running again, much more passionately and consistently.”

Loves Running For Its Challenges

Today Serena loves running because of the many challenges that the sport brings. 

She said, “I love the fun and struggles, the friendships forged, the opportunities to test the human mind and body, and the rewards when you hit your personal goals.”

Her 1h 22Min 07Sec Run At Gran Canaria Half Marathon

And her running has improved by leaps and bounds at the same time. In fact, Serena is now unofficially the surprise Singapore national women’s record holder for the Half Marathon distance, her timing currently pending ratification by the Singapore Athletics Association.

Serena sprints through the final stretch of the Gran Canaria Half Marathon upon seeing the finish line.

Set at the recent Gran Canaria Half Marathon earlier this month, Serena’s 1h 22min 07sec result had been an unexpected result, as she did not expect to do so well.

Said Serena, “I had a good training prior to the race and had confidence in my fitness level. If all went well, I knew I should be able to make a good time. As I had not been able to do a proper race last year because of an accident and injuries, my best Half Marathon time (1h 26mins 50sec) was set two years ago in Copenhagen. Naturally I was targeting to beat that but at the same time, was trying not to be overly ambitious. So I aimed for 1h 25min, which meant a target pace of 4:02min/km and I thought I could speed up in the last few kilometres if I still felt good.”

She continued, “But on race day, with all the adrenaline, I actually started out way too fast and when I saw myself on par with the male pacer for the female Marathon elites, I dropped back immediately to just under a 4:00mins/km pace.”

The Marathon and the Half Marathon categories had flagged off at the same time.

And after slowing down slightly at that point in time, Serena then knew that her pace was under control.

She continued, “Hearing my breathing, I knew it was well under control and so decided to take a risk there to try and maintain just under 4:00mins/km. And from then on, that became the main target of the race, so when I saw the clock at the finish line, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew I did well, but I was focusing on my target pace and not thinking about my end time.”

Pleasantly Surprised

When she saw the clock, that it dawned on Serena that she may have unofficially set a new national record.

Serena and some of her running buddies, after breakfast, at East Coast Park during the New Year.

The runner explained, “Although I have been living overseas for just over four years now, Singapore has always been my home, so I try to stay in touch with the local running community through social media so I had some vague idea that the national record was around 1h 23min. Nearing the finish line, when I finally saw the clock, I was really happy and trying to give my all for the last burst. It was only after I crossed the finish line that I thought, oops, I think I may have broken the national record.”

There Is Not A Single Biggest Achievement

But despite her happiness, the Gran Canaria Half Marathon is not the biggest sole achievement of her running journey so far.

Said Serena, “I won’t be able to pinpoint one biggest achievement in running; for me, there are many different big achievements. One is, of course, whenever you do a personal best in a race there and then in time. The other big achievements include the many different friendships forged and the chance in helping others achieve their goals, for example, pacing my team mate to a target time in a race.”

Next Race To Be Tokyo Marathon

She added, “Though I am delighted with my result, ultimately, I recognise that these times are all relative. It’s important to remain focused and not to let all these achievements get the better of you. This Half Marathon was meant to be a gauge of my current fitness level, so getting a good result was a great confidence booster for my next Marathon, which will be in Tokyo in about five weeks’ time. I hope to get to the start line of Tokyo fit and injury-free and perform what I have been training and hoping for.”

Serena and her running friends gathering after a sweat session.

For the Tokyo race, Serena is hoping to run under the qualifying mark of 2h 58min 17sec to make it to the 2019 South East Asian Games.

Overcoming Setbacks

Her foray in running has not been smooth sailing though, and Serena has had to overcome some setbacks to get to what she has achieved today in the sport.

Said Serena, “In running, the biggest setbacks or challenges are always having a good prior training and then getting into an accident or injury that prevents you from getting to the start line or having a good race. Those times are never easy and I usually just force myself to continue going up to that race with the team together, as a supporter, anyway. Seeing all of them excited when collecting their bibs is always the hardest for me, along with waking up on race day and having breakfast together with them.”

She continued, “At the last Munich Marathon, I accompanied my team mate in her first Marathon from the 30km mark to finish, which then turned out to be a different kind of achievement and happiness, and it superseded all of the previous sadness that I felt of not being able to get to the start line.”

Serena is accompanied by her training buddy, Jason George, as she struggles through the last 17KM of the 2018 Boston Marathon, with a bone bruise in the knee.

In fact, Serena had been so upset that she’d been crying, at one stage, when she’d realised that she would not be running at the Munich Marathon.

She added, “While we always aim to beat ourselves in running, it’s also important that we do not beat ourselves up when things don’t go the way we want them to. In the end, we need to remind ourselves that we all have families, friends, a full-time job… we are not like the elites where running is their profession and life. Just focus on recovering from our setbacks and then look forward to, and aim for our next goal.”

Running Has Taught Her A Lot About Life

Serena and her coach, Rainer Hauch, at the 30KM mark of the Munich Marathon, where she paced her team-mate to the finish.

It is through lessons like this, that Serena feels that her journey in running has taught her so much about herself and life in general. She explained, “Running has taught me many things, but perhaps most of all, patience, optimism, and learning to keep my emotions under control.”

Who Inspires Serena

But who inspires Serena herself to keep on going? She looks up to various people in running circles, for different reasons.

Explained Serena, “One would be the legendary Eliud Kipchoge. I look up to him for not just his achievements, but his humility. Last year, I was inspired by this Thai rockstar Artiwara Kongmalai on his epic 55-day cross country run, totalling 2,241km, from south to north Thailand to raise funds for 11 hospitals.”

She continued, “The local runners back home also inspire me, having stressful full-time jobs, families and in the midst of it all, still being able to wake up for their 4.30am long runs on weekends before family duties begin. It reminds me that running is not just about yourself and beating your previous best times.”

Words Of Advice For Other Runners

And what advice does she have, for runners?

Serena with some of her colleagues and friends during a pre-Christmas Run.

Said Serena, “Passion breeds consistency, and with these two, one could already go pretty far in terms of individual realistic goals. As we start seeing results, naturally, we are motivated to continue pushing and bettering ourselves, and at this point, longevity should also be a part of your focus in running.”

She continued, “Listen to, and give your body the rest and recovery that it needs, then it will perform for you. And this is something that is always easy to say, but never easy to execute. I myself, an a victim of pushing through little niggles, which end up aggravating the situation.”

Photos: Serena Teoh