Last weekend I took part in a 10km virtual run as part of Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2021. I haven’t been able to run much in recent months. Joining the virtual run helped push me to go outside and start running again.

The original virtual route I planned was from East Coast Park to Gardens by the Bay. But due to the monsoon weather and thunderstorms as of late, I changed the route to something local. It was a simple Pasir Ris to Punggol via Lorong Halus Bridge. I hadn’t done this route before and I’ve always wanted to reach Punggol from Pasir Ris by foot. These are two different towns in the eastern part of Singapore.

Everything was fine until the 7km mark when it started to drizzle a bit while I was returning from Punggol. A lightning warning was in place and I had to pause Strava while taking shelter at the Lorong Halus Wetlands. When I noticed some cyclists continuing towards Pasir Ris (which at my pace during the time would’ve been a 10-15 minute run), I thought I could make it to the other side of the park connector. Mind you, this park connector is beautiful but also there weren’t too many buildings to seek shelter incase of more lightning.

Halfway to Pasir Ris and I spotted a lightning bolt which I later researched was less than a kilometre from where I was running. While I think the risk was low, it was still there. I sought shelter at a nearby fish farm along the route and eventually made the decision to call for a Grab taxi so I can get home safely.

I was pretty much rattled by that point. I paused my Strava and would resume my run in the evening. It makes more sense to priortise your safety.

PJ presented me with the medal that I ordered together with the official race t-shirt I was wearing. This is my first completed race during this pandemic and my 2nd time to join the KL edition of the Standard Chartered Marathon. Registration for the virtual race is free. You can pay for the t-shirt and medal.

I’m thinking about joining the Singapore edition virtual run. I’ll attempt the same route during safer weather.