So I ran into MP and my former running companion Baey Yam Keng at the MSIG Action Asia trail run this morning, Well, not literally ran into him.
He was there to flag off the 10km race. I knew he did the same thing last year, so I wasn't too surprised to see him there.
But I was surprised he recognised me.
It has been more than a year since we ran together and nowadays I wear this stupid-looking bandanna when I run to manage my sweat.
The first thing he said to me at the start line was "I see you stopped writing about me".
Seeing my stunned reaction, he quickly indicated he was joking.
The last time I wrote about him in my column was when he posted a photo of himself with the Eiffel Tower after the Paris terror attacks last November.
It wasn't a very positive article. I would be surprised if he actually wants me to write about him more. So I hope he was kidding.
With so much going on, I didn't get a picture of him flagging us off.
The problem with the 10km route is that in the beginning, it crossed paths with the 50km and 21km routes. So you had to avoid running into the longer distance runners going the opposite way.
While I was running, I suddenly heard someone coming close from behind me.
It was Baey Yam Keng!
He said hi and gleefully overtook me.
So after flagging off the race, he joined the race and still managed to catch up with me. What the hell.
That's him in front of the woman in front of me.
About half way under a bridge, he slowed down to wait for a companion and that was when I finally overtook him for good, I thought.
Of course, I took a selfie to celebrate:
The 6km checkpoint:
It was an interesting and challenging course with a variety of terrain including mud, tall grass and plenty of slopes. Damn slopes.
As I approached the finish line, who did I see trying to overtake me?
Him again!
This time, I wasn't letting him pass me.
Somehow I still had enough energy to sprint to the finish line.
I did it!
I beat Baey Yam Keng!
According the official time, I came in eighth out of 34 in the 10km Men age 50+ category. So I'm in the top 10!
(Mr Baey came in 21st out of 87 in the 10km Men age 40-49 category.)
More importantly, I beat Baey Yam Keng!
CLARIFICATION: Even though I beat Mr Baey to the finish line, he finished the course faster than I did because he started later. His timing was 1 hour 16 minutes 11 seconds. Mine was 1 hour 17 minutes 13 seconds.
EARLIER: 50 shades of Baey: Run to be with him
