Triathlon mishap survivor admits under-estimating demands of event

IF YOU are taking part in the Osim Singapore International Triathlon today, you should pay close attention to Mr Derrick Lim’s story.

The 23-year-old full-time NSman nearly drowned during the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Triathlon last year.

He was competing in an endurance race for the first time and blames his lack of preparation. He admitted that he went into the race without even training for it.

To complete the Aviva triathlon, you have to swim 1.9km in the sea, cycle 90km and run 21km.

On the morning of March 22 last year, Mr Lim, who considers himself a “decent” swimmer, had just started the swim leg. It was his first time swimming in the sea.

About 10m out, he felt uncomfortable and began to struggle.

He told The New Paper: “I didn’t expect it to be so difficult. I thought I was going to drown. I was so afraid I was going to die.”

Fortunately, he managed to signal to a safety canoe, which dragged him back to shore.

Not everyone is as lucky.

Last year, Mr Calvin Lee Wee Sing, 42, CEO of Deutsche Telekom Asia, was spotted struggling during the 1.5km swim portion of the OsimTriathlon.

Mr Lee, who was known to be fit, was brought to the shore by a jet ski. By then, he was unconscious and foaming at the mouth. He died later in hospital.

Mr Lim said he underestimated the amount of training required to complete such a race safely.

“I didn’t train for the race at all. During the run, I had cramps so painful I could hardly walk,” he recalled.

He said the only form of exercise he usually does is “cycling casually”.

He added: “Back then, it was the ‘in’ thing to sign up for races. My friends all had finisher T-shirts from races like the Standard Chartered Marathon.”But Mr Lim had learnt his lesson. He took part in the same triathlon again last month and this time, he managed to complete it.

Other participants of endurance races whom The New Paper spoke to said it is becoming increasingly fashionable to be seen sporting finisher T-shirts.

The shirts, along with medals, are given to participantswhenthey complete the races.

One of them, civil servant Christopher Yeo, 21, took part in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon last year just to get the finisher T-shirt.

The first-time marathoner, who started training only four weeks before the event, counted himself lucky that he went away with only sore legs andabrasions.

Mr Yeo said: “I’ll train properly next time to avoid all the pain and suffering.”

Sports doctors told The New Paper that athletes who train inadequately risk getting “overuse” injuries like patello-femoral syndrome (pain around the knee cap) or stress fractures (pain in the bones of the leg or foot dueto repetitive stress).

Dr Kelvin Chew, a consultant sports physician at the Changi Sport Medicine Centre, said:“Most injuries are due to improper training. Most of the time, they are due to abrupt changes in intensity and mileage.”

Dr Chew advises beginners to go for a medical exam before embarking on an intense training programme.

“They may not know of their medical conditions or have severe cardiovascular disease without symptoms,” he said.

Marathon training guides on popular running website Runner’s World.com show that it takes at least four months for a beginner to train for a marathon.

Mr Gino Ng, a physiotherapist at Sports Solutions, which offers physiotherapy and injury rehabilitation for athletes, noted that beginners often get injured as they try to achieve “too much too soon”.

Mr Ng, a former national triathlete, added that patient numbers go up by at least 30 per cent before popular races.

Sporting events in Singapore have been attracting record numbers of participants.

Last year, the Standard Chartered run drew some 50,000 participants.

Clinics for beginners
According to the Osim Singapore Triathlon website, training clinics have been organised for beginners.

The clinics, which offer lessons on open-water swimming, cycling and running, can accommodate only 70 participants each. But 3,600 participants have signed up for the race.

A spokesman from the Triathlon Association of Singapore, which is organising this year’s Osim race, said the onus is on the participant to be well-prepared.

Mr Ng advised: “They need to pace themselves and train properly. If they push too hard, they can get sick and injured.

“If they have underlying medical conditions, they can get killed.”

Experts’ tips for marathoners
1) Go for medical check-ups in case of unknown conditions.
2) Have proper training for at least four months.
3) Don’t try to achieve too much too soon.