AQ (part 1)

And it was a bad day...

The sky was omninous, threatening to rain. People were sitting about plotting maps, talking cock, drinking the mineral water HQ so kindly provided. NTU was abuzz at about 4 in the morning.

Groups of people were sprawled about, some on hammocks, some on the stadium chairs, all trying to catch some shuteye before the race started. The log cards were given out early and everyone had more-than-ample time to plot their routes. I guess everyone was quite relax.

There were two toilets opened near the stadium; or rather, there had been 2. The bigger more spacious one decided to somehow lock itself at 4am in the morning though. NTU was considerate though, they left the one closer to the stadium open. It was much MUCH smaller and had but one squatting cubicle, and well, nervous people get stomachaches. Queues formed.

I was one of them I guess, or could have been. Somewhat constipated, I went with Geoff, Japheth and En Qing exploring for another toilet after consulting a security guard. He pointed us to the general direction of 'up'. NTU, see, was built on hills. Many many hills, most of which I would come to curse silently and vehemently about during the race itself. The nearest OPEN toilet it seems, other than the well-utilized fragrant cozy one down near the stadium, was up a hill. There were 5 (or was it 6?) flights of stairs.

It was not as if there wouldn't any other washrooms nearby. NTU was quite well planned in that department. There was 1 (open) by the stadium which everyone else used, one at the swimming complex (locked), one (locked at 4pm) near the carpark and yet another one locked behind a door of glass a few steps away from the only open one. All inaccessible.

Anyway, so I went up the hill. We actually found a toilet, with proper seats and all up there at some building. Then we returned down, I unrelieved no less lighter. I guess I should have ate prunes the night before... -___- Constipation sucks. (But according to Norman it lets you run faster. =o Shall gorge the day b4 2.4. lalala.)

Anyway by then we already had registered, with the lady I/C there doing an exceptionable job at forgetting to give teams their proper equipment (like logcards. $%^&*( )

Now fastfoward right to the beginning of the race and we have the Guess-of-Honour giving his speech, someone-whose-name-I-can't-remember cracking some lame sexist joke, and some-loud-bugger leading a funky stretching session. The GoH (I think) stood on two shaky tables beside the bench holding the BB flag and well... flagged us off. The race had started.

Now, I being on the extreme left (near the flag waving GoH), was nearly whacked on the head by the flag pole as I rushed down the NTU track. It wasn't as bouncy as the RJ one I think. Either that or my bag weighed me down too much for me to notice. Anyway everyone ran, a few madmen sprinted, my team paced, we raced across NTU to the exit. All the teams as one, with those who tried to forge alternative routes turning back and following the crowd. And so there I was, amongst the charging pack which was the 'Boys' catergory...












... all going the wrong way.