NTU HANDS Sundown Swim-a-ton 2008
It was such an awesome experience!
Truly nothing like what I've ever down before!
It was raining the whole week
I was so scare that the event will be canceled
Prayed hard the whole week
Then just like a miracle
Woke Friday morning all excited and ready for the long day/night ahead
and the sun was shinning bright! (yay!)
Packed my bag and i was ready to go
Met Daph and we made our way down to NTU
We were the first (from WS to arrive)
which is defiantly a first!
Hanged around a bit and wait for the rest
Wanted to do the mass swim too...
But end up procrastinating and before we knew it...
It was too late to swim....
Anyway, most of the team did the mass swim. Didn't really have much of a choice since it was suppose to be like training...
But of cause they couldn't let go of a chance to phot-whore a bit
Ariel had to do her 30 laps too! (Yes... you didn't read wrong)
The lifeguard on duty was so worried and keep and extra eye on her
But no worries. We all knew she could do it
Aragorn was just busy posing for my camera!
That boy KNOW how to pose lor!!
I bet he had loads of practise with Em's cam
***
After the mass swim, it was on to the highlight of the event!
The Sundown Swim-a-ton!!
It is to be an overnight swim from 10pm - 7am!!
(Yup! a whole 9hours of continuous swim!)
Everyone got all hyped up and ready to swim!
This was WS attendance for the night! Aunties.. Uncle and ALL!!
We were all out to show our support!!
Before the start I couldn't let go of the opportunity to cam-whore a bit!
Then finally the teams gather and got ready for the starting signal!
The count down timer flashed 9 hours and we're off!!
"Team Bao" (my wonderful team - long story about the name)
We had a plan and we stuck to it
Swam our race and did our best.
And Daph and I have been planning this for so long!
(quite obviously we wanted to win)
But it was harder then we thought
(not like just writing it out on a piece of paper)
We had to re-strategies and change our plans a few times along the way.
As we pulled later into the night,
each minute was stretching way too long....
One min felt like 10!!
It's probably about 2-4am at this point
Everyone was defiantly tired and cold...
Some were bored (our supports)
And there were the few that was always hungry!
All ways and means to try to stay awake and keep the hype up
The muscles were starting to protest.
And it's times like these where we so evidently see the power of a mother's love
At this point it took all the mental strength and will power to pull through!
My team was still trying to stick to our plan...
We had to focus our energy
and keep our spirits up!
My phase for the night:
"I can!! I can!! I can!!!"
"I'm strong!! I'm strong!! I'm strong!!"
"Oh Lord please give me the strength to swim this lap!!"
And i think it some how did help!
It's like psycho-ing your brain to do what your body is telling you you can't
Ignoring the pain and the strain...
It was merely mind over matter
Pushing yourselves to your limit and then pushing some more!!
By this time, it was just high high high all the way!
The body was running on adrenalin
Sleep was the last thing on my mind....
And i was cheering for everyone to swim and carry on moving!
I think i was the only super crazy high one that was cheering...
Now it's close to 6am
And we are at our final stretch!!
The muscles are numb
The brain is just focus on one aim
The lack of sleep is starting to set in...
But we are still pushing on strong!!
We started to count down... watching the clock very closely
Monitoring our number of laps
To bring everyone spirit up, i whipped out my camera again
And we starting taking some pictures!!
I think it really perked everyone a bit
Everyone was just swimming their best for the last hour!
And it was amazing how we could push ourselves like this!
I don't think any of us ever thought that we could do something like this.
Oh...
There was something that happened towards the end
At one point (to be precise 22mins before the whole thing ended)
While everyone was giving their last bust!
I hear PC suddenly say that he wants to give up!
22 more mins only!!! And you wanna give up!!!
If it was the first 22mins, i have nothing to say!
But you've swam for 8+ hours already!!!
I honesty can't blame. It was only him and Daniel left holding up the fort.
I have no idea where to rest went.
Of cause i give them a piece of my mind! (aka screamed at them!)
Told them that even if they stroked the next 22 mins... They jolly well finish what they started!
Leonard was just sitting there, and i told him to get his butt down and help his team out. But he just complained that he was tired....
Hello as a swimmer, come down stroke a bit will kill you ar??
You tired then the rest leh?
I know i was hush and all....
But I couldn't really focus at that time... And i just said what came to mind
But I'm really glad that PC and Daniel didn't give up in the end.
Haven't had the chance to tell them
But I'm really proud of you guys!
We watch as the sky brighten
With every breath we took, we saw the sun creeping up
The count down started!
And it was the last few minutes...
Last few seconds....
5....
4....
3....
2....
1!!!
The count down clock showed 0.00.00
YAY!!! We finish!!
We completed 9 full hours of swim!!
The relieve, the joy that washed over us is beyond words!!
It was truly an awesome fulfilling experience!!
Our number of laps (not finalised, not the total yet)
And so proud of it!
We followed through with our plan and we manage to hit our target.
It was the effort of everyone
and I must applaud my team
It is the most motivating and persevering team I've ever had the fortune to be a part off.
Li Wei, Shaun, Jeremy, Daphne!
Thank-you so much for sharing this experience with me!
(We must go out celebrate this wonderful achievement ya!)
The event wrapped up.
After a whole night of bustle and noise, the pool suddenly looks so unusually clam
We collected our prizes.
Had breakfast (not what we planned to have but we're too tired to bother... Food is food!)
Then headed home...
(thanks for the lift out, i can't imagine if i need to walk out!)
Headed home for a rest well deserved...
:: Special Notes to... ::
:: Li Wei ::
Thank you so much for pushing yourself so hard for our sake! Catching up and widening the gap. Swimming more so we can rest a bit more.
Truly impress and Very proud of your effort!
:: Shaun ::
I know it was all very last min. Thanks for doing this for us.
And it was really a joy to be able to swim with you.
:: Jeremy ::
"good gracious i don't have an individual pic of Jeremy!"
But still....
Despite being sick, you made it anyway!
Really admire your commitment to your word!
Thank you so much for helping us make this all possible!
:: B2 ::
My biggest THANKS to you!!
For pushing me to train....Pushing me to swim!! And helping me realise that there so much more i can do!
You know when those magazines say to surround yourself with positive people that can help improve your quality of life and health.
I'm sure that you're my positive person!!
Thanks
:: Dawn ::
For coming down after work (even when you didn't have to)
Staying up with us!
Vigilantly taking our timings for EVERY single lap!!
And keeping an eye out for us!
Your presence was such a great motivation and so so important (at least to me)
Thanks so very much for the endless support!
:: Leonard ::
Ever so happy, with the hugest grin!
Thanks for all your help! Seeing to all our little requests and doing everything you can to help us.
Making sure that i was ok, helping me with the hot water and... taking pictures with me!
:: Everyone else ::
Those who completed this event deserve a good pat on the back, 2 thumbs up and resounding round of applause!
For your effort....
Your perseverance....
and for the children!
Also who can forget the organisers for doing such a great job and taking care of all the details. And the helpers who had to stay up with usSo lookin all night!
This is will surely go down as one of my most memorable event.
I'm still really shacked out.
Hardly caught any shut eye...
And now the pain is slowly setting in....
I'll update more more if i remember anything else....
Right now,
I'm just feeling really contented, relieve and very happy!!
So looking forward to next year already!
