Onwards And Upwards: The National Vertical Marathon At GT
Onwards And Upwards:
The National Vertical Marathon At GT
Here’s what went down during this year’s National Vertical Marathon, held at Guoco Tower.
Organised by the NTU Sports Club in collaboration with Guocoland, this year’s National Vertical Marathon was held at Guoco Tower on June 3, with just under 2,000 participants taking part in 12 different categories. The participants –ranging from the ages 7 to 74– scaled the 37-storey, 290-metre-tall tower, competing for the fastest timing.
Besides the main event, participants were treated to a range of traditional carnival games, live music performances and various fitness-based challenges in the Urban Park.
5 Tips To Help You Conquer Your Next Marathon
Interested in participating in a marathon yourself? Don’t worry buddy, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top tips you need to know to get yourself marathon-ready.
Start small
Soo…here’s the thing about the first guy the marathon was named after: He died of over-exhaustion. You don’t want to injure yourself while preparing for your marathon, so make sure to start your conditioning with a few shorter routes, amping up the distance covered gradually over time.
Train in incremental steps, increasing your route by 1 kilometre over the course of a year. You may even want to participate in 5km, 10km and half marathons, just to get yourself into the swing of things.
Know your body
Be sure to talk to your GP about any health problems you may have before embarking on this endeavour. We also recommend that you seek out a professional trainer (like our good friends at Virgin Active!) to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Dress The Part
Function over form, folks! Avoid cotton tops at all costs, and make sure to wear clothing made out of nylon. Don’t try to break in a new pair of sneakers just before the marathon proper, and do a full-dress rehearsal before the day itself, with a 5-6 kilometre run in your marathon outfit and shoes.
Eat The Right Stuff
During the three days prior to the marathon, concentrate on eating carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta, potatoes, fruit and bread. Loading up on carb-rich food (also known as carb loading) is a tactic used by endurance athletes and runners to maximise their energy during the event proper.
That being said, binging isn’t necessary: be sure that a larger proportion of your diet comes from carb-rich food, but don’t overload on sushi buffets!
Do your research
Try to do your practice runs on terrain that’s similar to your marathon route. Whether the marathon takes place on flat or hilly ground will dictate what muscles you’ll be using for the entire race, and in what proportion. And the most important tip of all: Remember to do a Rocky Balboa pose at the end of your trial runs, for maximum style points.
