Vincent Chua is looking forward to ticking off his 12th Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) at the end of this year. If everything goes right, he’ll be running in the Singaporean heat for a full 42.195km, at the age of 72, having lived with Parkinson’s disease for close to a decade.
If that isn’t impressive enough, consider this: the veteran silver runner only kicked off the starting blocks in his 50s.
Previously, he was a “pretty overweight” engineer living a sedentary lifestyle. Apart from an occasional “leisure swim”, he didn’t lift weights, play sports, or jog.
Vincent only laced up his running shoes in 2007 when he was faced with the prospect of “not even being physically fit enough to enjoy overseas holidays”.
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Silver runner
But one step led to the next – then another – as Vincent slowly began to pick up speed.
Within a year, he had signed up for his first 10km run, Swing KPE, organised by the Land Transport Authority to celebrate the completion of Southeast Asia’s longest underground expressway.
Thinking back to his younger self plodding along the soon-to-be-opened stretch of the KPE tunnel, Vincent distinctly remembers how “enjoyable” that freedom of movement felt.
The father of two started clocking four to five sessions a week with plenty of hard mileage. By then, he was pushing towards 60, but he felt faster and lighter than ever.
In 2012, he completed his first SCSM, working his way through the coastal sights of West Coast Highway and Sentosa. He recalls the feat took him around five and a half hours – his personal best to this day.
Marathon man
After experiencing the high of that first intoxicating race, the SCSM turned into a yearly affair for Vincent. He is part of the SCSM’s 300km Club, which recognises runners who’ve clocked 300km or more in SCSM events since 2010.
In between Singapore’s two premier marathons – the Sundown Marathon, roughly halfway into the year, and the SCSM at the year’s end – he’d participate in half-marathons, trail races and fun runs.
At his peak, he estimates that he was participating in close to 10 running events a year.
Most physical running events work in a similar way – race planners collect a fee up-front, before handling all the logistics of closing off roads and setting up water points.
Participants get to clock a distance and timing – which might further qualify them for international competitions – though most amateurs will be happy enough with a medal and T-shirt to commemorate their achievements.
Vincent has several boxes stuffed with medals and race bibs.
"But I don’t organise it at all – there’s no way."
Not slowing down despite Parkinson’s
Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2015 hasn’t slowed Vincent down at all.
Nevertheless, he shares that he’s had some nasty spills over the years. Though he can’t say whether they were due directly to the neurological disorder – which affects muscle control and motor functions – he generally avoids wet and uneven ground.
In it for the long run
Vincent doesn’t plan to slow down his roll anytime soon. His running habit, he believes, has contributed to his relative clean bill of health at age 72, with no chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes to contend with.
He still runs about two to three times a week, clocking an average of 15 to 20km alone or with a local run club called the Running Department, where he volunteers as a pacer.
Nevertheless, he shares that this edition of the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon – his 12th – might be his final marathon effort.
"If I don’t make it, I’ll drop to 21km next time – I’ll still be satisfied."
