Hanging tough

More than 3,500 runners braved the scorching heat and the humidity for the Men's Health Urbanathlon yesterday morning.

New Zealander Jason Lawrence, 34, won with an impressive timing of 58 minutes and 1 second.

It was his fourth win, on his return to the annual race after a three-year break. He had suffered a hernia injury after his third win in 2013.

"My main concern was just general fatigue. I wasn't expecting a win this time, actually," said Mr Lawrence, an international school teacher here.

He took home prizes worth more than $11,000.

Another familiar face at the race was full-time athlete Shariff Abdullah, who is known as Singapore's Blade Runner.

The 47-year-old, who has a prosthetic leg, has been taking part in the event with a mission in mind.

"I just wanted to make a difference by being here," he said. "I want to let people know that if I can do it, so can they."

Mr Shariff had some worries before overcoming the final obstacle, which featured a zip-line flight ending over a pool of water.

"If I were to drop into the water, it might be difficult for me to move," he said. He managed without dropping into the pool.

This year's urbanathlon was the toughest and most challenging one yet, some of the seasoned participants said.

TOUGH

Despite the name, the race also allows female participants and more than 400 of them got through the physically demanding obstacles.

Some of the harder obstacles were Barrier Breakers (a series of straight and sloping walls) and Swinging Fortunes (swinging through a truss).

For first-time participants like a group of DJs from ONE FM 91.3 and other radio stations, the experience was a rewarding one.

Their secret to success? Completing it with friends.

DJ Cheryl Miles said: "I think all of us made it to the finish line because we stuck together. We weren't competing for speed or time, we wanted to do it together.

"If you have the right group of people, take your time. It's more about finishing the race together."

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About the Urbanathlon

• It was the seventh edition of The Men's Health Urbanathlon.
• The 14km route started and ended at the Kallang Practice Track.
• Participants had to tackle nine urban obstacles, some modified from previous years, scattered along the route.