GOING THE DISTANCE FOR CHARITY

Military Expert (ME) 2 Dex Tai is no stranger to endurance races. This July, he takes it a step further with an attempt to run three Ironman races in 15 days - all for a good cause.

For someone who had never attempted a full marathon, ME2 Tai's timing of 3h:34m:20s at the 2005 Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon was, by his standards, a satisfactory one.

Armed with this experience, and inspired after reading about his previous commander Colonel Giam Hock Soon taking part in an Ironman race in a 2005 issue of Navy News, he thought: "If he can do it, I can too." ME2 Tai then signed up for his first Ironman race in Western Australia in December 2006 and has not looked back since.

"I can't out-sprint others in the 100m dash, but I can out-last," said the engineer in the Navy's Submarine Maintenance and Engineering Centre. Recounting his first Ironman experience, he said: "It was from there that I got addicted to this long-distance, endorphin-producing and calorie-burning sport. It's good for health, improves stamina and prepares me for my IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test)."

After his first Ironman, the 32-year-old, who joined the Singapore Armed Forces in 2001, went on to participate in five other Ironman races which have taken him to countries like Austria, China, France and Malaysia. Each Ironman race consists of a 3.86km swim in open waters, followed by 180.25km on the bicycle, and a 42.2km run.

Reasons beyond

The idea to run for reasons beyond health and fitness hit him in the middle of last year, when he noticed that his wife, a special education teacher who works with children and teenagers with autism, was returning home exhausted.

"Being a care-giver is very difficult, be it as a teacher or a parent. The children have challenges communicating and expressing themselves, and early intervention and therapy will help prepare them for the future. But all this costs a lot of money," ME2 Tai explained.

He will be attempting Ironman races in Austria, Germany and Switzerland in a span of about two weeks in a bid to raise $10,000 for the St Andrew's Autism Centre. Registration for the races (which cost about $3,000), airfare and accommodation were paid for from his own pocket.

The donations, which will be used to develop the centre's Adaptive Physical Education programme to enhance the physical well-being of students and improve their motor and social interaction skills, go straight into the give.sg account opened by the school.

"People have asked, 'Why don't you put the money for the races into the fund?' But I felt that through this, I could create greater awareness for autism and raise even more funds," he said.

Training for success

A seasoned runner, ME2 Tai has been training for the upcoming races since December last year for up to 17 hours a week. He runs from home in Toa Payoh to Changi Naval Base - a distance of about 25km - every Wednesday, and cycles about 90km to work every Friday.

"Weekends are for long distances so I'll ride for five hours and run for two hours. That would give me the mileage to condition my body for the races," he said.

Citing Australian triathlete Chris McCormack as a role model, he added: "Each Ironman race is a different terrain and there are different factors involved. In Langkawi, it was the humidity. It was very hot so that was a bit more challenging. In France, it's really mountainous. It's also colder in Europe...so I have to go there earlier to acclimatise."

Ironman participants are given 17 hours to complete the race and most professionals can do so in nine hours or less, said ME2 Tai.

He aims to not only complete all three races, but also beat his personal best of 11h:36m:49s, clocked at Ironman Langkawi two years ago, a timing that placed him in sixth position in the 30 to 35 age group.

It is a goal that is within sight, especially with the support from his bosses and buddies from work who have already made donations.

His wife will also be providing moral support from the sidelines this time. While he is running in the Ironman races, she will be his "Iron-maid", he said with a laugh.

So will running for a cause be the modus operandi from now?

"This is only the beginning... But it would be quite bad for my friends because it would be like, 'Dex is doing this again. I got to donate!'".

Race Update

ME2 Dex Tai completed his last Ironman races in Zurich on 16 Jul at about 1pm (local time). In his SMS update to PIONEER after the race, he said he was "battered, bruised and sore."

He finished each of the three races in less than 12 hours and clocked his best timing at Ironman Frankfurt at 11h:31m.

In his Facebook post on Sunday, just before the start of the last race, ME2 Tai wrote: "Woke up feeling anxious as my body is still recovering from the previous IM (Ironman). But I have to push it all aside as I prepare to start IM Zurich. The weather looks nasty just like Frankfurt with dark clouds rolling in. This is the last of my trio and only 60% of my fundraising goal has been met. 17 more days for you to help by donating."

To date, $7,430 has been raised. To support ME2 Tai and the St Andrew's Autism School, visit https://www.give.sg/TeamGIVE/dextai/racing-for-autism