Dr Benedict Tan - President of Singapore Sailing Federation

Dr Benedict Tan - An Epitome of Determination, Courage and Discipline

Picture 1 - Dr Ben Tan, still looking fresh after a 15km tempo run.

This year, as opposed to year 2008 and 2009, I realised that Dr Ben Tan, winner of Sportsman of the Year (Sailing) award thrice, must have had a real challenging time in handling training for the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon 2010. In year 2008, Dr Ben came in 3rd men open (local) section of  the marathon race category, also doing his personal best time of 2hr 56min. After writing a book on 'Run For Your Life' in year 2009, although he was not able to replicate 2hr 56min, he was able to come in 3rd in men veteran section of the marathon race.

Picture 2 - Dr Benny Goh (third, men open) and Dr Benny Goh (third, men veteran) in Singapore Standard Chartered marathon 2009 are great training buddies. 

For this year, he took over the helm of Sailing as the president. This, I believe, was a piece of good news for the Sailing fraternity. I always feel that a president who takes over the helm must be a passionate person and is able to set himself as an example for others to follow. Dr Ben overtly has shown us this. Mixing around Dr Ben, we know that he is the sort who will always do his best to make it for workouts no matter what.

Recently, the Singapore sailing team that had gone to compete in the Asian Games 2010 came with wonderful results - 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals(http://www.malappuraminfo.com/info/2010-asian-games-sailing-result-and-schedule). After Asian Games, Dr Ben Tan flew back from China and was present for our workouts still giving his 100% effort during training. Although, his workout timing, as compared to the past, is slower, the mere fact that he kept coming down for the training, that I was giving for this group, showed his great determination to be present for the training. I told Dr Ben the workout time is not as fantastic as before because of his new appointment as the president of SSF, he told me," This is not a good excuse for me for not hitting good times."

I personally told him that I got to learn from him on how to be present for training even if one is tired from work. I usually feel tired from work, usually during the YOG period this year where I was not able to train for 2-3months. Hence, I felt that he is a great example on how one can balance work and sports. A true inspiration indeed! Even though with the duties as the president of Singapore Sailing Federation, he was able to push himself to run reasonable times during workout in preparation for the upcoming marathon. We have a lot to learn from this great personality of Singapore. Hence, I thought that it is a good idea to interview before Dr Ben Tan runs the race tomorrow.

Picture 3 - Our Training group members - (Left to Right) Sheryl Loh, Kang Yan, Brendan Lee, Dr Benny Goh, Dr Ben Tan and Ashley Liew.

How do you cope with work as a doctor, as president of Singapore Sailing Federation and training for the marathon?

I run early in the mornings, so my running doesn't interfere with my work and vice versa.

Singapore did very well in the Asian Games, how do you feel about this?

Our sailors train hard and our coaches and support staff work hard - there are no shortcuts. I am proud of their professionalism.

What kind of time are you going for in the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon 2010?

I ran London marathon this year, and that qualified me for next year's New York Marathon. As I have already qualified, my aim is to play a supportive role for my training partners Benny, Thow Wee, Brandon and Ashley.

How was your preparation for this marathon?

My total mileage is only slightly below what was planned. The main gap is that I started doing my speed work rather late.

How do you find the course this year as compared to the past?

We'll wait and see ...

Do you have any advice for runners aiming to do a personal best running in this course?

Reserve something for the last 10 km.

Do you have any advice on how to encounter a hill during the run?

Be disciplined not to attack the hill - keep an even pace at most. It is easy to overtake others up a hill, but you pay the price later.

How do you prepare food 2-3hrs before the race?

Mostly beverages. At most a very small service of oats.

How to optimise sleep given the fact that one has to wake up very early? 

I go for quality sleep.

What is the strategy in order to attain the time that you are aiming for?

You need a comprehensive plan that is executed to perfection. All the stars must be aligned! If one thing goes wrong, everything else tends to fall apart.

The author would like to wish Dr Benedict Tan all the best to tomorrow's run.