A damaged knee didn't stop me running the StanChart 10km race

It's been a physical and mental journey for this weekend warrior in his late 30s to cross the finish line.

- Sazali Abdul Aziz Assistant ST Now Editor

But I did it and it feels great.A cold pack is pressed against my throbbing left knee as I write this, and yet the more pressing affliction I may need to find a cure for is this goofy grin I've been wearing all morning.

Both banged-up knee and semi-permanent smirk are the result of completing the 10km race at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) on Dec 7.

It was my first time participating in a mass running event. I'd signed up in 2024, but after months of training, a bout of Covid-19 just four days before the race squashed my chance.

Just finishing the race is a huge accomplishment. But what gives me greater satisfaction is the joy of overcoming the physical and mental challenges that unexpectedly came my way before I got to the starting pen.

Ten weeks ago, I woke to find my left knee locked in a bend. A sharp pain shot through the back of the joint at any attempt to straighten it.

The day before, I had played in a corporate futsal tournament. I must have twisted my left knee, and overnight, it blew up. You know, the kind of thing that can happen to weekend warriors pushing 40.

As panic rose, I tried to rationalise the situation. Give it a few days, a week or two, and it'll be fine, I told myself. Except it wasn't.