Singaporean, 61, to compete in 217km ultramarathon again

SINGAPORE — Ultramarathon runner Lim Nghee Huat will be competing again in the world’s toughest foot race, the 217-kilometre Badwater Ultramarathon at Death Valley in the United States.

This is the seventh time the 61-year-old is running a marathon of this length, and the second time he is running in Badwater, a non-stop race across the Californian desert with temperatures going up to 55 degrees Celsius.

Lim, an editor at MediaCorp’s Chinese Current Affairs unit, clocked 42 hours and 34 minutes in last year’s race, coming in 58th out of 96 competitors. He was also the first runner from South-east Asia to finish the event in its 37-year history.

The competition this year is expected to be more difficult than before, involving more than 19,000 feet (5.8km) of elevation — nearly the equivalent of running up Bukit Timah Hill 35 times continuously. A total of 99 runners from 24 countries will be taking part.

This year, Lim will be running to raise funds for St Hilda’s Community Services, a volunteer welfare organisation which caters to needy residents of Tanjong Rhu. Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong today (July 10) joined Lim at the organisation’s centre to visit its beneficiaries. CHANNEL NEWSASIA