This is the first in a series of journal entries written by the the four athletes competing at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. First up is Simon Bairu, who was in Singapore for several days with the Canadian National Team before arriving in Osaka on Wednesday. He races the 10,000m on Monday, August 27th.
Hey All,
I arrived in Singapore last night around midnight. The flight wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be - it was what you would expect being on a plane for 20 hours would feel like. When I woke up this morning I did an easy 35 minute jog along the beach. I ran at 9:00am, but the heat and humidity made it feel like it was the middle of the day. Later that day we had a reception to attend, hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner. (Admittedly, I don’t know what that is, but by looking at the size of his house I would guess he’s a big deal.) The local media and several Canadian businessmen who live in Singapore greeted us. Most of the people I talked to would often ask me if I was going to win (since they heard I was the top Canadian distance runner) - the look on their face when I told them my goal was top 10 was pure disappointment. Oh well…
-Simon
