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HEALTH&FITNESS
300
October14
– ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!
Photography by Michael Bernabe
Especially upwards! During the more than eight
years she has lived in Singapore, SUZYWALSHAM
has won many of our top road races multiple times.
But it’s her achievements in the burgeoning field of
stair-racing that are really putting her on the global
map, as
Verne Maree
found out when she visited
the friendly Aussie at her home on the 30th floor
of an East Coast condo.
In fact, Suzy is the record-breaking fifth-time winner of the
gruelling Empire State Building Run-up, the world’s most
famous stair-race.
“She only married me because I had an apartment in one of
Singapore’s tallest residential blocks,” grins Suzy’s husband
David. That can’t be the only reason, I think to myself; he
makes a great cup of coffee, too. They started dating about
six years ago when they both worked for Symantec, she as
an accountant and he in a sales role; and she moved in with
him when they became engaged two years later.
Expat Living
showcased this big, airy apartment way back
in 2007, as David reminds me. Its beguiling view of sea and
ships is completely unblocked — so rare. “My décor consultant
agreed that I didn’t really need a water feature,” he jokes.
Six months after the birth of their son, who is now 4, Suzy
returned to work on a part-time basis. “It’s hard to juggle work
with family,” she agrees, “especially as David travels a lot.” It
helps that much of what she does is global project work, and
so fairly flexible.
“Unfortunately,” she adds, “my son is not a good sleeper.
If it were not for my amazing helper, I would not be able to
train the way I do.”
What distances do you run?
For me, the 10K feels like a marathon, because I’m actually
a middle-distance track runner, having started athletics at
the age of seven. I’d never even raced 10K until I moved
to Singapore for my work in 2006, shortly after running for
Australia in the Commonwealth Games.
Nowadays, I’m trying to fit road races around my stair-
racing, and with so many races on the local calendar, there
are sometimes clashes. My first race here was the very first
Great Eastern Women’s 10K, which I won.
I also won the Standard Chartered 10K in 2006 and 2007,
and the half-marathon in 2008. I was injured in 2009, and
pregnant in 2010. Last year, it clashed with the lucrative
Hong Kong ICC stair-race, which was also the final of the
Vertical World Circuit; and it’s the same this year, so I won’t
be taking part.
So far this year, I’ve done the Hong Bao 8K, the 2XU
Compression Run 10K, the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge
(5.6K), and the NTUC 10K and the Shape 5K on 17 August.
I’ll be doing the Great Eastern 10K in November, too.
What do you like about stair-racing?
I’m quite injury-prone, and racing on the stairs suits me
because there’s less impact. It’s more strength-based, and I
can do it even if I am injured.
It’s great that there’s nowaworldcircuit, andbecause I’mdoing
well I get invited to a lot of races; this gives me the opportunity to
travel, often with sponsored flights or accommodation.
AT HOME WITH
SUZY WALSHAM