They lost bearings after wandering off beaten track and had to call for help
Chan U-gene Straits Times 7 Oct 12;
Think it is impossible to get lost in tiny Singapore? Think again, especially if you enjoy running off the beaten path.
Marathoner David Ong, 47, had to seek help from the PUB and National Parks Board when he and a friend lost their way for almost four hours on Sept 26 during a run between Upper Peirce and Upper Seletar reservoirs.
"I never imagined that I could get lost in Singapore," said the self-employed trader.
"To continue to bash through the night would have been dangerous. There could be wild animals, snakes or we could lose our footing and get injured."
PUB and NParks conducted a boat search-and-rescue operation. The two were found at 8.50pm.
But Mr Ong's case is not the first. Last year, NParks had five reports of lost visitors. So far this year, there have been six cases.
NParks' director (conservation) Wong Tuan Wah said: "We would like to urge members of the public to stay on designated trails in the nature reserves. Not doing so exposes them to the risk of getting lost."
As running gets more popular in Singapore, the number of trail runners is also increasing.
For instance, the annual New Balance Real Run, which includes a 2km trail run, has been attracting at least 7,000 runners for the past three years.
Trail-running enthusiast Dennis Quek feels there are not enough trails here to train on. Hence, some runners take detours when they train.
Said the 50-year-old, who works in the supply chain industry: "People prefer a more natural environment and, as our country is so small, you sometimes wander off the beaten track."
That was what happened with Mr Ong, who has completed more than 30 marathons and ultramarathons in the last eight years.
He and his companion began their afternoon run at 2pm along a trail between the two reservoirs in the Upper Thomson area.
Known to the running community as the "Woodcutters' trail", the 11km route is actually in a restricted area.
At about 5pm, the pair decided to explore a different area. That was when Mr Ong, who is training for January's Hong Kong 100km Ultra Trail Race, lost his bearings.
They tried retracing their steps but as evening fell and it became dark, they decided to head for the reservoir banks.
Reception was poor, but Mr Ong managed to use his mobile phone to send a map of their location to a friend who contacted the authorities for help.
"We were prepared to wait until morning as we had enough water. Then we heard the boat and we started waving our torch," said Mr Ong.
