ST Run: Inseparable friends motivate each other during the highs and lows of competition

SINGAPORE - They met four years ago when they joined the cross-country team at Victoria Junior College and have been inseparable since.

Nicole Low and Vanessa Lee have endured endless hours of training and run countless competitions together.

Even in races, Low and Lee, both 21, stick closely together, often exchanging the lead between themselves and taking turns to pace each other.

On Sunday (Sept 29), the New Balance athletes will be at it again as they take on The Straits Times Run's 10km race together.

Low, an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University, said: "We don't really have a rivalry; we challenge each other to get a faster time and help each other as much as possible.

"Having someone to do workouts with gives us motivation and makes training more manageable."

The pair are aiming to finish in 41-42 minutes for this Sunday's run, and see the race as an opportunity to transition into more intense training as they prepare to pick up the pace from their off-season.

While winning a medal is not the main focus for them, hitting their target could see them in contention for a podium finish based on last year's times. Then, runner-up Lucy Maguire came in at 42min 55 sec, followed by Goh Chui Ling (43:27).

Vanja Cnops won the event in 38:15.

While 10km is not her main event, Lee, who takes part in a variety of events, is looking forward to her first competitive race in three months to see how she stands among other runners.

The National University of Singapore undergraduate said: "I haven't raced in a while. Even though at my uni level, I'm doing well with podium finishes, 10km road races are more competitive because it's an open field, so it's just a bit tougher."

They hope to build on the race to reach their goal of qualifying for next year's Asean University Games (AUG) through next January's Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Games.

Both have represented Singapore in a handful of competitions like the AUG last year and the 2015 Asian Youth Athletics Championships.

At last year's AUG in Myanmar, the pair won medals, with Lee claiming a silver in the 3,000m steeplechase (11:46.80) and a bronze in the 5,000m (19:43.94), while Low was third in the 10,000m (40:40.22).

Since then, however, Low has experienced a slight burn out.

But in June's Singapore Athletics Inter-club meet, she surprised herself by clocking a time of 39:19.36 to win the 10,000m.

"I'm trying to get back to the rigours of training. I've got periods of time when I can do intervals, then I'll get lethargic again even though the level of intensity is not as high. I'm still trying to figure it out what's wrong with my body," she said.

"I was surprised because I didn't expect a fast time, so I'm trying to do that more and not put too much pressure on myself."