But that did not stop Jeanette Wang from winning the inaugural adidas Sundown Marathon's 84km Women's Open event in the wee hours of yesterday morning.

All within 24 hours.

The Straits Times sports journalist exceeded personal expectations to win in 9hr 14min 36sec.

Before yesterday, the furthest distance that she had run was 55km.

Said Wang, who had set herself a target of finishing in about 10 hours: 'I'm surprised. I wasn't sure if I could run without stopping, but I did.'

Asked why she had opted to do the gruelling ultra-marathon instead of the 42km event, she said simply: 'Marathons don't give me a kick anymore.'

The win was also sweet revenge for Wang, who was determined to get one over rival and eventual runner-up Yong Lai Chee.

Yong had denied her a podium finish at the 2006 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, where Wang, a national triathlete, had to settle for fourth.

Said Wang, 26: 'When I saw her during the race, the events of 2006 flashed in my mind.

'I'd lost to her once before. This time, I told myself: 'I'm going to do it.''

Wiping away tears of joy, she said that the win ranks among her highest achievements as an athlete.

She said: 'It's up there with the Ford Ironman World Championships 2006 in Hawaii, where I set a new national record of 12:09:38.'

Civil servant Fabian William Raj, 30, won the Men's Open in 7:37:15.

They both earned a trip to Germany to participate in this year's Berlin Marathon.

Meanwhile, Kenyan Benjamin Meto won the 42km Men's Open with a time of 2:40:21.

Anne Date took the women's title in 3:13:59.

They won a trip to New Zealand to participate in this year's Auckland Marathon.

All four winners won a year's sponsorship contract with adidas worth $3,000.

RUNNERS ENJOY NIGHT MARATHON, SPORTS