Lowering Standards

Thanks to Jase, I found the following article. It really disappoints me to see how soft people have become. As a result, I've written a response to it.

First, do read the article. Next, read my reply. Then maybe comment on it.


Modify 2.4km IPPT run to ease strain on heart

I REFER to the report, 'SAF officer dies after 1.2km run' (ST, Jan 3).
There has been a spate of deaths recently with the victims collapsing while running. Most national servicemen have to complete a 2.4km run in order to fulfil their annual Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), so I think it is high time the Ministry of Defence looked into revamping this segment of IPPT.

On average, in order to obtain a Gold standard in the IPPT, a national serviceman has to obtain a minimum of four points (out of a maximum of five points) for each of the four stationary fitness stations and then run 2.4km in about 10 minutes, plus or minus half a minute.
Anyone who has ever achieved a sub-10 for a 2.4km run can attest to the power of endurance needed, and the pain and fatigue undergone. Of course, the excitement and sense of achievement are what push one through.

However, it is unrealistic to expect the majority of national servicemen to reach that level of fitness. Many have unintentionally injured themselves trying to break the 10-minute barrier by overtaxing their bodies.

Hence, it is not advisable to set such a short time limit for a 2.4km run.
Fitness experts recommend that we engage in a cardiovascular exercise continuously for at least 20 minutes in order to maximise its benefits. Running a sub-10 does not seem to serve that purpose.

My suggestion is to extend the distance of the run to 4km or 5km, with a time limit of 30 to 40 minutes, thereby focusing more on the endurance and general fitness than speed. This should put less strain on the heart and body, while giving the runners some time to warm up and ready their bodies for the run in a less gruelling manner.

We cannot delude ourselves that these 'running deaths', which have led to the demise of healthy men in their 20s to 50s, are coincidences. Neither can we attribute the concerns expressed over these occurrences to 'sensationalised news' by the press.
Instead of a sudden burst of energy to complete a run in a short time, a longer run may be all it takes to prevent a cardiac arrest.

Rick Lim Say Kiong


My reply:


Don’t Jeopardize our nation’s IPPT standards

I refer to the article ‘Modify 2.4km IPPT run to ease strain on the heart’ by Rick Lim Say Kiong.

I think it is important that Singaporeans show concern about each other’s lives and health exemplified by Mr. Lim. After all, we can really do without the news articles regarding deaths especially of people who seem to be healthy and physically fit. Nevertheless, I have to disagree with his suggestion that the IPPT run should be modified. His claim that ‘fitness experts recommend that we engage in a cardiovascular exercise continuously for at least 20 minutes in order to maximize its benefits’ is weak. He is guilty of committing the fallacy of argumentum ad verecundiam, and we do not even know who these ‘fitness experts’ are. Still, I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Despite that, I feel that he might be overreacting and it is definitely not ‘high time the Ministry of Defense looked into revamping this segment of IPPT’. The Ministry of Defense ensures that our training methods are the best and are on par with the best armies in the world, and I believe our IPPT standards are adequate. By staking such a bold claim, he is insinuating that we do not take care of our soldiers’ welfare. This is in fact far from the truth as what he perhaps does not know, is that there is a whole load of safety measures in place for every activity regardless of whether it is a high-risk activity like rappelling or a relatively low-risk activity like an outdoor lecture.

We should not allow our military standards to drop. There is a reason why completing the 2.4km run in 9.45 minutes (or 9.15 minutes) qualifies the participant for a Gold Standard in the IPPT. Sure, soldiers tend to push themselves towards achieving this goal, and is that not what we want? Furthermore, if you have ever worked hard enough to attain ‘gold timing’, you would understand the joy and elation that comes with it. It is like sitting for exams. Why then, do you not complain that the exams should be modified to a lengthier version so that less people would fail? If it is the deaths you are concerned about, then what about road fatalities? Why not make pedestrian crossings much longer? The motorists would have more time to see them crossing so surely it would reduce fatalities would it not?

Drawing upon the quote ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems strange to me that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come’ by Julius Caesar, in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, we cannot be such hypochondriacs. The running related deaths are unfortunate but it happens. We cannot allow a few deaths to jeopardize our nation’s IPPT standards.


Julian Sng Yeung Liang