This expat fell in love with Singapore in more ways than one, marrying a Singaporean woman, making friends with the local community and exploring hidden gems and trails through his running journey
Growing up he avoided running because he was born with club feet, a condition where the tissues connecting the muscles to the bone (tendons) are shorter than usual, and doctors told him that any kind of long distance running would be negative and damage his ankles and knees.
It wasn't till he moved to Singapore and became close friends with his physio that Tycen Bungaard was convinced that he could run and that was when he decided to take the plunge.
It has been a long journey for the father of five to slowly increase his mileage and to get comfortable and confident enough that his body could take the distance and regular running.
In fact, his daily runs now are nothing short of being an inspiration for those who aspire towards greater consistency and showing up better for themselves.
When asked how he manages to still keep the discipline in spite of having to manage family duties and work, Tycen shared that it was being a father that actually helped him with the discipline.
He said: "When I was younger it was only myself, so the schedule was what I wanted it to be. Now with kids they have to have a schedule, so running has been able to be filled into the schedule, and the routine of running every single morning has helped me have that consistency that is needed for running."
Clocking an average of 80 to 90km a week, with an average of four easy runs a week, his typical weekly routine would involve a speed workout on the track on Mondays (1,000m, 800m and sometimes down to 400m repeats), followed by tempo runs on Wednesdays with his running group, and ending off the weekend with a 20-25 km long run on the weekend.
A self-proclaimed creature of habit, Tycen admitted that his routine is usually quite set. His favourite running route would be along the pipelines, with the entrance right behind his house and goes through Dempsey and the Holland area stretching all the way up to MacRitchie Reservoir.
"It's a very beautiful kind of unknown terrain but a somewhat technical run, so those who run there should be careful," he shared.
And does any of his five kids share his same love for running?
"They will," Tycen said with a laugh. "My kids are still young, so the oldest is only still 9. I have been trying to foster a love of running in them, but without being overbearing or push them too hard. Recently I did give my son a pair of spikes though, and he is excited now to go out on the tracks to see how fast he can run. I'm quite thrilled about that."
Having only began his running journey four to five years ago, Tycen hasn't had many opportunities to run in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon due to Covid restrictions, but his maiden experience in 2019 was an unforgettable one for more reasons than one.
"So back in 2019 I hadn't been running for long, but I was doing the 10km and I have never broken the 40 minute mark before, so it was at the StanChart 10km that I broke 40 minutes for the first time and I was thrilled and excited," he said.
"My dad was in town and so it was special that he was watching his now adult son who is also a father run a race, and I was able to achieve that special moment with him watching."
Breaking the 40-minute barrier for 10km may already be an impressive feat for many, but he hopes to do one better and has set himself more running goals, namely going under 17 minutes for a 5km race.
Married to a Singaporean, Tycen loves the local running community and feels there is a lot of camaraderie and a lot of positive elements to it although there are areas he feel he could be improved in providing opportunities for kids.
"What I wish could be expanded upon are activities for kids. I see lots of races and groups getting together which I think is great. Maybe I'm just not as plugged into it, but growing up overseas I saw a lot more things for kids and involvements in athletics and running and that is something I would love to see happen here."