Singapore has a growing total population of 5.47 million and out of these millions, runners form a huge portion where we run for leisure, health and even competitions. Many have made life-changing decisions by taking their first step into competing for races, joining a local running community and finding themselves becoming someone who is healthier and fitter like never before. Runners come in various shapes and sizes and definitely have different running preferences such as time of the day to run, venues and distances. Regardless of your runner’s identity, there must be something or someone who inspired you to take the first step. Here, we explore the various sources of inspiration that created the runner you are today:
1. Brand Ambassadors
Just like the entertainment industry, there are some people whom we admire or even idolize because of certain skills, charisma and personality they possess. In sports marketing for running products, companies select brand influencers who are reputable athletes because they not only possess commendable running abilities but also understand the demands and concerns of the running community. Many supporters usually gather and form fan bases to support their celebrity athletes, which also creates brand awareness of the product represented by the athlete.
One such example is Jenny Huang, an ultramarathon athlete sponsored by New Balance. Jenny has been an inspiration for the running community with her abilities to multi-task between career, role as a mother and dedicating time to train as a competitive runner. She became the fastest woman in the 2013 Sundown Ultra Marathon, clocking an impressive 10:38 performance for her first 100km endurance race.
2. National Athletes
Nothing inspires you more than seeing the dreams of your national athletes come true after all the training and time they have put in! Not too long ago, we had witnessed our national marathon representative, Soh Rui Yong, clinching the gold medal at the 28th SEA Games with an impressive timing of 2:34.56.
His victory has created a new wave for running among Singaporeans and caused many to take a step back and re-look at our chances of fulfilling the Olympic dream. Soh has also inspired runners all over Singapore to train harder, smarter and never give up on their dreams.
3. Running Clubs
Running Department, Team Fatbird, Safra Running Club and Gei Gei Running Club are just some of the various running clubs established all over in Singapore. These running groups allow runners to gather and train on weekly basis, where running stories, experiences and tips are exchanged among running professionals and amateurs. Many established runners started from these running communities because they provide great running foundation, motivation and atmosphere!
Be it your fellow colleagues, family members, neighbours or even the regular runner you meet at the park, these running buddies from all walks of life can also form your source of running inspiration! Sometimes you might feel lazy or exhausted, but the thought of abandoning your running mate makes you feel guilty and so you drop that thought and head for the running session nonetheless. Having someone to cheer you on and push you harder is certainly a great running motivation and inspiration!
4. Running Portal
With constant and daily newsfeed all about running related contents, as well as a running Q&A channel to answer your questions and problems encountered during your training and races, JustRunLah! is the largest running portal in Singapore! Runners can also read about reviews of products, races and daily running lives of fellow runners. Equipped with comprehensive running information and exciting race event news will definitely motivate you to train hard, well and smart for upcoming race events or your bucket-list races!
5. Running Events
Not to forget, with over 100 races organised in Singapore annually in recent years and averaging to 2 races per weekend, race events of various themes and concepts can definitely get you hyped up and ready to train for these events! From challenging trail runs to fun runs, every runner will be able to find one that suits their running preferences from the races listed on our informative race calendar.
6. Running Beliefs -Knowing that running brings more positive than negative
Running is a sport that has made positive impacts in many lives -It gets you moving physically, relieves you emotionally and boosts your overall well-being. Yes it might be tiring, exhausting and sometimes even boring because you run alone or lack motivation, however, always think about why you started in the first place and how it kept you going thus far. It is never too late to start nor too late to realize its goodness because you can run anywhere and at anytime.
