LOL! Why didn’t I learn ballet when I was still a kid? At first I didn’t want to run a half marathon in tutu as I thought will be quite “irritating” to run 21km in it but I survived a half marathon in a tutu perfectly fine ? About a week or more before the race day, I tried on the tutu for the first time my entire life, and I think it really look super cute and started to be a little narcissistic in front of the mirror.

Then I asked Justina and Sabrina to wear tutu with me to the run on the race day and at first I thought they wouldn’t want to but they are ok to wear it ?

Took the shuttle bus there and reached The race venue very early at 4.15am. So after baggage deposit I head directly to the start pen with Sabrina and Justina. Baggage deposit and baggage collection is great as have no queues at all at least for me ? The elites category were flag off a few minutes later than the actual 5.15am and the rest of us were flag off about five minutes after that. The prizes for the podium winners are always good for these type of big races. First prize for the elite open category is USD8000! Wow! And congrats to Jasmine for coming in first in the closed elite category! Speaking of which now then I remember the first time I met her is also in GEWR. It’s last year when we were both walking to catch the shuttle bus to the race venue and started talking. So race day morning, met Jasmine at the bus stop again also taking the shuttle bus to the race venue, she said my shoe tag is different from hers, but there’s no shoe tag for timing only race bib, it’s the shoe tag for Newton Challenge I have yet to remove ? Yup, only the elites category have shoe tag for timing.

Before the flag off, the emcee was saying something like this is a all female run, so ladies will feel comfortable with no men around to see how sweaty we are. But I love my sweat and I think ladies who sweat are way much hotter than those who don’t sweat at all. I’ve known ladies who don’t “exercise” at all. Anyway, just a additional information on something I read a few weeks back that doing house chores is not considered as exercising. Details I forgotten but sorry ladies, doing house chores is not exercising. And all along I am also very ok with races with men and some more sometimes got eye candy around to ogle at. LOL! ? But this time the guys are so sweet to be around to show support to their mum, wife, girlfriend, someone special but not girlfriend (now then I know some people can have relationships that can be so complicated) and simply friend.

Like I’m cheered up a lot and really happy to see Eugene somewhere before 10km at a hydration point when I just went to the toilet earlier on because of a tummy upset, not just my tummy is upset I’m upset too that my tummy is upset ?

The route of the half marathon is the usual route same as many of the other runs which I think Organisers really can’t do much changes to make the route more interesting because Singapore is just so small ? And the 100 Plus available at the hydration points is really cold! Love it! And maybe because it’s a all ladies run, I noticed the hydration points are so much “cleaner” than those runs with men. Meow, not trying to imply amything ? But there is really lesser cups thrown on the floor, most ladies will throw their cups properly at the hydration points.

 I didn’t go to explore the race village at all after the run but just took some photos around and leave for breakfast after that as I’m too slow and Sabrina and Justina have already waited really quite some time for me. As Justina and Sabrina is so much faster than many runners, it’s really fun for them at the race village to take photos at the photo booth and enjoy the food like ice cream and yogurt available for the runners as there is no queue because most runners are still running ?

 This is really a bad run for me, did my slowest half marathon ever. I should have Did Not Show instead as I am still recovering from flu and cough but I thought it’s not serious enough for me to do poorly but I was wrong. Just after a few km into the run I start to feel a little giddy and started walking or maybe it’s just that my mental strength is too weak.

Somehow the more you look forward or have expectations to some things, the more disappointed you will get when the goal is not reached. Was actually looking forward to this run since months ago and I actually hope I could get a PB because Newton Challenge gave me hope that I can do it. It’s really ok as I think I did what I could and there is always other upcoming runs.

I just hope nobody will think that I look very unfriendly today because I’m literally “dying” during the run. Turns out that I’m very smiley in the photos at least. I’m struggling to finish the run and I feel like I was drifting myself to the finish line and now I really wonder how did I manage to finish the run. But I did. Still a bad run is not the end of the world ?

[More than 1 week before race]

Woohoo! The long awaited largest women’s run in Asia is finally here again! ? There’s the Princess Dash, 5km, 10km and half marathon category and I participated in the half marathon. Though the Princess Dash category have nothing to do with me, but its part of why I like this run too, after the little Princesses complete the run they get a finisher tiara! So cute right! ? It’s actually also quite meaningful as we can support by donating to the Breast Cancer Foundation and Women’s Health Research and Education Fund and also get a tutu. I don’t think I will wear the tutu and run a half marathon, can be quite hardcore so maybe save the tutu for any future fun runs that I may join, it should be quite cute to wear a tutu and run lah! ? Because its a run commissioned by Great Eastern, its good that we have free insurance covered on the race day as a part of the runner’s entitlement but hope that everyone can stay safe and no need to use the insurance for any claims. What I like best is the official apparels is Adidas again! ? But why is race tee and not race singlet? ? Or improvised, like YOLO Run, since this is a all ladies run, they can gives sports bra right? Imagine how nice it would be if we were given a Adidas sports bra as an entitlement instead! ? It will be good if we were given the option to choose whether we want a race tee or race singlet or let us vote about it at least, just like what Sundown Marathon is doing now is great, let us vote for the design of medal and race singlet ?? And LUCKILy, Compressport is the official Compression but the event tee is not Compressport but Adidas. I do not have any issues with Compressport just that I really have like A LOT of their race singlets already ? And honestly speaking before I started participating in running events just slightly more than a year ago I’ve really never heard of Compressport ? Anyway speaking of brand, how come there isn’t any more Nike run or Adidas run? Heard that few years back there is? Hope the running organisers will consider bringing these runs back. Maybe in future like 10000 years later there may also even be LV run, Coach run, Hermes run and etc? ?

Thank you Justina for helping me to collect the race pack! ? But turns out no matter what I still need to go to the REPC venue to collect the tutu because it was not given together in my race pack. The venue for REPC is at Marina Square and luckily I have a meeting there on Saturday so its not a trip purposely just to go all the way to Marina Square just to collect the tutu. And thank you Sabrina for accompanying me and friends really have some sort of “vibe” of attraction, coincidently we met Justina there and of course must take picturea together at their photo booth for the instant photo ?

The next day, the last day of REPC was just nice the day of Newton Challenge. The race venue is just nearby so after the run and having our breakfast at Marina Square’s Starbucks, we went and take photos together again at the photo booth but this time is with July and Sabrina ?

Nowadays many of the running events have photo booths available during the race day and during REPC, I always like these photo booths, they always have cute props uniquely made for the event and the photos can be kept as memories ? And they are really efficient, the soft copies of the pictures we’ve taken at the photo booth is uploaded into albums in their Facebook page, made available to us in just a few days. Really appreciate that! ?

It’s one of the runs with many freebies given in the race pack. And all the stuff is put inside the sling bag, the sling bag is also quite nice actually and I’m happy to receive it rather than getting the usual drawstring bag or a plastic bag from the other runs ?

Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR) is an annual run event which caters to female runners of all levels. It is one of the few ALL women run events in Singapore. I have joined the previous editions of the GEWR in 2013 and 2015 and enjoyed every moment of it.

[2015 GEWR fun moments and memories]

This year is the 11th GEWR event in Singapore and I signed up for the 5km category. Race day is always electric and I’ll write about that in a bit. Below are some of the things that attract me  to join this run event year after year:

[Photo courtesy from Great Eastern Womens Run Website]

Meaningful #RuntoLiveGreat Program – As with other years, this year is no different, the #RuntoLiveGreat Program is in its third year. Its main aim is to help first time runners to take their first step towards healthier and better living. What’s also interesting about this program is that its participant will receive an GEWR exclusive ‘#RuntoLiveGreat’ starter kit and a customised exercise plan. GEWR also organise various lead up training sessions which eventually will help them complete their run on race day.

Too bad I’m not a first time participant to GEWR and most of my friends have participated in this event before, but nonetheless, it is a good concept and it’s definitely a good stepping stone for first timers. Even if I don’t join this program, normal participants can still sign up for the various lead up run activities like kickboxing, training run sessions, cooking class etc. for a small fee.

Awesome Race Goodie Pack – This year race pack design is super cute! It’s a small sling shoe bag filled with goodies from the various sponsors! Check out my photo below! Now who wouldn’t be enticed!?

The only feedback that I have about this year race pack is the design of the race tee. It is really similar to last year memento tee with a few design tweeks like the 3 stripes at the top instead of the side and the material more breathable to allow air to flow through easier.

Don a Tutu for a good cause – There’s also a charity factor for the GEWR. This year the GEWR is privileged to support the Breast Cancer Foundation and Women’s Health Research and Education Fund. Participants can pledge a minimum donation of S$5 and receive a tutu. Participants are encouraged to wear their tutu on race day to support the charity of their choice and there are contests with attractive prizes to be won for the top 10 Most Creative Tutus. I did this last year but this year I did not.

Fun & Interesting Race Pack Collection – Though I had the help of my friend to collect my race pack on  my behalf, she told me that there were lots of photo booths with props and you can get your photo printed, every participant were given a sunflower, lots of vendors were there promoting their stuff etc. Most importantly, the queues moved fast and race packs were given out in a systematic manner.

There were also Facebook Contest being held in conjunction at the REPC for the participants who were collecting their race packs. These contest help make things more interesting! I gotta give the organiser for promoting this run event really well on social media platforms.

[Photo courtesy from Great Eastern Womens Run Facebook Account]

RACE DAY

I met my friends at City Hall MRT station and walked over to the float! We had all decided to meet by 06:45 hrs as that would give us ample time to walk to the race site and take photos around the race area. My friend, Cheng Yee & I had decided that we would not wear this year event tee but instead, we would wear our recently purchased “Don’t Quit”  tee just for the fun of it.  Being ladies, we just love the “matchy matchy” look  🙂

PRE-RACE

When we arrived at the race site, we were surprised to see sooo many ladies out in full force for this event! We could also see the gorgeous sunrise that is happening in the distance. We took photos around the area before using the toilets and depositing our bags. There were ample portable toilets around so there were no snaking queues or long waiting time. Bag deposit and retrieval was fast and efficient.

My group proceeded to the START pen area which was situated near the Singapore Flyer. We had to ask one of the volunteers there as we were not too sure where the START point would be. One feedback that I have would be for the organisers to place signage to guide the participants to the START pen area. Yes there was a map that showed us the layout of where the START & FINISH points are but signages help better with facilitation of direction.

One thing I liked about what the organisers did before the race start was placing a hydration point near the START Pen. This is helpful as sometimes you do feel thirsty and want to get a drink before starting.

RACE START

As mentioned earlier, this year, I signed up for the 5km category and the flag-off was at 07:30 hrs. We only managed to get flagged off in the 3rd wave but thankfully the weather was not hot which made the workout nice.

The route was a familiar but challenging one.  We ran past the F1 pit building towards Nicoll Highway, u-turned back via the Kallang Basin, passing the F1 pit building again before crossing the FINISH line. The difficult part was after Nicoll Highway somewhere after the 2km mark, there were these tunnels which had a very steep gradient which I had to scale not once but twice!! I could already feel myself getting tiring out and had to walk a bit before picking up my pace again. Distance markers were sufficient making it for us to know how long more we had left.

[Photo courtesy from Great Eastern Womens Run Website]

Hydration points were sufficiently place along the route but they were really packed with runners trying to get a drink. I guess maybe the length of the stations were not as long as other events. My friends CY & Kalsom said that they had to wait for sometime before getting their drinks as the drinks were not poured fast enough.

POST RACE

I managed to finish the race in  35 mins (Unofficial Timing). Collection of after race entitlements were good which included a can of 100 Plus, F&N Ice Mountain Sparkling Water infused with Grapefruit, banana and not forgetting my finishers medal! The collection area was very well-organised and clearly labelled so that participants know which lane to follow after they have crossed the FINISH line.

After I’ve collected my runner entitlements, I headed out to wait for my friends, it was really crowded. After everyone had returned, we had decided to check out the race site to check out the activities that were going on there. There were lots of vendors selling various products and offering some freebies like drinks, ice-cream etc. to entice the participants. There was also a mass Zumba session happening for the ladies. It was a very vibrant race village, just a tad too crowded.

Overall. I had a fun time at this year GEWR! It was super organised and well executed! Big thanks to the organisers on doing a fantastic job! I’m definitely looking forward to next years event and who knows I might actually sign up to do my first 21km then. Super love this year 21km Finishers Tee but till then, great job ladies!!! Congrats on finishing your race regardless which category! Let’s all #LearnToLiveGreat & #LearnToFeelGreat!

It was with much anticipation I looked forward to the Yolo Run held at Gardens by the Bay East.

In my three years of running this was my first opportunity to run with my sister, Annie, in a local race.

Annie works out with a trainer six days a week but is a non-runner. She has read most of my racing blogs and as such gleaned an insight into my world of running.

This time I wanted her to be a part of my racing world so she could experience and truly understand what it’s all about: the endless hours of training, the early morning rises to attend a race, the acceptance or should I say accumulation of finisher medals and so on.

During her visit the Yolo Run (acronym for You Only Live Once) was the only race available. As part of their corporate social responsibility the race organisers partnered with Breast Reconstruction Awareness SG (BRAS), a non-profit organisation, to raise awareness and understanding of breast reconstruction choices and available resources for women. For every participant who ran shirtless on race day the Yolo organisers pledged to donate a sports bra to BRAS to aid in the recovery process of patients.

I thought this was an ideal race given that it is a topic close to Annie’s heart since she spent ten years in the intimate apparel industry where she often fitted women recovering from mastectomy or reconstruction. This is a very sensitive topic where many women are uncomfortable discussing their surgery nor being fitted for an appropriate bra.

Annie loved the idea and agreed to join me. She even started a running program to better prepare her legs and cardio for the task. I told her about the race pack and finisher medal and thought it would be great if she could take something home that she could keep to remember our joint running adventure together.

Unfortunately I was quite disappointed at the race pack collection when I was notified that finisher medals will not be handed out for the 5km category and I couldn’t have my sister return home with a piece of racing memorabilia. However, I can’t deny the race pack was beautifully presented with a custom made box that included a tee, race bib and custom printed sports top and a yoga mat upon finishing the race.

Come race day and we started with an easy bike ride down East Coast Park to the racing village. Seemed like quite a big event with some very long baggage drop-off lines and overcrowding. We found a spot to lock up our bikes and weaved our way into the start pen when it began raining lightly. The organisers requested us to leave the pen which had several hundred participants attempting to return to the race village and seek shelter. We were like a bunch of sheep shuffling our way out.

By the time we exited, the organisers recalled all 5km category back to the pen. Let’s just say it was quite chaotic and by the time we reached the start line we realised the category was already flagged-off. Given that we were sharing the path with the finishers coming in the opposite direction, the route was very busy and a large proportion of 5km racers were walking instead of running. It felt like a human obstacle course weaving in and out. As a result we found ourselves running some but mostly walking so we chose to enjoy each other’s company, absorbed the gorgeous Singaporean landscape and just celebrated participating in a race together.

As a regular racer with generally a great experience, I didn’t think much of the actual event. I appreciate the objective of raising awareness for a good cause but I would hope better logistical preparation such as: efficient baggage handling thereby reducing lengthy lines, faster processing at finishing line and a wider path for runners when there’s two way traffic that’s also shared with the public and cyclists thereby minimizing the bottle necks that occurred during this race.

On a last note, regardless of my personal thoughts about the event organisation, I was very happy to share my running world with my sister. Mostly satisfied we cycled off to Marina Cove for coffee, cake and breakfast.

Cheers

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