The second edition of the Skechers Friendship Walk took place last Saturday evening, with the aim of bringing a fun day of family bonding and team spirit to the riverscape at the Marina Bay Sands.

4km Non-Competitive Event

A 4km non-competitive walking event, Skechers Friendship Walk featured games and team challenges, as well as activities and food, which were all set to bring participants down memory lane.

Taking Part In The Walk

Skechers invited me to take part in the 4km Friendship Walk and in the spirit of family camaraderie and bonding, I brought my dad along with me to the event. 

With the walk flagging off at 5:15pm, I turned up at about 4:45pm where I collected my event bib and goodie bag, before then having a look at the event carnival to see what was available there. It was already pretty crowded, I must say!

Prior to the flag-off, goodies including milk and yogurt were already being given out to give the participants energy for the 4km ahead. 

Feeling slightly thirsty because it was still so hot at that hour, I took a packet of cold chocolate milk to drink.

Going To The Start Pen

After that, I then headed to the start pen, which was just outside the Marina Bay Sands shopping mall. I was near the front, so when the start pen opened at about 5pm, I was able to get a good position near the front.

As the participants slowly filed into the start pen and a warm-up session was being conducted, the organisers brought out the event mascots – these were two human-sized Skechers shoes. A few photos were then taken with the mascots, and then at about 5:17pm, the walk itself began.

The Route

The walking route had been a very basic one, taking participants around the Marina Bay promenade. We headed from The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and we went up the Helix Bridge, before making a turn towards The Float at Marina Bay and the Esplanade. 

Then to complete the Marina Bay loop, we headed towards the Jubilee Bridge and the Merlion before making our way back to The Shoppes.

Scenic Route, But There Was Some Congestion

It had been a scenic route, with lots of photo-taking opportunities. I particularly loved going across the artistic Helix Bridge.

However, because of the evening timing, there was quite a lot of congestion at some areas, especially at the Jubilee Bridge area – where lots of tourists had unfortunately been photographing the Merlion too.

Kilometres Were Marked

Kilometre markings were present along the route, but these were not quite accurate according to my watch. KM1 and KM2 were too far apart, but on the other hand, KM2 and KM3 were much too close together.

Also, the route turned out to be slightly short, with my watch clocking just 3.69km when I had finished, too.

Attentive Marshals

Marshals were also stationed en-route to guide the event participants to ensure that we did not go the wrong way.

I had thought that these marshals were attentive and alert and they did their job well in terms of providing us with the directions.

En-Route Challenges

And along the way, I also took part in the two challenges that were en-route.

These challenges were optional, so not everyone was requited to take part in it. But since I was already there, I felt that I might as well do so.

The first one had required us to push a person in a wheelbarrow.

But this turned out to be much harder than it initially looked – as the wheelbarrow was not exactly easy to control.

Thankfully the second challenge proved to be somewhat easier, for me, at least. This had been a simple obstacle course with two stations – where we had to first jump across a bunch of tyres in a fashion similar to Hopscotch, before then climbing over a mini wall.

Finishing

So I easily completed this obstacle course, which had been located a few hundred metres from the end point, and made my way to the finish line, where I collected my finisher’s medal and event entitlements, which were a bottle of fruit juice and some water.

Carnival Games

To contribute towards the carnival vibe, there were different game stations available at the event location at Bayfront Event Space and because there was not much of a queue when I got back, I decided to take the opportunity to play all of the games. 

And in return for completing the games, I received stamps on a card, which entitled me to put my name into a lucky draw to win a one year’s free supply of Skechers products. Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try.

The games were simple yet they brought me back to my childhood days. These had included tic-tac-toe, a three-legged race and a timed jigsaw puzzle.

And as well, I also received a Skechers water bottle for my efforts at participating in the games.

Snacks Available 

Besides the games, old-school food items were also available for free, such as Potong ice cream and Kachang Puteh, both of which I had tried.

And the red bean Potong had been particularly delicious and refreshing, especially after the workout.

The Walk Ends

The Skechers Friendship Walk 2019 ended with a simple cool-down session by one of the event sponsors, Gold’s Gym, followed by the highly anticipated lucky draw.

Great Event For Family Bonding

Overall I would say that it was a fun event and great for family bonding, despite the sweltering heat and particularly high humidity levels, which had contributed towards making the weather conditions less-than-ideal for the event – especially when I had first arrived.

Thank you to Skechers Singapore for the invitation and slots for the Skechers Friendship Walk 2019.