The eighth edition of the Terry Fox Run Singapore took place this morning at Angsana Green, East Coast Park.

Click here to view the Terry Fox Run 2018 photos at the photo gallery.

Aims To Continue Terry Fox’s Marathon Of Hope

A completely volunteer organised race where all donations and pledges go to the support of cancer research in Singapore, the Terry Fox Run Singapore aims to continue Terry Fox’s Marathon Of Hope and keep his aspiration of a cancer free world alive.

A Canadian teenager, Terry Fox was only 18 years old when he had been diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and was forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres above the knee in 1977.

In hospital, he was overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients and decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research, calling his journey the Marathon Of Hope.

Terry ran for 143km and 42 days before succumbing to his cancer at the age of just 22, inspiring many people along the way.

Key Charity Event For Canadians and Singaporeans

Since its debut in Singapore in 2010, the Terry Fox Run event has become one of the key charity events for both Canadians and locals in Singapore.

Many Can Identify With The Cause

Cancer research is a cause that many Singaporeans can identify with, such as Eddie Ong, 51, a Senior Manager at NUS.

Said Eddie, “This year’s event was my third Terry Fox Run. I run to support the cause of cancer research as it means a lot to me – I have had a few friends and family members who died from cancer so I understand how cancer puts a lot of physical and emotional strain on not only the patients but also their loved ones.”

He added, “Through these runs, I hope for cancer patients to know that we are supporting them and doing our part to do more research into cancer and find better ways to cure cancer.”

Eddie’s father passed away from stomach cancer after a battle of about 10-11 months with the disease. His mother also had rectal cancer and though she survived, she now has to carry a stoma bag.

His father-in-law also passed away from lung cancer six weeks after being diagnosed with it and his mother-in-law survived breast cancer after undergoing a mastectomy.

She Wanted To Honour A Friend Who Passed Away From Cancer

Karen Hobday, 36, a PhD student and lecturer in Health Promotion, also joined the Terry Fox Run because she wanted to honour a friend who passed away from cancer.

Said Karen, “This is my first Terry Fox Run. I signed up because my friend passed away from brain cancer last year and it means a lot to me, to be able to do this run in her memory, and to raise awareness and money for cancer at the same time.”

She added, “Too many people have been affected by cancer and the more research we can do towards cancer, it will help to hasten our chances of coming up with better treatment and faster cure for it.”

Consists Of A 5km And A 10km Category

The Terry Fox Run is a non competitive event consists of a 5km and a 10km category to cater to runners of different abilities.

Took Part In The 10km

I took part in the 10km category which flagged off this morning at 7.30am.

There was a small warm up led by volunteers before the actual run began in order to loosen our muscles for the run ahead.

Straightforward Route

The 10km category flagged off quite promptly and the route was very straightforward, taking runners from Angsana Green to Big Splash and back.

Then we had to continued onto the Bedok Jetty for a mini loop, in order to make up the distance, before completing our run.

An Easy Run For Me

I was targeting this as an easy run, having just completed the Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan the week beforehand. So I was not going to go out any harder than my easy heart rate zone cap.

I am familiar with East Coast Park because I train there, so the beachside race route was nothing new to me.

But with the 7.30am start time, I felt that it got a little hot towards midway to end point of the run and I was suffocating a little in the heat.

As such, I found that I had to slow down in order to bring my heart rate down again to keep it in the easy zone. But I managed this, though.

Cheerleaders Were Great

I liked the young cheerleaders near the end point, as they were constantly encouraging the runners on, and telling us to keep pushing.

The crowd support had also included event volunteers, who had been holding out kilometre signages to let runners know how much distance they had already completed.

They also encouraged runners along the way too, which was motivating.

The Run Was Fun

Other runners also enjoyed the run. Said Polly Meadows, 30, a Humanities and Psychology teacher at the Stamford American International School, “I enjoyed running with friends and that was really fun. I also felt incredibly lucky to be able to see the sunshine and feel the beach.”

She added, “It was also a great family bonding session as there was no pressure on us to run fast, but a lot of encouragement instead. Everyone was also wearing the tee to show their support to the cause so that was amazing.”

Everyone Was Enthusiastic

Her views were echoed by Anders Haglind, 29, a Senior Accounts Executive at sports organising company Yellow Marketing. He said, “I really enjoyed the feel of this run,. It was not so competitive and everyone was so enthusiastic. There were also some young cheerleaders that added to the atmosphere and made it fun.”

He added, “This was definitely a well done event considering that it is a charity run with low entry fees.”

Reduce Plastic Bottles Being Given Out

However in order to be more environmentally conscious, Anders felt that it may have been good to reduce the plastic bottles given out at the run.

This is because instead of providing cups of hydration to runners during the run, the event organisers gave runners entire bottles of water.

This may have created a lot of waste because most runners tend to simply sip the bottles rather than drinking the whole lot up, mid-run.

Said Anders, “It would have been good to reduce the plastic bottles from an environmental viewpoint.”

I counted that there were two hydration stations for the 10km route. Due to the hot weather, it may have been good to have had at least one more station.

But I admit I did not take any hydration myself because I did not want to carry a plastic bottle when I was running. I took a couple at the end, though.

A Half Marathon Category

Besides the hydration, Anders also felt that it would have been nice to have a Half Marathon category at the Terry Fox Run.

He said, “It would be fun to have added a 21km category to the run. This could have gotten in some of the competitive runners in addition to the fun ones.”

His views were also echoed by Polly, who said, “Putting a Half Marathon in place would have been wonderful though it may have added a competitive element to the run, however.”

Refreshments At Finish Line For Runners

Upon crossing the finish line, the event organisers were on hand to present runners with refreshments that included water, cookies and bananas. The refreshments were free-flow and runners could help themselves to them, too.

I really enjoyed the cookies, which had included a variety of flavours. I took the double chocolate one and another one that had a combination of nuts and chocolate in it and both were really yummy.

There were also a couple of booths at the race site, and these included a souvenir booth by the Singapore Cancer Society selling hand made keychains, stuffed toys and other small items, and a tee shirt booth by the Terry Fox Run organisers themselves, in case runners wanted to purchase an additional tee shirt for themselves.

Well Organised Event For A Meaningful Cause

Overall I felt the Terry Fox run was a well organised and functional event, where runners’ needs have been all generally taken care of. It is a great way to support such a meaningful cause.

Concurred Eddie, “The atmosphere this morning was really wonderful. You see all kinds of people – young and old, in support of this cause. The race was also very well organised with some nice refreshments at the end. It was good. I had fun and I will be back again.”

Agreed Laura Lacey, 42, Managing Director of an economic think tank, “The run was fantastic and also a lot of fun. The occasion that we were running for, was also for a beautiful cause. It was a well organised and great race and I will return.”

The Terry Fox Run 2018 photos will be uploaded to the photo gallery soon.

web counter