An annual run organised by Four Seasons Hotel, The Regent Singapore and the National Cancer Centre Singapore, the Run For Hope event tries to raise cancer awareness and support for cancer research.

Today, with more than 10,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Singapore annually and the disease accounting for one in four deaths here, it is no longer rare for people to have someone they know or love, to have been affected by cancer.

The 3.5km Family Fun Run flags off.

The 2016 edition of the Run For Hope comprised of two distances – a competitive 10km Race and a leisure 3.5km Fun Run. Taking place this morning at a city location –  The Promontory @ Marina Bay – the 10km category was flagged off at about 7.15am, with the first wave of the 3.5km event starting roughly about 10 minutes later.

Well-Organised, with a Good Venue

Runners who took part in the event thought that it had been very well organised. Said Matthew Harrison, 34, a Regional Sales Manager in the Aviation industry, who ran in the 10km race, “It was a good, well organised event with a clear running path. The weather was also great and the logistics and hydration were great too – the passers-by at Marina Bay didn’t interrupt the run much either, so that was excellent.”

Runners on their way towards the Gardens by the Bay.

He continued, “My favourite thing about the race was the venue. The view of the city is lovely and the Promontory is a great spot to end the run. The Marina Bay waterfront is beautiful. I run here quite often and am quite familiar with the area – so it is nice to do a race here as well.”

An easy and relaxed run in a scenic location

Entrepreneur Orane Reuland, 38, also enjoyed the race. Said the 10km runner, “It was a great race today – the landscape was quite flat and it was a pretty easy and relaxed run. The scenery was amazing – it is nice to think that this area of Singapore is so close to the CBD, yet there are no cars. The views of the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and Flower Dome from Gardens by the Bay are spectacular.”

She continued, “The weather was quite hot though! It was my first race in Singapore – and I am not used to the heat yet. The scenery did more than make up for it, though. This is definitely the perfect area to run a race in Singapore.”

Tthis run had lovely scenery.

Safety Manager David Inger, 58, had been running at the Marina Bay area for the first time, loved the location. Said the 3.5km participant, “This is my first run at Marina Bay. I am not one of these avid athletes – I am too old to jog! But I completed the race with half speed-walking and half jogging and managed to cope okay. And if you really have to jog somewhere in Singapore, then this is certainly the place to do it – I would like to come back here to practise.”

He added, “The logistics and weather was also perfect. As I said, it could not be better. The weather was cloudy and the early starting time made it just the right time of the day to do outdoor exercise. Later it would get really hot – I would certainly not want to do this sort of thing at 2 o’clock in the afternoon; in fact, I don’t think anyone would.”

Runners heading past the NTUC Building in Raffles Place.

Good for Bonding and Sharing Camaraderie

For Jon Wilkinson, 46, he also had a spectacular time this morning. Said the Engineer in the Insurance industry who ran in the 3.5km category, “It was such a well organised, happy and fun event and I really enjoyed myself and look forward to doing it again next year.”

The race carnival in full swing.

Wilkinson had taken part in the race, together with his son, James, 12 – who had participated together with more than 140 fellow students and their parents from his school – the Nexus International School in Mount Senai. And this is what Wilkinson loved the most about the morning – the shared camaraderie and friendship with so many other like-minded people.

He said “My favourite thing was the camaraderie – because James was here with his school friends and their parents as well, so it made this a really nice social event and the feeling of comradeship and bonding was great. Oh, and James beat me in the end!”

The Milo Van awaiting at the end point, with cold, refreshing Milo.

Support for cancer is a meaningful cause for many

Added Wilkinson, “The cause is also a very important and meaningful one – we have all had people that we know, who have had cancer or passed away through cancer. So we all want to do more to help them. My brother’s wife died of breast cancer six years ago. They have a little boy the same age as my son, so cancer is quite personal to us – and that’s why I feel so passionate about lending my support to such a cause. It would be good if they could find a way to eradicate cancer completely, one day.”

A young female runner sharing some bonding time with her baby sibling.

Cancer is also something that is close to Harrison’s heart. He said, “Everyone knows someone who has survived or died from cancer. My aunty died a few years ago from breast cancer – so it is always good to support something like this. I also know a lot of other people who have been touched by cancer, in some way or other.”

Agreed Reuland, “It is good that they are doing something like this, to drum up support for cancer. My husband’s dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks ago – so that’s why it was very important for us to run here today. We are flying back to Switzerland next week to see him.”

Vitagen at the finish line.

For Inger, supporting this noble and meaningful cause is also something that he feels quite strongly about. He said, “In fact, I took part in the race this morning for a girlfriend of mine – whom I was close to – and who lost her life last year from brain cancer. It was a terrible thing to happen, and I wanted to do this for her. There are so many people nowadays with cancer, so we all hope that the cure can be found as quickly as possible.”

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