After a year’s hiatus, the Great Eastern Women’s Run took place again this year, this time in a virtual format, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the cancellation of all physical mass sports events since 2020.

The 2021 edition saw five different race categories, including a special 113km category to commemorate the company’s 113rd anniversary.

The other categories were the 2km Mummy + Me challenge, and the 5km, 10km and 21.1km races.

Ran in the 113km category 

I took part in the 113km category. For this category, we had one month to clock the distance, which, as a regular runner, was definitely well within my reach.

As a pre-race goodie bundle, we were couriered a pack containing a reusable bag, a bright red Adidas race tee and a few goodies from sponsors. 

While the tee given did look pretty good, I think I would have preferred a singlet instead, as it would be cooler and more breathable in Singapore’s consistently muggy climate.

Move by Liv3ly app

We used the Move by Liv3ly app for the run. What I liked most was the feature where we could import each run from Strava or Garmin Connect and have it added to the race mileage. 

I already use a Garmin watch to clock my runs, so that was useful.

So this meant that I did not need to use the Move app to manually clock the distance each time.

As it stood, the current system was quite convenient but my only issue is that we had to remember to import each run session, otherwise it would not be added. 

An automatic uploader would have been more hands-free, but I guess the organisers wanted us to have some form of accountability to the mileage that we uploaded to count towards the virtual run event.

How I ran the distance

For my 113km, I completed it over a period of two weeks, over several runs. These had included a variety of sessions, from fast intervals to longer runs consisting between an hour to more than two hours in length. 

I run regularly, so I guess you can say that it was an added motivator for me to carry on with my regular training.

I ended with a 21km run to finish off the virtual mileage on a strong note.

The locations of the runs also varied, from East Coast Park to Marina Bay, Siglap, Bedok and around my neighbourhood in Marine Parade. This made my run sessions less boring.

Finishing the virtual run

Once I had uploaded my final session into the Move app, it congratulated me on my finish and an e-certificate was generated for me to download. I thought that it was pretty nifty.

My medal was sent to me shortly after my completion, and arrived in my mailbox quite promptly. It is a small medal compared to some others that I have received but it was pretty well designed.

A fun experience 

Overall my virtual 113km Great Eastern Women’s Run was a pretty fun experience and I enjoyed accumulating the mileage for it, but I still do miss the physical Great Eastern Women’s Run. 

I hope that the actual event can come back again soon. After all, nothing beats running in a big crowd with thousands of like-minded ladies.