The launch of the Great Eastern Women’s Run 2019 saw a great turnout at Guoco Tower, with close to 1,000 runners coming forward and committing to the event, which takes place on 3 November this year.

A Fantastic Turnout

Credit: DrinkTea Films

Said Keith Chia, Head, Group Branding and Marketing, Group Marketing, Great Eastern, “The turnout has been fantastic; within the first hour of the launch, the queue has been forming and it has been non-stop.”

First in the queue had been Lily Lim, 62, a business owner, who was there from 6:30am. She said, “I did not expect to be the first but I was very happy and surprised.”

Lily is a regular participant of the Great Eastern Women’s Run and she will be taking part in the Half Marathon. 2019 will mark her seventh year of participation in the event. 

She said, “Ever since I was introduced to this running race by my neighbour, Mary, I have been running this with her. I like this run because it is exclusively for women so it doesn’t feel as crowded. I have done other races but you have to elbow the guys and walk through bottlenecks.”

And continued Lily, “I also love the race village because we ladies really get pampered there. They’ve got things such as coffee, tea, ice cream and sandwiches so we ladies are really spoilt for choice. They are always so generous.”

The First-Ever All-Women’s IPPT

And in a first of its kind, the Great Eastern Great Eastern is also introducing a campaign focused on helping women with their physical and fiscal wellness, concluding with the introduction of the first nationwide Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) for women.

This IPPT will be held on 24 August and will give all women the chance to understand their current fitness levels and serve as a reminder to take protective steps to build a strong and healthy body for the long term.

Said Keith, “The all-women’s IPPT will be a first. So we are encouraging all women to come down to the National Stadium on 24 August. It will really be a good checkpoint to gauge their wellness and help them to plan for their health and find out how fit they are.”

He continued, “There will be a 2.4km run as well as push-ups and sit-ups. It is not competitive as we are not asking the ladies to go for the gold standard, but for ladies to come as they are and get their fitness assessed.”

Workout To Kick Off the IPPT Training

To kick off the campaign, an intense, hour-long workout took place at the launch event, led by trainers Wani Misban, Natalie Dau and Roxanne Gan. This was limited to the first 50 ladies who had turned up and for their efforts, the ladies were rewarded with a complimentary entry to the Run on 3 November.

For those who had missed the session though, in the weeks to come, the three trainers will be curating a series of exercises aimed at strengthening the female body. They will be conducting more classes in the lead-up to both the IPPT and the Great Eastern Women’s Run, from July onwards.

Credit: DrinkTea Films

One of the 50 workout attendees had been Nur Alfilda Binte Abdullah, 21. She said, “I enjoyed the session led by the trainers and will be looking forward to join their trainings in August.”

She added, “It will be my first time participating in the Great Eastern Women’s Run and I came down today to register with my friend. We will be attempting our first half marathon and we are very excited about these customised workouts to prepare us for the run.”

What can ladies expect at the upcoming IPPT-focused workouts, though?

Explained Natalie, 47, a health & fitness entrepreneur, “You have to join us and you will see! These workouts though will give people the chance to see how we train and take what we do, and implement these at home for themselves. It will be a great way to kickstart your fitness journey and work your way up to the run.” 

She continued, “Generally, on what to expect, I am more into hard-core cardio or HIIT, and Wani is more into core from pilates, while Roxanne teaches yoga and flexibility. All three is important when you run because you need to have a strong core to be able to run and you also need to be flexible and have the strength to get through the run too.”

Credit: DrinkTea Films

#RunToLiveGreat

And in addition to the IPPT-driven training sessions, the Great Eastern Women’s Run will also continue the popular #RunToLiveGreat programme, a ten-week long exclusive fitness programme that helps many first-time runners start their journey towards leading a healthier lifestyle. 

Guided by a panel of professional coaches, health & fitness specialists, participants will set their own fitness goals and track their progress.

Said Keith, “#RunToLiveGreat will be a great way for women to personalise their fitness journeys with us. The ladies in the programme will be able to join customised fringe activities such as training runs and wellness workouts – they are being planned and we will share more information in the coming weeks.”

Though the #RunToLiveGreat participants may get first dibs on the training runs and the fringe activities, some of these too, will be open to other runners as well as members of the public.

More Winners Recognised For Elite 21.1km Half Marathon

Through the Great Eastern Women’s Run, Great Eastern also seeks to do more to inspire runners to aim for and achieve more, and this year, they will be recognising more local athletes with the Elite 21.1km Half Marathon category.

So for the first time, the top ten elite runners in this category will receive cash prizes and a medal on the podium, compared to just recognising the top three runners.

More Race Festivities Than Ever

But what about those runners who just want to take part in the race for fun and are not aiming for the podium positions? What can they expect the 2019 event?

Said Keith, “Well we will be injecting more exciting food & beverage options as part of the post-race festivities. I will not let loose too much now, but it will be holistic, with a fantastic environment for women to pamper themselves after the event.

He continued, “As well, are also enhancing the race route thematics – for women who like to capture moments of themselves at the race. This could be in the form of photo installations, or selfie points, but we will not give the game away, just yet.”

Just Give It A Go

Nonetheless, Keith urges all women to get out there and give the Great Eastern Women’s Run, a go.

He said, “It may be a struggle to get individually motivated and move your butt from the couch, but the Great Eastern Women’s Run is a movement, a community of like-minded women doing it together as well as an all-ladies’ race. So it is a comfortable environment for you and your buddies to get going.”

And added Natalie, “If you have not done a run before, then this is a great one to try for the first time. I think that it gets everyone out, and is a great positive message for women to be active and become a great role model for their children, too.”

Gradually Ramp Your Training Up

But Natalie urges women to gradually kick-start their fitness programmes rather than rushing straight into it.

She said, “Once you have decided what distance to do, I would recommend to start a training programme around that. Many think that if they are training for a 21km race, they have to go out there and run 21km immediately but that is not true.” 

Continued Natalie, “Instead, it should be a slow build-up, not sprinting, but watching your heart rate and learning how to add additional kilometres gradually. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the training. Keep your heart rate steady, know your plan, and stick to it, and you will see yourself making progress.”

The Great Eastern Women’s Run will also be supporting women’s causes by donating S$1 from every participating runner to its beneficiaries – the Breast Cancer Foundation and the Women’s Health Research and Education Fund under SingHealth Duke-NUS Obstetrics & Gynaecology Academic Clinical Programme.

And runners who would like to donate on top of Great Eastern’s efforts may also do so when they register online. There are two options available, a minimum of S$5 which will entire runners to a tutu that they can don on their run, or S$20 where they can personalise their own race tees.

Race Registration Now Open

Registration for the Great Eastern Women’s Run is now open and begins from S$13. And for more information, head to greateasternwomensrun.com.