This morning, more than 6,500 runners ran in support of second chances at the tenth edition of the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run, raising more than S$135,000 in the process.

Click here to view the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2018 photos.

Besides members of the public, many of the participants included corporate organisations and sponsors, local and foreign after-care organisations and their ex-offender clients, who were all united in support for the cause.

Run has generated increasing interest over the years

In fact, since its inception in 2009, the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run has raised a total of S$1,057,000 for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which funds rehabilitative programmes for inmates, ex-offenders and their families.

Said Wilfred Wee, 47, the Superintendent of Prisons and the Vice Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2018, “Over the years, this run has generated a lot of interest and we always have a good number of runners taking part. As such, we have also raised quite a bit of funds.”

A Key event by the Yellow Ribbon Project

The Yellow Ribbon Prison Run is a key event organised by the Yellow Ribbon Project, a community initiative that aims to create awareness of the need to give second chances to ex-offenders, generate acceptance of ex-offenders and their families in the community, and inspire community actions to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders into society.

Cause that resonates with runners

And this is a cause that had indeed resonated with many of the runners who had participated in the event.

Said Er Soon Xiang, 28, a Public Servant, “I think that everyone will make mistakes in life, whether young or old, so we need to give them a chance to turn over a new leaf. That is why my friends and I came together to run and support this cause.”

And agreed Huang Hui Jing, 35, an Auditor, “To me, running this race for second chances means that I am giving my support and encouragement to the ex-offenders, as this means we remember them and that they are not forgotten by society.”

Wee is encouraged by the support and what it means for giving second chances to ex-offenders – to help them turn over a new leaf in their lives.

He explained, “The fact that many people sign up for this run, is a demonstration of how supportive they are towards giving second chances. There are many runs taking place at this time of the year, but the fact that runners choose to be here, is a sign that they want to support our cause.”

5.6km Fun Run and 10km Competitive Run 

As with previous editions, the 2018 Yellow Ribbon Prison Run had consisted of a 10km Competitive Run category and a 5.6km Fun Run category. 

Also, a new initiative this year was the Road to Acceptance category, which had been a separate competitive team category within the 5.6km fun run, where ten teams of four runners each, comprising ex-offenders, represented the halfway house or aftercare organisation that their team is named after, with the top three fastest teams winning prizes.

I participated in the 10km event 

I took part in the 10km Competitive Category which was flagged off at 7.15am today.

I had been asked to run in the event as a Social Media Advocate and I had agreed, because I find this a meaningful cause that I wanted to put my support behind.

Reached early

After helping my media assistant to collect his media tag over at the Singapore Prison Services HeadQuarters, I took the media bus and reached the starting point – which was an open field nearby Changi Village – at about 6.15am. 

It had been still a bit early and the bulk of the crowd had not yet arrived, so I hung around and took a glass of water to hydrate myself before the run, and then I took a few quick photos. I made my way into the starting pen at roughly about 6.45am.

However other runners who had arrived later, had pointed out that there had been congestion on the way, though.

Said Hui Jing, “I think that at the start, there is always congestion – Many runners are stuck in bad traffic so they cannot get to the race site on time. But I guess this can’t be helped because Changi is one way in and one way out, and there are only two lanes on the road.”

Unlocking the prison

Similar to previous years at this event, I had noted that the starting gate had resembled a locked prison gate, which was supposed to be symbolic as it was meant to represent the release of the inmates from prison. 

As the runners continued to stream into the start pen, the emcee was already setting the mood and atmosphere and hyping runners up.

At about 7am, the event Guest of Honour, Minster for Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing, unlocked the prison gate that was the start line, in order to symbolise the release of the prisoners back into society.

Chan then flagged off the 10km run quite promptly at 7.15am, before then himself subsequently participating in the 5.6km Fun Run which begun at 7.45am.

Race Route

The race route had been quite significant and meaningful. It is almost the same route every year since I first began running this event in 2012, but I find it a very symbolic and unique route that also brings me to places of Singapore that I would otherwise not usually visit.

Set in an area with a rich wartime history, the route took runners to sights such as the Johore Battery and Changi Chapel Museum, as well as the Old Changi Prison Wall. Along with its two adjourning turrets, the old Changi Prison Wall was gazetted as a National Monument in 2016.

Challenging with Hills 

It was a rather challenging route though, with plenty of upslopes and downslopes, beginning at 2km onwards, all the way to the finishing line.

I started running at a slightly faster pace and my heart rate quickly hit the lower end of my Steady zone, but I have to admit that when I saw the first slope, my morale and motivation was deflated and my pace ended up slowing from that point onwards. 

I began to quickly realise that even though I have run in this event each year since 2012, I had somehow managed to forget how much rolling slopes the Changi area has.

And from then, I ended up maintaining a Steady Zone 2 heart rate all the way to the end of the race, slowing down at the uphills and speeding up again when I reached the downhill segments.

Agreed Joshua Soon, 46, a Trainer, “It was a challenging route that I have been trying to train for, for the past few years. I always find it hard to conquer the slopes.”

But having the constant slopes, however, had been symbolic, according to Soon Xiang, who said, “I felt that the upslopes and downslopes represented how the prisoners went through the ups and downs in life.”

Weather was good

Fortunately the weather was not too hot in terms of Singapore standards, so I suppose that had helped to balance out the challenge from the slopes.

Added Joshua, “The weather was really good.”

And agreed Hui Jing, “It was a good run and the weather was kind to us.”

Pacers 

As I ran, I noted that there were also pacers along the route this year, which was a first for the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run. 

And there were a few different timings, ranging from 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Hydration

In terms of the event hydration, I had counted about three aid stations along the 10km route and I think that this was enough for most runners. 

Personally, I didn’t take any drinks myself, because I don’t usually take hydration for a 10km run. 

But from what I could see as I passed by, only water seemed to have been available. I did not spot any isotonic drink being given out along the way this year.

Signages

There were also adequate signs located along the way to point runners in the right direction i.e. to turn left or to go straight, and the intersections for the 5.6km and the 10km races were also clearly marked. So I had no issues in navigation and running in the correct direction. This too, was good on the part of the organisers.

However, I subsequently heard that the race leader had been sent the wrong way at one point, and ended up running an extra couple hundred metres due to this. Fortunately this did not affect his position and he still won the race, though.

There were Games En Route

I noted that there were three different games along the route too, which represented the journey of ex-offenders – from to their release from prison to their acceptance into society.

The first game had required us to step over words such as ‘fear’, ‘rejection’ and ‘stigma’ which had reflected the psychological hurdles that ex-offenders need to navigate – in order to gain acceptance in society.

For the second game, it was basically like hopscotch, and we had to hop from tile to tile in a left-right motion. This represented the fact that the path to gaining acceptance in society is never smooth sailing for the ex-offenders and that they have to navigate physical hurdles in order to get there.

The third game had featured motivational messages from human sized cardboard cutouts of figurines. They represented the ex-convicts and held messages such as encouraging runners to ring the bell they were holding if we believed that they ‘could change for the better’ or if we supported ‘their hopes and dreams.’

I tried out all the games en-route, and I thought that they were simple yet meaningful and they had really added another layer to the run, in terms of putting runners in the shoes of the ex-offenders in an attempt to helping us to understand what they go through after their release from prison. 

So it had been a good move on the part of the organisers, to make this run more engaging.

And agreed Soon Xiang, “I went through the games along the way and they were quite innovative.”

However I had noticed that the games were all positioned at one point along the route – this was somewhere around the 4km mark. I thought that it would have been better instead, to have had these more spread out along the 10km course.

Mist Station

Besides the games, there was also a Mist Station to cool runners down, somewhere around the 5km mark of the 10km course. 

This Mist Station had made its debut at last year’s event and I thought that this was a good idea to keep runners cool, considering the heat and humidity that Singapore is typically notorious for.

And agreed Soon Xiang, “The mist was very cooling.”

Running through the mist did help me to cool down a little, but it was not as effective as I had hoped.

Artwork by inmates 

Another aspect along the route that I had found meaningful had been the artwork that was printed on the kilometre markings, together with motivational messages spurring runners to carry on going. 

One of the new features this year, this artwork had been done by the inmates and I thought they were quite beautiful. In fact, as I continued running, I found myself looking out for each kilometre marking for the lovely artwork.

Said Wee, “The art pieces were done by our artists at the Visual Arts Hub within the prison.”

Cheerleaders 

In the final few kilometres of the race when my body was getting a little bit tired, I particularly welcomed the presence of the enthusiastic, young cheerleaders and their bright, inspirational signages, who were doing a great job in motivating runners to keep going. 

Agreed Hui Jing, “The young cheerleaders gave me a very push when I was running.”

Running into Changi Prison 

The last two kilometres of the run had brought participants directly into the grounds of Changi Prison, which is quite special, as the prison compounds are usually locked and not opened to the public.

However, this part of the route, though symbolic and meaningful, had also felt as though it was never-ending, with the continuous twisting and turning, and every part of the prison had looked almost the same to me, which didn’t help too.

But seeing the 9km marker that I spotted up ahead, gave me reassurance that I was actually progressing on in the run… and that I was not stuck in a time warp. Because that was what it had felt like, at one stage.

The ‘500m to go’ marker was particularly inspiring… because this meant that I was going to finish the race. There was another short upslope at this point, but this was bearable, knowing that the finish point was just up ahead.

Finishing

Then after that, I saw the ‘250m to go’ sign and finally, the finish line. 

It felt good to finish another edition of one of Singapore’s most hilly road runs… and it really made my day, when, just up ahead, after the finish line, I saw a familiar green van parked in front.

Milo Van

Yes, that was the Milo van, which I immediately made a bee-line for, the moment that I was done with my race. I had missed its presence last year, so it was great to see it again this time around.

I have had fond memories of the Milo van ever since my school Sports Day events during my childhood days. So to see it after this morning’s 10km run brought back plenty of memories for me. 

At the same time, the Milo tasted very refreshing and delicious, and so it was a really welcome pick-me-up beverage after my workout too.

Indeed, I may still be a child at heart – these days, I look forward to the Milo Van and I am usually happy to see it after I complete a running race.

And apparently many runners had the same mindset as me, too, because the Milo was all gone by about mid-morning.

Rehabilitation Fair

Besides the Milo Van though, there was also an educational Rehabilitation Fair at the post-race village, which consisted of experimental exhibits for run participants to understand more about the inmates’ rehabilitation process from in-care to after-care.

I thought that this was very informative. Even though I have run several editions of the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run, there were still plenty of new things that I learnt at this Fair.

For instance, it was insightful to know learn that the inmates are given tablets with pre-determined apps installed on them. This was something that I had not known previously.

At the Fair, participants had the chance to browse through one such tablet – and the apps that the inmates have access to, include those for mail, as well as teaching of Maths and Biology.

It was interesting to know that the inmates are embracing technology and keeping up with the times, for example, learning to use electronic mail to communicate with their family and friends outside, rather than still sending messages via the snail mail way. 

But the officers who were at the Fair did point out to us that the email messages are still monitored closely.

I tried out the Biology quiz for fun myself, without having any expectations and surprisingly, I passed… so it looks as though I can still remember some of the O Level Pure Biology lessons from my teacher all those years ago.

As well, there was also a mock vending machine at the Fair, which resembled the one that inmates are given access to, to purchase snacks such as peanuts, candies and chocolates, as long as they have enough funds to do so.

With the increasing prevalence of vending machines to purchase anything from drinks to snacks and even hot meals in Singapore these days, it is also nice to know that the inmates are embracing these technologies during their time behind bars, too, so that they will not be given such a rude shock when they are released into the outside world.

At the Fair too, there were also displays of the sort of soft skills that inmates are taught during their time behind bars, such as baking and laundry, so that they will be able to use such skills to contribute back to society upon their release.

Participants of the run were given complimentary samples of the muffins, which had been baked by the inmates from the prison’s in-house SCORE Bakery.

I tried one, and these are delicious – and comparable to the muffins that can be found at the bakery shops island-wide.

Said Wee, “Baking and laundry are some of the life skills that we give them, in addition we also give the inmates psychological based training so that they can understand what went wrong with their criminal thinking and how to stay away from crime when they are eventually released.”

Other features of the Rehabilitation Fair included a mock-up of a prison cell complete with a small basket of the belongings that prisoners are given, as well as a Visual Arts Hub where paintings, pottery and other artistic works done by the inmates were on display. 

I thought that these artistic works were really impressive and that some of the inmates are indeed talented.

Letters From Behind The Wall

But the aspect of the Rehabilitation Fair that caught my attention the most, was the ‘Letters From Behind The Wall’, which, as the name suggested, was a wall display of letters written by inmates and reflected their aspirations in their lives when they are released. Runners could read these letters and respond to them.

Said Wee, “Through the letters, we hope that the participants will get a sense of the inmates’ hopes and dreams and plans for the future. We hope that this will help people understand how the inmates want to make the change in their lives and be deserving of their second chance.”

Indeed, many of these letters had touched my heart and I found myself tearing as I read through them – even though the writers of these notes were complete strangers to me. 

 

I have always supported second chances, but with these letters being written from actual people who were locked within the prison, it really drills in the fact that they are merely people like you and me, who have made mistakes in life, and are currently paying for their mistakes, but want the chance to make amends.

In fact I was so touched that I decided to reply to one of the notes too, and I hope that the inmate I responded to, will read my letter and use it as a form of motivation upon her release, when she turns her life around.

Hui Jing also felt the same way, and she said, “When I was at the Rehabilitation Fair, I thought it was very meaningful that we could write notes to the inmates and address their comments which were printed on the walls. This was definitely an improvement to last year’s edition of the Rehabilitation Fair.”

As well, runners could pen their words of encouragement on a yellow ribbon at the race village and hang it on the tree of acceptance, symbolising their support to give second chances.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

But the most popular booth at the Fair seemed to be the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream one.

When I had first reached the race carnival, there was not much of a queue so I quickly took an ice cream myself and the cold treat definitely tasted like heaven in my mouth.

And as the morning wore on, the line grew steadily longer and pretty soon, it had seemed as though it was snaking all around the prison grounds. 

Well, it had sure seemed as though many runners felt like they deserved a treat too, after their respective workouts.

Subsequently, I did eventually help myself to a second ice cream, though, when it begun to get hot – as the Changi Prison area really doesn’t have much shade, after all.

Games

There were also games at the post-race village relating figuratively to the hurdles that the ex-offenders have to face upon their release from prison, and these included games testing bowling and football kicking skills.

Over at the stage area, too, there were performances given by the prison’s in-house performing arts groups, and I thought they were quite talented and that they show promise.

Educational and Informative 

As a whole, my time at the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run was an educational and enlightening experience. I picked up many insights regarding the journey of an ex-offender from their release to acceptance into society, and at the same time I had a good birthday morning workout. 

And agreed Soon Xiang, “The carnival was definitely good. Many of the games and exhibits demonstrated acceptance, courage, opportunity and forgiveness, so this is really demonstrating how we can give the inmates a second chance upon their release.”

So I had thought that it was definitely a great and meaningful way to spend my birthday, to have had this opportunity to spend the time doing something for a cause that’s much deeper than just thinking about and indulging myself.

Ex-Offenders are truly grateful 

And as for the ex-offenders who had taken part in this year’s event, they find it heartening that the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run has been gaining ground over the years and that more people than ever, are showing support and acceptance towards people like them.

One ex-offender who is truly grateful for the second chance that was offered to him was Roslan B Hashim, 44, a Work and Safety Health officer who took part in the 5.6km Road To Acceptance category. 

The 2018 edition is Roslan’s second Yellow Ribbon Prison Run – the first time that he took part was during the inaugural edition in 2008, which also marked the year when he was first released from prison.

Quipped Roslan, 44, “I tried the first run back in 2008 and I thought that after ten years, the road would be a lot smoother but it is not. My hope was gone; it is still just as long and winding as ever.”

He added, “But seriously though, coming back to run, I can relate to this scenario. The winding road is the same as my life. The road is never ending, just like my life. Even after coming out of prison, it is important to be mentally prepared and have the stamina to face the challenges of society and to never give up. We must have faith in life.”

Roslan was incarcerated for ten years during his early 20s, for drug trafficking and consumption offences. 

He said, “It was a foolish moment and I could not think straight at that point in time. My energy was diverted the wrong way. But after doing some soul searching and reflecting, I think that now is the right moment to make amends, I did my rehab and I think that I am doing fine now.”

Since his release in 2008, Roslan has started a family and has upgraded himself with courses and gotten a job, turning his life around for the better.

Change is not easy, but must come from within

He said, “From my experiences, I think that one should not give up, but instead, strive to do better – no matter what obstacles come your way. Change must come from within and I think that you have to want to make a change yourself; it cannot come from others.”

But making change isn’t easy though, Roslan admitted, explaining that the first six months after his release were the hardest to adapt to. For example, in prison, he was in an all-male environment but upon release, he had to suddenly get accustomed to being close to many females, especially on the train during the morning and evening rush-hours.

He said, “Those times were a test for my endurance and character, but after that things got slower and I was able to eventually adjust smoothly.”

Roslan continued, “But these days, I still struggle with nightmares. Sometimes I wake up at nights with bad dreams and flashbacks about going back into prison. The fear is still there and I am still adapting to life after prison.”

Nevertheless, Roslan is happy with the direction that his life has taken him.

This is because he understands that ex-offenders have to also prove themselves with their skills and capabilities too, just like any other job seeker, rather than merely hoping to be given a second chance simply because they are ex-offenders.

He said, “Like everyone else, I need to continuously prove myself. It is good that society is becoming more accepting towards people like us, over the years, but ex-offenders themselves also need to have the correct mindset in terms of making good of their talents and skillsets, in order to make a living in their chosen fields.”

 

Event organisers are happy 

The event organisers are very happy with the turnout and the progress of the Yellow Ribbon Run too.

 

Said Superintendent of Prisons 1A Cheam Tiong Pheng, who is also the Chairperson for the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run Organising Committee this year, “Over the last ten editions of the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run, we have seen the strong show of support from the community and aftercare partners which has helped encourage ex-offenders to bravely walk the Road to Acceptance.” 

And he continued, “The second prison that ex-offenders face upon release is one that can be unlocked by the community’s giving of second chances.”

Click here to view the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2018 photos.

Thank you to the Yellow Ribbon Project for the opportunity to run for second chances.