I took part in the Pledge Your Heart Walk 2016 this morning with my dad.
Organised by the Singapore Heart Foundation, this meaningful Walk is held in conjunction with the Go Red For Women campaign – which aims to raise awareness and reduce cardiovascular disease in women.
A sea of red at the starting pen.
All proceeds that had been collected from the event, would be donated to initiatives for the Go Red for Women charity campaign.
A 3.5KM walk at Marina Bay
The 3.5KM Pledge Your Heart Walk took place at 8.00am in this morning at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. My dad and I had reached the location at about 7.15am in the morning and we were immediately greeted by a sea of red. Everyone was showing their support for the cause. We then spent some time looking around the race village, and taking a few photos, before heading into the starting pen.
Upon seeing the mascot of the Singapore Heart Foundation, a large red heart walking around, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a photo with it as it had looked so cute.
The Singapore Heart Foundation mascot was so cute.
Prior to the event flag off, there was a speech given by the event’s guest – Bryan Wong, a MediaCorp TV actor and television host. This was followed by a workout from the event’s official fitness partners, the Fitness First gym.
Starting the walk
At about ten minutes past eight o’clock, we were finally flagged off. As we were at the front of the first wave, we had been able to avoid human traffic and congestion during the route.
The route itself was a scenic one, taking the walkers along Raffles Avenue, and across the Jubilee Bridge and Merlion Park. I ran small parts of the way in order to stay ahead of the crowds, as well as ensuring I was able to stop to take photos along the course.
The walk flagged off at ten minutes past eight o’clock in the morning.
We were then brought through Marina Boulevard and Marina Bay Sands before heading back to the starting point at the Marina Bay Waterfront promenade where we collected our medal, a bottle of water and a Gardenia raisin bun.
Though the sun had come out by now and this made the walk quite hot and humid, at least it wasn’t too bad as the 3.5km distance was quite short, taking us about 26 minutes to complete.
Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience Museum along the route.
However I would like to mention that perhaps there could be an actual system in place to make it easier for the organisers to spot event participants when issuing them their finisher medals – as not everyone had been wearing the event tee-shirt. For example, mandatory event bibs could have been issued – as is the case with the majority of running and walking events.
Lots of activities at the race site
I thought the medals are cute!
Upon completion of the walk, there were plenty of activity at the event village. For example, hungry walkers could have Marigold milk, Nestle Omega milk products and F&N Nutri-Soy – Marigold, Nestle and F&N were both sponsors of the Pledge your heart Walk.
There was also a Kids Corner where both children and adults alike, could request for balloons from the event’s balloon magician, or have a temporary glitter tattoo done. I queued up for a sweet looking balloon flower.
Participants queuing for samples of Marigold milk.
Messages to remind people of the importance of doing regular exercise in order to keep cardiovascular disease at bay, were also displayed around the event village. These were definitely educational, and I learnt that two of the top reasons for cardiovascular disease, were stress and a lack of exercise
In fact, according to the Singapore Heart Foundation, doing about 30 minutes of daily exercises, such as brisk walking or running, is enough to keep cardiovascular disease at bay.
Walkers queuing for their finisher medals.
A most useful service, for many of the participants at today’s walk, was probably the opportunity to have a free cholesterol and blood pressure check done. Dad and I decided to queue up for about an hour to do this. I admit that the wait for this was a bit frustrating at times though, as the queue had hardly seemed to be moving. But the wait was worth it.
As well, a lucky draw was also conducted at the event site, but unfortunately we had not been lucky enough to pick up any of the prizes on offer though.
A meaningful event for a good cause
It was a meaningful 3.5KM walk for a good cause.
Overall I would say that this was a great morning out in the city, taking part in a meaningful event to raise awareness and funding for a good cause. Dad and I not only had fun and quality bonding time, but we had also learned more about cardiovascular disease and how to prevent it.
Thank you, Singapore Heart Foundation – for our slots.
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