Last Sunday morning at Marina Barrage, over 5,000 runners gathered together for the 32nd edition of the Run For Hope to unite in the fight against cancer. This was the second year in a row that the event hit full capacity.

The event is organised by Four Seasons Hotel Singapore and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

I participated in the 10km category. There was also a 5km category. This is a run that I have supported for the past few years due to the meaningful cause behind it.

The 10km event flagged off at 7:45am. I took the train to the start line and arrived a bit after 7am. The start line was at the top of the Marina Barrage slope. This is common for many of the races starting from the Barrage.

There was a separate wave for Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) staff in front of everyone else. They were flagged off at 7:45am and the rest of us began our run around two minutes later.

With thousands of people bursting out of the blocks at their top pace down the Barrage slope, I was eager to clear the slope as quickly as possible. The slope could be a potential trip hazard if one was not careful.

The route for 10km was quite straightforward, from the Marina Barrage across the bridge to Gardens by the Bay East, Tanjong Rhu and the Sports Hub. The entire route was park connector and no public roads were closed off for this run. But it’s one of the most scenic and beautiful routes in Singapore to me and I always love running here. The terrain and weather is nothing unusual; it was flat and paved the whole way, and the humidity levels were soaring especially after the heavy rain the night before.

There were not a lot of people for the first 5.5km of my run because I think I was running near the front of the pack. A few runners did overtake me at the beginning but after a couple of kilometres, everyone settled into their paces and I didn’t really see much people both directly in front and behind me.

I only saw lots of people on the return leg. Around my 6km in after passing the Tanjong Rhu bridge, the path merged for those who were outbound and the returning runners. This created some congestion on the route for outbound and inbound runners. It continued for the next couple of kilometres until the path widened again near the Gardens by the Bay East and there was more space for two lanes of runners.

The hydration stations along the way were good. I think that I counted three stations along the 10km route. The water and isotonic was ice-cold which was great. I always love ice-cold hydration especially when the weather is humid, so this was very welcomed.

The last few hundred metres across the Marina Barrage bridge before turning into the finish was motivating – thanks to the few runners and spectators who were waiting there and supporting. Thanks so much Ashley for the pics and vids and cheering me on to finish!

I crossed the finish line in 52 mins 44 sec according to my watch. As Run For Hope is a non-competitive run, there is no official timing.

There were lots of drinks waiting for us at the finish line, ranging from soya milk and chrysanthemum tea to coconut water and isotonic. It was very generous of the organisers to provide such a wide variety.

I missed one thing at the run though: the Milo van. I recall the Milo van, always a nostalgic part of my childhood, had appeared at previous iterations of the Run For Hope, so I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t back again for this year.

The finish line was very happening and fun! There were game booths and educational booths as well as a Zumba dancing activity which proved to be very popular with so many people swaying and dancing to the beats of the music. I tried a fishing game and walked away with a super cute little pink dolphin plushie. Old-school games available were a darts game and a can toss game that reminded me of bowling.

Beyond the run, participants were encouraged to dedicate their runs to the “Bibs of Bravery” tribute wall to honour loved ones and heroes affected by cancer.

As Singapore’s longest-running cancer awareness and research event, Run For Hope continues to be a rallying for hope, courage and compassion. This year’s event raised S$411,000 for the National Cancer Centre Research Fund.

Said Prof Lim Soon Thye, CEO, NCCS, “Run For Hope embodies the spirit of togetherness in our nation’s fight against cancer. More Singaporeans are being diagnosed with cancer every day, so it is vital that we keep innovating to improve treatment outcomes and survival rates for cancer patients. The funds raised from today’s event help to further advance cancer research that can save lives.”