Close Menu
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
  • Home
    • About RunSociety
  • Tools
    • BMI Calculator
    • Pace Calculator
    • Daily Calorie Calculator
    • Kilometers to Miles Distance Converter
    • How to Calculate Heart Rate with Heart Rate Calculator
    • How to Use The Best Ideal Weight Calculator
  • Design Services
  • Online Races
  • Cool Deals
  • Advertise
  • Contact RunSociety
Categories
  • Community
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Gears
  • Health & Injuries
  • Highlight
  • Inspiration
  • Interviews
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Races
  • Reviews
  • Training
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
  • News
  • Community
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Gears
  • Health & Injuries
  • Highlight
  • Inspiration
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Races
  • Reviews
  • Training
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
  • Home
    • About RunSociety
    • Advertise
    • Contact RunSociety
  • Tools
    • BMI Calculator
    • Running Pace Calculator
    • Daily Calorie Calculator
    • Kilometers to Miles Distance Converter
    • Heart Rate Calculator
    • Best Ideal Weight Calculator
  • Running Events
    • Singapore Running Events
  • Online Races
  • Design Services
  • Shop
  • Get Nice Photos
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running MagazineRunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
Home»Interviews»Running To Help Children Smile
Interviews

Running To Help Children Smile

Josh LyeBy Josh LyeNovember 22, 2012Updated:March 5, 20163 Mins Read
Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest
Running To Help Children Smile
Share
Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest

Born with a cleft lip, Mike Cheong knows what it’s like to be the butt of people’s jokes.

The 29 year old public relations consultant is grateful for his family’s financial and emotional support to help him through numerous procedures when he was a child.

He tells Our Better World that many cleft lip kids in Asia don’t have that kind of support. So he’s using his feet to help those kids smile, running the full Standard Chartered Marathon this year to raise funds so they can get the care he received.

How long have you been running competitively and why?
I’ve been running competitive races for the past five years, and to be honest it was purely just to look good, feel good, stay in shape.

All good reasons, no?
Well, after running competitively for two or three years, I realised it was pretty much just doing the same routine over and over again, and you know, it’s pretty much getting a medal for myself at the end of the race.

It was only in 2010 when I realised that, ‘hey there’s this opportunity to try to do something good, not just for myself but for someone else’. It was pretty interesting so I decided to have a look at it and I realised that there is a charity called Operation Smile that helps less fortunate children who are born with a cleft palate and give them proper treatment for their condition.

I myself am a cleft lip baby, but I was very fortunate to receive treatment. But there are many other children out there who are unable to receive that, and I wish to just raise awareness for their cause.

So I thought that instead of running for myself I could run for people who have suffered the same condition as me.

Running To Help Children Smile

Did the running feel different?
It definitely felt different. I was running for a cause and it wasn’t just for myself anymore. When I hit that point where I really wanted to stop and I felt like giving up, knowing that I was running for someone else, knowing that I was running to raise awareness actually helped to encourage me to keep running and keep going.

I just reminded myself that there are other people who are, in a way, counting on me to raise awareness. There are people who are actually looking out to see whether I finish the race or not, and that’s an extra push for me.

Running To Help Children Smile

What are you looking forward to at this year’s marathon?
I enjoy running, and I enjoy raising awareness for this cause. Being able to do that at this year’s StanChart Marathon is just the perfect mix for me.

I look forward to running well and finishing safe. There’s always this element of surprise; you never know if something will happen during the race.

Help Mike to put a smile on children’s faces through Operation Smile.

Charity Run
Share. Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Email LinkedIn Pinterest
Josh Lye
Josh Lye
  • Website

A member of the Our Better World team, coming in second last in a triathlon is Josh’s claim to athletic fame (the last person to finish, who was just 100m behind him, ran the entire 10km without shoes). These days, the recovering journalist, endeavouring father and aspiring retiree only “runs” around the park with his wife and seven-year-old son.

Related Posts

Organise a Successful Charity Walk in 2024: Why is It Important?

October 10, 2023

101 Useful Tips on How to Be a Good Pacer

August 3, 2023

Here’s How the Keto Diet Helps You to Run Better

September 16, 2022
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Updates

Get free access to the latest running event updates, promotions, product announcements and much more!

Let’s Take A Walk 2023: Passion Fuels Singapore’s $150K Charity Triumph

November 6, 2023

Singapore Marathon Prep: 7 Easy Steps For New Runners

October 26, 2023

New Singapore City in Nature Challenge: Celebrate 60 Years of Greening

September 25, 2023

Run For Singapore 2023: Join the Movement for a Healthier Nation

June 11, 2023
RunSociety – Asia's Leading Online Running Magazine
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
  • Home
  • About RunSociety
  • Advertise
  • Contact RunSociety
  • Community Guidelines
  • Ethics Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Policies

With a commitment and pride to quality content for the running community. RunSociety is, and always has been an independent body.

Copyright © 2011 - 2023 RunSociety. All Rights Reserved. Designed & Developed In House.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.