More than 13,000 runners kicked off their Sunday morning at the Great Eastern Women's Run, cheering each other on towards the finish line. Women across all race categories came together in celebration of health and happiness.

Getting to the Race

My friend and I signed up for the 5km Live Great! Fun Run and we decided to meet at City Hall on Race Day at around 645 a.m., as the flag off time for the 5km Fun Run was 730 a.m.

However, as we were still confused to which exit to take to head to the venue at The Float @ Marina Bay, we ended up walking to Esplanade MRT and taking a train to Promenade MRT and walk to the venue instead. Promenade was the closest MRT station to walk to The Float @ Marina Bay.

Time To Conquer The 5km Live Great! Fun Run

Due to the minor travel hiccup in the morning, we only managed to reach at about 7:40 a.m., just a mere 5 minutes before the last flag off at 7:45 am. We quickly put on our race bibs and headed to the start pen, and it was already packed with women of different ages and walks of life.

Off the horn goes, and we were off! Despite it being a Fun Run, most of the people did not break into a slow jog but instead strolled or brisk walked their way through the route.

Race Route

Overall, the running route was spacious and had ample barricades as well as signages to guide the runners where to run. We started running from the Singapore Flyer, along the F1 Pit Building, towards Nicoll Highway MRT Station, The Golden Mile and finished off at The Float @ Marina Bay. 

There were several road closures as well, and that enabled runners to run safely and not worry about oncoming traffic.

Dark clouds looming ahead of us.

Time to get lucky for some diamonds!

Prior to the race, my friend and I were quite excited about this segment of the run, as we thought that everyone will get a chance to grab themselves a diamond bracelet of some sorts. However, as we approached the Diamond Sanctuary, volunteers were standing around giving out diamond shaped cutouts for runners to wear on their wrist, stating that these are for the Lucky Draw at the end of the race.

Participants stand a chance to win one 1-carat diamond solitaire necklace (worth $12,000) and two 0.3-carat diamond solitaire necklaces (worth $1,200 each) from IV Masterpiece! Even though we were met with disappointment, we should have known that there wouldn’t be such a good deal!

The Diamond Sanctuary.

Rain Started at 3km Mark

At the 3km mark, a light drizzle started to fall. Luckily, I brought along an umbrella and also did not deposit our bags, or else we will be caught in the rain. We started to walk from then on, as we were only sharing 1 umbrella between 2 persons.

As we approached the Ball Pit area, the light drizzle started to turn into full-fledged heavy rain. Our socks, shoes and most of our bodies were drenched in the rain. It was such a pity that it started raining then, as because of the rain, we didn’t get to go into the colourful Ball Pit and snap ourselves some Instagram worthy photos. The 4km hydration point was just around the corner, and we made our way there quickly as it was situated under a large bridge, thankfully.

Runners seeking for shelter under the heavy rain.

Numerous runners took cover under the bridge and stood around taking sips out of the 100 Plus/water cups that were given out. It was a relief to gulp down cool 100 Plus, despite the rainy weather.

The runners were clad in ponchos or holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain. We even saw some runners unleash their creativity, and took the cardboard boxes used to store the drinks as a shield from the rain, and some even tore off the thick plastic wrapping that was used to wrap the drinks for shelter.

Post-Race + Lucky Draw

Upon crossing the finishing line, we were guided into the sheltered area to collect a banana, a bottle of Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, and also a can of 100Plus and not forgetting our 5km Finisher Medal!

Various exciting booths at the Race Village.

We gobbled down the banana as we were both famished by then. Shortly after, we decided to head out to the race village to collect our Breakfast Pack. It consisted of one chicken pie and a chocolate muffin. We then took a quick look around the race village, and there were a few food and beverages booths around. We didn’t give a shot at the booths as our energy was already long drained from the rain.

There was also a Kids Play area for the mummies who brought their children for the Mummy + Me Run and Princess Dash race categories. I thought this was quite a thoughtful move, as the kids would also be entertained after the race.

5km Live Great! Fun Run Finisher Medal.

There was also a Lucky Draw held after the race, and it was time to find out if we were the new owners of diamond necklaces. Sadly, we did not win anything from the Lucky Draw.

Summary

This is my first GEWR, and I can safely say that it has been an enjoyable experience for me. Running in a crowd of women runners does indeed feel different but in a good way. It reminds me that as a female, we can feel empowered and strong, and we too can achieve great things with sheer determination and willpower. Additionally, I was also glad to find out that a total of $57,662 was raised to support two causes - Breast Cancer Foundation and Women's Health Research and Education Fund.

Event Overview

• Despite the rain, the event ran smoothly without hiccups.
• It would be good to have a contingency plan for rain, as many participants had to find shelter from the rain.
• Breakfast Pack should be distributed together along with the Medal Collection Point, as signages were not clear enough on where to collect the breakfast.