The Love Your Heart Run, organised by Explomo Consulting Pte Ltd, took place without a hitch on a Saturday morning at Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade.
2000 runners gathered at the starting lines in high spirits, all ready to start their weekend with a bang by running against the CBD backdrop and clear blue skies (thankfully). That’s not all; they were there for two good causes: to raise awareness of good heart health and to raise charity funds. For every 1km covered during the race, Nestle Omega Plus Acticol would donate $1 to Singapore Hearts Foundation.
In Singapore, one of out of every three deaths is caused by heart disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease remains as the leading cause of death globally. It is critical to take proactive steps amidst our busy schedule to maintain good heart health and so, what better way to kick-start your healthy lifestyle journey than running?
The entertaining Yoga Master warmed the crowd with his humor while sharing some yoga tips to relieve post-run soreness. Organisers of the event presented a cheque of S$30,000 to the Singapore Heart Foundation Wellness Centre. Guest-of-Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Manpower then flagged of participants in the 10km category and joined in the 3.5km run segment.
The cooling breeze complemented the picturesque scenery, taking the runners through the distance smoothly. It was a sea of whites while runners stride past the heart health facts printed on the distance markers. Water points were adequate and strategically located, like right before the upslope of the Marina Bridge for instance. However, the pre-packed Polar Distilled Water pose as a challenge to drink as straws were still best suitable for it and the water seems to be too much for the average runner to even finish half of it. Perhaps the organisers can consider the usual smaller plastic cups next year for the convenience of runners and also to prevent water wastage.
The route was fairly smooth except for the bottleneck towards the finishing line with the 3.5km lane merging into the 10km lane, which could be improved.
Most runners crossed the finishing line by 8.30am to collect their heart-shaped medal, isotonic drinks and fruits, not forgetting the healthy sweet treats from the sponsors.
Indeed, it was a Saturday morning well-spent with runners leaving with wide grins after running for their health, as proudly printed on the medals, “I’m running for my heart”. Live long as well as live well, is definitely the way to go.
