Back when I was growing up in Londonderry, I started running to try to compete at the school sports day. I wanted to win and so at the age of 13, I joined the local athletics club (Sparta AC) and we trained twice a week. At this time I was not into long distance running, I focused on the 100m and 200m. I had some success in the Northern Ireland and Ulster Championships, but after heading across the water to England for university, after a quick one year in Belfast, my running days took a break.

Two and a half years ago, I started to get back into running. However, this time I was most interested in the marathon. Since childhood I’ve always had a dream that I would run a marathon and for some reason this seemed like the right time. After six months of training and having no idea what I was getting myself into, I ran my first marathon in Singapore and managed to complete it in 5hrs and 25mins. I could barely walk for days afterward, but it was a great sense of achievement.

Since then I have managed to complete 5 more marathons in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and shaved an hour off my time.

So, now it is onto my next challenge – our first 100km event. The common response I get from friends and colleagues is “Why?”. Well, for all those who run, you would have experienced that amazing feeling you have when you are out doing long runs. I also like to try new things and if I can do 42km then maybe I can do 100km… When Jeff and Alvin said they were interested, it was a done deal.

My charity of choice is the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM). Over the last couple of years, my eyes have been opened to just how common cancer really is. We had close family members diagnosed with cancer, and many colleagues and friends have shared similar experiences. So, for me, it is great to have the opportunity to run and at the same time raise money for a charity to fight an illness that affects so many.

The training has started and we hope to get ourselves into shape for the big day in June.

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To get to where you want to go, you’ll need to use both legs to arrive at your destination. If you do not move those legs and repeatedly put one foot in front of the other, you will not get to where you want to go. This is the basic rule of running.

All my life, I’ve been addicted to sports. I don’t particularly excel in a particular sport but if you ask me to play anything, I will. Be it tennis, badminton, table tennis, football, bowling and even basketball, I will say let’s go.

In 2006, my sister told me about a 10km run she had joined and she invited me to run with her. That was going to be the longest continuous distance I would have done on my own two feet in my entire life…or so I thought. During the run I felt like giving up and I seriously thought of disowning my sister. But when I arrived at the finish line, I was looking for the next race. It became an addiction.

It all started with that 10km run. I signed up for more 10km runs that year, slowly graduated to 21km and did that a few times. Then I decided to run a full marathon, which is 42.195km long. That is quite a distance, isn’t it? I’ve since completed 6 full marathons and numerous half marathons. I’ve also completed a race called the Powerman, which requires one to complete an 11km run, 64km bike ride, followed by another 10km run. After doing such long distances you come to realise that there are even longer runs in this world. Runs that require you to finish 50km, 80km, and even 100km – the Sundown Ultra Marathon.

So, the three of us have decided to sign up for this 100km event to challenge ourselves to complete this almost ridiculous distance. I’ve sat down and really thought about how far 100km is. It’s 100,000m and would take very long time to complete. We are given 16 hours to complete this distance. We will flag-off at 6pm on a Saturday evening and will be given until 10am the next morning to complete it.

Since this is such a huge milestone for us, we’ve decided to raise funds for charity. I’ve chosen to run for Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation – National Centre (KDSF-NC). KDSF-NC is a foundation that is committed to helping children with Down Syndrome. Donations will go to towards the setting up, operations and management of education centres for these children. I hope that you will donate as much as you can for every kilometre that I complete. Your donations will be accepted if, and only if I complete the entire 100km distance. So give generously and I will have no choice but to finish the race!

Everyone has their own limits, but to me, limits are only bound by what you believe you can achieve. If you believe you can climb the highest mountain, climb it. If you believe you can ride your bicycle to the corners of the earth, ride it. If you believe you can run the world, run it.

Thank You and Wish Us Luck!

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Never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would end up running marathons. I’ve always been more interested in team sports, compared to individual sports like running. But in June this year, I will be running an ultramarathon, a 100 km running event in Singapore with Alvin and David.

My love for running started in 2006, when I was getting too old to continue representing Malaysia in baseball tournaments. I had no choice but to look for an alternative sport. I was then introduced to running, but I’ve always thought that it is a boring sport. As it turns out, I was totally wrong. It is challenging, both mentally and physically. I have since run 10 marathons and many half marathons.

The secret to running is to register for as many races as possible. Once you have registered, the training becomes much easier. To my surprise, after I clicked “register” for this 100-km race, I found myself training harder and covering more miles than I have ever done during my previous training sessions. Sometimes when I am resting, just the thought of this race gets my heart pumping and adrenalin rushing through my body.

This 100km race will definitely be the biggest challenge for me and I am really looking forward to it.

I am happy to be running to also raise funds for the All Women’s Action Society Malaysia (AWAM), an independent organization committed to improving the lives of women in Malaysia. Its activities include developing programs to create awareness of women’s human rights, supporting issues on violence against women, and working towards a gender-equal society.

Funds raised will go towards sustaining their operations, and to continue running their program. I hope you will support my cause.

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