From athlete to homemakers, women in Singapore are joining Mizuno Women’s Run for their own personal reasons. However, one common reason among these superwomen is to raise each other up in this supportive women-only race.
Meet these 6 awesome women online before you say hi to them on the race day.
The Student: Natalie Goh
The 20-year-old Natalie Goh comes from a family of 5. She has 2 older sisters and 2 toy poodles that she adores to bits and pieces. Natalie used to be a dancer from primary school all the way to secondary school. Having just completed her studies in Temasek Polytechnic’s Hospitality & Tourism Management, Natalie currently enjoys learning about makeup and hopes to pursue it in the future.
RS: What makes you want to join a women-only run?
Natalie: Since I am not very athletic, I want to try out something new and push myself to do what I always deemed as “impossible”. I think if I had something to participate in, moreover in a big group, it would motivate me to achieve the goal of completing the run because everyone else is also pushing forward to reach the same goal.
RS: What are your considerations when choosing which running event to participate in?
Natalie: As I have not been doing any sport for a while, I chose to tackle the 2km Fun Walk/Jog. I was considering my stamina and had to be realistic in terms of which would be more achievable for me. I also considered the date and location of the event as I had to make sure of my availability and that the location was convenient to travel to.
RS: Is there a woman in your life that has inspired you to take bold actions or to be a better version of yourself? Tell us about her, and how she has inspired you.
Natalie: That would be my mother, who has shown me how fearless and grounded of a woman she is. She has always been the mother who is so kind and understanding towards us as her children and never gave up on any of us even when we were hard to handle. Despite going through difficult times, she would always be selfless and put her family’s safety and health above anything else. Growing up with such a loving mother who is such a strong individual has inspired me to better myself.
RS: How has running changed your life?
Natalie: Running has always been necessary throughout the years of growing up, such as for 2.4km run in school and for fitness purposes. I think running challenges one not only physically, but mentally as the mind has to be strong to accomplish the set goal till the end.
RS: What is your message to other female runners like yourself?
Natalie: There is no harm in trying, you can only gain from running.
RS: What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Natalie: With the advancement of technology, health and physical activities may not be as intriguing, and apathy towards fitness may creep up on them since there are other means to achieve what they are looking for regarding physical attributes.
RS: What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Natalie: The best decision I have ever made would be to continue life with a positive attitude in spite of many gruelling and troubling problems faced. Worst decision would be not treasuring my time and health enough and taking them for granted.
The Homemaker: Camila Lutfiah
The laid-back Camila Lutfiah is a mother of 1. She loves to indulge in coffee and desserts. At times, she can be quite obsessed with cleaning and organising her home.
RS: What makes you want to join a women-only run?
Camila: This is my first! We all have our own story and strength so I want to be amongst other superwomen!
RS: What are your considerations when choosing which running event to participate in?
Camila: With a baby in tow now, I think location and distance are the key factors. I need to think about feeding time nowadays!
RS: Is there a woman in your life that has inspired you to take bold actions or to be a better version of yourself? Tell us about her, and how she has inspired you.
Camila: YES! My very good friend Mazlina Mazlan. She is a fierce individual who exudes self-confidence and kindness. She works in a hospital as a Baby Physiotherapist. After the birth of my son, she visited me regularly and kept checking up on me about his development. That pushed me to want to help other mummies like she has done for me. I recently took a Baby Massage course. I hope to pass my knowledge to other mums in need of help.
RS: How has running changed your life?
Camila: It has given me a body I used to dream of as a fat teenager. I also feel more energetic and this is important when you have a baby who is ready to stand and walk!!!
RS: What is your message to other female runners like yourself?
Camila: Do it! Even if it’s a 10-minute jog that you can do. The start may be hard but the outcome is worth it.
RS: What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Camila: Time! Finding time to do anything for ourselves (be it to exercise or pamper oneself) will be tough because we are always rushing our day.
RS: What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Camila: Best decision: Marrying my husband. He supports me in anything that I do. Worst decision: Truthfully, I have yet to make the worst decision of my life! Hahahaha!
The Athlete: Jasmine Goh; with the Sisters: Cherish and Faith
The 39-year-old Jasmine Goh is no stranger to runners in Singapore. Having won Singapore Marathon 2016, represented Singapore in the SEA Games 2017, and recently won Translantau 100km 2018, Jasmine doesn’t plan to stop running.
The single mother will participate in Mizuno Women’s Run with her two beautiful girls, Cherish (11) and Faith (9).
RS: What makes you want to join a women-only run?
Jasmine: Women play a big role in the community and in the family. Yet, many women take very little time off their busy schedules to take care of themselves. Women-only runs like Mizuno Women’s Run 2018, honour our selflessness and gives us an opportunity to celebrate sisterhood! I look forward to 15 April 2018 as it will be fun to be in the company of fellow women, letting our hair down and enjoying the scenic Clarke Quay run.
RS: Is there a woman in your life that has inspired you to take bold actions or to be a better version of yourself? Tell us about her, and how she has inspired you.
Jasmine: My paternal grandmother became a widow at age 29 with three young kids (the youngest still in her tummy). She single-handedly raised three kids even though she had no education and no money. When she had stroke the first time in her seventies, she regained almost full mobility within two months! Unfortunately, a fall she had subsequently, made her wheelchair bound. However, she remains very independent till this day. Her tenacity and “Never Say Die” attitude towards life, inspires me every day to push my limits and take actions towards my dreams.
RS: What is your message to other female runners like yourself?
Jasmine: Not everyone reading this message, can run a marathon today. But almost everyone reading this message can start preparing for a marathon today. Take baby steps right now!
Because “Big great goals are PLENTIFUL, but people who take action steps towards them are RARE”. Be rare, my dear ladies! Take action towards your running goals today!
RS: What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Jasmine: Breaking the gender stereotypes. Women have done much over the years (Singapore’s first female president! Yeah!) but more can be done.
RS: What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Jasmine: Sometimes, a single decision can change the course of history. The best decision I have ever made is definitely to love myself more! Because of that decision, I took up running and look at where I am right now! My life has indeed changed because of running. Running has given me so many opportunities to live my life to the fullest and become a better person!
Worst decision is a myth. Every “bad” decision has a nugget of gold. Ask yourself: “What can I learn from this?” and “How can I use it to my advantage?”
The Public Servant: Cheryl Hoe
Cheryl grew up in an all girls’ school and now is a teacher in an all girls’ school in Singapore. She enjoys keeping a healthy lifestyle but sometimes finds it challenging to find time to exercise due to her busy work schedule. She aims to do a short exercise once a week, be it a 2-3km run, spin class, dance class or yoga.
RS: What makes you want to join a women-only run?
Cheryl: To be honest, it’s my first run! I’ve never done anything like this before. I always thought I don’t have the stamina or mental will-power to complete a run more than 2.4km, but this year, some of my girlfriends wanted to do an official run and I thought, “Ok well, why not challenge myself?” New year new me, right?
RS: What are your considerations when choosing which running event to participate in?
Cheryl: I chose the 5km run because I think 2km is easily achievable. I guess 5km would be a bit of a challenge since I’ve never done that distance before, but I want to push myself. It will definitely be a good experience.
RS: Is there a woman in your life that has inspired you to take bold actions or to be a better version of yourself? Tell us about her, and how she has inspired you.
Cheryl: I have a really good mentor at work. I really don’t know where to start and I wish everyone could just meet her.
Ok, maybe I can start by highlighting her heart for the students. In all her actions, she only wants the best for them. She uses unconventional methods to connect with the students and gain their love and respect, so that teaching would be memorable and effective. She spends time on Saturdays coaching some of her weaker students in math even though she doesn’t need to. She sacrifices so much because she believes in the impact of her actions on the lives of the next generation.
My mentor doesn’t just treat the students so kindly. She treats everyone around her with the same attitude and love. I think that’s why she’s so well-respected and loved by the people who’ve had the chance to work with her.
She inspires me to have genuine and deeper love and understanding for the students I teach. She also exemplifies true humility, in that she never thinks she’s wiser just because she is more senior. She listens to my opinions first, and then really considers them before replying. I wish one day I could be like her.
RS: How has running changed your life?
Cheryl: I used to dislike running and would rather do anything else, but running trains my discipline and I feel that my life is a little more in control whenever I run.
RS: What is your message to other female runners like yourself?
Cheryl: I really admire you!
RS: What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Cheryl: With a whole feminism movement trending nowadays, it’s easy to cross the line and think we’re entitled to things we may not actually be capable of doing. I think one of the greatest challenges for women from now and beyond, is to be resilient, yet humble enough to admit weakness, and not having the mentality of being entitled.
RS: What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Cheryl: Besides choosing to be a Christian, one of the best decisions I’ve made is probably to start an active lifestyle from young. I did competitive swimming, golf, table tennis and dance, and enjoyed it all! I think it’s really important to start young and cultivate the joy and habit of exercising. If I didn’t do sports when I was younger, I don’t think I’d be as keen nor motivated to keep a healthy and active lifestyle today.
I wouldn’t say I have one worst decision. I’ve made many mistakes growing up, and all of them shaped me into who I am today. No doubt, every bad decision may have felt terrible at that point, but over time, I always like to look back and see how I’ve grown because of what had happened. One of the earliest memories I have of making a bad decision is quite funny though! I remember not doing my Primary 4 Math workbook and left page 10 to 26 blank. For a 10-year-old, that was a very very big deal! Maybe that’s why I still remember it up til now!
They say your best comes next. Will your best come at Mizuno Women’s Run 2018? To find out, register before it’s too late! Registration will be closed on 1 April 2018!
