Yahoo! Singapore Answers blog

Last evening I did the impossible. I completed the 10km Nike Human Walk Race! 10k may not be much, you may say. But to someone who has not been to the gym (and didn’t do any body warm ups, argh mistake!) for more than half a year, it was an extremely long and painful journey. But this is not purely just a race, though there are a few superhumans who completed the whole F1-worthy route within 30 minutes (they are not human!). As you will see from the photos below, it’s also about friendship, personal perseverance, and comradeship. I spotted many couples either walking or jogging along each other, giving constant encouragement. I saw friends, laughing and supporting each other. There were Nike volunteers standing at every few hundred meters cheering us on. It really felt as if there were no boundaries between strangers, we were all in the same boat, and together we can do it.

The Running Kit provided by Nike.

All the Yahoos preparing to run!

Getting into positions.

Warming up in front of the Spiny One.

All pumped up by the Rock music that was blaring from the speakers.

When the runners are tired, it became the Human Walk. LOL!

Cheerful Nike Volunteers cheering us on and providing directions to the lost sheep.

Happy friends running on.

We had different bands at different parts of the route reviving our energy and spirits with music!

This, unfortunately, was not a pretty sight. I wonder how many trees were killed for all those paper cups used.

Another couple running steadily on.

First Aid on a Bike!

Friends @ 5km!

As with all races, one will see “corpses” along the way.. this was the remains of someone’s unlucky shoe. LOL!

Jubilant friends doing the final sprint!

Was that the Nike Human Race mascot or a fellow runner???

At the Finish line!

And after the long, arduous journey, time to party!

And this is what you receive after running / jogging / walking 10km, a commemorative wristband!

If you spot yourself or any of your friends in these photos, leave a comment! Till the next one… Thanks Nike! I managed to do the unthinkable and finished the 10km route.

p/s Check out the Nike Human Race Flickr Group!

So how many of you have signed up for the Nike+ Human Race 10k? I did. I know, many of my friends exclaimed saying “You? You signed up for a run??” Yes, yes. Me. The one who skipped every single P.E. class she possibly can in her youth. The one who last went to gym, err.. some months ago (was it last year?). The one who wheezes and pants just running after the stupid bus. Yes! All in the name and glory of work! Yahoo! better pay me more.. LOL!

But anyway, main point being, for those in the dark, Nike has organised a 10k run on 31 August and it’s not just a run! When you run, you’re also donating part of the registration fees to a charity of your choice, and everywhere else around the world, there’s a similar Nike+ run going on at the same time! Is that cool or what.

I’m sure many of you who have joined are excited and training for it. Well at Answers, we have with us two of their ambassadors. First up is Vicky Cambell, Singapore’s top female triathlete! She has asked all of you what your personal goal for this run is. So far 46 of you have answered, do keep sharing with all of us your goals! And don’t forget to register for the contest, if not you’re not eligible for the prize should your answer get chosen as Best Answer. And that will be a shame.

So as Nike says, Just Do It!

There are tons of different charitable Runs out there, but what makes this so special, is that when you run, the whole world runs with you!

If you’ve not heard about it yet, Nike is holding the first “World’s Largest One-day Running Event”, Nike+ Human Race 10K, on Sunday, 31 August 2008.

(All Photos: Nike+ 10k Run Press event by Suzz.com, on Flickr)

This run will be held on the same day in 24 cities across the globe, and Singapore is the only country selected in Southeast Asia. Go Singapore! Taipei will kick off the race and Los Angeles will be the final touchdown. But in Singapore, get ready to run at 4:30pm at the Esplanade Bridge!

Yahoo! Answers will also welcome onboard Joanne Peh (MediaCorp Artiste and triathlon enthusiast) and Victoria Cambell (Singapore’s top female triathlete), both Nike+ Human Race participants, to be our celebrity users. So watch out for their questions!

It’s not all going to be about running of course (thank goodness!). There’s gonna be a music concert too! Woot! You can expect to see (and hear) American rock band Boys Like Girls, local rock-indie group Great Spy Experiment, EIC band and DJs such as Ko Flow and hp-hop artist MC Vandal.

You can register at the www.nikeplus.com.sg website, and don’t forget, a percentage of the registration fees will go towards three global charities: The World Wild Fund for Nature, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, The United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR) and the local Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s…