SINGAPORE – Hoping to create new memories with her son, 61-year-old Ho Yin Yin opted for an unconventional way to celebrate National Day – sweating it out on a 61km run.
The mother of two, who works in finance in the life sciences industry, was among 195 runners from 10 countries who signed up for the UTSG 61 Merlion Head Strava Art run, which outlined the distinctive Lion Head national symbol.
Organised by Mountain Goat Running Group, the run started near Lentor MRT station at 10pm on Aug 8, and ended at Bright Hill MRT station on the morning of Aug 9.
This is the second year the group had organised the event, said Ament Chia, who was one of the lead runners. Its first iteration originated as a celebration for SG60 in 2025, and drew 100 participants.
“The Merlion symbolises strength, courage, and excellence, which aligns with the values of our trail running group,” said Chia.
This year, the group charged a participation fee of between $20 and $65 for the non-profit event, mostly to recover operational costs.
Of the 195 runners – aged between 21 and 69 – about 65 per cent, or 126 runners, were Singaporean.
The oldest among the runners in 2026 was Wong Sek Fong, who turns 70 in November. This was the second time he participated in the run.
Having discovered the 2025 edition online only on the day it was slated to begin, the retiree – a former fabrication worker in Hong Kong – joined at the eleventh hour, leaving him feeling rushed and unprepared. Since then, he had been eyeing the 2026 iteration.
Wong started running marathons when he was about 50 years old, and later began branching out into trail running.
He has completed nearly 70 marathons, about 20 100km runs, and other races of varying distances, he told The Straits Times on Aug 7.
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