singapore terry fox run for cancer research - marathon of hope

i first took part in the terry fox run for cancer research in 1993, its 2nd year in singapore. subsequently, i would sign up for the run every year. the run is normally held in september. when i first joined the run, the gathering point was the car park behind hilton hotel.

the assembly point was later changed to the stadium at the former school of physical education at evans road. the run would take us through the botanic gardens. those days there were quite a number of 'gate crashers' - people who joined in the run without having signed up for it. at the end of the run, there was some free food, drinks and loud music for everyone.

in the last few years, the venue of the run has been sentosa. your donation or entry fee for the run entitles you to free admission to sentosa but if you drive, you have to pay $2. i always go for the 4 or 5 km route . the finish point is at siloso beach. this year, because of the rain, they scrapped the 8km run, so everybody did the shorter run.

the terry fox run is an international event. it is held in major cities all over the world. in some countries, like china, it is held in more than ten sites. not all countries hold it in september or october. some hold it early in the year, as early as february.

i have great admiration for the courage, determination and grit of this young man who died at the age of 23, with the unfinished mission of running across the whole of canada. another reason for my taking part in the run is doing it in memory of all my friends and relatives who have succumbed to cancer.

for two or three years, i managed to get my family members to ran together with me. these days i am a lone participant. i do get to meet one or two friends who are also supporters of this run.