Expect to see little girls running in bright tutus on The Float at Marina Bay on Nov 1.

A new category - named the Princess Dash, for girls aged three to nine - has been added for this year's Great Eastern Women's Run.

The girls will get a tiara upon completing the 100m run.

The Run will also take on a fund-raising element, with a feature called Don A Tutu For A Cause.

For a minimum donation of $5, runners can also don a tutu to show their support for three charities - Breast Cancer Foundation, Community Chest and NUS-Duke obstetrics and gynaecology academic clinical programme.

The 10 participants with the most creative tutus will win prizes.

Said Ms Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, who was at the announcement event at the Sports Hub yesterday: "I see the number of participants growing and it is really a much sought-after event for women.

"It's a time for women to come and celebrate and really show that they are embracing life.

"With SG50, it is a great opportunity for women to come on board to celebrate healthy living and also to give back to the community."

There were 15,000 participants last year and organisers are expecting 17,000 this year.

The event will be flagged off at the Singapore Flyer and will end at the Float.

To commemorate the 10th year of the event, adidas T-shirts will be given to the runners who complete their races.

Colin Chan, chief marketing officer of Great Eastern, said this is the first time the company is working with runners in order to raise a targeted total of $100,000 for the three beneficiaries.

" Registration has been coming in faster than in the last 10 years.

"After only two weeks of opening the registration, we already have 6,000 sign-ups."

• To register for the run, go to www.greateasternwomensrun.com