Community spirit drives triathlon mums at Great Eastern Women’s Run
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(From left) Preeti Mohan, Michelle Seyffert, Nur Suhaifah Salikin and Siti Khadijah Khalib after completing The Great 117, an all-women fitness experience leading up to the Great Eastern Women's Run 2025.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Follow topic:
- Michelle Seyffert and Preeti Mohan founded the Singapore Women's Triathlon Club in 2019, creating an inclusive space for women in the sport.
- The Great Eastern Women's Run (GEWR) fosters a supportive community for women, encouraging participation and offering women-centric activities.
- Women like Siti Khadijah and Nur Suhaifah use GEWR to inspire their children and challenge themselves post-pregnancy, balancing fitness and family.
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SINGAPORE – In over a decade doing triathlons, Michelle Seyffert and Preeti Mohan have met many women who were hesitant to try the sport as they were worried that they would not be able to keep up.
To make it less daunting, the Singapore permanent residents started the Singapore Women’s Triathlon Club in 2019, aimed at creating a safe and encouraging space for beginners and triathletes of all levels.
Since then, the club has grown to more than 500 members on Facebook. It organises training sessions and camps, as well as clinics, while also serving as a platform to talk about issues women face in sport. These can range from optimising training and racing around their menstrual cycles to dealing with “mum guilt”.
Preeti, who is an engineer, said: “Having that sort of a community where we encourage each other and tell them, ‘Don’t worry, you can start slow’, that has been a very important part of how we train.
“And as each woman progresses, she realises, ‘Oh, actually, I can do this.’ Then there’s encouragement from the group saying, ‘Don’t worry, let’s do it together’. So there’s a lot more community spirit and bonding among the women.”
That same spirit has carried over to the Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR), an annual all-women’s race, which has become a regular fixture for the duo.
Seyffert, a 44-year-old personal trainer who also works as an office manager at a sports store, will be taking part in her 10th GEWR on Nov 9.
“I just really liked that it was a women-only event, women supporting women,” she said.
“I find that it’s a very encouraging atmosphere, and at the end of the race, they have all the fringe activities and it’s catered very well.”
Ahead of the GEWR, Seyffert and Preeti, who are taking part in the half-marathon, were among 181 women who joined the Great 117, a fitness experience, on Aug 30 at OCBC Square.
Participants took on five challenges – shuttle run, battle rope, reaction wall, box jump and kettlebell swing – as part of the lead-up to race day.
Preeti Mohan (left) and Michelle Seyffert tackling the battle rope station at The Great 117 on Aug 30.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Just as they feel GEWR has fostered a community, the duo also believe their triathlon club has created an inclusive space for female athletes.
Preeti, 43, noted that returning to sport after pregnancy or injury can be very different for women as compared to men, and that many mothers, including herself and Seyffert, often grapple with feeling guilty while juggling training and family life.
But after meeting other mothers, she realised “everyone has the same insecurities and worries about the same thing”.
For other mothers like Siti Khadijah Khalib, taking part in the GEWR is about setting an example for her children.
The 34-year-old civil servant, who will be running the 10km this year with her secondary school friend Nur Suhaifah Salikin, wants to inspire her seven-year-old daughter.
Siti Khadijah, who also has two sons aged three and 10 months, previously took part in the Mummy-and-Me Run with her daughter. Aiming to improve her fitness after her third pregnancy, she has been making an effort to eat healthily and work with a personal trainer at her gym.
She said: “I know that I want to be some kind of motivation for my daughter, that’s why I decided to join this race after some time.
“The (message I wanted to send to my daughter) is women can do what men can, not be discouraged by results because the only competition is yourself and for her to do her best.”
Nur Suhaifah Salikin (left) and Siti Khadijah Khalib executing kettlebell swings at The Great 117 on Aug 30.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Returning to running after childbirth has served as motivation for Nur Suhaifah, who gave birth to her second child in 2022. The nurse started with slow jogs during her maternity leave to rebuild her fitness and was supported by her husband, who is also a runner. She now also visits the gym regularly after work.
After completing her first half-marathon – the 2XU Compression Run in April 2024 – since giving birth, she hopes to run a full marathon in the future.
The 35-year-old said: “It’s a challenge to myself. When I got pregnant two times in a row, I needed to restart my journey towards the marathon, so it’s the journey to reach the full marathon.”
