Great Eastern elites to race virtually

This 2021 Great Eastern Women's Run (GEWR) will feature a competitive virtual half-marathon category for 18 invited local elite runners, organisers said yesterday.

It is held in conjunction with the virtual run for the public, which returns for its 15th edition after the race was cancelled last year.

All 18 competitors, running with wearable tech, are to clock their race between 6am and 9am on Nov 14 and will submit their results digitally, where their run time (duration and pace), distance, route and heart rate will be verified.

The elite category will feature a field that includes 2016 Olympic marathoner Neo Jie Shi, and SEA Games marathoners Jasmine Goh (2017) and Serena Teoh (2019).

Goh, a GEWR participant since 2012, was thankful to organisers for the opportunity to race again during the pandemic.

The 2016 GEWR local elite champion said: "We've missed competing and while this race will be without traditional race elements such as a flag-off and finish line, it is no less of a contest. We will still be competing against the other runners on the same day, only in a socially distant and safer manner."

The 42-year-old added that while she will miss the post-race atmosphere and celebrations, she understood the health and safety concerns.

"Hanging out with all the ladies pre-and post-race adds another dimension to racing, it's the camaraderie and the bond that we have with each other that is often depicted only at a physical race," said the financial consultant, who will also run the 5km with her daughters aged 12 and 14.

Teoh, 34, is nervous but excited to run her first GEWR and highlighted some benefits of the all-women event. The risk manager said: "Some women who are new to running may feel shy or uncomfortable to run in a mixed event, so having an all-women run like the GEWR will enable them to participate without such fears and also help build confidence in them."

Colin Chan, managing director of group marketing at Great Eastern, said the elite race was designed to remain as close to a race setting as possible while maintaining the safety of the competitors.

He added: "We hope this opportunity to compete in a simulated race setting will help our local athletes achieve their sporting goals.

"We will continue to monitor the Covid-19 developments closely and will reinstate the features of a full race for these 18 elite runners should the situation allow for it."

The local elite runners will also lead a fund-raising initiative where donations will go to two beneficiaries, the Breast Cancer Foundation and Daughters Of Tomorrow.

Members of the public can support these causes via the Great Eastern Cares fundraising page on SimplyGiving.com.

Chan said: "Female causes are close to the hearts of the GEWR community... It is our wish to help advance women's causes by activating the elite runners' and the GEWR community's networks to help enable and empower women and families in need to achieve financial independence."

The GEWR, which drew close to 13,000 participants in 2019, features five different categories this year: 5km, 10km, 21.1km, 2km for mothers and daughters aged five to 12, as well as a new 113km category to commemorate the company's 113th anniversary.

For the 113km run, participants can also choose to form a team of two to four to complete the distance collectively or individually.

Distances for all categories will be clocked using mobile app MOVE by Liv3ly from Nov 14 to Dec 15.