When schoolteacher Adrian Kum first set out last October to run 175km in The Straits Times Virtual Run (STVR), he had aimed to raise $17,500 for the ST School Pocket Money Fund.
By the end of his campaign, he was met with two pleasant surprises: achieving an amount that exceeded his initial aim, and being able to reconnect with friends whom he had not contacted for a long time.
There were two distances for the STVR, the 17.5km and 175km. Kum, an English teacher at Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), opted for the 175km, from Oct 19 to Dec 17.
Despite doubts about whether he would be able to complete 175km as he is not a seasoned runner, Kum was determined to press on as he did not want to disappoint others, as well as himself.
While he had planned to cover the distance in 20 to 25 days, he finished it in 18 days and raised $22,898.
Kum, 46, told The Straits Times: "I signed up for this distance because I wanted to challenge myself. As it was also during the holiday period, I decided to give it a try as I would be able to run and pace myself better.
"I also received so much encouragement from my colleagues, my students, as well as the parents of my students."
However, his running journey was not without challenges, as he had issues such as a problematic kneecap and a sudden family emergency.
But he managed to overcome his knee problem by stretching more often and learnt to pace himself to balance his time between his runs and hospital visits to see his son, who had undergone intestinal surgery.
Kum also expressed his gratitude towards his school and members of the public who responded well to his appeal and donated to his campaign.
"I did not expect to raise such a large sum of money, especially with so many fundraising activities on giving.sg," he said.
The campaign also saw him reconnecting with his old friends as he had reached out to some of them to seek donations.
"They were willing to help me, which enabled me to raise $2,000 even on the last day of the campaign."
As Kum's runs were routes around Singapore, the whole experience has also made him more appreciative of the flora and fauna here.
He added: "Many people say that Singapore is small, but I feel thankful that I was able to explore places that I did not discover before.
"I would also like to encourage more Singaporeans to come forward to do the same as I did."
Kum is also looking forward to the next edition of the STVR and hopes to involve his colleagues or students, should there be any fundraising opportunities in the future.
