The fourth annual Great Eastern Women 10K held at The Padang saw a record number of more than 14,000 women take to the streets in Marina Bay and run the city - a 300% increase since the event’s inception in 2006.

The run is part of the Marina Bay Urban Challenge, an initiative conceptualised by ESG Endurance Sport and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to promote the Marina Bay area as a vibrant hub for sports and lifestyle activities.

Managing Director of ESG Endurance Sport, Mr Terence Khoo, said, “Over the years, the Great Eastern Women 10K has distinguished itself to be the biggest professionally-run women’s sporting event in Singapore.

“It also allows women to come together and contribute to a meaningful cause with the "Women Against Cancer" initiative.”

Women against Cancer

The “Women Against Cancer” initiative aims to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF).

The funds will go towards heightening awareness of the cancer, as well as providing support for needy patients.

To date, this year’s event has raised close to $100,000 for BCF.

Participants had an option to donate their registration fee discounts to the “Women Against Cancer” initiative, as well as to participate with members of the public in “The Great Woman Pledge”, an effort by Great Eastern to gather declarations of pride from women from all walks of life on why “It’s Great to be a Woman!”.

Great Eastern will make a donation to BCF for the pledges collected through this effort.

Present to support the cause were country ambassadors, including H.E. Mrs Minda C.Cruz from the Philippines, H.E. Ms. Jayathri Samarakone from Sri Lanka and High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mrs Fauzia M. Sana, who participated in the 5km Fun Run.

The wives of four other ambassadors from Poland, Turkey, Japan and Canada also joined them on the route to do their part for charity.

They were joined by twenty-two breast cancer survivors who were dressed in their signature pink running tops.

“Showing our support and doing our part to raise awareness for the cancer is something that every woman should be involved in. We were very excited to be able to do what we can today and to reach out to women who have a second lease in life despite the obstacles they have faced,” shared Mrs Cruz.

You may also contribute to the “Women Against Cancer” initiative by donating online at www.women10k.com. The website will be open till the end of the year or when the targeted amount of $150,000 is achieved.

The race itself

The Great Eastern Women 10K, which clocks the fastest women’s 10km road race timing in Singapore, is a premier all-women running event which has seen an increasing number of elite athletes taking part each year.

Champion of the GE Women 10K 2007, Leah Malot of Kenya returned this year for a shot at the title.

The Kenyan ran an exciting neck to neck race with Anna Thompson of Australia during the last leg of the race and overtook pack leader Thompson in the final seconds to secure her second GE Women 10K championship title with a timing of 33:56 mins.

First runner up Anna Thompson of Australia finished with a timing of 34:01 mins, followed by second runner up Catherine Omoi of Kenya, who completed the race in 35:16 mins.

Qi Hui, the first local runner to finish the race bagged the sixth place with her timing of 37:52 mins. Second local runner, Vivian Tang, followed closely with her timing of 38:47 mins, earning her the seventh place in the GE Women 10K.