Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon celebrates International Women's Day on its Virtual Club platform with female fitness influencers Sofie Chandra, Cheryl Tay, and Choo Ling Er

This month, you can celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) while sweating it out and keeping fit and healthy at the same time. As part of the first Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) Virtual Club (VC) campaign for 2021, a series of virtual races, workshops and activities, with an aim to spotlight female runners within the running community, have been planned from now until March 31. 

The SCSM VC is a digital platform launched last year to unify the running fraternity through weekly races and challenges, and it boasts various features including redeemable rewards, training and nutritional resources as well as performance tracking.

For the IWD campaign, there is a three-week-long collective distance challenge for all runners from the SCSM VC. Runners can clock as many runs and walks as they can to contribute towards the overall community distance. For those who are not confident of pounding the pavements yet can start their fitness journeys with three respected fitness influencers—Sofie Chandra, Cheryl Tay, and Choo Ling Er—who will be leading workout sessions on March 10, 16 and 19 respectively. 

"Start small and keep showing up. Even if it's just 10mins of walking," says Chandra, who is also the female captain of the Adidas Runners Singapore group. Agreeing with her is Ironman athlete Choo. "The first two weeks getting into a routine will be hard especially with all the body soreness and aching."

Here, we pose some questions to Chandra, Tay and Choo, who provide pearls of adrenaline-laced wisdom to inspire more to embark on their first run and eventually on a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

Cheryl Tay

If there is one piece of advice to share with those trying to pick up a fitness program, what would it be?

Cheryl Tay (CT) Fitness does not have to feel like a chore. It is something that you should enjoy doing and look forward to. It is also a way of helping you see what your body is capable of and you will be so amazed at how strong your body actually is! Don't be in a hurry to force a fitness routine onto yourself. Take your time and try different types of fitness activities—pole dancing, HIIT, running, cycling, yoga, boxing etc—and see what you truly enjoy. Then ease yourself into a routine and soon it will become a habit and you can't live without it!

Can you share some of your struggles as a female athlete?

CT There are days where I feel bad. I feel sluggish, fatigued, irritable and guess what? It's normal. It's perfectly fine to take a day off or tone down the intensity of the workout. Just remember you're not alone in this and it is only temporary—this too shall pass! Be kind to yourself.

Your wish for International Women’s Day would be …

CT … for more women to empower women.

Sofie Chandra

For those who want to take part in SCSM 2021, what would be a good starting point?

Sofie Chandra (SC) It's important to have a structured training plan and to seek advice from someone that has the expertise or experience to help you with planning one.

Can you share some of your struggles as a female athlete?

SC I think female or not, all athletes struggle with "off" days, when your body just doesn't seem to co-operate and nothing seems to be working and you feel tired and uninspired.

Your wish for International Women’s Day would be …

SC For good and cooling weather in Singapore so we can have a great run.

Choo Ling Er

If there is one piece of advice you can share with those trying to pick up a fitness program, what would it be?

Choo Ling Er (CLE) The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen—just keeping telling yourself to turn up for every session you had planned for and focus on yourself going on your own pace.

For those who want to take part in SCSM 2021, what would be a good starting point?

CLE Long distance running is all about progressive training and planning. From where you are slowly increase the distance 5-10% per week leading up to race day. Remember it’s all about getting the body used to working out the hours you are planning to race.

Your wish for International Women’s Day would be …

CLE … a day where women are equally treated and respected, one where there isn’t a need to celebrate International Women’s Day. We can all celebrate our wins anytime together regardless of our gender, no matter how big or small it is.

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