One-up your fitness goal in the new year by adding a do-good element with inclusive running club Runninghour.
PHOTO: RUNNINGHOUR
For many people, the start of a new year is often marked by fresh motivation and health-related resolutions: to kick start new healthy habits or return to a fitness journey that might have been recently neglected. If you are one of them, why not take it one step further, by combining your fitness goals with a do-good element?
Every week, inclusive running club Runninghour conducts a series of fitness activities at the 100Plus Promenade at the Singapore Sports Hub; these range from short runs to circuit training sessions. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from any fitness interest group, but with one main difference — its participants are a mix of persons with special needs (hearing-challenged, intellectually-challenged, physically-challenged and visually-challenged individuals, known as Buddies of the Runninghour community) and abled persons who function as Volunteer Guides, usually in a one-to-one ratio.
“The objective of these sessions is to promote the integration of persons with special needs with mainstream society through sports, increase the public awareness of such groups, and provide a safe platform for them to exercise,” says Liz Koh, Management Committee Member (Publicity & Communications) from Runninghour. The club was set up in 2009 by John See Toh and his wife Chan Jan Siang, both of whom have experience working with students with special needs. It became a cooperative in 2014 and currently has approximately 600 Buddies and Volunteer Guides from all walks of life and of different nationalities.
While persons with special needs are the key focus of Runninghour, Volunteer Guides play a crucial role as well. Volunteer Guides are expected to motivate their Buddies during the sessions, be encouraging, watch out for their safety and guide them through the activities where needed.
To be a volunteer, you don’t need to have experience with persons with special needs either: the cooperative says all you need are clear communication skills, empathy and a willingness to be involved. For aspiring new Volunteer Guides, Runninghour conducts monthly Induction Sessions to equip them with knowledge regarding Runninghour, as well provide tips and training on how to interact with and guide the persons with special needs.
“For people who enjoy keeping fit and want to give back to society, this is the perfect group to join,” says Koh. Here’s how you can participate:
Weekly sessions / every Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 7.15am
Every Thursday, Runninghour conducts its Fun and Fitness session at the 100PLUS Promenade,Singapore Sports Hub. These sessions alternate between runs to the Marina Barrage and circuit training, or interval-style activities mixed with strength training, to help develop both the cardiovascular fitness and strength of persons with special needs. The cooperative also meets every Saturday morning for runs at various outdoor parks and spaces.t. These sessions last between 60 to 90 minutes.
Zumba, dragon boating and other fitness activities
Besides runs, Runninghour also conducts Zumba classes on Tuesday evenings (currently on hold due to Covid-19). Runninghour also does other activities such as Dragon Boating, Spin Cycling, Tandem Biking and Indoor Climbing from time to time, depending on sponsorships from organisations.
Run For Inclusion
The annual run is a race where participants run alongside visually-challenged, intellectually-challenged, hearing-challenged and physically-challenged runners. During the run, participants with special needs are guided along by volunteers. Runninghour also conducts induction sessions in the lead-up to the events for potential guides to familiarise them to the event and the guiding process. Details for this year’s Run For Inclusion are still in the works.
To sign up as Volunteer Guides, please email [email protected]. For more information, visit Runninghour’s website or Facebook page.
