PUSHING THE LIMITS FOR CHARITY

MAJ Lim attempts the behemoth task of running non-stop for 30 hours for charity as part of her new year resolution to become a more accomplished runner.

For many, running 2.4km is already an ordeal, let alone 160km in 30 hours. However, that was precisely what Major (MAJ) Kelly Lim set out to do at 3am on 1 Jan in the name of charity.

Her route included doing five laps around Bedok Reservoir, running over to MacRitchie Reservoir and ending with 12 laps at the latter. The run was part of this year's President's Challenge, which is an annual series of community-driven activities to raise funds for the less fortunate.

All in, MAJ Lim garnered $42,000 in donations. These will be given to beneficiaries of the President's Challenge such as the Yellow Ribbon Fund and the Community Chest.

Although MAJ Lim fell short of achieving her 160km target distance because of wet weather that plagued the last portion of her run, she still managed 150km. She concluded her run at 9am on 2 Jan amid the cheers of supporters and friends.

"I'm exhausted and have blisters and aches everywhere, from my feet and back to my rear," exclaimed the gutsy 39-year-old at the end of her run. "But this extreme tiredness cannot overshadow my happiness and satisfaction at the distance Ive completed."

The petite 1.55m-tall MAJ Lim is no stranger to pounding the pavement and has 38 marathons and 7 ultra marathons (marathons which exceed the distance of 42 km) under her belt since she discovered her love for competitive running in 2001.

The idea to run for 30 straight hours came to MAJ Lim in September 2009 during one of her leisure runs.

"I love to run and it suddenly occurred to me then that I could combine my passion for running with something meaningful in order to give back to society," she recalled.

With that, MAJ Lim and some of her friends from the SG Runners Club, an organisation comprising running enthusiasts from all over the island, decided to launch the charity run called Click-4-Klick.

MAJ Lim started intense preparations two months before her big run, keeping to a strict training regime of four one-hour runs a week. She also committed herself to gruelling strength and weights training to build up her endurance.
MAJ Lim, a staff officer with G5 Army, felt that the arduous training she went through in the Army played a big part in her success.

"The Army really builds you up as a person, both physically and mentally. Physical strength will only take you so far. This has to be backed up by a strong mental state to withstand the immense mental pressure that is bound to descend upon anyone in any run," said MAJ Lim.