41-year-old Richard Toh, his wife, Sharon, and their two sons, Rishon and Risdon, enjoy running together as a family. Richard Toh will be participating in the Families for Life 800m Father and Child Challenge with his two sons at the SSBR & AHM 2014. (Photo 1 courtesy of Richard Toh)
The SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon (SSBR & AHM) 2014 is one of the oldest and largest mass running event in Singapore. Since its inception in 1992, with only 15,000 participants, the SSBR & AHM has grown from strength to strength. In this 23rd edition, more than 45,000 runners will gear up on a Sunday morning, August 31, to race past the Marina Bay skyline.
The marquee event encourages cohesion between NSmen and serves as an occasion for NSmen to bond with their family through running.
Amongst the crowd is Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Army Officer, Richard Toh Thiam Heng, a running enthusiast who encourages his family to bond through sports and is a strong motivator for his cadets to challenge themselves by running further distances. Toh, aged 41, is a Supply Officer at the Army Logistics Training Centre (ALTC) and trains NSmen in Combat Intelligence.
Toh will be participating in the 21km category at the SSBR & AHM 2014 and will join his sons for the Families for Life 800m Father and Child Challenge immediately after completing the half marathon.
Toh is happily married to his wife, Sharon, and has two sons, Rishon and Risdon, aged 9 and 7 respectively. The Toh family enjoys running together and taking part in numerous family runs including the Safari Zoo Run, Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore and POSB Family Run. Apart from running, the family enjoys recreational activities such as swimming, badminton and even occasional outdoor hikes. Toh believes that family bonding plays a major role in upbringing his children.
Despite work commitment, Toh makes time to run with his loved ones. To prepare for the Families for Life 800m Father and Child Challenge, Toh trains with his sons twice a week, covering about 1.5km each session.
Toh trusts that time spent on sports not only helps to build up relationships but also to inspire the young ones to lead a healthy lifestyle. This also serves as a learning experience for Toh to be patient with his sons, who have different learning abilities.
Toh has been running since 16 years old and enjoys running long distances. In 2011, after completing his sixth marathon, he had to put his passion on hold due to the injuries accumulated over the years.
His doctor and physiotherapist advised him to undergo an operation. Toh refused, afraid that he would not deliver a similar performance after going under the knife.
With his family in mind, Toh pushed himself and changed his running technique to forefoot running, along with investing in better running shoes and regular consumption of glucosamine to reduce the pain.
Apart from training with his children, Toh is concurrently preparing for his personal half marathon race. Toh trains with his unit three times a week, covering up to 18km each time.
Toh’s passion for running was so infectious, that he even aims to introduce it into his cadets’ lifestyle. Through personal observations, Toh noticed that his cadets do not possess the same passion for running as he does. Most felt that running is boring and causes them to lose their muscular physique, which they acquired from working out at the gym.
At work, Toh decided to introduce cross-fit training, swimming, gym training and aerobics, to increase the team’s commitment level in sports. With the rapport built, Toh gradually developed their interest in running. Toh’s guidance and tips for running yielded practical results, as his cadets eventually completed the Army Half Marathon to clock improved timings and personal bests.
Three years since his injury, Toh continues to be a role model for his sons, friends, colleagues and cadets. Toh said, “Over the years, the theme for SSBR & AHM has shifted their focus from runners to more family-centric activities. The routes selected are also more scenic and conducive for running. To me, the spirit of running is not about coming on top but more importantly to enjoy the process and complete it as a family.”
More photos next page
Leave A Comment