SINCE she was 10 months old, Xin Ning has joined her dad, Mr Tan Pheng Soon, on his Saturday-morning jogs.
At first, she could only gaze curiously at the surroundings from her pram. Then, when she was 15 months old, she took her first running steps with her dad.
Said Mr Tan: "The first session was a short one, but she was really enthusiastic. Thereafter, she insisted on climbing out of her pram to run with us (him and his wife). Many times, she even raced with us."
On Sept 4, Xin Ning, now three years old, will pair up with her dad to race as a team in the Safra Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon's new race category, the 800m Father and Child Challenge.
The category was set up as part of Safra's partnership with the Dads for Life movement to encourage operationally-readynational-servicemen fathers to bond with their children through running.
The auditor will be running side by side with his daughter at the Padang, with their arms strapped loosely together.
The 31-year-old said: "I feel that Xin Ning will love running in this race, after seeing her running happily in previous races for kids.
"I strongly encourage (the holding of) these races, which help encourage strong bonding between us and also help her to stay fit. It also gives us a goal to work towards when we go for runs together."
Mr Tan, who jogs thrice weekly and has been taking part in the Army Half Marathon since 2000, has just one target.
"Our target is to complete the race together - nothing is more important than that. That is the spirit I'm trying to instil in my kid."
With this year being the Army Half Marathon's 20th anniversary, the 21km race will take participants past 20 landmarks in Singapore, such as the Singapore Flyer, Lau Pa Sat, Marina Bay Sands and Victoria Concert Hall.
There will also be street festivities to enliven the atmosphere during the run, such as rainbow-hued LED lights, cheerleaders and even jet-ski performances, when participants run across the Floating Platform at Marina Bay.
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