Leap into the Year of the Rabbit with the AWA Running Group
By Keri and Kelsi Matwick
Getting fit is on the top of many resolution lists for the new year. Running is one of the most efficient, accessible, and cheapest forms of exercise. While running solo can be meditative, running with others is a great social activity. In joining the AWA Running Group, many members comment on how they’ve gotten into better shape, seen more of Singapore, and formed the strongest friendships. Your Tuesday running partner may soon become your next hotel roomie for a weekend runcation!
Accountability- Knowing that someone is going to meet you at 7:30am at the Botanic Gardens will motivate you to leap out of bed and head out for the 5km Tuesday BG run. You won’t want to miss grabbing coffee with the fellow runners afterwards at Da Paolo Gastronomia café at Cluny Court. Carry your endorphin rush through the week and join the other weekly AWA runs:
Tuesdays, 6:30am and 7:30am, Botanic Gardens, 5km
Thursdays, 7:30am, Marina Bay Sands, 10km
Saturdays, 7am, locations vary, 12-15km
Whether your motivation comes from the sense of self-improvement or not wanting to disappoint others, having the AWA running group will reward you in many ways.
Friendship- Running requires no makeup, no pretense, no matching clothes (or even shoes for that matter!); runners are real and authentic. Talking, sweating, and running together, you get to know each other on a deep level. Completing a challenge together, from climbing up a hill to conquering a race, only strengthens that bond.
Travel- Run on vacation, or Runcation, combines travel, fitness, and friends for the ultimate bonding experience. Trips are oriented around races that offer a range of mileage, from 5K, 10K, half-marathon, to marathon, so that everyone can meet her goal and purpose of travel. Runcations vary from women- only to most recently, family-welcome.
Husbands and children joined the women in the runcation to Siem Reap, Cambodia for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon on December 4th, 2022. Pre- and post-race temple tours, food tours, massages, sunbathing, and meals reunited the group of 30 throughout the vacation. The celebratory Farm-to-Table dinner at Lum Orng after the race was a highlight and catered especially to the group with two 5-course menu options. Races in the upcoming year are already being discussed among the group, so join in for the fun.
 | Interested in having fun while running? Yes, it is possible!! Join us Tuesdays at the Botanic Gardens. Then, explore new routes and see Singapore in a new light on Thursday and Saturday mornings. https://www.facebook.com/groups/AWArunning/ |
 | When not running with the AWA Running Group, twin sisters Keri and Kelsi Matwick enjoy running along the Singapore River and around Marina Bay Sands. They completed their fourth marathon last February 2022 in Miami with a former AWA member Marangeli Wouda. The sisters look forward to training for another one this year. |
