Clad in our new, eye-catching SKECHERS shoes, we knew that one way or another, we would still be a part of the inaugural SKECHERS Friendship Walk. It was going to be a 5km walk and we had every intent of challenging ourselves by not bringing the stroller or baby carrier, but to instead make the kids walk with us for every step of the journey.
Alas, the downpour started as we were making our way to Gardens by the Bay East and the hubby casually commented "How to walk like that?" I was feeling unsure too but in wanting to keep everyone's spirits high, I told him there would be a way out somehow and we just had to get there first. So we managed to find a parking lot, brought along our umbrellas and made our way to the starting point with hopeful hearts.
So why were we looking so dry despite the rain? Well, that was all thanks to the ideal event venue - Bay East Bridge, which is partially sheltered under Benjamin Sheares Bridge. Not only do you get to escape from the rain, you also get a picturesque view of the waterfront skyline at Bay South. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the place was already crowded with the walk participants and many more were streaming in too, yay! Never let the rain dampen your spirits, right? In fact, a little bit of rain might just make things more fun too. We'll see about that in a while!
Since this was a Friendship Walk after all, we were happy and excited to see some of our friends too. The walk was a perfect opportunity for us to feel thankful for everything in our lives at the moment - family, friends, good healthy, a safe country, a happy home and so much more. I also reminded myself that while family remains at my top priority, I have to make time for friends and do my part to keep the friendship ties going strong too. Nothing ever falls from the sky, right?
The girls were excited to see a handful of inflatable loungers in front of the big screen which would be where the movie screening would be held after the walk. These loungers were surprisingly comfortable and I started to think we should get one for our beach sessions too because they are so easy to set up and nice to sit, or even lie, in too.
Thanks to the thoughtful event organisers, they came up with the idea of a SKECHERS village that incorporated fun games, food trucks, free ice cream, redeemable gifts and pop-up stores to keep the participants busy and entertained while waiting for the run to flag off. While things had to be delayed by half an hour since they had to wait for the skies to clear and make sure there was no lightning alert, no one was complaining because there were so many activities to join in.
First up, we did archery and were ready to queue up even though there was long line of people. The nice surprise came when a staff came up to tell us that kids could join a separate queue so we didn't have to wait long for them to have a go. See, even the toddler was able to join in the fun and he was so proud that he actually shot an arrow all by himself!
Next, we did the cup balancing where each participant had to balance four cups on top of the poles. This was not easy and took a lot of hand-eye coordination and I was happy to see that the kids were patient enough not to give up halfway.
My favorite game was the one-legged race and while the sisters went together and couldn't stop laughing the whole time, the hubby and I went next and we did it while carrying the clingy toddler who refused to get down.
See this very cute photo opportunity at the finishing line? I love how it makes you do, or at least try to do, all the poses. Thankfully, we had a bit of time to take these pictures before the race started because it was all dark when we came back (yes, we literally walked from 天亮到天黑) and quite impossible to take any nice shots.
We have been fans of SKECHERS shoes over the years because they are really pretty to look at and comfortable to wear. I'll share more about our shopping experience below but here's quick look at our newest additions! The kids are super in love with their stylish looking kicks while I am so glad to finally have proper walking shoes that will take me to new places.
The mascots for the run were so strikingly cute this year. See the giant shoes above? Yup, the little girl who loves her Twinkle Toes shoes had to get a photography with them. Do your kids love shoes that can light up too?
Finally, it was time to start our run! We were thankful to SKECHERS for providing the umbrellas (each participant could redeem one after completing three activities at the village) because they came in pretty handy during the long walk. Yes, it was still drizzling but we were not going to let a little rain get in our way, were we?
Shortly after, we arrived at the first obstacle challenge - which was basically an inflatable obstacle course that you had to go through from one end to the other. Most of the participants chose to give this a pass and just continued with the walk because let's face it - wet ground, muddy patches and slippery course don't seem to be the most welcoming thought when you are still trying to shelter yourself and the kids from the rain.
Nonetheless, we didn't waver from our initial resolution and our first line to the kids was "Go and have fun!", which you bet thrilled them to the max. Since it wasn't a competition for the fastest timings and it didn't matter if we were the last to finish the walk, we let them take their time to cross the obstacle and just enjoy every step they took.
That was when we realised we had to make a U-turn and walk back to the starting point and I was like "Really? So fast? They must have cut short the route due to the rain." Yup, that comes from someone who didn't check the route beforehand and made assumptions along the way. The kids were getting dismayed too because they seriously wanted to try out the other two obstacles which were nowhere in sight.
Thankfully, we realised that we had to pass the starting point and walk the other direction now instead. Phew. That means we were probably going to walk the entire 5km, yay! It was such an enjoyable one because of the cool breeze and the beautiful scenic route that we told ourselves to breathe in the fresh, crisp air and take it all in.
Instead of just walking, we stopped a few times to take some family photos, to let the kids spot the bugs in the bushes (one of their favorite pastimes), to smell the blooms and to purely enjoy each other's company. It was a long trek to the next obstacle and we took over 30 minutes just to reach there! I was very proud of the girls for not complaining about being tired and as for the boy, even though he would occasionally ask us to carry him, this was definitely the longest walk he has done on his own too because he walked over half of the 5km journey himself. Not too bad for a soon-to-be three-year-old, right?
Just before we reached the second obstacle, we passed by a friend who told us "It's very muddy" which did make us hesitate a little. Still, it wasn't as bad as we thought (after all, we did the Spartan Race last month) and seeing that there was no one on the obstacle and we would be the only ones there, it was too inviting to reject. We even managed to get a family shot together at the end and the kids bounced around a little longer.
After that, it was time for us to make our way back to the finishing line which was harder than it sounds because it was yet another over 30-minute walk for us. This, coupled with the fact that we were distracted by the picturesque night scene and that the kids took out their flashlights to hunt for bugs, meant that we were one of the last to complete the walk. I wouldn't change any of that though because of what we gained in return, you know what I mean.
By then, it was almost nightfall and we were all getting a little exhausted too. The little brother demanded to be carried but the Daddy and I both rejected him after a few times because we wanted him to push himself to carry on too. Well, I guess he has to be thankful to have elder sisters who dote on him because the firstborn came up to offer to piggyback him and she did that for quite an amazing distance before she switched to carrying him instead. Yes, this lucky boy lor.
I couldn't resist taking a photo with my babies too because come on, just look at our breathtaking, unique Singapore skyline! Nothing quite compares to that, right?
By the time we reached the third obstacle, we could hear announcements and screams coming from the main village and it was probably because they were having the lucky draw and giving out free popcorn and candy floss for the movie screening.
We could have skipped this obstacle because it seemed so dim and there was no one on top (once again) but I guess doing it in the dark meant that the obstacle would seem harder and more fun too, right? So, let's go!
For this course, I tasked the hubby to be the photographer instead so I could do it with the kids. Haha. Yes, I get the hardest obstacle, woohoo! This was the best of the lot because you can to jump over, crawl under, squeeze past the obstacles and finally climb up a ladder before making your way down the slide - which was very fun because it was so slippery!
Woohoo! We finally made it to the finishing line and got our medals! For the determination, grit and camaraderie they displayed, I think the kids truly earned theirs.
Even though being late means we missed the starting of the screening of "Black Panther" and didn't get any leftover popcorn or candy floss, we still managed to find ourselves a good seat on the loungers and settled down for the rest of the show.
The hubby took out our picnic basket from the car in which I packed in drinks and lots of biscuits and snacks, and he also brought the last remaining food from the food trucks to fill up our starving tummies.
We actually stayed till the very end of this exciting, action-packed movie and caught all the post-credits too. I think I could easily count how many families did it too. Haha. And that was before we decided to head for some supper before we called it a day.
A day that I was thankful for because we had so much fun together and everyone brought home some very precious memories too. This inaugural SKECHERS Friendship Walk was definitely considered a huge success despite the wet weather - which in our view, only upped the fun factor - and we can't wait to come back again next year!
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Shopping at SKECHERS
I've had a few queries from some of you asking which outlet we got our SKECHERS shoes from so here's sharing more. We visited the store at ION Orchard (#B4-28) which is one of our favourites because the place is spacious, has good lighting and comfortable benches for you to try on your shoes, plus you can find most of the available shoe designs too.
It was the first time that the hubby and I tried out the GoWalk series and what I love about this Revoluation Ultra design is that it has a soft, stretchable fabric at the top, is lightweight and has good cushioning, features a strap for more precise fit, and the Air Cooled Goga Mat insole makes it airy and breathable, keeping feet nice and dry. We've been wearing ours for long walks and trips to the zoo and so far, they feel really comfortable even if we put them on for long hours.
As for the kids, they've been wearing SKECHERS shoes for a long time and this time, the big girl chose a pair of Ultra Flex shoes in black while the boy went for the Comfy Flex in red. These designs are sporty and stylish looking and the cushioned comfort insole makes a huge difference, making them happy to be wearing these shoes all day long.
And for the little sister, her dreams came true with this pair of pretty white and pink Twinkle Breeze sneakers from Twinkle Toes series. We love the color combination because they are easy to match and it's awesome that the lights can be turned off too - which we do when we want to save battery or when we visit places like Night Safari. Fashionable kids' shoes are usually not so kind to the feet, but this one does it all by being comfy to wear and good to look at too. Well, it definitely lit up her day for sure.
Thanks to SKECHERS for being the brand that we can trust and will continue to support, year after year. We are so excited to set foot in more places in these new kicks!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with SKECHERS. All photos and opinions are our own.