Mizuno Ekiden Dads : Run, Daddy Matters, Run!

Who would like to join a team of Daddies to run?



When the message came through Daddy Matters facebook group on May, 12 Dads stepped up to the challenge and decided to represent Daddy Matters in Mizuno Ekiden 2017. This included yours truly.

Mizuno Ekiden 2017

Prior to this run, I probably know nuts about event runs. This was going to be my first time going for such runs ( kids dash does not count) . Honestly, I do not quite understand why I did it, given my awfully snail pace in a 2.4 km run. By the time I realised that this is a 21.1 km run , it was too late to pull out. Luckily, this was an Ekiden event , meaning it was a long distance RELAY event.  The 12 of us were split in groups of 3 and each runner had to tackle a a 5.275 km route. Less daunting than the 21.1 km I had imagined, but still a challenge for someone who is no spring chicken anymore.

Daddie from Daddy Matters

The group met as one for the first time on race day. Some were familiar, others total strangers. All have one thing in common... to represent Daddy Matters in the race. For those , who have not heard of Daddy Matters, it is an online community form in 2013 due to an April Fool's Joke. Initially, it was formed by a bunch of Daddy Bloggers. Today, we had expanded our reach and have more Dads from all around Singapore joining the community. Even though the group has been around for a few years, this introductory video is probably Daddy Matters claim to "fame".

Daddy Matters is NOT a government funded group nor a private organisation. Rather is it an ad hoc community formed to learn and share Fatherhood's experience. In case you are wondering, this is our FIRST run as a group. Our usual activities are mostly food gatherings, with prata and durians sessions being 2 core meetup agenda.  Unlike the photo above, most of us have a certain degree of Dad Bob, hence the need for this run to shape us up.

Dad Bods and Proud!

As someone in the group puts in aptly, we have ONE High Key activity for every 10 low key activities. That is our unofficial KPI.

Despite seeing new faces on every activities, the Dads shed off their inhibitions and bonded quickly. In today's fast pace society, Dads divide their time between work and family. This is especially so for families with young kid. An outing like this was probably a rare occasion rather than the norm. Given the circumstances, we wasted no time to enjoy the company.

After a quick catch up and introduction, it was time to put on our running shoes and get on with the run.

Time to put on the race shoes

For us , it was not about the race time. Rather it was the company and the support we gave to each other during the race that made this run enjoyable. If there is another organised run by Daddy Matters, I will certainly put my name in the hat.

See the Band of Daddies in action...
 

Race Starts

Switch runners

Where is my next runner???

We can do it.

The good news was that everyone made it alive. The better news was that we will probably have a prata session later to celebrate and maintain our precious Dad Bod.

If you want to know more about Mizuno Ekiden run, head down to Sengkang Babies for the race day report. 

Want to know more about Team Daddy Matters?

Read more about it at Run Magazine.

A special thanks to Mizuno for making this run possible. If you are a Dad reading this or a Mom who thinks her other half should read this, join us at Daddy Matters . We can be found on Facebook at Daddy Matters. Moms and Dads can join in anytime.

We do have a not so secret spot for Dads only at Daddy Matters Group.  Join us and hopefully , we will see you at the next run or the next Prata session!

Race as four, run as one