The 24 Hour Race is a global charity organisation with the aim of abolishing modern day slavery. Every year, the organisation hosts a youth-driven race where students run in teams of 8 for 24 hours. When they participate in the race, students are given the opportunity to raise awareness and funds for a global crisis that is often swept under the carpet.

This year’s 24 Hour Race at Palawan Green (Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa) has been the most challenging yet rewarding event that I’ve been involved in. Many of the organising committee members are from CIS, and they all worked tirelessly to ensure the event’s success. On the day of the race (19 January, Saturday), everyone was filled with excitement and positive energy. To keep the runners in high spirits as they took turns running laps for their team, we planned several performances and activities. There were live performances by student bands and DJs as well as push-up challenges, water balloon fights and many other activities.

At midnight, all the runners gathered in a moment of silence to show solidarity for the victims of modern day slavery that they were running to raise awareness for. Even though no one slept more than 4 hours as the runners ran laps through the night, everyone remained happy and proud to be a part of such an inspirational event. When the race finally ended, prizes were awarded to teams for achievements such as “Most Laps Run” and “Best Sportsmanship”. The award for most money raised went to “WHY R U RUNNING” - a team that comprised entirely of CIS students who raised $4430. It was an awesome achievement that highlights CIS’ core values as a school community.

The 24 Hour Race is the product of hard work and dedication of many students across Singapore and I’m very excited to see it grow in scale in the upcoming years.