When Kan Pak Leong was diagnosed with cancer in his neck, lymph nodes, and lungs in 2018, the avid runner’s first reaction was bemused indignation.
While it is easy enough for the 65-year-old to look back on his cancer diagnosis with levity, he admits that it was a major scare at the time – not just for the implications to his health, but also his decades-long running habit.
Thankfully, the full-time executive administrator at a secondary school managed to get rid of the cancerous cells on his tongue and lymph nodes with a straightforward operation. He also underwent a medication regime to deal with the small nodules in his lungs.
Within two months – and of course, only after checking with his doctor first – he was lacing his running shoes up once again.
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Cancer survivor clocks 10k run three months after op
Though he swears he “started slow”, he also admits that he ended up participating in the Race Against Cancer charity run just several weeks after he first started running.
He ran a full 10km at the event, finishing ahead of around 50 colleagues who joined him in solidarity after his brush with cancer.
Though his doctor initially warned that the cancer could return, it has shown no signs of recurring seven years on. Pak Leong now goes for screenings once every year, down from once a quarter.
Started running thanks to IPPT incentives
Pak Leong tells us that he was never one for athletics or sports.
He only caught the running bug after the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) bumped up cash incentives for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) in 1982. The test is a mandatory annual requirement for all national servicemen.
The silver hit the track “almost every day” after work, focusing primarily on short distances. He always ran alone.
It was only about 10 years ago that Pak Leong began exploring long-distance runs with his friends. His first 10km run was organised by a community centre.
Hopes to encourage more seniors to run
Like his first jog, the run event soon turned into a habit. He joined the SAFRA Choa Chu Kang Running Club and participates with its members in public running events both locally and around the region.
The furthest Pak Leong will go now is a half marathon (21.1km; a limit this fellow silver runner has also set for himself).
He now tries to keep to around three running events a year, usually overseas.
Depending on distance, a run event here usually costs between $50 to $100, with entitlements including t-shirts, medals and other goodies.
Credit: Kan Pak Leong
The silver clocked in a blazing time of two hours, 17 minutes at the Pantai Marathon in Penang. Pak Leong ended up as the 9th fastest runner in his age category – though that wasn’t exactly what he was focusing on.
The next run he plans to tick off will be the upcoming Lazada Run in Singapore on 27 July.
As you’d expect from a run named after an e-commerce giant, the event is all about shopping, vouchers, and exclusive deals.
This ranges from a post-race Shopping Village packed with product giveaways to 5km fun runs complete with a trendy Pop Mart blind box when you finish the race (yes, seriously).
While Pak Leong himself isn’t so thrilled about the shopping, he sees fun events like the Lazada Run as opportunities to fold more people into the sport, seniors included.
