At 32, she picked up running. A decade on, this marathoner will represent Singapore at her second SEA Games

SINGAPORE: On a midday afternoon in 2011, Jasmine Goh struggled to take the next step.

The sun was unrelenting and her destination loomed large like a desert mirage for a thirsty traveller.

If she wanted to stop, here was her chance.

"I started running kind of like a birthday present to myself. I think one of the push factors was that I had put on some weight after childbirth," recalled Goh, who was also going through a divorce at the time.

"I think a lot of mothers and women do this - we put our health and our needs on the back burner because we focus on our families so much ... I lost the sense of who I am and maybe that’s why I felt that maybe losing weight (would help regain that) …  I just wanted to change something."

And she wasn't just running for herself.

"One of the things I wanted to do was I wanted to show my kids that if Mummy has a goal ... (and I) work at it and commit to it, then I'll reach my goal," she said.

While other sports typically require sparring partners, Goh realised running was more straightforward. So she threw on a pair of shoes and never looked back.

"I thought I could just run, (that it would be) so easy to just put on a pair of shoes and do, like PE (Physical Education)," she told CNA.

"I didn’t run when I was younger, so I thought I’d just wear a cotton tee and FBT shorts and then (later) people laughed at me and asked: 'Do you not know there is something called Dry-Fit?'"

She clocked her first run of 2.5km.

"It was quite hilarious when I started," she said. "I was actually not (happy with the distance). Back in secondary school we did 2.4km. So why am I struggling with 2.5km? It was not easy."

Little did she know this run would be the start of a new adventure.

This year, Goh will be one of the four