Her Kittyback ride to finish line
Couple will join Hello Kitty Run again this year
Marriage is like a marathon with its highs and lows.
And the most crucial thing is the people involved as they have to be committed to weather the relationship's ups and downs to the very end.
This is Mr Jason Lim's philosophy.
Fittingly, he ran in the inaugural Hello Kitty Run in Singapore on Nov 1 last year to celebrate his second wedding anniversary.
The date Nov 1 is special as it is Hello Kitty's birthday.
Mr Lim, a director of operations, and his 26-year-oldwife, Ms Ang Khana Phonasa, will once again celebrate their love at this year's 5km Hello Kitty Run, which is happening on Dec 19.
Last year, when Ms Phonasa was too exhausted to complete the last 200m of the run, Mr Lim piggy-backed her to the finish line.
Mr Lim, 42, tells The New Paper on Sunday: "It was romantic, two of us holding on to each other till the end.
"My wife is not good at running and when she couldn't go any more, I couldn't just leave her alone.
"I felt the experience we had at the run mirrored our marriage.
"More importantly, we finished the run together, as husband and wife."
He admitted with a laugh that the task was not that hard as his wife weighs a mere 48kg.
Ms Phonasa, who has been living in Singapore for four years, beamed when asked how she felt about her husband carrying her to the finish line.
"I was very happy," says the freelance model, who is Thai and speaks some English.
Hello Kitty is central to this couple's love story, thanks to their three-year-old daughter, Jenna, who adores the feline.
ICON
Hello Kitty is an iconic cartoon character created in 1974 by Japanese company Sanrio, which designs and produces kawaii (Japanese for cute) products.
Depicted as a white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow, her real name is Kitty White and she has a twin sister called Mimmy.
The much-loved character has been featured on numerous merchandise, including bags, soft toys, clothes, lunch boxes, cups, radios and headphones. There are even airplanes emblazoned with its motif.
Mr Lim says he has tried to buy different types of toys and clothes featuring other cartoon characters for Jenna but she has not shown much interest in them.
"I still don't exactly know why Jenna loves Hello Kitty so much from the first time she saw her. She just has this huge, immense attraction to Hello Kitty even though we do not get Hello Kitty cartoons on TV and she has seen the character only in 2D," he adds.
"But because she loves Hello Kitty, and we love her so much, we have come to associate Hello Kitty with her and love the character ourselves."
When asked why she adores Hello Kitty, Jenna shyly replied that she loves the colours pink and white.
She is joining her parents for the first time in this year's run.
Ms Phonasa says: "I will dress her up to be very beautiful for the run.
"And when she gets tired, of course, we will carry her to the end."
Hello Kitty Run Singapore 2015
WHERE
The Float@Marina Bay
WHEN
Dec 19, Saturday, 5pm
REGISTRATION
Oct 31 to Nov 20 on the website, www.hellokittyrun.com.sg
FUN FACTS
Originating in Taiwan, the Hello Kitty Run was first introduced last year to Japan and Singapore.
In Singapore, it was held on Nov 1, which marked Hello Kitty's 40th birthday.
The run saw more than 17,000 participants.
This year, with an expected attendance of around 15,000 people, a new concept has been introduced. It will be the first time the run is held at night, with landmarks such as The Float@Marina Bay, The Promontory and Marina Bay Sands along the 5km route.
There will be 10 waves of runners, with the first wave starting at 5pm and the last wave leaving at 5.45pm.
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