"She siao ah."

That was Vattey's (and honestly everyone else’s) reaction when Julia announced her plan: run 28km on her 28th birthday to raise funds for Kita. 

In Singapore. 

At 3:42pm. 

"I would watch her do it, but I would not do it myself," Vattey declared from her very comfortable position as a spectator.

Fair assessment. But here's the thing – Julia's been running since 2017, when she started accompanying her dad to races so he wouldn't go alone. 

She fell in love with it. 

And for years, she's wanted to organise a run for friends to experience the (read: somewhat questionable) thrill of covering long distances together without race fees and formalities. Her 28th birthday felt like the perfect moment.

Julia wasn't just running for the endorphins. For five years at Hatch, she’s journeyed with young people who needed someone to believe in them. She’s watched them show up, fall, get back up and discover what they were capable of. 

Those wins stuck with her. 

They pushed her to show up better in her own life; be it at work, in her hobbies, or for the people around her.

Now, as Kita creates more spaces for under-resourced youths to take ownership of their futures, Julia wants to support that. 

Her goal? Raise $2,800 – $100 for every kilometre. Every dollar goes directly to Kita's programmes.

Despite the mild insanity of the plan, her colleagues showed up. 

Wan Qing opted to cycle and learned she hates the heat. 

Li Ying crushed it and is now organising a 10K to ring in the new year (shocker: she has actually found people to join her). 

Joseph ran and cycled the distance, called it "insane" and is inspired to never run again. 

Zenas finished strong. His legs did not. He's got a limp to show for it.

Rachel, a self-proclaimed Strava-holic, couldn't stop thinking: "I don't know how Julia does it."

Victor got very acquainted with Julia's back profile (he was desperately trying to catch up) and is now convinced that Julia is "super cool".

Julia's run wasn't just about kilometres or funds raised. It was about showing up for something bigger and bringing people together in the process – blisters, dehydration and all. 

Little crazy? Sure. 

Worth it? Without question.

P.S. You can support her here!