He raised over $160,000 in UK ultra-marathon

Imagine inhaling the stench of cow dung for an hour.

That was what Mr Lim Nghee Huat, 63, had to do when he came across a 2km field of it.

It was on the route of a 320km ultramarathon in the UK, which he was taking part in for charity.

Mr Lim came in fifth in the Ultra Great Britain run this month. The run follows the Trans-Pennine Trail from Southport to Hornsea.

He finished the race in 81hr, 5min and 32sec and raised over $160,000 for HCA Hospice Care.

HCA Hospice Care, a home hospice care provider in Singapore, contacted Mr Lim in April last year to take part in the Trailblazers100 run, but he already had other commitments.

This year, the father of three was able to contribute his time to help the hospice.

He said: "I've heard how volunteers from HCA look after their patients. The patients' lives are numbered, but the volunteers still want to add value to their lives.

"I support what these people do."

His crew comprised his wife Deborah Mok, 56, who took care of his meals and attire, and physician Tomas Wally, 26.

Both support runners and medical doctors James Sng, 29, and Mr Lim's son, David, 29, were also part of the team to pace his running.

ENDURANCE: (Left) Mr Lim with his son David (right) and his son's friend James Sng (middle). They helped him keep pace. PHOTO COURTESY OF MR LIM NGHEE HUAT

The Mediacorp Chinese current affairs editor has taken part in 10 ultramarathons over the past 11 years, each time raising funds for a cause.

But this was the longest and toughest one yet.

Not only did he have to face harsh weather and road conditions, but he also got lost twice.

"It was much more difficult than I expected. It was raining and windy, so at night it was very cold," he said.

The temperatures stayed below 15 deg C.

He added: "It could be quite scary - in the middle of the night you get lost, in the middle of nowhere."

SLEEP

Over the four days, he slept for about five hours only.

Said HCA Hospice Care: "We are extremely privileged and humbled to have had Mr Lim Nghee Huat, a renowned ultramarathoner, run for our hospice cause.

"The parallel between long-distance running and the end of life journey which our patients experience resonates deeply with our cause.

"It means a lot to us, as we want our patients to know that they are not alone in this journey and we look forward to adding life to their days and not days to life."

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MR LIM'S RUNNING MILESTONES

• Mr Lim first took part in the 168km Run Round Singapore in 2005 to raise funds for Nanyang Technological University.
• In July 2007, Mr Lim was listed in the Singapore Book of Records for being one of the first South-east Asians to complete the 217km Death Valley Challenge in the US, raising more than $200,000 for the Mountbatten Citizens' Consultative Committee.
• He ran the 217km Brazil Ultramarathon in 2009, 2012 and 2013.
• He also took on the Brazil 135+ Ultramarathon last year.