TNP Big Walk returns to National Stadium after more than a decade

This year will be a grand homecoming for The New Paper Big Walk as it returns to the National Stadium where it all began.

Adding to the excitement, the Big Walk will partner the National Steps Challenge for a fun-filled morning on Nov 26.

The Walk will start from the Singapore Sports Hub at 7am.

The tie-up of the Big Walk with the National Steps Challenge resonates with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech on Aug 20.

Mr Lee had urged Singaporeans to lead a healthy lifestyle and beat diabetes, especially to "eat right, exercise more, get your health checked regularly and think twice about picking up that can of soft drink".

He added that people should ideally get at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week, and walking at least 10,000 steps a day can be an alternative goal.

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This year's National Steps Challenge The New Paper Big Walk route is approximately 10,000 steps long.

Mr Eugene Wee, editor of The New Paper, said: "With the Big Walk, we hope to make keeping fit an activity that you can not only do with friends and family, but do in a way that is interesting and fun.

"It is not every day that you get to take a scenic stroll in a big group on closed roads."

The return to the National Stadium is significant to TNP readers as the first TNP Big Walk was held on June 16, 1991 at The National Stadium.

It was held there annually until 2006.

RECORD NUMBER

The inaugural walk in 1991 had 7,000 walkers, a record then for the most number of participants since the New Nation Big Walk in 1982, which had 4,800 participants.

And the numbers grew as the years went by.

In 1992, the Big Walk drew about 15,000 participants.

The Big Walk was skipped in 2007 due to the demolition of the National Stadium to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub, and the other locations were not as crowd-friendly.

The new National Stadium is part of the Sports Hub, which comprises the OCBC Aquatic Centre, the multi-purpose OCBC Arena, the Singapore Sports Museum, the Sports Hub library, the Kallang Wave shopping mall and the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Since 2008, the Big Walk has been held at various iconic locations, including the Marina Barrage, the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade, Resorts World Sentosa, the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari.

In 2015, in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Singapore's independence, a special edition of the Big Walk, called SG50 Jubilee Big Walk, began at the National Museum and featured more than 20 iconic locations within the Civic District and Marina Bay area.

This year's Big Walk participants will not only be walking for their health, they will also stand to win fabulous prizes in the lucky draw, including the grand prize of an Osim uLove Massage Chair (bespoke version) worth over $9,500.