RUN WITH PURPOSE

TIM YAP shares the amount of work he had to do to check the New York Marathon off his bucket list, and why he was running for more than himself

- JACOB SAMPAYAN

“New York is my most favorite city in the world,” says Tim Yap, who last week finished the New York Marathon. “It was where I experienced a lot of firsts, a lot of turning points and realizations in life and I wanted this run to be my love letter for NYC.”

In a Facebook post, Yap says that he is still overwhelmed by the fact that he was able to finish the famed US marathon on its 50th year.

“This is hands down one of the most exhilarating and unforgettable moments in my life,” the post reads. “Running 42km or 26.2 miles across the five boroughs of New York is something I never thought I could do, but it was a must check on my life's bucket list.”

The idea for doing the marathon was planted by Sara Black, who was in a running group with Yap.

“One morning we were warming up together, Sara talked to me about her New York marathon experience—she said she discovered transcendence through running,” Yap shares. “I looked at her with wonder and awe.”

Black told him that it taught her so much and was nothing like she had ever experienced in her life. “I've always been a student of life and always in search of these experiences to learn and grow—I knew I had to do it,” he says.

NEW FOCUS

The marathon was also a way for him to divert his attention in the middle of a difficult period in his life.