Scaling heights for a good cause: Over 100 take part in vertical marathon by ComChest and MBS
The marathon and Community Chest Heartstrings Walk raised over $5.2 million for 94,000 social service users.
On August 29, over 100 participants braved the 57 floors of steps at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) SkyPark to take part in a vertical marathon organized by Community Chest and MBS. The event, aimed at raising funds for social causes, saw a total of $5.2 million raised, benefiting more than 94,000 individuals across 300 programmes and projects.
The marathon, which began with a flag-off by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, was completed in 29 minutes and 59 seconds by the Climb Warriors team from the Singapore Police Force. Male participant Subas Gurung won with a time of five minutes and 55 seconds, while female winner Serene Cheong from the Towerrunning Association of Singapore finished in eight minutes and 18 seconds.
Pastor Andrew Khoo, a 68-year-old participant and founder of New Hope Community Services, found the climb manageable due to his daily exercise regimen. The event marked the 15th year of partnership between the Community Chest and MBS, with the Community Chest chairman Danny Koh revealing that the organization disbursed over $17 million to support mental health programmes in 2025, a 30% increase from the previous year.
The vertical marathon and the Community Chest Heartstrings Walk were part of MBS's annual Sands for Singapore Charity Festival, which has raised over $52 million for social causes in Singapore since 2013.
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