Long queue at Huawei's flagship store in S'pore

There was a long queue yesterday at Huawei's flagship store at Plaza Singapura.

The people were there for the walk-in registration for The New Paper Big Walk, presented by the Singapore Turf Club.

Mrs Sarena Mensari was there 45 minutes before the registration began.

The 44-year-old housewife said she was interested in taking part in the TNP signature event, but had found to her disappointment that online registration had closed a week early because of the overwhelming response.

Some 18,000 tickets were snapped up within 19 days for The Big Walk this year which will take participants across the iconic Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

Mrs Sarena said she wrote to TNP three times within a week to find out how she could get her hands on some tickets.

She said: "I want my kids to be able to experience the walk."

She is planning to go with her four children and her domestic helper.

MORE TICKETS

To cater to demand, organisers released a last batch of tickets so that people who missed the first round, or who did not have access to the Internet, could still participate in the event.

Yesterday, Mrs Sarena's persistence paid off as she was among the lucky few who managed to snag the remaining tickets available at Huawei - the multimedia sponsor of The Big Walk.

Another Big Walker who managed to grab last-minute tickets was Mr Paul Yan, 31.

Indeed, he arrived at 9 am, a full two hours before registrations started.

Mr Yan bought tickets for himself and his Malaysian girlfriend.

He said: "Online registration was already over when I tried to sign up, but I really want to go as it's quite an iconic Singapore event."

He added: "It'll be nice to see some famous landmarks up close and the event's atmosphere will make the activity so much better than if you were to walk the same route alone."

Meanwhile, people who had purchased their tickets online went to collect their Big Walk goodie bags at selected Denizen outlets.

Mr Hoe Voon Hee, 66, was at the Denizen outlet at Citylink Mall yesterday.

The senior protection officer has attended the event every year since its inception. He said he will be using the opportunity to exercise and is planning to walk with his son this year.

He said: "I used to be a marathon runner, but I can't run any more because of my age. But my legs are still strong and I'll have no problems walking."

Mr Hoe has a history of dressing up for the Big Walk and he plans to do so again this year.

"I've been to past Big Walks dressed as up Fred Flinstone or in a traditional Japanese costume," he said. "This year, I will be going as Charlie Chaplin."

joonlei@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Nov 23, 2014.
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