There’s something attractive about a man working up a sweat. I’m not sure whether pheromones are released during exercise but sportsmen dominate the list of most desirable men in the world – think David Beckham, Rafael Nadal and Ryan Lochte.
So when I was informed that I would be training with the winner of the Puma Mobum 1.6km Challenge Winner for the Puma Night Run in Seoul, I was suitably excited. Earlier this year, Puma rolled out a pop-up Mobium Lab to find the most efficient runner in Singapore by using a matrix that combined age, average heart rate and timing over a 1.6km distance.
LIKE A SPEEDING BULLET
Daryl Chew emerged the winner and boy, can the tall lanky young man run. The captain of his JC cross-country team has a personal best 10km timing of 39 minutes – that’s way faster than what I take to run 7km!
I managed to grab Daryl for a quick chat during training, to get a male’s insight on running – and in hope of a longer break. One of the main reasons the dude likes running is so that he can eat junk food without feeling guilty – high five! Daryl said, “I like running alone as long runs help me clear my mind. But I also catch up with friends when we run together – it is also a social activity. Plus, nothing beats the adrenaline rush I get from competing in races!”
Then, I asked a very important question – what’s attractive about girls who run? “Toned legs and the natural flush after a run!” was Daryl’s reply. While toning up legs is a work in progress, girls everywhere will be pleased to know that the flushed cheeks are an instant payoff after a workout.
SENSITIVE NEW-AGE GUY
From left: Darryl at the Puma Marina Square store, during training with Team RunFanatics and at the Army Half Marathon
Daryl doesn’t live up to the himbo reputation that most jocks have – he’s very in tune with his feminine side. In fact, you may have bought some nail polish from him! The entrepreneur brings in US nail polish brands like Blaze and Etoile on online store Zalora and also has his own online nail polish store Nail Deck that stocks popular brands like O.P.I and Deborah Lippmann.
“I was intrigued by the UV-activated colour changing properties of Blaze,” admits Daryl. “As a guy, it’s quite a challenge to sell something I don’t use so the learning curve is quite steep but it’s been a really exciting journey!”
The speedy Daryl recently completed the 21km Army Half Marathon in Puma Faas 300 v2 and managed to clock an impressive time of 1 hour and 36 minutes. He contributes the great performance to the running shoes that helped him make it through the last 5km without the usual burning sensation his feet experience!
Check back in October for more on Daryl and my adventures in Seoul when we fly there for the Puma night run!
Puma is located at #02-153/154 Marina Square, #B2-23 ION Orchard and #02-15/16 VivoCity.
For more information on Puma, go to www.puma.com. Follow Puma and Daryl's route to the Puma Night Run in Seoul on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pumasingapore.