When most people have heard about SG Lim’s “Run for Gold” campaign, they think of the challenge ahead of him. He is currently running 2,200KM across Peninsular Malaysia, that covers 11 states and federal territories, which takes approximately 90 days to raise awareness and funds for children battling cancer.
While SG Lim’s journey has drawn attention across the country, there’s another story that deserved to be told, the one unfolding behind the scenes.
For the whole journey, documentary filmmaker and creative director Thinakkaaran Thamilchelvam has been travelling with SG LIM, documenting every challenge, kilometer and encounters along the journey. What started as a project to capture the fundraising campaign, has become a powerful story about grief, resilience, community and the many ways people chose to support a cause greater than themselves.
More Than Just a Running Documentary
Known for creating documentaries on human experience, Thina’s work is more on exploring stories of purpose, identity and lived experience. When he got approached to join this project a month before it started, he saw this as an opportunity to document something more larger than a long-distance run.
The project was not only for daily updates or social media content. From the beginning, Thina believed the journey deserved to have a documentary that could continue spread awareness even after the run was over.
“When I joined, I told SG that I’m not a content creator. We would create content throughout the journey, but at the end of it, we wanted to build a documentary. This project shouldn’t stop after three months. The awareness should continue long after the run ends,” Thina said.
Today, that vision is slowly coming into place as the team travels from state to state, documenting not only SG Lim’s physical endurance but also the stories and people they meet along the way.
Turning Grief into Purpose
At it’s heart, Run for Gold is profoundly a personal story. Before his wife Joo Lee passed away from gallbladder cancer in 2024, SG Lim and she had made plans for retirement. The couple wanted to visit every states by walking. But unfortunately after her passing those plans changed. In depths of his grief, SG Lim turned to books on loss and healing.
During his grieving process, SG Lim spent time reading books on grief and loss. One book he read was “From Grief to Love”, by Laurence Carter, an Englishman who walked thousands of miles across England and Wales to raise cancer awareness.
“I thought it was an interesting way to turn grief into purpose. It made me think about what I could do in Malaysia to support the cancer community”, said SG Lim.
His decision became more stronger after visiting the National Cancer Society of Malaysia’s Home of Hope, a facility that provides accommodation and support for child cancer patients and their caregivers, especially from rural and B40 communities who finds support for treatment in major cities.
Finding Humanity Along the Road
As the journey goes on, Thina began to notice something surprising. While the run is demanding, people from different backgrounds were finding their own way to contribute to the cause. Some of them offered food, and drinks, while many joined a few parts of the run to keep SG Lim motivated.
For Thina, these moments was most meaningful part of the project. He shared a story of a Cikgu Sakri, retired teacher from Pekan, Pahang. After discovering this run through social media, the teacher waited more than a month for SG Lim to reach Pekan. When he reached, the teacher joined him on the road and ran with him for nearly 5 days.
His wife also supported the husband by driving alongside them through this journey. Since then, he has joined the run 14 times and will be there through the finale, committed to see SG cross the finish line. For Thina, it was a powerful example of how one person’s action can change another’s life.
The warmth of east cost stood out in particular. Communities there has opened their arms to SG in ways that were hard to put into words, embodying the generosity that doesn’t make headlines but stays with you long after.
Runners from across Malaysia made their way out, some joining for a single stretch, others returning multiple times. Many of them will be coming together again for the rough island run in Penang on 21st June.
“I’ve been seeing this ripple effect throughout the journey. One person can make a difference in another person’s life and that person can inspire someone else”, said Thina.
The experience changed when he also saw compassion. To him compassion is not only through donations. Throughout the run, people show up to support through kindness. Whether it’s bringing food, offering water, encouraging or simply showing up to walk, run along with SG.
The Challenges Behind the Camera
While SG Lim spends long hours under the Malaysia’s heat, the documentary team has also been dealing with their own challenges. For more than three months, Thina has also been waking up from 3.30AM to 4AM to prepare. Besides documenting the journey, he is also responsible to create content that keeps public updated and engaged. The routine has tested his physical and mental strength.
“How do I show up every day? How do I wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and continue documenting while creating awareness through social media? That’s been one of the biggest challenges,” he said.
It became even harder when one of his crew members Prashanth Kumar was in a hit and run accident during this project. For two weeks, Thina continued the journey without help while managing extra responsibilities. Rather than stopping, friends of his came in to help. One team member joined for 10 days, and another for two weeks until the injured crew member recovered.
Looking at it, Thina believes the experience taught him about resilience and strength people can find when working on something meaningful.
Why the Journey Matters
For SG Lim, one of the most emotional moments happened is during a visit to a children’s oncology ward in Pahang. It was the first time he saw closely on how young cancer patience receives treatment.
The experience was emotional, as he witnessed the struggles faced by the children and their parents.
“What I am going through on this run is nothing compared to what these children and their families face every day. Seeing that made me even more determined to continue this journey and raise as much support as possible,” said SG.
He also hopes this project will also encourage more appreciation for caregivers. He hopes Malaysians will not just support the children but recognise the dedication of caregivers who is beside the patients and their family in the journey.
A Story That Continues More than the Run
Although Run for Gold, will come to an end in a few days, SG Lim and Thina believes the impact will continue long even when the run is completed. For SG Lim, every contribution supports a family battling childhood cancer. For Thina, the documentary is an opportunity to continue to spread the awareness, just like the book From Grief to Love, that SG read and got inspired. Having the documentary out there might inspire another person to continue this.
Together, they are documenting something more than a 2,200KM run. They are telling a story on loss transformed into purpose, communities getting together by compassion and belief that even smallest act of kindness can make a lasting difference. To know more on the Run for Gold mission or to donate check out their website!
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