Singapore marathoner Eugene Lim dies aged 45 after cancer battle, 3 days after marriage
Mr Lim continued running and training for marathons after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 urothelial cancer in 2024.
Singaporean marathoner and entrepreneur Eugene Lim died on Apr 10, 2026, after battling Stage 4 urothelial cancer. (File photos: Instagram/@so_fieeee, @geniemule)
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SINGAPORE: Singapore marathoner Eugene Lim has died aged 45 after battling Stage 4 urothelial cancer.
The co-founder of The High Panthers, a local fundraising running crew, was diagnosed with the condition in 2024.
He died on Friday (Apr 10), his wife Sofie Chandra said in an Instagram post the same day.
Ms Chandra revealed on the platform that the couple was married on Apr 7, just three days before Mr Lim's death.
Hailed by many in the running community as an inspiration, mentor and friend, Mr Lim continued to run and train for races even after his diagnosis.
“I take each day at a time, with the support of those around me, and keep striving forward in the best way that I can,” wrote Mr Lim, who was a brand ambassador or "captain" for Adidas Singapore, in an Instagram post in June last year.
“And if that means training for and running a marathon, then damn well I’m going to embark on that path with the same intention to embrace the journey as well as I can.”
DIAGNOSIS AND BATTLE AGAINST CANCER
In 2020, Mr Lim discovered that his urine was discoloured after one of his usual runs. Checks at that point raised no alarms. However, the brown urine recurred occasionally and grew more frequent in 2022.
In June 2024, during a trip to Johor for a run, his urine turned deep red.
A computed tomography scan revealed a large tumour in his left kidney. Further tests confirmed Stage 4 urothelial cancer, which had spread to his lungs, neck and other parts of his body. This type of cancer begins in the tissues that lines part of the urinary system.
Mr Lim had been extremely fit before the diagnosis, he said in a multi-part series on CNA’s On The Red Dot programme about millennials fighting stage 4 cancer.
Having just come out of a pre-season training block, he felt like a switch had flipped. “My body feels different from what I knew before,” he said.
Unlike other forms of illness, such as chickenpox, where you can predict a rough recovery time, cancer was different, said Mr Lim.
“Because you don’t have a clear window, therefore … every day it’s on your mind, whether it’s emotional, mental or physical.”
He initially responded well to several rounds of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a treatment that uses an antibody to deliver a potent drug directly to cancer cells.
Eager to regain his active lifestyle, he returned to marathon training. However, his doctor later discovered the cancer had adapted, and the treatment was no longer effective.
Even after switching to traditional chemotherapy – notorious for its severe side effects – Mr Lim continued training, running four times a week.
When he was diagnosed, he named his tumour Caleb and saw it as something he would have to live with rather than get rid of.
While Mr Lim was determined that his cancer would not define him, he was also upfront about the ways it affected his life.
“Whether in our first year, into our fifth year, or in remission, I now think that perhaps once you have cancer, you never ever truly live a life completely away from it and learning how to live with it is one of the hardest learning curves we’ve had to face,” he wrote on Instagram.
Writing about his decision to share his journey on the CNA programme, he said he saw it as a chance to spread awareness on the increasing prevalence of early-onset cancer that was blindsiding his generation and to “hopefully put some power back in our hands through early detection where possible”.
He also hoped to inspire anyone going through a tough time.
“It’s not the pile of shit that defines who we are, but how we navigate through it. The power is ours,” he said.
After his death, tributes flowed in over the weekend, with many expressing gratitude for Mr Lim’s friendship and mentorship. Numerous posts on social media hailed his strength of character and contributions to the running community.
Adidas Singapore described him as the heart of its community in the country.
“More than a captain – you were, and always will be, the heart of our community, the spirit of our runs, and a defining part of our #adidasRunnersSG story for the past nine years,” it wrote in an Instagram post.
“Thank you for the impact you’ve made. We run on with you in our hearts, and your light lives on.”
“We hope we made you proud in the best way we know how, which is to show up for one another when it matters,” said Mr Lim’s running crew The High Panthers.
Fashion for Cancer SG, a charity fashion show that features cancer survivors as models, thanked Mr Lim for his energy and presence.
“Your memory lives on,” it said in an Instagram post with pictures of him modelling for one of their shows.
