BY 
With nearly two decades of competitive endurance racing behind her, Yvonne Elizabeth Chee has built an impressive sporting résumé. The former Singapore national marathoner represented Singapore at the 2024 Asian Cross Country Championships, owns a marathon personal best of 3:03, and has completed 28 marathons, including the remarkable feat of running a marathon on all seven continents in support of the elderly.
Recently, she has become one of Singapore's leading HYROX athletes, qualifying for the 2026 HYROX World Championships, setting the Singaporean Women's HYROX Open record, and competing in three races at the World Championships, an achievement accomplished by just 200 athletes worldwide.
Away from competition, Chee balances her sporting ambitions with a full-time career in government affairs and family life. For the 46-year-old mother of two, every training session needs to count. As an Amazfit ambassador, she relies on her smartwatch to help her train with purpose, recover effectively and arrive at the start line ready to perform.
RUNSG: How has your approach to training evolved over the years?
Yvonne: When I first started running, training was much simpler. We focused on mileage, pace and race times. As I've gained more experience—and especially since moving into HYROX—I've realised that training smarter is far more important than simply training harder.
At 46, with a full-time executive role and two daughters, I don't have unlimited time or recovery. Every session needs a purpose. Wearable technology has become an important part of that process because it helps me understand how my body is responding, not just what I've planned on paper. It allows me to balance performance, recovery and the realities of everyday life.
RUNSG: How does your Amazfit smartwatch help you train smarter?
Yvonne: My training includes threshold runs, long aerobic sessions, strength training and HYROX-specific workouts. My Amazfit helps make sure those sessions complement each other instead of simply accumulating fatigue.
I monitor heart rate during endurance work, track training load across the week and make sure my easy sessions actually stay easy. That's probably one of the biggest lessons I've learnt over the years—easy days should genuinely be easy so that hard days can be hard.
There have been days when I'd planned a hard session but my recovery metrics and elevated resting heart rate suggested I wasn't fully recovered. Instead of forcing the workout, I'd switch to Zone 2 training. Without the watch, I probably would have pushed through. Experience has taught me that consistency beats individual heroic workouts.
RUNSG: Which recovery features do you rely on most?
Yvonne: Sleep tracking is incredibly useful because sleep is probably the biggest performance enhancer that doesn't cost anything.
As a working mum, life stress counts too. My watch reminds me that recovery isn't just about muscles—it's about the whole body. Recovery isn't a sign of weakness; it's what allows me to continue improving while staying healthy.
RUNSG: How does Amazfit support you on race day?
Yvonne: Heart rate is still the main metric I monitor, particularly early in the race when it's easy to get carried away. For HYROX, pacing is critical. Going too hard in the first few kilometres usually comes back to hurt you during the stations.
The official HYROX Race Mode has made race day much more seamless. Instead of trying to adapt a generic workout mode, I can focus on racing while knowing the watch is capturing data that's relevant to the demands of the sport. After the race, I go through the data to see where I executed well and where I can improve.
RUNSG: What advice would you give HYROX athletes using a smartwatch?
Yvonne: Don't chase numbers for the sake of it. Choose two or three metrics that genuinely help your training and learn what they mean. Your watch should help you make better decisions, not make you anxious. The goal isn't to collect data. The goal is to use data to become a better athlete.
For anyone new to Amazfit, I'd recommend starting with three features: heart rate zones, because they teach you how to pace different types of training properly; HYROX Race Mode, because it's designed specifically for the demands of our sport; and sleep tracking, because fitness improves when you recover, not just when you train. Those three features alone can make training much more structured and sustainable.
Comment (0)