SINGAPORE — Like her brother, Singapore’s top male marathon runner Mok Ying Ren, Mok Ying Rong has a passion for long-distance running and is pursuing a career in the healthcare industry.

But even though she shares many similarities with her sibling, Ying Rong is determined not to be known as “Ying Ren’s sister”.

The 21-year-old, who is competing in Sunday’s Great Eastern Women’s Run, wants to create her own impact on Singapore’s running scene.

“I don’t feel daunted by his achievements or a compelling need to stand out, because I have my own aspirations,” said Ying Rong.

“I see running as more of a long-term thing. I won’t stop after reaching the Olympics, which my brother is thinking of doing after he reaches the Rio Olympics.

“It makes it easier to enjoy, but my brother has a different mindset, he’s very goal-oriented. I’m more of a ‘enjoy the process along the way’. I really admire his vision and I try to support him in progression as well.”

Despite her determination to be her own person, Ying Rong acknowledged that having Ying Ren as her brother does have its perks.

She said: “Seeing him train hard reminds me that if I want to be a top athlete, I have to train hard, so it’s a really good reminder.”

This motivation helped Ying Rong win the half-marathon at the Sundown Marathon in May, and clock a personal best time of 1hr 27mins in the event at last month’s Sydney Marathon.

As the runner-up in last year’s Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, the Nanyang Polytechnic physiotherapy student hopes to make the cut for next year’s SEA Games in Singapore in either the 10,000m or full marathon — the half-marathon, her pet event, will not feature.

“To qualify for (the SEA Games), I would need to cut about 10 minutes off for my full marathon (time), and it’s actually quite a fair bit,” she said.

“I plan to take a short break after the Stanchart Marathon next month and before preparing for the SEA Games.”

Ying Rong will be one of the elite runners in the invitation-only Singapore Elite Closed Category in the Great Eastern Women’s Run this Sunday.

“It’ll be a very good chance for me to do a good personal best, with international and local competitors in the mix,” she said.

“It’s a good time for me to push my limits and know where I stand among the top runners in Singapore. Usually, we locals feel like we don’t really have a chance and so (this category) really piqued my interest in this run.”