A series of races that are taking place throughout 2017 in both Singapore and Malaysia, the Performance Series of runs are to promote a healthy lifestyle through the appreciation of iconic landmarks in Singapore and Malaysia with both the local and the expatriate community.

The Performance Series made its debut last year.

Three races taking place in Singapore

This year three races will be taking place in Singapore and there will be another three in Malaysia – this is first time that the Performance Series is heading overseas.

Last year there had been five similar races that were held all in different areas of Singapore: North, East, West, Central and South.

Aims to encourage runners to cultivate healthy lifestyle habits

Through the races, the series aims to encourage runners of all walks of life to have a schedule of races to work and train towards in terms of their running progression and improvement.

At the same time, it is also hoped that through these races, people can cultivate healthy lifestyle habits and take up running regularly.

First race took place this morning

The first race in the 2017 Series took place this morning.

The first race of The Performance Series in Singapore took place this morning at Stadium Riverside Walk with a brand new category, the 21.1km Half Marathon, on top of the currently existing 5km and 10km races that had been brought back from last year’s inaugural debut.

Route had been standard and scenic

The route for Race #1 took runners from the National Stadium and through the Marina Bay Golf Course, East Coast Park and the Gardens by the Bay. It had been a standard running route that quite a few races utilise but still a scenic one nonetheless.

The Performance Series Race #2 aims to take runners to the Punggol East Parade Square area, but the location for Race #3 is not known yet though.

Runners had enjoyed their experience

Some runners generally had a pleasant running experience at Race #1 of The Performance Series. Said Yoke Peck Kee on the event Facebook page, “Kudos to the race organiser. It had been one of the best races that I have ever done.”

Amanda Tay, who posted on the event Facebook page, also shared Peck Kee’s thoughts. She said “This was the most organised run I have been to in a while.”

Heidi Filippi, who had also shared her comments on The Performance Series Facebook page, also had a rather enjoyable experience at the race. She said “I liked the cute designs of the distance markers. However there was no time to stop and take photos with them because I was aiming for a personal best!”

“Instant” finishing times

As well, runners were also pleased with the “instantaneous” results which runners could receive after crossing the finish line. This is also in line with other races that offer similar “live tracking” services like the Standard Chartered KL Marathon and the Sundown Marathon Singapore.

Said Susie Lim on Facebook, “Fastest results ever! Almost instantaneous.”

Added Choon Lee Liew, also on Facebook, “Super fast, thanks, The Performance Series.”

Another runner, David Lee, however felt that his official race result were not accurate when matched with the data on his GPS watch. He said “Thank you for the fast results, The Performance Series. But me thinks the results needs to be reviewed. It does not look right when compared with my watch.”

Improvements

Other runners had some improvements for the race organisers in future editions. Said Narasimhan Sampath, who had also posted on the race Facebook page, “It was a nicely done race, but it would be nice if the water served at the hydration stations was actually cold. I hope to see cold water for the next two Performance Series races.”

Tan Ah Kow, who had also commented on the Facebook page, felt that bananas and a muscle rub were lacking. He said “It would be good if there were bananas, energy gel and muscle rubs along the 21.1km route. There weren’t any.”

Some runners had improvements for the future editions.

And according to Grace Ng, who had taken part in the 10km race and shared comments on her own Facebook page, the route had been rather narrow and crowded. She said, “Too narrow a route, too many choke points and too crowded. I could only maintain a leisurely jog for most of the distance and only really ran the last 1km.”

Nicole Lee, a 21.1km runner who had also posted her thoughts on her Facebook page, also shared Grace’s sentiments. She said “I ended up in the third wave and it was quite congested especially at the beginning. But it was great seeing all my friends at the race though.”

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