Last night, the inaugural 10km Puma Night Run took place in Singapore, flagging off at 8.45pm. This was also the very first night race to take place at the idyllic island resort destination of Sentosa. Eager for a brand new running adventure, I took part in it.

Runners can’t wait to flag off.

A successful franchise of running events

The finishing line is lit up with neon lights.

The Puma Night Run is a successful franchise of running events around the region. To date, it has taken place in countries such as Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia.

This Puma running franchise combines running together with plenty of fun and entertainment for participants to look forward to, both during and after the race – and that’s one of the reasons why it is usually quite popular.

Scenic running route through Sentosa

The Singapore edition, which had been capped at about 3,000 participants, was a scenic 10km run through Sentosa. It took runners from the starting line at Siloso Beach in the direction of the Tanjong Beach Club and the Tanjong Golf Course – which is not normally accessible to the public. Then the route looped back to the starting point.

Yay I conquered the Puma Night Run!

Sentosa: An enjoyable place to run

Overall, I had thought that the race was pretty enjoyable – and running through Sentosa at night actually felt rather awesome – especially with the cool night breeze blowing.

At the same time, I realised that Sentosa is a great place for a healthy run – especially if you want to escape from the fumes and smog emitted from passing vehicles on Singapore’s mainland.

Route was challenging

But the race route was quite challenging at the same time. For instance, less than one kilometre into the run, I had already encountered my first slope. This was located near the Siloso Beach area, heading towards the Beach Station monorail station.

Over the course of the whole race, I had encountered about four other slopes. However, at least each upslope was usually quickly followed by a downslope though – so at least that wasn’t so bad, and had given me something to look forward to, when the going was beginning to get tougher.

Fun elements incorporated along the route

There were also plenty of fun elements incorporated into the race though, to help spice up things when the going got tough. These had included car speed signs throughout the running course, which I found quite intriguing.

Near the Siloso Beach area, after the Puma Night Run.

I had thought that it was pretty cool that those speed signs even had randomly changing numbers that were supposed to reflect the speed that runners are going at, such as seven kilometres or eight kilometres per hour.

Other enjoyable elements had included running through a brightly lit tunnel with colourful lights and several race volunteers spread out along the whole route to motivate runners, giving high-fives and cheering us on – when the going got tough.

As well, I also thought that the bright neon lights at the race starting and finishing lines were also pretty cool, as they somewhat resembled a disco party rath

er than a running event. The band music playing in the background sure added to the festive party-like mood, as well.

The Flow Rider, a surfing simulation activity.

Having fun at the post-race carnival

The Puma Night Run finished for me all too soon. When I crossed the finishing line, in about 57 minutes, I took a look at the post-race carnival, where a myriad of activities awaited runners.

These had included performances by local band 53a and The Sam Willows, as well the chance to try out Sentosa’s popular surfing simulator, the Flow Rider. Plenty of lucky draw prizes were also on offer for participants, including shoes from Puma’s brand new NightCat Powered running range.

Puma Night Run race medal.

There were a few photo booths for runners to take victorious selfies and photographs too, but I decided not to wait for these, as the queues were rather long.

Tried out the Flow Rider too

Still in the mood for adventure after my race though, I had given the Flow Rider a try. This simulator had been kept open, just for Puma Night Run Singapore participants, till 1am this morning.

But while it wasn’t easy to balance on the surfboard at all, it was still very fun – in fact, after my surfing ride was over, I felt hungry to give the Flow Rider another go, but maybe at a time when I am feeling more fresh.

Thank you, Puma Night Run, for this fanatastic race experience.

Our race route for Puma Night Run 2014.

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