The Income Eco Run takes place on 30 April this year, and its aims are to drive home the green message to runners, and encourage them to pledge to take measures to conserve the environment in their own small ways.

The Income Eco Run which has been renamed from the NTUC Income Run 350, is being organised by NTUC Income.

Income Eco Run takes place on 30 April this year.

Farmers Market is part of the eco movement

And so, as part of the eco movement, the Income Eco Run is currently having a Farmers Market that coincides with the race pack collection for the race. This Farmers Market is currently on from now till 8pm on Sunday 16 April. The organisers hope that with the Farmers Market, runners taking part in the Income Eco Run will be encouraged to pick up healthy and environmentally friendly habits and practices.

There is a Farmer’s Market at the REPC.

Small but selling a range of produce

I took a quick look through the Farmers Market. It is quite small, with about 20 stalls altogether. These are selling a range of produce, and some of them include home-made granola, organic chocolate and honey.

There are also plenty of samples to try, for those who may be interested to buy something but are not too sure whether it is worth parting with your hard-earned cash.

Granola from Amazin’Graze.

For instance, I had tasted a couple of types of the flavoured granola from the Amazin’Graze booth and it was quite delicious, especially when it had been paired with soya milk. My favourite flavour was probably the salted gula melaka one, as this had seemed to have just the right balance of saltiness and sweetness to it.

As well, these granolas are baked fresh daily and are packed with superfoods such as blueberries and raspberries, so you be sure that it is good for you.

Another stall that I had also found interesting was the bamboo fabric clothing from Zhai Pte Ltd. Consisting of strong anti-microbial properties, bamboo is supposed to have three times the amount of anti-bacterial properties as compared to cotton. At the same time they are also believed to wick moisture away faster compared to any fabric clothing, keeping your skin dry and comfortable even when you are perspiring. As well, it is also meant to be hypoallergenic at the same time.

Bamboo tee shirts from Zhai Pte Ltd.

I didn’t buy anything but I took a look at the clothes and at first glance they don’t really seem to be very different to normal clothing, but perhaps the difference may be felt when you actually wear them.

Some of the other interesting stalls include the following:

• The Hunters’ Kitchenette – produces a wide range of natural tree-nut butters and healthy nut based snacks
• Husk’s Wave – Turns rice husks into biodegradable dining ware
• Bettr Barista Coffee Academy – A social enterprise that offers top notch coffee and at the same time, provides employment for marginalised women and youths at risk.

The Farmer’s Market is an interesting idea for an eco run.

My thoughts were that having a Farmers Market had been definitely quite innovative and had certainly tied in with the environmental theme of the race.

Running related booths

Besides the Farmers Market, there is also another section at the race pack collection expo, hawking the usual running related booths, selling items such as sports watches and sports apparel, as well as energy gels and running magazines.

Honey is a natural product; it can also be used as a good source of fuel during races.

These are rather standard for most race pack collection expos, as runners are always on the lookout for new running gear to purchase.

Pack Collection Process

And in terms of the race pack collection procedure, it had been reported by many runners that there was not much of a queue. If there was, the line had moved fast due to the fact that there had been many counters available for runners.

Income Eco Run organisers did a good job for the REPC and Farmer’s Market, which ends today.

At the same time too, the pack collection process had been in an air-conditioned environment within the F1 Pit Building, so runners were not complaining, and as such, it was not an issue either, even during the heavy downpour in the mid afternoon.

So in this way, the Income Eco Run organisers had done quite well, in terms of managing the expectations and the crowds throughout the entire race pack collection process.

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