Race Review: Income Eco Run 2024

5,000 runners pledged their support of zero waste and sustainable lifestyle at the Income Eco Run 2024, ahead of World Environmental Day on 5 June.

Income Eco Run has been championing the zero waste cause since 2017 and took a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making a return last year in 2023.

The event featured 5km, 10km, 15km and 21.1km categories for adults as well as 700m and 1km categories for the kids. Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (SMS Khor) was Guest-of-Honour. She also flagged off the 10km and 5km categories at 7am.

Some measures that the race took to reduce wastage include the running bibs for adults being made 65% smaller than the industry standard. This was an improvement from last year’s which was 35% smaller than the standard.

I took part in the 21.1km half marathon category which had a 5:30am start time.

I entered the start pen at 5am and was able to find a place near the front of the line.

It was a very warm and humid morning so I knew we would be in for a challenging race.

The start line was on the top of the Marina Barrage slope.

When we were flagged off, a few minutes after 5:30am, I had to watch my step and take care where I was going so that I didn’t trip up or bump into anyone. It felt like a lot of people and the size of the crowd felt apparent with regards to the size and scale of the location.

The race route for 21.1km was a scenic city route taking in sights such as the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands. It was generally flat and the terrain was road/pavement.

Due to the super early start time and the dark sky, I could only soak in and enjoy the sights and sounds of the race in the second half. Marina Bay is always a beautiful place for a run.

I was able to feel the size of the crowd in the first kilometer or so, but because I was near the front of the race start, the crowd quickly thinned out and I was able to run at my pace.

The water stations were quite well spread out, most were around 2km-3km apart and the water and isotonic drink available was ice-cold which was good.

Though we were encouraged to bring our own reusable cups or bottles, paper cups were provided by the organisers. Cups used were plastic-free and are 100% recyclable. This is a first at a mass sports event in Singapore.

For the distance markings, I noted that some of them were about 200m off as I ran. The total distance of the run was about 20.8km according to my Garmin.

photo credit: u – run I shoot

The route comprised of a number of u-turns and twists. There were marshals positioned at the main turning points along the route to tell us where to go as well as points to slow down so that we did not trip.

I was running by myself generally most of the way, aiming for just under two hours, but my friend Yi Heng who had already completed his race, helped to push me in the last few hundred meters. As a result, my pace in the last stretch picked up to a 5:05 min/km average and I was hitting 4:26 min/km in the last couple hundred meters of the run. Thanks Yi Heng!

I finished the 21.1km run in about 1 hour 56 minutes based on my Garmin. Sub 2.

The race village was informative with exhibits by the Tzu Chi Foundation, educating us about how to take care of the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. I would say I learnt a lot. Simple lifestyle changes such as meatless food options to reusable cutlery and changing the fast fashion that we purchase can have an impact on our environment.

Designated waste sorting bins were also set up for specific types of waste to raise awareness about recycling. Volunteers were also in charge of water stations to educate runners about efficient water usage.

At the race village, we were also encouraged to make a ‘Tread Lightly, Live Gently’ pledge, which was a promise to transition to zero waste practices. These include opting for public transport or cycling instead of driving and be more conscious about our purchase habits and taking note of what we buy and their impact on the environment.

I was able to catch up with many friends at the finish village and it was great to see a lot of familiar faces who had also taken part in the event. Hope everyone had a good time and learnt a lot about environmental sustainability too, like I did.

For this run, Income Insurance also matched one dollar (S$1) for every kilometre (1 km) clocked by participants who took part in the event.

Thank you again to Income for the chance to take part in Income Eco Run again this year. I had a great time and I enjoyed myself running and learning a lot about zero waste living and environmental sustainability.