Yesterday morning, the first ‘Run with Pacers’ session for the 2016 Edition of the NTUC Income RUN 350 took place. It had been led by Running Department, who are the official pacers for the race.

Taking place on 10 April this year, the RUN 350 race will comprise of four categories – a 21.1km Half Marathon, 10km Race, 4km Fun on Wheels and an 800m Kids Dash – to cater to different abilities of runners.

Training run began at Sports Hub

Yesterday’s Run with Pacers session, beginning at the Sports Hub, targeted the two longer distances being offered on race day – that is, the 21.1km and 10km races.

Prior to the run, there were some warm-up exercises which had been lead by the 2hours 30minutes pace group for the Half Marathon. These had included a combination of basic stretching exercises and dynamic exercises to get the heart rate high and the blood pumping around the body.

Running Routes

The run itself flagged off at about 7.20am. The 10km runners did a simple 9km route from the Sports Hub towards the Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Barrage and back.

For those targeting the 21.1km distance on race day, they completed was a 15km route, which started at the Sports Hub before heading 1km in the direction of the Tanjong Rhu Flyover before heading towards the Marina Barrage and back. To make up the distance, there was also a 4km detour towards East Coast Park.

Sun was ‘hardworking’

Despite the relatively early start, I thought that it was pretty hot, no thanks to the ‘hardworking’ sun. As such, both the heat and the humidity got to me rather quickly.

However for Real Estate Agent Terence Low, 50, it wasn’t as hot as it could otherwise have been. He said, “It had been a great 15km run, with nice weather and nice people. The weather was hot, but I thought it was not so bad as there was some shade here and there. The West Coast Highway is many times worse!”

Scenery was beautiful

But the heat aside though, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage had been really beautiful and scenic to run at – as usual.

With lovely views such as the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands, the uniquely shaped ArtScience Museum and the Gardens SuperTrees, these are sights that I think I probably would never get tired of, no matter how many times I see them.

Thea Cudnowski, 22, also loved the scenery and lapped up the beautiful sights. She said, “Today’s 15km run was so much fun! This was my first run in Singapore, and what had made it even better, was that everyone was so nice and I got to see the beautiful city of Singapore as well. The paths are really great and are built just for running.”

Cudnowski, a Teacher at the Eastern Technology College in Chonburi, Thailand, had been visiting Singapore – and she had been at the ‘Run with Pacers’ session thanks to a friend of hers who is one of this year’s pace leaders for RUN 350.

She said, “This experience definitely makes me want to run a race in Singapore, because I enjoyed myself so much. Perhaps I might now sign up for the RUN 350!”

Cool down Session

After the run, there was a mass cool down session, which was also led by the 2hour 30minute pacers. These had comprised of static exercises to help stretch the tired muscles and prevent muscle soreness over the next few days.

Water and isotonic drinks were also available for runners to quench their thirst and re-hydrate themselves, after having lost plenty of fluids through sweating.