The 2023 edition of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay took place in Singapore last night.

A 10-mile relay race 

This is a series of 10-mile relay races that takes place in 10 global cities around the globe including Sydney, New York, Mumbai and Tokyo.

Every team has 10 runners and each runner completes one full loop of one mile. So teamwork and camaraderie play a major role in this event and that is what I like about this run.

Singapore is one of the stops, and the Singapore leg of the race took place at the Promontory @ Marina Bay. This is a central location that is nearby to many offices. 

Flagged off at 7pm

The race flagged off at 7pm in the evening and I was the first runner.

I arrived at the race site around 6:20pm and the village was already pretty crowded at that time.

The very first thing I noticed was that many teams were gathering and trying to find each other’s teammates. The team spirit was apparently high.

I saw fresh coconuts available at the race village and I was feeling a bit thirsty with the hot sun beating down, so I took one. It was refreshing. Beer and frozen yogurt dessert were available too for runners.

After the warm up, the first runners were called to enter the start pen just before 7pm. I complied and did so.

Time to run

The race was flagged off to plenty of fanfare and the emcee was loud and spontaneous. We started running just after 7pm. It was a fast and furious run throughout, from the beginning to the end.

However, for the first 400m or so, I found myself caught in some bottlenecks and I was unable to pick up the pace until about half a kilometre into the run. There were also some tripping hazards (benches) along the race route at the beginning.

Once the crowd had dissipated, the remainder of the race felt good and I was able to push the pace a little. I know I wasn’t feeling 100% for this run, as I had completed the Chicago Marathon less than two weeks prior and the fatigue from the full marathon was still there.

Running for the team 

But I also didn’t want to let the team down, so I ran as hard as a could, trying to pick up the pace in the second half as best as possible in order to make up for the lost time from the traffic jam at the beginning. I ran my heart out for the sake of the team.

There were lots of photographers along the course too, and it was lots of fun to watch out for them and attempt to strike a pose for the cameras.

The route 

The running route took us around the Promontory @ Marina Bay.

I think that the race organiser may had attempted to make the route in the shape of a square due to the name of the race. 

As such, there were quite a number of twists and turns and out and back sections which required us to slow down and watch our footing.

It was nonetheless lots of fun, and I was breathing heavily when I passed the baton onto our team’s second runner. 

Finisher stuff 

After the run, we were ushered towards the finish area to pick up our race medals, as well as runner entitlements which included a pair of socks, stress ball, water and our finisher t-shirts.

It was super generous of the organisers to provide so many entitlements to runners.

Dinner

As well, dinner was also provided and there was a choice of barramundi, chicken burger or hot dog.

I went for the barramundi as I generally prefer fish over meat items when there is a choice.

It was delicious and came with either chocolate brownie or donuts for dessert. I went for the brownie because I love chocolate.

All of the food was provided by Conrad Hotel and I thought that the food standard was great. Everything was yummy.

The leaderboard was on display at the race site and I constantly kept tabs on how my team mates were doing. I truly felt that everyone was running well and trying their best for the team.

Other food and snacks 

To keep us hydrated, we were also entitled to a choice of three drinks in addition to dinner: choices were beer, green tea, coca-cola or 100PLUS. I took one 100PLUS and two beers.

I also helped myself to the frozen yoghurt and it was really cold and refreshing after the run. Singapore’s hot and humid weather is always great for enjoying frozen treats, especially after a hard run.

Once our whole team has finished, we also found each other and caught up and shared stories, soaking up the atmosphere and vibe of the race.

Super fun event 

It was an extremely fun event and I am glad that as a team, we managed to improve on our cumulative timing from last year’s event. We completed the 10-mile (16km) relay in 1 hour 21 mins 16 seconds. This is more than half a minute improvement from last year and I am happy with our performance.

The overall winners of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay were Macquarie again for the sixth year in a row, completing the relay in an insane time of 56:07 minutes. That’s a totally crazy pace per runner and I can’t even fathom or imagine that sort of speed.

Great for team bonding 

Overall, the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Singapore was a great team and corporate bonding event and it was loads of fun, reconnecting with old friends and making new acquaintances. I really enjoyed every aspect of it and I certainly hope to be back again. 

Race Video