Last Sunday, 28 April, the 2019 edition of the Income Eco Run flagged off from the F1 Pit Building where close to 9,000 participants came together and ran with the collective goal towards Zero Waste.

Click here to view the Income Eco Run 2019 Photos.

The event consisted of the standard categories, which were the 21.1km Half Marathon, as well as the 10km Competitive Run, 10km Mixed Team and the Kids Dash.

Zero Waste 5km Fun Run and Reusable Cups

As well, there was a new category, the Zero Waste 5km Run, where participants were given specially produced reusable cups as part of Income’s aim to eliminate the use of plastic-lined paper cups at the hydration points.

The introduction of the cups, according to Income, is estimated to save close to 20,000 paper cups and in turn, a further reduction of 60kg in waste produced during the race.

The 10km and 21km runners had the option of using the reusable cups too, but these were not compulsory for these categories though.

Chin Chew ran in the 10km Race

While I had been in London taking part in the Virgin Money London Marathon which had taken place on the same date, the Income Eco Run 2019 had marked my photographer Chin’s very first running event. He took part in the 10km competitive category.

A passionate sports photographer, Chin is a regular face in the local running community, and he can be seen often taking photos at many of the running and triathlon events in Singapore and the region.

The Farmer’s Market

The Income Eco Run had been preceded by the Farmers’ Market which took place on 13 and 14 April at the F1 Pit Building, prior to the run. This market also served as the race pack collection expo for the race.

I helped Chin to pick up his race pack for the event, so this meant that I took the chance to have a look at the Farmers’ market as well.

The pack collection process had been rather simple and fuss-free, and I was in and out within about five minutes. There was no queue at all when I went down to the F1 Pit Building.

For the market, this was quite happening, with several booths selling sustainable produce and I recognised local brands such as BoxGreen which specialises in natural and nutritious snacks such as nuts and seeds, The Whole Kitchen which is a Gluten Free, Low Carb and Low sugar bakery, as well as chocolate company Krakakoa.

There were several sampling station available for a few of the brands too, so I would say that I had a good time trying out some of the produce.

Race Day

Then on race day, with the 10km race flagging off at 6:30am in the morning, Chin was up and about bright and early to mentally psych himself up and prepare for the race, and he reached the F1 Pit Building about an hour before his flag off.

In order to quell his pre-race running nerves, Chin turned to his other passion and focused on taking photos at the start of the race, beginning with photos of the elite runners and then the front runners at the start gate.

He still continued doing so after the official flag off, and did not join the 10km runners till several minutes later, which was when he felt ready and calm enough to begin running his own race.

The atmosphere helped to pump him up while waiting at the start line, with the emcees attempting to get runners to do a Kallang Wave and then raising and waving their hands for the drone camera. Chin allowed himself to get caught up in this atmosphere and sportingly did so, as he waited for his race to begin.

Race Starts For Chin

The event flagged off punctually at 6:30am and when Chin began running, his race started out well enough, as his legs were still fresh and raring to go at this point in time.

Route

The 10km race route brought Chin and the other runners from the F1 Pit building at Marina Bay and then moving eastwards to Nicoll Highway, Kallang Basin, turned right at the Sports Hub and proceed to Tanjong Rhu, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay and then back to the Singapore Flyer and the F1 Pit Building areas.

It had been a very beautiful and scenic route and as a result, Chin enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Singapore cityscape very much, as he does not really run in the area often.

Chin adopted a walk-run strategy

As he happily ran along, Chin took some photos along the route, with lots of runners responding well and being happy to pose for him.

The kilometres continued to tick by, and Chin maintained a slow but steady walk-run pace through the entirety of the 10km route, with his legs holding up well throughout his journey.

When the pains or self-doubts set in, Chin would try to turn around and take a photo of someone randomly, to help to take his mind off the monotony of the running.

The Hydration

Along the way, the hydration stations were spread out two to three kilometres apart but because the weather that day was cooling, Chin did not feel the need to stop at all the hydration stations. But he commented that there were more than enough fluids to cater to the runners taking part in the event.

While there had been both water and isotonic being provided at every station, Chin, however, pointed out that these were not cold at all.

For a Zero Waste running event, Chin felt that the Income Eco Run could have done more to reduce waste especially at the hydration stations, as there were still paper cups available at every station and these were being littered all around the waste bins. Though runners were encouraged to bring along their own containers, many chose not to do so.

Chin finishes the run

During the last few kilometres of the run, Chin felt a renewed sense of motivation and optimism and he sped up slightly, crossing the finish line in 1 hour and 50 minutes, a time that he is rather pleased of for his very first 10km effort.

It was also when he had finally finished with the run, when Chin’s legs gave out,  he then began to feel the aches creeping in. So this meant that he had to walk very slowly to catch the transport home.

Upon his completion, Chin collected his finisher entitlements which had consisted of his finisher medal as well as an isotonic drink and a banana.

Educational and Insightful Race Carnival

Following the run, Chin felt that he had enjoyed and learnt a lot from the various booths and games that had been set up to educate the runners on the reduce, reuse and recycle concepts. Many participated in the games and were rewarded with freebies and Chin felt that these fit in nicely into the concept of Zero Waste.

And as well, runners had been encouraged to return their safety pins and the plastic clips from their shoe tags following the run, and disposition of their bottles, tin cans and paper cups in the appropriate waste bins.

But Chin felt that these could have extended a little bit further to include the practising of the Green concepts. Instead he thought that by introducing more on the Clean and Green awareness on the environment would go a long way into saving our planet.

Chin had a great time

That aside though, Chin still had a great time at the Income Eco Run.

He is very happy that he managed to finish his first ever 10km race, and has, in fact, told me that he is already looking forward to taking part in the next one – and improving on his timing. Now that the running bug has bit him, his aim is now to complete a 10km run in 90 minutes.

Chin’s timing at the Income Eco Run may not have been anywhere near fast enough to get a podium place, but it is nonetheless a personal victory for him.

Income Eco Run Winners

Meanwhile, the 10km race was won by Rodgers Kimitei of Kenya in a timing of 33 minutes and 25 seconds while Karthic Harish was the first Singaporean to cross the finish line in 34 minutes 40 seconds.

Coming in first amongst the 10km ladies was Daisy Cherono of Kenya with a time of 38 minutes 18 seconds while Vivian Tang was the first Singaporean, finishing in 39 minutes 43 seconds.

In the 21.1km race, Josphat Kiptanui won in 01 hour 05 minutes 22 seconds and Soh Rui Yong finished as top Singaporean in 01 hour 12 minutes 18 seconds.

Said Soh, “It had been quite a nice experience coming out and doing my first ever Income Eco Run. I took a lot of time away from running but this gave me the motivation to come back and start running again.”

Kenya’s Alice Koigi was the first to cross the line in the Women’s 21.1km race in 01 hour 18 minutes 34 seconds and Rachel See was the top female Singaporean, competing the half marathon in 01 hour 24 minutes 17 seconds.

Organisers are happy

The event organisers are also quite pleased about how the 2019 edition had went.

Said Marcus Chew, Chief Marketing Officer of Income, “Through the Income Eco Run, we have made collective efforts to progressively expand our eco-friendly footprints. Each small step we take in our daily lives can go a long way in building a sustainable future for ourselves and for the next generation.”

Added Chew, “We are always looking at ways to innovate, and introduce new environmentally friendly initiatives at each edition of the Income Eco Run and I hope that all the participants leave the race today with an increased appreciation for our environment and will continue to push the boundaries to adopt a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in their daily lives. Only then, can we be future ready together.”