This year, the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon is returning on Sunday 26th August 2018, equipped with a slew of lead up activities for runners that include lead up runs, fitness talks and fun workouts, as well as a Soldier Strong coaching programme by the Singapore army.

The race will flag off at the Esplanade Bridge in the morning, with the finishing line and race carnival taking place at the Padang.

Jointly organised by SAFRA and the Singapore Army, this race has the aim of promoting fitness and bonding amongst Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) active servicemen, NSmen and their families. There will be a 21.1km Army Half Marathon, SAFRA 10km Competitive Run, as well as a SAFRA 5km Fun Run, the NS Team Run and the Families For Life 800m Challenge – to cater to runners of all abilities.

Said Colonel (COL) (NS) Simon Lim, Chairman of the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon Organising Committee & Director of National Service Affairs, “After a successful Silver Jubilee edition of the event last year, we want to go even further in enhancing the positive experiences for national servicemen and their families.”

Beginning in early May, these training programmes will be customised for the different distances – all the way from the Families For Life 800m Challenge, to the 21.1km Army Half Marathon. This will ensure that runners across the board are prepared for race day, on 26th August 2018. So there will be something suitable for serious, casual and new runners alike.

These include coaching performances designed by the Singapore Army’s Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP), which are set to help Half Marathon runners in their fitness regime and is part of the Singapore Army’s Soldier Strong efforts.

Soldier Strong is an initiative that aims to develop soldiers to be physically strong, mentally resilient and adaptive through key performance areas, such as fitness and nutrition, injury management, resilience and soldier systems.

So throughout the course of six weeks, runners will learn about injury mitigation, running preparation, periodisation, resistance training, running psychology as well as nutrition & hydration needs.

Here is more information on the dates and times of the Soldier Strong sessions:

For the Lead Up Runs, which are to be led by the event’s official pacers from the SAFRA Running Club, these will progressively increase in distance with each session and range from 6km to 22km.

Here is a table for the times and dates of each of the Lead Up Runs:

And the fitness talks will equip runners with information such as the do’s and don’t’s when preparing for the race, and also impart runners with tips on how they can stay fit with their families.

Here are the dates and times of the Fitness Talks:

Meanwhile, runners who want some fun in their preparations are not left out too, as they can look forward to the Zumba, Piloxing and Dance Party workout sessions.

These are the dates and times of the sessions that runners can look forward to:

Said (COL) (NS) Lim, “This comprehensive range of training programmes is geared towards providing more opportunity for runners across all categories to improve their fitness, enhance their performance and bond with their National Service buddies, families and friends.”

He added “As one of the largest running events in Singapore, we want to actively engage participants through these programmes and sharing of invaluable insights on our social media platforms to help them in their fitness journey and to provide them with a holistic training experience.”

These sessions will be available on a first come, first serve basis, and runners will only be eligible to register for session that are open to the run category that they have signed up for.

Registration Fees

SAF personnel, NSmen and those who have completed their Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) training cycles will enjoy significant discounts in appreciation of their contributions to Singapore’s defence.

They can also nominate up to five family members to enjoy the SAF Family Members Rates.

Here is a full table of the registration fees across the various race categories:

Register here.

Runner Entitlements

And here is a list of the runners’ entitlements that participants across the various categories will receive, when they sign up: