More than 13,000 runners turned up this morning for the sixth edition of the Straits Times Run, which took place at the Singapore Sports Hub with three different running categories – these were an 18.45km competitive event, as well as a 10km competitive category and a 5km Fun Run.

Click here to view the Straits Times Run 2018 photos in the photo gallery.

I participated in the 18.45km run. This unusual distance, which has been a mainstay of the Straits Times Run for the past few years, was chosen initially because the Straits Times was founded in 1845.

No expectations for this run

Going into this run, I had no expectations and planned to take it very easy and slow from the beginning, and simply aim to finish the run. I told myself that if I really needed to, I would walk, too. 

After all, having just completed 42.195km at the Berlin Marathon one week ago, and with my body still recovering from jet lag too, I knew that I was not in any shape to be able to run well.

Early 5am flag off

The flag off for the 18.45km run was at 5am in the morning, so I dragged myself out of bed at about 3.15am, took a cab down, and reached the Sports Hub at roughly about 4.15am. To me, getting to the run in time was probably the biggest challenge of the whole morning.

Added Billy Youngson, 37, a research journalist and editor, “The start times for races here are always too early but you cannot do it any other way. I have tried running 10km at 9am in the morning and it was not good. In Singapore, this is a sensible time to start a run.”

Joining the start pen

The start pen was scheduled to open at 4.30am so I quickly made my way towards the pen, to get a good position at the start line. I managed to get a spot somewhere near the front of the first wave.

However I must admit that I had some trouble in locating the start pen at first because the signage pointing to its whereabouts was not clear. I was not the only one; there had also been a few other runners wandering around and who seemed pretty confused as well.

But I eventually found my way to the pen.

As I was squeezing through the crowds though, I heard one of the event emcees, Ross Sarpani calling out my name, saying into his microphone that Pris Chew was somewhere in the crowd. 

Apparently it was because Ross had spotted my photographer at the front taking pictures, and so he had correctly concluded that I must have been present, too.

There was a band performance at the start line in order to create some hype and adrenaline in the runners, for the race ahead.

Run began at 5.03am

The run was flagged off at about 5.03am, according to my Garmin. 

And the flag off party had included Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of the Singapore Press Holdings’ English, Malay and Tamil Media Group. He had joined in the 18.45km race himself too, after flagging off the first wave.

Running at an easy pace

When it had been time for me to start moving, I begun running at an easy pace, with my heart rate towards the mid to higher end of my easy zone. 

My plan had been to keep it there during the whole run and I think that I managed this quite successfully even if it had meant that I had to slow down during the race.

Race Route

The race route brought us past locations such as the Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Golf Course, Merlion Park, The Float @ Marina Bay, the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Barrage. 

This is one of the most scenic routes around Singapore, and I pass by many of these locations quite often during my training sessions.

But for Julian Lim however, the route had been something quite new to him because he does not enter running races too often. 

Said the 54-year-old business owner, “It was a new route for me, so it made the run quite interesting – as I did not feel so tired from running the same routes again and again.” 

Julian continued, “After the Marina Barrage, when we turned right, that section was new to me. I was not sure if they had opened the area for the run, but I thought it was good as I have not run there before.”

A few dark stretches 

Because of the early hour and the fact that the sun had not yet risen when I was running, I could not really see much of the scenery, though. So I focused on my running and my music.

Unfortunately there had been a couple of pretty dark areas along the route, at the Tanjong Rhu and the Gardens by the Bay locations which could pose a tripping hazard to faster runners. 

However, while the volunteers at these areas had tried their best to illuminate these areas by holding light sticks when runners were going through, this had been barely enough to brighten up the surroundings.

Stairs 

There was also a small flight of stairs that runners had to conquer around the Fullerton Merlion area. 

I have run at this area many times so I knew what to expect and slowed down so that I did not fall, but for runners who are not familiar with the route, I have to point out that this part too, may have been a tripping hazard.

Bottleneck areas 

At the Tanjong Rhu area, which was about 13km into the race, I also encountered a mini bottleneck and ended up walking for about a minute or two, as a result. This didn’t slow me down too much, but it may have created bigger issues for the runners behind me.

As well, there was also another potential problem area towards the end of the race when we had entered the Sports Hub vicinity, which was around the 17km mark of the 18.45km race. 

This was because all the three categories were all merging here, and so the faster runners in the 10km category would run straight into the slow runners from the 18.45km group.

Though I was not affected by this myself, I had friends who were, so I would say that this is generally a big no-no in terms of route design logistics at any race.

Hydration was great

But the hydration was great along the route. In fact I had already noticed a hydration station within the first kilometre of running. I didn’t need any fluids this early in the race, so I passed by this one without taking anything. 

I counted about nine hydration stations altogether, with most of them serving both water and 100PLUS but there were a few which had water only.

When running in Singapore’s humid climate, it is important to keep the body hydrated, so I think that the Straits Times Run was great in terms of providing more than enough hydration for their runners.

It was also rather welcoming that both the 100PLUS and the water provided at the aid stations were ice-cold.

Additionally, bananas were available at the Marina East Drive hydration point which was about six kilometres from the finish line. This was good to give runners energy to complete the run. 

However I would have preferred the bananas to have been cut up just like the banana distribution stations at the Berlin Marathon, rather than giving out whole bananas – if runners wanted to eat, they would need to stop and peel the banana.

Entertainment and bands

As I continued running, I also noticed that there was entertainment along the route, in the form of bands playing lively, upbeat music. 

I thought that these were great motivation for runners and helped to perk me up when my brain was dozing off or when I was beginning to get tired.

Besides the musicians, there were also volunteers who were stationed at certain points along the route to act as cheerleaders to encourage runners to keep going.

Said Julian, “The musicians along the way and the cheering was one of the best that I have experienced at a race in Singapore.”

I also thought that the cheerleaders did a great job in motivating the runners. Sometimes volunteers would be half asleep or just looking down at their phones but this time they were alert and vibrant, which was a good thing.

Halfway Through

About halfway into the 18.45km run, I realised that having just come back from Europe, where the weather is cooler, my body had needed to re-adjust again to the warm, tropical climate here in Singapore.

So as a result, my heart rate had been higher than it should be, thus I decided to slow down to maintain it in my easy zone.

At the same time, I had also been feeling a bit of heaviness in my legs at this point, possibly because I have not fully recovered from the Berlin Marathon. So me slowing down had also helped with this too as it had put less pressure on my legs.

It had been quite depressing to see groups of pacers passing me by as I slowed, but I told myself to simply let them pass because it was for my own good to go slow and easy and not allow myself to get caught up into chasing the pacers.

So I continued running at an easy pace, and stopping when I needed to, and tried to focus on my music in order to get myself through the run. I told myself that every step I took, would lead me closer to the finish line.

The middle part of the race was the biggest challenge for Billy though. He said, “Between 12km to 14km was pretty challenging because it was the middle distance. There was also not a lot of scenery except for straight road and trees and it was dark. This tested me mentally.” 

Billy added, “It would have been good if the organisers could find somewhere more scenic to get that distance in.”

Kilometre markings were accurate

When I reached each kilometre marking along the route, I found myself counting down the kilometres too. I found that these were quite accurately positioned according to my Garmin.

I also noticed that there were motivational messages on the various distance markings. Some were encouraging while others had been witty, and reading these along the way, had helped to keep me going, as well.

For example, one of the funny markings that stuck to my mind was the one at the 9km mark and it read, “You are (not) almost there.” That one made me stifle a laugh.

Finishing the Run

Soon there were only a few more kilometres to go and I realised that I was nearing the Singapore Sports Hub.

These final few kilometres were a challenge for Julian though, as the 18.45km event is the longest that he has done. 

Said Julian, “The run was very good and it was one of the longest distances that I have completed. The last run I did was 15km so I had to push myself for another 3km and overcome knee pain and cramp in the process.”

The musicians at the final 500m stretch were particularly welcomed, because this was when runners were tiring, and so the music was good to give us the final push to reach the finish line.

Said Julian, “The music was a great help in the final few hundred metres.”

Finishing inside the Stadium

We finished the race inside the 55,000 seater National Stadium dome. Though this is not the first time I have finished a race inside there, the feeling of running into the Sports Hub always feels special to me because it makes me imagine that I am a national athlete representing my country.

But it would have been nicer if there had been cheerleaders and supporters to welcome the runners in, to create more of an atmosphere. I thought that it had been a bit quiet when I had finished.

After the run, I collected my finisher entitlements which were my medal, finisher tee shirt, bottle of water, banana and can of 100PLUS. 

Race Village

Then I hung around the race precinct inside the National Stadium dome for a while to see what was available there.

After all, the National Stadium dome interior was cool and there seemed to be air conditioning inside, which made it quite comfortable and relaxing there.

Breakfast was given out to runners. This consisted of a choice of curry puff, chocolate muffin and a fruit muffin, all courtesy of Polar. I was feeling quite hungry, so I ate the curry puff. This was a good move on the part of the organisers, to help runners to replenish their energy levels after the race.

There were also booths put out by some of the companies which had sponsored large contingents of employees to participate in the Straits Times Run, as well as booths from event sponsors such as Great Eastern, Panasonic and 100PLUS. 

Said Goh Yi Lin, 24, who works in Marketing at a bank, “There were quite a number of corporate booths, but they were not applicable to everyone.”

And many of the booths from the sponsors were giving away freebies to the runners, ranging from Panasonic equipment to towels and recyclable shopping bags through spin-and-win lucky dip contests. So I queued up and won myself a shopping trolley keychain and a micro-fibre towel to bring home.

Winning an electric shaver

Some time later, the event hosts Kelly Latimer and Ross returned to the stage to host a number of games for runners to win prizes, and also give out a 65-inch Panasonic television in a lucky draw.

When they called for volunteers to go up on stage for one of the games, I decided to join in so I could try and win something. After all, I had nothing to lose.

This had turned out to be a ball game, whereby you have to strap a netball basket onto your head and aim three small balls into the basket.

This type of game may sound easy, but I quickly realised that it was harder than it appears. 

But fortunately for me, I managed to figure out how the game works and what the strategy should be in order to get an accurate throw, and I walked away with the first prize on offer for that game, which turned out to be a Panasonic electric shaver. 

I must say that Dad will be very happy with the prize. 

But when I had won the shaver though, Ross was playfully commenting that if my Dad didn’t want the shaver, then I could always give it to him as he was eyeing it!

Food and beverage for sale

Outside the National Stadium, there were also a few food and beverage booths where runners could buy items ranging from ice cream and coffee, to snacks such as popcorn chicken and even heavier meals such as rice and noodle dishes.

I wanted something cold and refreshing so I had a sea salt & milk flavoured Potong ice cream, which tasted quite delicious, even though it would have been nicer if it had been more creamy though.

Expo at the OCBC Arena

As well, there was a small expo held at the OCBC Arena. This was the same expo as the pre race pack collection one, but with a few extra booth such as a massage service available.

However I have to point out that not all runners had been aware of the stalls at the OCBC Arena though, as this was not made very clear.

Said Yi Lin, “I wanted a massage but I didn’t see any massage service around.”

I stayed around to wait for the lucky draw but unfortunately I was not lucky enough to walk away with the television. But at least I won something from the games.

An enjoyable event

Overall I would say that despite a few shortcomings with the choice of the race route, the Straits Times Run was a fun and enjoyable event.

The Straits Times Run is a race that I have supported since its first edition in 2013 and it is an event that I say I will be back to.

Agreed Julian, “To sum up, the Straits Times Run was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed myself. Everything was done well. The location was beautiful and I was able to enjoy the race atmosphere and the crowds.”

And added Yi Lin, who shared Julian’s thoughts, “Overall it was a good experience for me. This is my second Straits Times Run and I will probably be coming back again next year.”