ST Run in the Hub 2015 concluded last Sunday at the Singapore Sports Hub. I did the 10km, rather bravely, considering I haven’t done serious running for a good few months. Not taking into the account the treadmill sessions at the gym.
Still, here’s a quick review of the entire race experience.
Race Pack Collection (Rating: 7/10)
It was pretty hassle free. There were two distinct lines for 5/10km and 18.5km race pack collections. Waiting time was roughly 15-20 mins on a Friday morning, right at 10.30am. The confusion only came with the Spectator wrist tag and goodie bag. People were unsure whether the goodie bag came with the wrist tag or the bag needed to be separately purchased.
Race Day (Rating: 8/10)
Leading up to the race, the haze was threatening but ST Run did a really good job keeping their runners up to date on the situation. One notice came Saturday evening and another came in the early AM just before the race.
I took my own transport and parking was extremely convenient – near Kallang Leisure Park. There were plenty of lots available at the open carpark. The starting point, however, was tucked deeper in and slightly difficult to find. Not much signs were plastered around either.
Race Route (Rating: 8/10)
(Credit: The Straits Times Run at the Hub Official Website)
It was lovely! We ran through Nicoll Highway, Marina Barrage, around residential areas, along the outsides of Marina Golf Club and took a turn back to the Sports Hub. There was a good variety of sceneries. There were a few narrow pathways though, which is a common problem when using the Nicoll Highway-Marina Barrage route. The finishing point was a slight letdown because the carnival didn’t seem particularly happening (there was just a really long queue at the Panasonic booth and the cheerleading performances seem to start pretty late, nearing the last few groups of 5km runners) and the entrance to Sports Hub resembled an underpass.
I hardly ever pay attention to the carnival booths because of the gimmicky vibe they tend to emanate. Some runs have massage booths, or booths with towels and muscle soothing gel; those would be way more beneficial. It would be great to hear your thoughts on this!
Overall rating: 8/10
This is my first ST Run (took part in 10K) and these are my first impressions…pardon me if I seem fussy 🙂
1. Baggage deposit – Didn’t see any signs for it. In fact, was directed to go up to the promenade level and discovered that I had to go down to level 1 to drop if off there. However, once there it was smooth.
2. Starting pen entry – Very narrow entry point where there were security checks to make sure the participants were “bona-fide”…This caused quite a massive jam
3. 10k running route – It was a very scenic route. However, since it is such an “open” route, we had to contend with cyclists, especially in the Marina Barrage and Garden By the Bay East areas…
4. 10k end point – Honestly, it felt quite anti-climatic. There was no “build-up” to it…
5. Logistics – Felt a bit strange that runners had to walk up a long flight of stairs to exit (esp after a long run) and then down to level 1 to collect their baggage…and if they wanted to return to the inside of the stadium again, will need to have their bags checked, and walk down the long flight of stairs again..
6. My only other 10k this year was the NTUC 350 run…compared to the ST Run, I thought the NTUC 350 run was much better organised…from baggage deposit (I knew in advance where it’d be) to starting pen and finish. It seemed “frictionless” to me….