You know how when you travel from the west to the east or north or south and it feels like a completely new place? Same here. Suddenly, it seems that Singapore isn’t so small. Punggol, to me, is incredibly far and I haven’t gotten the time to visit Coney Island since its opening (and since all my friends have talked about it). So despite its distance, The Performance Series gave me a chance to explore Punggol and Coney Island – both very highly rated new places in town!
Beautiful route and considerate people
The race started at 7.50am for me (I was part of the second wave runners as a result of my gross time planning). The weather was already starting to heat up and the tight starting pen didn’t really help. Personally, I would have preferred an earlier start time. True enough, the sun did beat down quite mercilessly in the second half of the race.
Once the starting horn went off, we eased out into routes that wind around waterways, cross canals and went into Coney Island at the 4km mark. The changing terrains made the race more difficult but a ton more fun. I liked the trail path in Coney Island!
At most parts of the route, there were residents running and cycling alongside us. This was a refreshing experience! It felt very much like running at the park connector at my own place but with the energy of thousands more runners. Despite that, the fellow park users were very considerate. They stopped when we went by, cheered us on and not once did I hear an impatient bicycle bell.
Sufficient hydration points and supportive volunteers
Since I haven’t been running much this week or doing much 10km races, I thought it’d be a good chance to take things slow. I decided to listen to my body and rely on the distance markers instead. They were at 2km intervals at the start and abruptly changed to 1km intervals. Although confusing at the start, I sort of made a game out of guessing the next distance.
Hydration points had water and Lucozade. It was a foreign isotonic drink to me and gave me a slight tummy ache at the start, to be very honest. But that’s to show that you should always try out your energy drinks/bars/gel before the actual race. What impressed me most was that the hydration points were so well placed that the station itself and the crowd forming around it did NOT affect the flow of runners. Major plus point! All the volunteers also appeared very sincere in cheering us on. None of them looked bored or played with their phones. (which is a pet peeve of mine)
In sum, can’t wait for TPS 2 @ Jurong Lake
This race brought new experiences. In part due to the new route and in part due to the vibe of the people there. It felt that it was a community run by fellow runners for runners. The volunteers and race organisers created a very positive, supportive environment. Have I also mentioned that the event shirt and finisher tee fit like a glove? They’re so beautifully designed. Plus, the next race is going to have another colour. In lieu of the upcoming races in this series, I should probably make it a personal goal to improve my race timing with each one.
i totally agree with you 😉