I signed up for this race held in Muar, Johor because I thought it would be quite refreshing to run at places outside Singapore and also to experience running in countryside. Muar is in the state of Johor but quite a distance away. Driving would take about 2.5 – 3 hours to reach.

The racepack collection venue was also the race village and it was located in a Primary school. The setup was very minimal and there was no road sign or race banner found in the vicinity so we had some problem finding the place at first. They should have placed some signboards or banners at the roadside or outside the school for people to locate them easily. 

Though they named it Camel Muar Run, there were no camels. I have no idea why they named it so. The race has got 2 categories: 10KM (Fun Run) and 22.195KM.

Race date: 4th June 2017 (Sunday)

Flag Off Time: 5:30AM (22.195KM)

The running bib has country flag printed on it and timing chip was attached behind. I like the idea of having country flag printed on it, it looks nice. However, some participants had wrong flag printed on their bibs. Indonesian participant had India flag printed on the bib and British participant had Germany flag printed instead. This was a mistake which would upset the participants and should be avoided. The running singlets have distance printed on the back but finisher tees have none. This was the first time I encountered finisher t-shirts have no distance printed.

Flag off started on time at 5:30AM and before that we did some warm up exercises led by the pacers on stage.

My expectation for this run was to run mostly off road at a countryside, however, we were running on road most of the time and only about 3 – 4KM off road. There were many cows eating grass and lots of cow dung on the way too. This was the only fun part. I could not stand smelling the unpleasant smell coming from the roadside drains for the entire run. There was no fresh air at all. It was a smelly race for me this time and I didn’t quite enjoy it. 🙁

I wore headlight as per instructed but only a small part of the route was dark so headlight was not really necessary especially for a slow runner like myself. Hydration stations were sufficient but the 100 Plus and water served were not cold. I only drank one cup of cold water at the last water point and the rest of the drinks that I took were really only normal temperature. Quite disappointed.

Staff/volunteers were nice and friendly people and encouraging too. Distance markers were quite small and not very prominent. We were given a small piece of paper at the finishing line to collect our medal and finisher tee. But I did not know where to collect them. I went to queue up at the only queue I saw thinking it could be the medal and finisher tee queue but it was actually for food. So I took the cold watermelon and papaya. Very refreshing! They had cakes, bananas, almond jellies, etc too. I had to ask around to find out where to collect the medal. It was in a room further away opposite the food table. 

The colour of the finisher t-shirts was horrible. Bright green + red. It’s the worst colour combination and I will never have the courage to wear it.

The medal design was also not pretty. Maybe they should avoid the colouring and just make it bronze, silver or gold metal colour.

The entire race village only had one stall selling Garmin watches.

I could see that there were more Singapore runners than the locals. Saw about 2 Caucasians. Singapore runners mostly came from Safra running clubs. They were very prominent with Safra running club singlets. Some thought the race was organised by Safra. They were very supportive. 🙂

We were given a drawstring bag together with the finisher tee and the drawstring bag printed Camel Muar Run 2020. Why?

It has been some time since I last wrote.  Had been preoccupied with mundane living and life’s tasks amongst other things like trying to recover fully from the spine and tailbone injuries I had.  Still, I had managed to complete a number of races that I had signed up for much earlier.  And slightly more than a week ago, with the Transcending Yourself theme, I thought it was high time I pick up on my literary outlet.

National Geographic Earth Day Run

• After the Sundown and 2XU compression half marathon, the next two races in April had the same theme – conservation of environment.  A cause which I also felt strongly about and support.  National Geographic Earth Day (NGED) Run (10 km) was on 23^rd Apr and the Eco Run (formerly called run 350) half marathon was the following week.  What was unique about the NGED event was that there was no finisher medal.  Instead a running belt with BPA-free water bottles and a NGED Run NETS FlashPay Card were part of the race pack.  As I hate to run carrying extra stuff I just went for that race barehanded.  So I didn’t take any hydration along the scenic route at Gardens By the Bay.  I prefer morning races but this was an afternoon run at 4 pm, a time in Singapore which meant running under the hot sun still if it wasn’t raining.  It wasn’t raining that day.  So my satisfaction factor for that was still a high 3.5 out of 5.  I appreciate having that belt for the day when I do embark on an ultra or perhaps another full marathon.

Eco Run (formerly Run 350) 

• Eco Run was an annual affair for me now these days – my third in as many years of running.  Appreciate the farm mart theme on race pack day and you get to have a few freebies if you have the time to look.  Unique factor was the big Eco Run Grand Stand Characters and you could find each runner’s name engraved on one of the characters.  The race pack itself was fairly generous in my opinion.  I chose to get the finisher medal.  Otherwise you could go without and be a zero waste runner who would get the special edition water bottle amongst other stuff.  Race started from F1 Pit and luckily it didn’t require one to go up the Marina Barrage slope.  A half marathon done and the logistics were pretty good overall so this gets an 4 out of 5 from me.

Star Wars Race

• And then a week after (6^th May), it was another 10 km, Star Wars Race, a first in Singapore, 40^th anniversary of Star Wars.  What was unique was that you could choose to run for the dark side or light, (it is your destiny!) and get your respective race pack and finisher medal.  What was spectacular was the sendoff at the start point.  You get to enjoy the fireworks at close quarters.  Probably those in wave 1 may not enjoy it as much.  But later waves like mine, we could view the whole display before we set off.  The starting time was for 7 pm so that avoided us getting the setting sun.  It was also a fantastic turnout for Star Wars fans as a significant portion did run in Star Wars outfit.  If you enjoy dressing up and still have fun in a run then this was the race for you.  So a more leisurely race as the crowd was more into the fun although there were still elite racers still.  Took place at the Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay and the gardens were all lighted up for the Star Wars extravaganza. Would give a 4 out of 5 but it’s relatively more pricey than the other 10 km races but you would probably still love it if you are a Star Wars Fan and happen to be a runner.

Standard Chartered KL Marathon (Virtual, organized by 42race)

• Two weeks later, I completed the virtual race with 42race.  I thought it was pretty good value for money.  I couldn’t go to KL for the Stanchart race as I couldn’t afford it.  $9.90 gets me a finisher medal that was ‘fairly’ close to the actual one and I could have a name engraved on the medal for free and a bandana if I was one of the first few.  Ran 10 km at a much slower pace by now as my back and tailbone pain refused to leave me in peace amongst other issues.  Definitely a high score but this is a virtual race in a different category from the usual.  No queues and I got the medal within the first 3 days after the race.  So that makes it the 24^th 10 km race I had done. Rate it 3.8 out of 5.

PCCW Global Charity Run 

• 3 days later on 24^th May, a weekday, I ran PCCW Global Charity 5 km.  I ran this in memory of my dad who passed away exactly 6 years ago, quite suddenly.  Also my third annual event with the group and I appreciate that this year the full proceeds ($50,000) were donated to Make-A-Wish Singapore, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experiences with hope, strength and joy.  Another 4 out of 5 rating for the logistics, high quality and efficiency and another great cause to support in my opinion.  Having said that, this is on a relatively smaller scale race with about 1000 participants. Still a nice crowd with it being on a working weekday.  Donation starts from $30 / $35 depending on if you were an early bird.  Participants could contribute more.  Venue once again at Gardens by the Bay but at Silver Leaf, a spot which was a bit tricky to locate for those not too familiar or a topo- king, like myself.  This makes it the 7^th  5 km race I had completed so far.

Performance Series II Race 1 (Stadium Riverside Walk)

• A few days later on the weekend, I went for the first race of Performance Series II (Transcend Yourself).  Ran the whole series last year free with courtesy of Justrunlah (JRL).  This year, I decided to continue to support the series but wanted to pay for it this round but had a fantastic discount package with the blessings of JRL.  Thank you, JRL.  The race pack collection was as usual for me which means that I had to queue for about half an hour.  I didn’t find this a hassle since this was in a familiar venue at City Square Mall and expected high numbers anyway.  Turned out close to 5000 participants for both 10 km and 21.1 km races.  This year I decided to take on the half marathon for a change from last year’s.  What was unique was that if you signed up for the bundle package, you get to have the TPS Medal Hanger. Logistics was well planned and I have another good run from the Stadium Riverside Walk.  Probably could have done without the Marina Barrage gradient. Abundant hydration from Lucozade Sports.  What was truly impressive was the real time release of run results online.  A first for races, at least for those I attended so far.  Another point worth mentioning was also the high quality of the Compressport running singlet and finisher tees.  This makes it also the 10^th half marathon race I completed. Rate it 4.5 out of 5.
• And though this would be the last race for May and perhaps for some time to come before I run another race, I learnt a lot through the recovery process from my spine fracture.  The struggles are real especially if you also don’t have the talents in the first place, but what’s important is not to give up.  Running gives me the space, the time and opportunity to get away from the routine or vagaries of life to live the moment and yet enjoy the freedom of personal peace as I move. I will continue to run but for now, stay away from races as I hope to recover more fully from the troubling spine and tailbone pain that continues to bug me so far.
• I leave you with this quote from Mahatma Gandhi (or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s? depending on where you came across the quote) “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.  When you go through your hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Keep transcending yourself in whatever worth pursuing.  Never give up.  Till the next time, run safe and run happy.

Pre-race

This was the 2^nd consecutive year I took part in the Camel Muar Run, though it was named Camel Muar Cross Country last year with a slightly longer distance of 24.195km as compared to this year’s 22.195km.

After a longer than usual bus journey due to the customary jam at the customs, we only managed to arrive in Muar around 1.30pm.

Race pack collection at SJKC Chung Hwa Ketiga, a local primary school, was smooth just like it was last year at the event site. The literally old school feel was at abundance there. Kind of like the schools here back in the 70s.

Race day

With the flag off for 22.195km due at 0530hrs, we duly arrived at the event site at 0500hrs. Did my bag deposit (which was smooth as well), before I went and mingle with the runners there. Actually, if one did not know better, one might think this was a Singapore event instead of one held in Malaysia with the horde of Singapore runners there. We have runners from every Safra attending and even F1 runners took part.

Just like last year, even though head lamps and blinker lights were listed as mandatory, there were no checks on this and majority of the runners did not come equip with them. As I mentioned last year, if there were no plans to check these, why list them as mandatory? Perhaps ‘recommended‘ would be more appropriate? I still brought along mine as I remembered we should be entering vegetation after the 10km mark and it might be dark there with daybreak unlikely to have taken place by then.

After a mass warm up routine lead by the pacers, we moved on to the Start line to be ready for the flag off and at 0530, off we went.

Though it was only 0530hrs, the route which started off on the main roads were brightly lighted. After about 5km or so, the runner congestion started to ease with runners getting over the ‘Start line anxiety’ and settled into their own pace.

The CPs were well staffed and drinks were aplenty. There were chilled water and isotonic with volunteers standing by the roads readily to hand us the cups. There were even Coke at one of the CPs!

After about 10km, I realized the route had been modified rather drastically as I kept seeing ongoing roads and there was a U-turn which was not there last year. There was to be no run into the vegetation this year. It was a pure road run now with less than 5km of gravel dirt paths which translated to zero interactions with the greens.  Also, though there were still a few horses and cows along the dirt paths, their number were now much lesser than the previous year.

After hitting the main road again, there was approximately 3km to go. Seeing the familiar route which was the same route last year leading to the finishing point, I picked up speed a little and completed the run back into the school.

Post Race

Upon crossing the finishing line, I was handed a piece of paper for finisher item collection. So I picked them (finisher medal, finisher tee, goodie bag containing a box of pastry, chrysanthemum and a packet of tea leaves) up at the bag deposit area and joined my friends who had completed the run. That was when I noticed another significant change from previous year; the snack buffet was not there. Last year we had 2 lines of snacks laid out in the buffet dishes for runners to enjoy post run. Understand from some friends who did a few editions the buffet had always been around. Until this year. There were still fruits, breads, beancurd and durian biscuit (1 per runner) available but runners who did previous editions somehow felt something was missing. Last year Muar’s reknowned Otah were given to runners but sad to see that even that was gone.

After thoughts

The run itself was well organized. There were no shortage of volunteers or hydration at all the CPs. Road marshals were stationed at all crossings runners will encounter. Pre and post race administrations were well managed. Even the misprint (?) of the year on the finisher goodie bag was okay and not a big deal with some joking that we did a 3 years duration run; started running in 2017 and completed in 2020.

However, for some of us who did this run before, the lack of running in vegetation hence turning this into a pure road run, the missing food spread at the finishing point somehow made this run feel, incomplete.

Toughness: Easy

Support Crew: Excellent

Organisation: Good

Should you do it: Even without the running in greens, for those who want to experience running in a laid back countryside environment, away from the hustle and bustle of Singapore, that would have to be a yes

************************

Running a Full Marathon – ✔

************************

Ticked off the bucket list of things to do before I die.

I finally ran my first Full Marathon last Sunday (21/05/2017) at the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2017. Being my first FM, my target was to complete it under 5 hours. Was I being too ambitious? Maybe. I actually completed 42KM in 5:08:36, not bad for a virgin FM-er eh? However, my GPS watch tracked 43.17KM in 5:06:56. According to my friend, our GPS watch is slightly inaccurate as some parts of the course are not tracked by the GPS.

I was supposed to have 2 others running kakis to run FM with me this year but they missed the registration date. Slots were sold out so quickly this year! Despite me reminding them to sign up every now and then, they still missed it ?. We were past participants for the previous year so we had the opportunity to pre-register before the slots opened.

Anyway, went to collect my racepack on Thursday afternoon at KLCC, supposedly less people since it’s the first day for collection and it was in the afternoon.

Last year the racepack collection was at another place and the wall of names were indoor. I looked for my name but failed, only to find out later it was for Full Marathon participants only. I only took part in the HM the previous year. so that kind of motivated me to take part in the FM, I want to see my name on the board!

Did some last minute shopping at the expo, bought some gels and also signed up for another HM at the 2XU booth. They were giving out free singlets to the first 1000 runners who signed up on the spot. Come on, how can we resist free stuffs? #kiasu #bestmarketingstrategy

Took the LRT to Masjid Jamek. Complementary ride courtesy of SCKLM. Was lucky since the station I boarded the LRT at was one of the chosen stations to ferry SCKLM participants to race venue, happens to be just behind my house (O thank you Running God!).

After 45 minutes and multiple stops, finally reached the station. Followed the crowd to the race venue. Went straight to baggage drop as it was half hour away from flag off. Annoyed to see such a long line, waited at least 20 minutes until bag was safely deposited, which means I have only 10 minutes to warm up and get to the starting pen.

Tried pinning my energy gels(2 packs) onto my jersey/pants but failed, pin was too small and fragile, held them in my palms instead.

Stereo was blasting boom boom pow by Black Eyed Peas to keep the runners pumped up; announcer initiated the 10 seconds countdown, and soon we were off!

I kept calm, started with a 7:30 pace. At times intimidated by faster runners who kept taking over me.

I was used to hearing music on my runs but this time since I wanted to savour every moment of a FM, I ditched my earphones and phone. I was focused on my run. (Truth is my BT earphones’ batteries can’t last for 2.5 hours and I didn’t want to carry extra stuff with me during the run and hence ditched it)

KM8, as we passed by a hotel, a pretty lady passed by(supposedly just finished work) and one of the runners started cat calling and we all laughed.

KM13, one runner tripped and fell. He quickly got up without any assistance and everybody started cheering and applauded.

KM18, plasters on my nipples started to come off and since I was wearing a size bigger(L was larger than I thought), this point onwards the jersey kept rubbing against my nipples. Oh so gonna feel it later…

KM21, completed half marathon in 2:30 + hours. Another 21KM to go…

KM23, one female runner started clucking like a rooster. It was 6:50am and probably it was her bodies’ internal alarm clock telling her it’s time to wake up. Everybody just stared at her and thought she was out of her mind.

KM30, we passed an arch with the words “run for a reason” and we were given these green colour wristbands with that tagline. Probably to separate runners who did actually pass the 30KM mark from those who did not.

They say you will usually hit the wall at this point. It was my first time running more than 21KM at this point and I was glad I did not meet the wall. Even if I did, I’m sure I’m able to climb over it. #viperchallenge

KM34, killer stretch at Jalan Tijani/Tuanku. I remember the street name because the houses mansions along this street are huge! The housing compound was huge and the houses was almost 3, 4, 5 stories high!

Not to forget the slopes on this road too, longest and steepest slope. Didn’t stop running but just slowed down a little and pushed really hard.

Can’t remember which part onwards but they started giving out these orange flavoured energy gel and I must say it was sooooooooo tasty! Read from the articles that we should never mix different running gels but it was the last 7KM or so and decided to just wing it.

KM39, legs started feeling really pain, lucky no cramps but hamstrings were definitely feeling uncomfortable. If I pushed any harder, confirm will cramp.

Along the way I only stopped at water stations to drink and never stopped mid-run. I consumed the water / isotonic drink, threw the cups into the bin, chilled for 5 seconds, and off I went!

KM41, only 1km left and was struggling. Kept on pushing and weaved pass runners from the other categories. Was panting hard and my hands were doing this cycling motion, somehow helped me to continue pushing. THIS WAS THE LONGEST 1KM OF MY LIFE!

500m…

400m…

300m…

200m…

100m…

Finally, I have completed 42KM.

Tried to smile and pose for the cameras at the finishing line knowing my face will still turn out like S**T.

As soon as I crossed the finishing line, I felt a sense of accomplishment, I have conquered the world. Not to mention the pain I felt in my legs, I couldn’t walk properly and was limping. People were asking me whether I was okay and whether I wanted a massage. I told them I was fine, I just needed to walk it off. #macamyestapibukan #egotoobig

Also, it started raining after that. Thank you Rain God for letting me cross the finishing line before finally pouring.

Collected my finisher medal, shirt and goodies. Walked really slowly under the rain to baggage claim area. Waited in the long and never-ending line for almost half hour before managing to collect baggage. I hope the organisers can improve this, baggage claim was such a hassle!

Saw that I had 7 missed calls from my friends, they took part in the 10KM category and were waiting for me. Met up with them near the iconic flag pole at Dataran Merdeka. Took some pictures and then we went for breakfast at Chee Chiong Gai (Petaling Street China Town).

I will be preparing for my next FM in November for the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2017. In between, I have also taken part in all 3 of The Performance Series Malaysia runs(21KM of course) and will tell you about it soon. Until then, happy running!

(Crossing the timing belt at Camel Muar Run finishing line ? Photo Credits: Wan Marshall Datuk)

It’s as if the whole running popolulation of Singapore came to Muar and run. Guess many Singapore runners wanted to try something new and experience running at difference place already. Camel Muar run is literally like a Singapore run already as many runners who participated are Singaporean ? Anywhere I go such as to shopping or to eat, I can easily identify these prideful runners with their running finisher tees ?

This is a countryside fun run in Muar of Malaysia and there is 2 categories, the 10km and 22km. I participated in the 22km category. I was still telling myself it’s funny as there’s no Camel but why it’s called Camel Muar Run? ?

Traveling with No Frills from Singapore at a minimal fee for transportation and accommodation. Traveling together with many other fellow runners from Singapore via a luxury coach on Saturday morning. There is two pick up locations from the coach and just nice one of the pick up location is at Khatib, just 10 minutes walk from home so it’s super convenient for me ?

Race entitlements includes race singlet and finisher tee which I like because it’s striking in colour and it’s my first such striking yellow race singlet ever ? Also there’s race bib, timing chips and e-certificate for the participants and includes finisher tee and medals of course if you finished the run. Well, recently for the SCKLM, many runner’s is unhappy that they could not get the medals and finisher tees because they could not meet the cut off time. All I can say is try harder next time to earn it, what for wanting the medals and finisher tees of the runs that you didn’t complete? It’s just items with no monetary value at all ?

Was caught in the traffic jam at the Woodlands immigration checkpoint and the Malaysia customs. Expected to have jams already as it’s weekend and it’s school holidays some more ?

So once we reached Muar, we went directly to collect the race pack in a primary school then check in at a boutique hotel then went to walk around to explore and found some very nice street wall arts

Entry fee for the run is cheap because of the conversion rate for those of us who come from Singapore. Though we have to pay for accommodation and transport which I don’t mind as I treat this as a runcation ?

The flag off time for the 22km category is at 5.30am and at first I worried of feeding mosquitoes because I’m yummy for the mosquitoes but seems like ok, there’s no mosquitoes feasting on me like at a free buffet luckily ?

There’s many hydration points along the way for the 22km runners. But some of the drinks are not cold just from a glance as there’s no water vapour on the cups and I asked the volunteers for cold drinks ? There’s water and 100 Plus at the hydration points and some hydration points even offered Coke. At one of the hydration point, I took ice pack! ? Although I dunno whether the ice pack is for runners to eat the ice cubes or to apply the ice pack but I take it as the use is to apply as ice pack ? Though it’s not that hot and the sun is not out yet while I run but I find the ice pack really super shiok lah! ?

I love the route as it’s something new and special for me to run in a countryside/kampung. But mostly we run on the road side but it’s quite dark before sunrise. Though I have no problem with my eye sight but can’t really see clearly as the street lights are quite far away. Head lamps are advised for faster runners but I’m slow so no head lamps is ok, but as we were running on roads and since it’s not sealed off, it’s better if we have brought blinker with us for our own safety so we can be seen.

I have so much to see while running. Not much tall building and was enjoying the nature, seeing coconut trees is just so de stressing. Cows is roaming around freely and running with plantations by the road side but so think I dunno what I’m looking at, my friends saw horses and I didn’t see ?

There’s just a small parts of the route I really hold my breathe when I run pass a farm rearing ducks ? Luckily weather is kind to us as there is no rain previously if not we will need to run through some parts of the route with cow dungs and I will don’t know what tragedy would happen to my running shoes ?

Once we finish the run, we were given a slip to collect our finisher medal and shirt but I went wrongly to the queue to collect the food instead. There’s much food prepared for the runners such as pastries, bread and many types of fruits readily prepared. There’s desserts such as pudding and jelly and also soya bean drink and bean curd. It’s one of the most better welfare run for the runners I had attended before. And the race pack and entitlements is good ? I love our race bibs especially because we have the flag of the country we are representing in printed on the race bib ?

Overall, this two day one night short runcation is fun and enjoyable and if there’s anymore runs like this with people who organises and settles all the transport and hotel at a minimal fee I don’t mind to go ? If there’s like Pulau Redang run, Pulau Tioman run, Pulau Langkawi run I don’t mind a 4 days 3 night trip too ?

What constitutes a good run event? For most, it’s the price and experience gained at the event which justifies for the overall race experience.  These are just some the expectations that participants would have when they sign up for a run event.  But what if the event is totally free and comes with option for participants to purchase its race merchandise? Sounds too good to be true?

Run Free is new race concept which allows participants to take part in a run event at no cost! I recently participated in this run event together with my friend, Cheng Yee which was held on Sunday, 7 May 2017 at the Gardens Bay the Bay East. Participants were given the option to purchase any race merchandise such as race event tees, race tags with timing chips, sling bags etc. I was happy that I had the option not to purchase any race merchandise as I have quite a bit of event tees being an avid run event participant. Also, run events are not cheap and can range from $38 or more for a 5 KM run.

There were two categories for the Run Free event, a 5KM and 10KM category. This event was sponsored by Alpha Romeo and made possible by the same organisers, X-Change Republic, who brought us the YOLO Run.

When the news about a free run event first appeared, I was interested to join and see what a free race would offer but I only signed up later when I was selected as a running hero by 42 Race. Being a running hero for 42 Race entitled me to some race merchandise which included a bib with timing chip and an event tee.

RACE ENTRY PACK COLLECTION (REPC)

The REPC was held at the main atrium of Novena Square. The collection of the race pack was done quick and efficiently but I noticed that the volunteers are not briefed properly as they need to check with the staff in-charge regarding questions posted to them regarding the event. This previously happened also at 2016 YOLO Run REPC where the volunteers were not properly equipped to handle queries from the participants which resulted in long queues at the collection site.  What I thought the organisers did well at the REPC was the merchandise area display and mini race expo.

[Run Free REPC at Novena Square]

[Goodies for Run Free 2017]

This being a no frills run event, participants only collected their race bib. There were neither vouchers nor tote bag given out unless merchandise was purchased. There was also an on-going Facebook contest where participants could be an Alpha Romeo X Run Free Dri-fit Tee.  I didn’t take part in the contest as the area was crowded.

[Facebook contest post for Run Free 2017]

COMMUNICATION BY ORGANISERS

Run Free social media presence was done well. They had utilised Facebook as a form of communication to their participants. They would post details regarding the race on their Facebook page. Examples would include dissemination of shuttle bus services, race routes, race guides, availability of race results etc. I remember I had a query on registration and messaged them privately on Facebook to get help and I was impressed by the organisers’ responsiveness to Facebook messages.

RACE DAY HAPPENINGS

Normally Cheng Yee and I like to arrive at the race site a bit early, so that we could take some photos and soak in the atmosphere of the race day. There was a free shuttle bus service which was available from Stadium MRT Station to The Gardens by the Bay (East) from 06:15 hrs to 08:00 hrs. We arrived around 07:15 hrs at Stadium MRT but were surprised that there wasn’t crowd there. We were slightly worried that we might have read the information regarding the shuttle bus wrongly but luckily we saw other participants heading to a nearby waiting point where the shuttle bus were waiting. What I thought the organisers could have done better here was to have directional signs guiding the participants to the pickup point.

The trip to the race site was pretty fast and we arrived with plenty of time to spare. There was a huge row of portable toilets available and no queue. The only queue we noticed was at the bag deposit. Bag deposit was counted as an extra service and you need to pay for it either at the race site or you have pre-purchased the service. We took some photos around the area before heading for the START pen.

While we were waiting for the START pen to open, we noticed that the security was allowing the 10 KM runners to start and this was just 15 minutes to 5 KM flag-off. We were wondering how the security could differentiate a 10 KM and 5 KM ‘free’ bib. The ‘free’ bibs were all white in colour and no indication of the race category on it. We figured it was all based on what the participants were saying their categories were. ‘Paid’ 10KM bibs were black in colour and 5 KM bibs were Gold in colour. Flag-off for the 5 KM participants were done promptly at 08:00hrs. An improvement area would be to have better defined race tags which can be quickly differentiated.

ROUTE

The route for the 5 KM category was a pretty flat one except for some gentle slopes at the Marina Barrage Bridge which connects the Barrage to Gardens by the Bay East. This was a familiar route as most run events utilized this route. There were no bottlenecks along the route which made the run an enjoyable one. There was only one hydration point for the 5 KM route placed midway so that runners heading towards the U-turn point or heading back would have access to the drinks.

[View from the START Pen]

[Participants in the START Pen – Photo Courtesy of Run Free Facebook]

[5 KM Route – Courtesy of Run Free Website]

Some improvement points for the route would be the following:

Have a minimum age limit for the participants joining the event – I don’t want to sound harsh but having young kids below the age of 13 years old participating in the 5KM category can pose as a hazard. I was running behind a lady who was trying to pick up pace and suddenly this kid cuts right in front of her and she almost bumped into the kid. Her immediate stopping could cause a chain reaction and I could tell that she was displeased and frustrated as she heaved a loud ‘tsk tsk’!  If she had bumped onto that kid, the both of them would be injured and the people would have blamed the lady even though it was not her fault.

Section of the route for participants or place volunteer along the route to guide the public and participants – As the route was not closed to runners; there were some cyclists who were also cycling in the area and this and this may have been a bit dangerous to runners who did not keep a lookout on where they were heading.

POST RACE

I finished the race in 34 minutes and it was a fantastic feeling. It was a bit weird that we did not need to collect our medals but after all it’s a no frills race.  Cheng Yee and I cooled down a bit before heading off for breakfast. It was really nice to be handed a 500ml bottle of Pocari Sweat for post-race hydration. Big thanks to Pocari Sweat for that as it was just the right amount of hydration needed for me to recover properly after a 5km run event. There was no shuttle service back to Stadium MRT but that was okay.

[Nice scenery on the walk back to Stadium MRT Station]

Overall, I did enjoy the Run Free event! It definitely didn’t disappoint and I thought the organisers did well though there’s lots of room for improvement. Results and photos were released 2 days after the event!  I’m already looking forward to next year’s edition. Sorry for the late review. Till my next write-up! #RunFree & # RunHappy everyone!