OVERALL MARK: 88.8%
(Highly Recommend)
HELD: April 22nd, 2012.
IN BRIEF: Having now completed around a dozen races in Singapore, the RUN 350 has well and truly raised the bar. A 10k run starting from Marina Bay, along some of the F1 track and Nicoll highway. In short the most complete and well organized run I have done in Singapore.
COST: Paid $35 for the 10k run. Included the runners pack (pictured right) including a runners singlet, shoe bag, socks, mini sunscreen, mini muscle rub and a few other samples. The price also included the finishers medallion. There were vouchers in the pack which turned out to be expired but true to the fantastic organization of the event each runner was contacted and offered the opportunity to get new ones. Trying to think of a reason not to give this a 10, and I can't - 10/10.
RACE TRACK: Started at the Marina Bay Float, first section was on the F1 track (which I loved running on) and then a large section on the Nicoll Highway. Extremely flat with a minuscule climb at about the midway mark. It was a closed course so a massive tick there. The run to the first corner was tight but after that there was a massive amount of space to run your own race. Surface was smooth with my only very very minor complaint being some boards used to cover one section were a bit loose or too spongy which screwed me over mid-stride once. From memory there were km markers nearly every k, maybe not for 3k, but enough to keep me very happy. Loved the circuit. 9.5/10.
AND WE'RE RACING: Both the 10 and 21k were run in two waves, but unlike many other events this was clearly displayed in advance which was a super smart move. I started in the first wave of the 10k runners, maybe 6-7 people deep. The run down to the first corner was busy as you might expect, but from that point the track widened and it was basically smooth sailing from that point. As I made the last turn for home on Nicoll highway my small pack of runners encountered 21k racers, there was a little bit of weaving but is wasn't a major hassle. I think even if you started toward the back of the wave, once you got around that corner you could run your own race. Excellent course to set a PB. 9/10.
PITSTOPS: The water stations were marked out on the huge course map pre-race. I think they only had water (which is fine). The cups were a good size and the stations were at reasonable intervals. If I was going to be picky I'd say the ideal "deluxe" water station has 100 PLUS or an equivalent and maybe some sort of snack, so for being more a basic one I'll knock a point off. I would have also loved the water station volunteers to hold out the cups as they were packed in closely together and trying not to slow down at all I lost half the water as I snatched it off the table. All in all it was a very good basic water station, and some of the volunteers (maybe the last station) were cheering the runners on. Love that. Was going to give 7.5 for a good basic station, the cheering bumped it up to 8/10.
ORGANISATION (PRE-RACE DAY): Always informed (even by text message), arrived at Novena to pick up kit and although the line was huge it moved very quickly. There was even an MC keeping the runners entertained while we waited. Only minor issue I had was I couldn't find out the exact start time for my 10k, someone else posted this question on FB and got a response which I went by. I turned up early because of this, maybe I was looking in the wrong place? Anyway, almost perfect I'd say. 8.5/10.
ORGANISATION (RACE DAY): I saw on FACEBOOK some issues with a shuttle bus, but credit to the organisers for responding to the posts straight away, I've seen many other races not even bother. At the start of the race there were plenty of toilets, a drink station for runners and many huge course maps. The race started on time and we were entertained by an MC while we waited for our run to start. Despite not using the baggage deposit I saw that there were heaps of volunteers and basically no lines. Well done. Seamless. Only minor gripe I have is the way the medallion is handed out, at the Montreal Half-Marathon they have the medallions ready to place over the runners heads. It's sooo much better. That's the only reason they're losing a point on this one. 9/10.
TIMING: The timing was released a few days after the run as promised. Using your bib number you got your gun time and net time and overall placing. Quick and solid. I've seen some races have your splits, how many people you passed in the last 5k's, your group finishing time etc which seems to be the deluxe method, this was pretty solid and the probably only mini-downfall was that the full race list and finishing times wasn't also published. I like to see how far behind the next guy I was. A solid 7/10.
RACE KIT: In a word: Brilliant. Running singlet (although I don't love the cut) was a great design, shoe bag was an awesome bonus. Throw in the socks on top of that and I was already loving the swag. The samples were also handy too, the small sunscreen and muscle rub very useful. For $35 this was a steal. Medallion is a nice design and quality ribbon. Excellent quality and value. 10/10.
SUMMARY: Runners love to complain post race. I know - I do. It feels as if the organizers of this run listened to all the complaints ever made from every race and tried to fix them all. You know what, they almost did. Kudos to them for putting together the best run I have competed in to date. I'll be back next year and I'll be bringing many of my friends with me.
