AN OUTDOOR run at Punggol Waterway, one of the island's most scenic parks, is not at odds with the Boys' Brigade's theme of "adventure".

So about 50 Secondary 1 to 3 boys from the 19th Company at Yishun Town Secondary have become the first group of students to sign up for The Straits Times Run in the Park.

"It's not just a physical adventure that we want the boys to go through; it is also a personal one of maturing through self-discovery," said the company's captain, Mr Gabriel Tan, 25, himself a member of the school's Boys' Brigade squad 10 years ago.

The Aug 25 event is the company's first run together. "It's a good opportunity for them to be exposed to the outdoors and for them to have a memorable experience as a company," the recent graduate of Nanyang Technological University said.

Teacher-in-charge Toh Weixiang is urging the boys to start with the 5km fun run.

The uniformed group is tapping various funds like Edusave so students do not have to pay the $46 registration fee out of their own pockets.

Many of the boys are fit and confident of completing the 5km run. Ong Wei Sheng, 15, the company's deputy sergeant major, for example, plays basketball regularly and runs more than 5km on weekends.

The 76-man strong co-curricular activity (CCA) group meets at least twice a week for parades and sports activities. They usually run 4km between the school in Yishun Street 21 and Seletar Reservoir.

The school is trying to raise awareness among other CCA groups and students to join the event held in conjunction with the National Parks Board.

Over 4,000 participants have booked their places since registration opened on June 6. Registration can be done at www.starevent.sg or via the event's interactive iPad advertisement.

LIM MIN ZHANG