Friends and colleagues yesterday paid tribute to a runner who died in hospital after falling ill during a 10km race.

Former Traffic Police (TP) officer Wong Chung Kent, 46, had taken part in the Safra Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon last Sunday in the Marina Bay area.

After the race, which he completed at about 8am, he suffered chest pain while having a meal at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.

He died in hospital two days later and it is understood that he was cremated on Thursday.

The annual running event was jointly organised by Safra and the Singapore Army.

More than 41,000 people took part, including families of Singapore Armed Forces full-time and operationally ready national servicemen.

According to citizen journalism website Stomp, a spokesman for the organising committee of the event said its medical team was alerted at 9.15am to an incident requiring medical attention at the Toast Box cafe at Esplanade.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received an alert for medical assistance at 9.15am at Toast Box and dispatched an ambulance there.

"A man was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for chest pains," said a spokesman.

News of Mr Wong's death was shared in a closed Facebook group consisting of past and present officers of the Traffic Police.

Known simply as "Kent" to some of his friends, he was described as a diligent worker.

According to former colleagues, Mr Wong was part of the TP patrol team before becoming the officer in charge of service support. He also worked in traffic operations.

Former TP officer Hart Victor, 38, said Mr Wong "always took his job very seriously.

"He was always very interested in his work as an investigator and you could tell he had ambitions to climb the ranks."

Another friend who wanted to be known as Mr Mohammad, 47, said: "He was a gentle person. The many tributes pouring in... point to his well-liked personality."

Zaihan Yusof