Ross Sarpani and Kelly Latimer may not be running in Sunday's Straits Times Run at the Hub but the participants can still count on the duo - who are emcees - to help get them into stride quickly.

The first race - the 18.45km one - in particular flags off at 5am from Nicoll Highway and the runners will need all the booster shots - apart from energy drinks and food - they can get at that early hour.

Sarpani and Latimer intend to get them into the mood with heart-pumping music and humour.

But they will also dish out survival tips to ensure that the participants have a challenging but fun time.

Sarpani, 45, said the safety of the runners is of paramount importance to him.

He told ST that he will, without fail, say these four words - "listen to your body" - at the starting point of every race.

The other two categories in the ST Run cover 5km and 10km.

The duo will also dispense housekeeping rules - with reminders, for example, to leisure runners to keep to the left of the route - and race information such as the location of water points.

"We want them to start strong and finish stronger," said Sarpani.

The emcees intend to have their messages sink in in a fun manner, through music and dance.

Sarpani said: "These are some gimmicks that we have used over the years as we learn what works and what doesn't."

Dance will also feature heavily in their set, with Latimer, 28, pointing out that Sarpani likes to showcase his nifty moves to songs like Hey Baby, Waka Waka (by Shakira) and YMCA (by Village People).

He noted that she is no slouch either in the body-shaking department, as she "does a mean Waka Waka" too.

Their banter reflects the chemistry they share.

They have been working with each other for close to five years. Sarpani has 20 years and Latimer 12 years of experience in the hosting scene.

Sarpani said: "If there isn't any chemistry, it won't work. It's so rare to find such working chemistry and we are glad we found it."

In fact, they were also the hosts of last year's ST Run and they look forward once more to seeing the smiles on the runners' faces as they enter the National Stadium to complete their Sunday outing.

As Latimer said: "The stadium is a huge chamber and it's a huge expanse, and it's very awe-inspiring to run into the stadium.

"It's not like you can do it every day."