Participants cheer return of in-person race at Great Eastern run

There were no air horns, no loud music blaring from speakers and little fanfare but, crucially, yesterday saw the return of in-person competitive racing in Singapore.

Fifteen of the top local female runners took part in the elite-only half-marathon at the 2021 Great Eastern Women's Run (GEWR), which was the first high-level in-person running event to be held here since the pandemic began.

Former SEA Games marathoner Rachel See crossed the finish line first in 1hr 23min 14 sec. She was followed by Hu Xiuying (1:27:28) and Vanessa Chong (1:30:43).

Ms See, 39, said: "I've missed the competitiveness of events like this and, at the same time, getting to race with my friends... We all know one another.

"It's been almost two years and we didn't really know what speed to go at or what to expect... The route is very simple. The path was very clear, there was completely no blockage, and the race lead cyclist was good - he was helping me navigate and would point out the water points to me."

Prior to the GEWR, the last taste of an in-person race that Ms See - and many other participants - had was the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in late 2019.

Triathlete Choo Ling Er, who competed while 12 weeks pregnant and finished eighth in 1:38:50, also welcomed the return of in-person races, adding that these push her to run "20 per cent to 30 per cent harder than in training".

The race started and ended at OCBC Square at the Singapore Sports Hub, and took runners along East Coast Park in a loop.

Originally set to be a virtual edition but later converted to a physical one, it started at 5.30am so runners could avoid the morning crowd. No roads were closed for the event, which was cancelled last year because of the pandemic.

Seven marshals, clad in fluorescent vests and armed with light sticks, guided the runners on bikes.

All invited participants were fully vaccinated and were required to produce a negative antigen rapid test (ART) result taken within 20 hours of the race's start.

They also had to be masked at all times until they reached the starting pen, where they were flagged off at the same time. No spectators were allowed.

Yesterday's race was held in conjunction with the launch of the virtual component of this year's GEWR for members of the public (5km, 10km, 21.1km, 113km, and 2km for mothers and daughters aged five to 12). These races have seen 4,500 sign-ups and will take place until Dec 15.

The 15 elite runners, together with Great Eastern staff and financial representatives, also led a fund-raising initiative as part of the event, raising over $101,000 for two selected beneficiaries, the Breast Cancer Foundation and Daughters Of Tomorrow.

Mr Colin Chan, managing director of group marketing at Great Eastern, said it was proud to bring back in-person racing.

"It is vital that we continuously adapt and not allow the pandemic to deter us from living life to the fullest... This year's edition gives us all the boost and confidence in the right direction," he said.

The GEWR comes as Covid-19 restrictions in the sports sector continue to be eased. Since last Wednesday, the Government has allowed up to 10 fully vaccinated persons to play together in supervised settings, under vaccination-differentiated safe management measures and ART protocol, at selected ActiveSG sports centres and People's Association community clubs. This pilot will pave the way for team sports to return.

The next large-scale in-person race will be the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Up to 4,000 participants will be able to take part in four physical races over two days, on Dec 4 and 5.