Decathlon’s Kiprun half-marathon shortened to 10km as haze worsens in Singapore
SINGAPORE – The inaugural Kiprun Singapore race was adjusted on Sept 27 as the haze situation here worsened.
Sports retailer Decathlon and MetaSport, the co-organisers of the run, announced the changes on Instagram in the early hours of race day as air quality deteriorated.
The 21.1km half-marathon has been shortened to 10km, while distances for the other formats – the 10km, 5km, and Kids Dash (670m) – remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, the awards ceremony has been cancelled. All categories are now non-competitive, with no official rankings or results available.
All start times remained unchanged, the post added. The shortened half-marathon flagged off at around 5am on Sept 27, followed by the 10km run at 6am, the 5km at 7am, and Kids Dash at 9am.
The race routes for the inaugural event start along Nicoll Highway and finish at the Decathlon Singapore Lab in Kallang. The 10km and 5km events pass by iconic Singapore landmarks such as the National Stadium.
Other landmarks, including the Marina Barrage, Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum, and the Singapore Flyer, were initially included in the 21.1km route but were cut due to the shortened distance.
“We know that many of you have invested significant time and effort in preparing for today, and we understand that these changes may be disappointing,” the organisers said.
They added that the decision was based on predetermined action thresholds following a 2am review of air quality conditions.
At that time, 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings in three parts of Singapore – the central at 126, the east at 109, and the west at 104 – had entered the unhealthy range. The Kiprun race routes are located in the central-eastern part of the island.
The 24-hour PSI reading for the central region hit 104 at 8pm on Sept 26, crossing the threshold of 101 for the first time since dipping out of the unhealthy range on Sept 20. The PSI reading there continued to inch upwards overnight and peaked at 127 at 3am.
The eastern region entered the unhealthy range (103) at midnight while the western areas (102) followed suit an hour later.
As at 7am on Sept 27, the 24-hour PSI readings stood at 128 in the central region, 115 in the east and 106 in the west.
Air quality in the north (89) and south (95) remained in the moderate range.
The Kiprun event is co-organised by MetaSport, a sport management company in Asia. It is known for organising the annual Metasprint series comprising an aquathlon, duathlon, and triathlon; and other community and corporate runs such as the SGX Cares Bull Charge Charity Run and the POSB PAssion Run for Kids.
Ticket prices for Kids Dash, 5km, and 10km races ranged from $10 to $86, while half-marathon tickets cost between $78 and $98.
It remains unclear if refunds will be provided to half-marathon participants.
The Straits Times has contacted MetaSport and Decathlon for more information.
