The image could make you giggle: legions of runners sprinting along a route usually taken by enthusiastic golfers, but what golf aficionado would try to hit that little ball at night?
In fact, the Orchid Country Club in Singapore will host another OCC 3 Ten Run at this location, so the course will be transformed from a duffer’s paradise into a running course.
If the idea of running on grass rather than a gritty, dirty trail appeals to you, calendar 3 September if you intend to participate in this race.
Choose between a 1.5km Family Run (1 child/1 adult), a 5km Fun Run or the 10km Individual Open. Each event will take place on one of the three Orchid 9-hole golf courses as evening light settles over the land.
What is the OCC 3 Ten Run?
It’s a hybrid; both a competitive and a leisure race, so you might say that there’s something on the menu for anyone who wants to participate: veteran runners, casual runners and family members eager to bond while taking in the shorter races.
The objective is to conquer this award-winning golf course and while there’s not much of a relationship between the leisurely stroll accompanying a casual game of golf and the all-out sprint competitors go for when a striving for a personal best, on this night only, the two sports become one.
Back by popular demand…
What’s unique about this upcoming event? For starters, if you’ve never sprinted around a golf course, this could be your opportunity to check out all of the hazards and greens on the race route, and since the race runs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. (flag off is at 6 p.m.) there will still be plenty of daylight to guide your footfalls at the OCC 3 Ten Run.
Did you participate in the December 2015 race? This time, compare the day and night differences as you set a personal best.
Even the name of this event is a tribute to the course: “OCC” represents the Orchid Country Club; the “three” denotes a trio of 9-hole world-class golf courses within club grounds, and if you haven’t yet guessed, “ten” stands for the number of kilometres competitive runners hope to complete on the way to the finish line.
Even the weather should cooperate
Given the time frame and the unique venue, by the time flag off takes place, comfortable temperatures should tempt more runners to participate and since the December run, new elements have been added to this event that will entice and lure more families to come for the fun.
The September run is expected to see an increase in the number of men and women who sign on to run the course and what could be more beautiful than a sunset?
As feet sink into turf and the sun moves into the western sky, breezes will wash over fairways adjacent to the Sungei Seletar Reservoir. You couldn’t find a more tranquil environment or time of day to take part in this event.
This is more than a race…
One of the reasons race organizers decided to expand the original Fun Run distance from 1km to 1.5km has to do with boosting the family-friendly face of the OCC 3 Ten Run. But extending the distance is just one of the reasons bringing the kids and other family members to Orchid Country Club is a great idea as summer begins to wind down.
Anyone who prefers standing on the sidelines to running the golf course can stay busy within the race village undertaking fringe activities, contests, lucky draws and special promotions that make attending worthwhile to everyone in your party.
Meet two superheroes
How about meeting a few heroes while you’re at this run? You can. Tell the kids that OCC 3Ten Run 2016 brand ambassadors Marcus Ong and Shariff Abdullah (whose alter-ego is the famous Singapore Blade Runner) will be on hand to inspire everyone who runs or just shows up to lend support to those who enter the competition.
Both men are quintessential motivators and examples of athletes who go above and beyond to achieve greatness — particularly Mr Shariff whose claim to fame includes being the first mobility-impaired Asian runner to repeatedly take part in Boston Marathons.
Meet both on their home turf and you’re going to leave the course feeling motivated and uplifted, just from having met these two contemporary legends.
How about a taste of the action?
If you want to register for this race, visit the website to make your arrangements. Put 20 and 21 August on your schedule to collect your race pack at City Square Mall between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Between now and the big day, get a sneak peek at what you can expect from the first golf course-staged night run by checking out the info and finding the motherlode of compelling reasons to complete the OCC 3 Ten Run here.
If, after visiting, you’re not excited about everything that awaits you on 3 September, perhaps you should take up golf instead of running!
Does staging a running event at an unusual venue like a golf course appeal to you or do you prefer to feel the “tried and true” trail or pavement under your feet when you compete?
UPDATE: The OCC 3 Ten Run 2016 has been rescheduled to 24 September 2016.
