Often touted as the toughest local trail race, the Singapore leg of this global ultra-marathon series saw about 3,000 daring participants conquer tough, hilly terrains and challenging cut-off times.
In its 8th year running, The North Face 100 Singapore comprised of 50 km (Solo and Duo), 25 km and 13 km race categories.
Making up 37% of the participants are trail runners from around the world, including Malaysia, Japan, France, and the UK, just to name a few.
Philippines’ Monolito Divina came in champion at the 50 km Men’s Category with an astonishing time of 3 h 55 min 17 sec. Sakiko Matsumoto from Japan triumphed first in the 50 km Women’s Category with a winning time of 4 h 23 min 54 sec.
Over in the 50 km Duo Open Category, female duo Jenny Huang and Jasmine Goh, finished first with a combined time of 9 h 44 min 20 sec.
The North Face athletes Kaburaki Tsuyoshi (Japan), Vlad Ixel (Australia), Wyan Chow (Hong Kong), also raced the 50 km categories and shared valuable tips on trail running at the event.
Given the vigorous race route, organisers Outdoor Venture Pte Ltd and Pink Apple Pte Ltd imposed several safety measures, including the “Compulsory Hydration” rule where all participants must run with their hydration bags.
Complementing the hydration rule, organisers also banned the use of disposable bottles during the race. Environmental enthusiasts from a local trail running group stepped us as “Eco Ambassadors” to comb the entire race course progressively, ensuring that participants leave nothing but their footprints.