Who doesn’t love a good mystery? A body is found. Police are called. Forensics take over and analyze the crime scene. The mystery ends when the perpetrator is caught. End of story. But when running events go missing, are paused or stopped, where does one turn? To the corporate sponsor and organiser, of course.
That’s why we’re putting on our Sherlock Holmes hat to find out why popular (and not so popular) Singapore running event simply ‘vanished’ without a trace.
Nike We Run
Investigations into why Nike We Run disappeared from the Singapore scene remain shrouded in speculation. Nike We Run continues to be staged in neighbouring Kuala Lumpur, so 18,000 Singapore runners eager to run it again must travel there.
Why is this troublesome? For starters, only 8,000 Malaysians ran that 2015 Nike We Run, less than half the number Singapore hosted the year before. In a world where numbers count, wouldn’t it be more logical to keep the race here?
Nike She Run
Having invested just three years in the Nike She Runs, perhaps the brand decided to cut back on specialized events targeting narrow audiences.
Market share could be to blame — after all, if Nikes sell better in Kuala Lumpur than in Singapore, event cuts could be tied to the corporate bottom line. At present, Nike corporate heads say “no comment” when asked why Nike She Run has become the Nike She Doesn’t Run in Singapore.
Feel strongly about this? Let Nike know that women (and men) want this event back.
Adidas King of the Road (KOTR)
Adidas extends so many sponsorship tentacles, it’s a wonder anyone can keep them straight, but when KOTR 2013 was cancelled due to weather, runners expected a 2014 race. When no announcement was forthcoming, everyone asked, “What’s up with the KOTR?”
The question remained unanswered in 2015, until sources told a journalist that Adidas had already decided not to stage another KOTR in Singapore back in February 2014, stoking disappointment among the running event set.
Speculators even blamed the Brazil World Cup for sucking up resources, but in the end, that rumour wasn’t substantiated. If you want the KOTR back on Singapore soil, contact Adidas. If you get the runaround, the question may be answered for you.
Skechers Electric Run
The Skechers Electric Run was dubbed “the world’s premier nighttime run/walk experience, where participants are part of the show.” If you attended, you know organisers made good on their word. But then the Skechers Electric world went dark a year later and no explanation has been offered.
If you adored this race and want it back on Singapore’s run schedule, contact the parent company to make your wishes known.
SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon
The popular SAFRA Army Half Marathon has always been a tribute to Singapore’s military heroes, promoted as a bonding experience between men of all ranks in the Army. But what happened that turned 2015 into the year of the disappearing SAFRA Army half marathon? SAFRA revealed that they took a break for the SG50 celebrations last year.
In September 2014, the world celebrated Colin Tung’s “fastest Singaporean” achievement. A year later, the half marathon went missing from the radar of Singapore race calendars.
[su_note note_color=”#000000″ text_color=”#FFFFFF” radius=”5″]Good news for the fans as the 28th SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon will be back this year on 28th August.[/su_note]
Salomon X-Trail Run
After registration for the Salomon X-Trail Run closed, organisers had to revise the race course direction due to “administration challenges”. The event took a one-year hiatus back in 2010, so this wasn’t the first time competitors were disappointed.
One reason this event was paused could be due to the issue of finding a suitable challenging venue.
Mizuno Mount Faber Run
On 21 June 2013, the Straight Times announced that the Mizuno Mount Faber Run was being rescheduled to October due to health and safety concerns for the runners. Corporate sponsor Mizuno was obviously proud of its association with the event that reflect Mizuno’s commitment to this particular corporate sponsorship.
Can a change in corporate direction be the reason why this event was paused?
Thumbs up, if you want this race reinstated.
Race the Dead
It was bound to happen: The Zombie invasion of Singapore’s running scene was made real at a ghoulish event dubbed Race the Dead. Scary website graphics set the tone, and by the time the Dead and Undead laced their shoes on 31 October 2015, organisers had raised the ante on hair-raising side attractions that enticed up to 10,000 participants to run this third race.
This trendy running event made good on its promise to host “10 times more zombies” in 2014, but at that point, there was no indication that sponsors had either the desire or the funds to underwrite a 2016 event. Are you among Singapore’s faithful Zombie fans eager for a 2016 event? Try appealing to the sponsors.
Run For Life
Few charitable causes are as worthwhile as those associated with children so Run for Life had the potential to touch vast numbers of Singapore runners. The race did not happen in 2015 and it’s believed the organisers Life Community Services Society had substituted the race with another sporting event. Hopefully, we’ll see it back again in 2016.
Lion Dash
Journalists called it the craziest mud and obstacle race in Singapore in 2012. There were mixed reviews and by 2014, the December race was moved to June, confusing anyone wishing to roar their way through this obstacle course. Another date change, to 18 January 2015, may have been a final attempt to resuscitate this event.
We think organisers have given up after the permanent closure of Tampines Bike Park.
Jurong Lake Run
Runners gave high praise to Jurong Lake Run organisers in 2012. One blogger posted “especially commendable since they are only into their second year,” applauding the west side location with this sentiment: “It’s about time!” Around 15,000 runners registered for the 2013 race.
Further, the race theme, “More than Just a Run” helped raise $140,000 SGD for charities, so could 2014 be considered anything but a success on 21 June? Nope, all that’s left behind is a website making promises that another Jurong Lake Run would be staged some day in the future.
Show your support for future Jurong Lake Runs or this event might just race into Singapore obscurity.
Care to add one (or more) to our list of Singapore running events that have gone missing? Do let us know!
