If you’ve heard the phrase, “A match made in heaven,” you know that some things or people are ideally suited to each other. It’s impossible to imagine Antony without Cleopatra or birds that don’t hang out with bees.

And it’s particularly difficult to separate POCARI SWEAT from Singapore’s running scene for any number of reasons.

After all, POCARI makes the foremost elixirs runners count on to keep them going the distance and Singapore is a world-class destination for runners, so it’s only natural that their shared objectives synchronize.

And in the Beginning…

Developed by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, a shining star in Japan’s corporate galaxy, scientists knew from the get-go that they didn’t want to produce a sports drink that had no real benefits to the body other than selling tonnage and turning a profit.

Chemists worked diligently to approximate the life-saving properties of the intravenous solutions administered by health care workers to anyone in need of fast body fluid replenishment and POCARI SWEAT was born.

After years of trial and error, POCARI SWEAT was tested by athletes and marketed as the most beneficial way to replace lost body fluids in all types of circumstances, especially those in which exertion can lead to dehydration.

That aim is fulfilled with the production of POCARI SWEAT, a drink favoured by athletes because it keeps their bodies going without impairing cognitive or physical performance. When POCARI SWEAT was introduced to Singapore runners, it really was love at first sip!

A Perfect Marriage

As POCARI SWEAT made a name for itself within Singapore’s running community, the company realized it had more than an obligation to make a product that jump-started the bodies of athletes who might otherwise become dehydrated.

Otsuka is, after all, a company with a philosophy dedicated to worldwide health and what better way to honour Singapore athletes and add to the nation’s burgeoning marathon scene than by sponsoring a race?

The first year of the POCARI SWEAT Run proved a daunting experience for organisers. There was so much to do and accomplish to get this event off the ground, yet between Singapore crews from both the company and experienced run organisers, the first POCARI SWEAT Run came off without a hitch five years ago.

Eager to support this event, Singapore hospitals and health organisations held running clinics and seminars, and continue to do so in concert with every POCARI SWEAT Run staged to this day.

Where’s the proof of this race’s success? It’s in the numbers: attendees grew in leaps and bounds with each succeeding year, which is why organisers don't believe that projecting 10,000 runners at the 2016 event is an unreasonable goal!

The annual POCARI SWEAT is a popular running event in Singapore.

The Honeymoon Continues

Because the POCARI SWEAT Run became a community-wide effort, the brand’s overarching message that, “No matter how busy we are, there’s always time to live a healthy life,” became a rallying call for Singaporean runners. As the race became an institution, some of Singapore’s most influential people jumped on board the bandwagon.

One of the most high-profile is brand ambassador Dr. Mok Ying Ren. He moves seamlessly between his passions: practising medicine, running marathons and promoting his homeland and the POCARI brand.

“It’s important to have members of the Singapore running community include doctors like me,” says the popular personality, “because as professionals, we help sort myths from truths. My mission is to encourage an active lifestyle for all Singaporeans while promoting both POCARI SWEAT and our nation so the world learns more about both.”

Ran the Ottawa marathon this morning as well as I could and completed it with a time of 2h 27min 02sec but failed to qualify for the Olympics. Happy with how the race panned out in the warm conditions and a hilly second half. My 4 year journey in an attempt to qualify for the Rio has officially ended but it has been a great journey. Time to relax in Alaska with fiancée @speedbel and get back to work on the 1st of July! Thank you to my sponsors @pocarisweatsingapore @newbalancesg @oakleysg #NTUCincome @airasiasg @fitnessfirstsg @garminsg @sporeathletics for being with me on this journey and each and everyone of you for your support and encouragement.

A photo posted by Mok Ying Ren (@mokyingren) on May 29, 2016 at 8:34pm PDT

Debates on Sport Drinks Effectiveness

Some researchers have differing opinions regarding this. The original study that recommended the intake of isotonic drinks when one exercised for 60 minutes or at high intensity was issued by the American College of Sports Medicine.

However, we need to take note that such statements were determined based on standardized activities defined in the study design. One has to note that there are many variables that impact the results of such studies such as: type of activity, temperature, metabolism of each person etc.

It is commonly agreed within hydration science that people secrete a higher amount of electrolytes when they are more active. Knowing this, POCARI SWEAT was developed to have an electrolyte composition similar to the body water excreted when one sweats due to daily activities – making POCARI SWEAT safe for daily consumption.

Additionally, POCARI SWEAT was also designed to have the same osmolality as blood plasma so that it can support people taking part in high exertion activities who require faster absorption of electrolytes.

The close relationship between Singapore and POCARI is projected to remain strong and vibrant into the future, which is why this nation’s runners are invested in the upcoming Lunar Dream Capsule Project!

Aiming to be the first beverage ever to land on the moon, a POCARI SWEAT sample in powder form will be delivered during a future moon landing. Once water is found there, the POCARI SWEAT powder will be reconstituted and drunk by an astronaut to make sure he stays hydrated.

POCARI SWEAT available in different sizes and in powder form.

Meanwhile, Back on Earth!

It’s easy to get excited about the possibility of drinking a bottle of POCARI SWEAT on the moon, but until that comes to pass, Singapore is going to remain an earth-bound epicenter for runners who crave a personal best over a moon landing with help from the ingredients that go into every bottle of POCARI SWEAT! And before sending the sports drink into the stratosphere, runners are going to continue to amass kilometers in an effort to rack up a collective distance that’s equal to a trip to the moon.

How can you be part of this out-of-this-world effort? Register for the 5km or 10km at this year’s POCARI SWEAT Run. The distance you run will be added to totals amassed by other runners in pursuit of a grand total of 380,000km. So far, 300,000km toward the goal are banked with 80,000km to go, at which point the journey to the moon will be accomplished.

Would this lofty goal be successful without contributions from Singapore runners? Of course not. This is, after all, a shared adventure that benefits so many.

Can you envision an astronaut reconstituting a bottle of POCARI SWEAT powder using moon water in your lifetime?