Jointly organised by SAFRA and the Army for the 22nd year, the Safra Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, 1 September, with a strong emphasis on strengthening the camaraderie and bonds shared between full-time national servicemen, NSmen and their families. The event theme, ‘Together We Run’, reflects the spirit of unity and cohesion that organisers hope to reinforce through the enhancements this year.

Mr Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Social and Family Development, Senior Minister of State for Defence and President of SAFRA, was briefed on these new highlights together with several NSmen and their families at a special preview held at Marina Bay City Gallery this afternoon.

More than 35,000 participants have already registered for the event and more are expected in the coming weeks before the closing of registration on 1 August. Organisers aim to attract at least 40,000 registered participants.

Special Discounts for NSmen and their Families

This year, all Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) NSmen and those who have completed their Operationally Ready National Service training cycle enjoy more than 75 percent discount on registration fees for the 21km Army Half Marathon, SAFRA 10km Race and SAFRA 5km Fun Run.

In addition, each participating NSman can also nominate up to three immediate family members to enjoy a special SAF Family rate to recognise the critical role they play in supporting NSmen’s commitment towards their NS duties, as well as encourage more NSmen to participate in the event together with their family members to bond and keep fit.

A Multi-Sensory Experience Along the Running Route

To ignite fond memories and celebrate the bonds forged through NS, familiar Amy songs such as ‘Purple Light’ and ‘Training to Be Soldiers’, which are frequently sung in unison by platoons during their NS route march will be played along Marina Barrage and St Andrew’s Bridge to motivate and excite runners.
Along other parts of the running routes, participants will also be greeted by a series of eight large-sized display boards depicting shared experiences and significant milestones of the NS journey through cartoons.

The unforgettable shaving of recruits’ hair on enlistment day; the fear of navigating the seemingly towering Jacob’s Ladder for the very first time as part of the Standard Obstacle Course, and the immense feeling of triumph and joy experienced by soldiers at their Basic Military Training Passing Out Parade after completing a gruelling 24km route march, are just a few of the scenes that will be featured.

The running routes for all four categories – 21km AHM, SAFRA 10km Race, SAFRA 5km Fun Run and the Dads For Life 800m Father & Child Challenge, will begin at the Esplanade Bridge and end at the Padang.

Along the way, participants will enjoy the scenic Marina Bay skyline and run past iconic landmarks such as the Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. For the 21km AHM runners, they will also run along the Marina Barrage and Stadium Boulevard where they can see the soon to be completed Singapore Sports Hub.

Static Display of Military Hardware at the Carnival

NSmen and their families will also be able to get up close to static displays of some of the Army’s impressive machinery such as the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle and M3G Military Float Raft and learn more about their functionalities at the carnival grounds.

The post-run carnival to be held at the Padang will also feature a host of other fun-filled games and activities to encourage bonding among NS units as well as NSmen and their families. This will also include large-sized puzzles featuring the NS-themed cartoons.

To excite participants leading up to the event, a Facebook game application called the ‘Bay Rush’ will be introduced to enable runners to learn more about this year’s running routes. The application will enable participants to familiarise themselves with key landmarks along the running routes and participate in a series of trivia questions about the event at various virtual checkpoints to stand to win attractive prizes worth a total of up to $9,000. Ten winners will be chosen weekly through lucky draws, with a grand draw at the end of the campaign for the top three players with the highest scores.

The application will be launched on 1 August and it will run on SAFRA’s Facebook fan page at facebook.com/SAFRAsg till the end of the month.

For details on the SBBR & AHM 2013, please visit http://www.safra.sg/sbr.