Held on 27 January 2018, the Safari Zoo Run 2018 focused on raising awareness for the conservation of our native wildlife. 2018 is a special year for Safari Zoo Run because it is the race's 10^th anniversary!

This year, there were 4 animal icon teams: Team Ah Meng representing the Orangutan, Team Chawang representing the Asian Elephant, Team Canola representing the Manatee and not forgetting Team Sunny, representing the Hornbill. Each animal supports an endangered wildlife species in Singapore.

There were three race distances to participate in, namely 2.5km, 5.5km and 10km. I participated in the 5.5km non-competitive run as I wanted to run for the wildlife, and at the same time, enjoy wildlife.

Ah Meng, the Orangutan

Breezy REPC

The Race Entry Pack Collection was held from 19 to 21 January 2018 at Velocity @ Novena Square. I went on the last day of the collection day. It was easy to locate the collection booth. There was no queue when I arrived, so, I was able to enjoy a smooth collection process.

The Prudential team was there as well, explaining to participants about the Race Day Insurance Coverage. My friend and I decided to give it a go when they wanted to share with us more of the policies and saving plans they have. The person who spoke to us even went the extra mile to take a photo of the race day programme and share it with us!

The day has finally arrived!

The 5.5km category was scheduled to be flagged off at 8 a.m. My friend and I reached the race village at 7:40 a.m. and the atmosphere was superb! We saw many booth set-ups - ranging from merchandises, multiple photo-taking areas, as well as a hydration booth where we took a cup of Aquarius to hydrate ourselves before the flag-off. There were already many runners at the starting pen, ready for flag-off.

We saw many families and it was indeed heartening to see them gathered on a Saturday morning, running for wildlife and spending quality time together. Flag-off was sharp at 8 a.m. Kudos to the emcees who was very calm and entertaining while managing a considerably huge amount of crowd!

5.5km flag off

The kids were all running forward energetically after the air horn sounded, with encouraging parents saying, “Go, keep running forward!” When kids get excited, so do adults! Since it is a non-competitive run, most runners decided to have fun and enjoyed the 5.5km distance by stopping by the animals' exhibits and taking photos of the animals. The volunteers were very encouraging along the race!

We never fail to hear from the volunteer: “Jiayou, jiayou, you are reaching!” and “All the way!” Getting cheered on along the way made the whole experience even better. Some of them even high-fived us! Not to forget, there were distance markers at every kilometre! I’m sure it was a great help for all runners who want to keep track of their pace!

Chawang!

The hydration booth was also well-managed, with both Aquarius and water catered for the participants. They have also prepared many trash bags and the participants graciously threw the used cups into the bin.

Personally, the race was very enjoyable both for my friend and I. We had fun, joy and laughter and it felt as if we were transported back to our 5-year-old self who was enjoying a zoo trip! However, we had a little confusion on where to collect the finisher's entitlements.

This is because the medal collection area is different from the refreshment area; there were no volunteers there to guide us since the finish point was at River Safari and the refreshment area was at the start pen area. My friend and I then made our way back to the race village and took many photos for memory. Sadly, we couldn’t find Ah Meng, the animal we were supporting.

Finisher's entitlement

There was also a merchandise booth near the entrance of the Zoo, and participants were entitled to a 10% discount! There were many merchandises to choose, ranging from blankets, water bottles, magnets, files, all imprinted with the four different animals!

After much thoughts, my friend and I got a bottle to support the event and to keep it as a souvenir as well since it is my friend's first race and she enjoyed it very much! We then enjoyed the animal show, tell session, followed by the lucky draw in which we didn’t win.

Overall, we are thankful to be part of the race, running for the wildlife. It was an enjoyable race and we are heartened to see families coming together on a Saturday morning to celebrate the 10th years running for the wildlife.

My friend and I, with our medals

Event Overview

• The race was well organised.
• The volunteers were encouraging.
• The directions for the after-race event can be made clearer.
• The race route was clear with distance markers at every kilometre.

If you have also participated in the Safari Zoo Run this year, you can check your race results too.