Runners stuck to designated trails at nature reserve

Straits Times Forum 2 Nov 09;

I REFER to last Saturday's letter by the Nature Society (Singapore), 'Don't hold races in sensitive nature reserves'.

The society is right to highlight that our nature reserves are precious and need to be preserved. The Government's actions to preserve and conserve our nature reserves in our small city-state have been commendable, with more than 10 per cent of the country's land managed by the National Parks Board (NParks). NParks has an obligation to protect the plant and animal life in our nature reserves but, at the same time, is committed to enhancing the quality of life of Singaporeans by creating memorable recreational experiences.

It is important to note that sports and running has become a way of life for Singaporeans.

We are an active and sporting nation with a strong running community, and as runners mature in this sport, we will see more cross-overs from road to trail running. More and more Singaporeans are participating in international endurance trail races and it is necessary for Singapore, as a nation, to support and encourage our athletes to excel in this sport by providing the necessary infrastructure for them to train. This should include opening more trails to runners and organising trail races to act as a springboard to bigger higher-profile races worldwide.

Although only in our second year, the North Face 100 Singapore race is already a running event in the international calendar with runners from 42 different nationalities running in this year's race. We should not underestimate the role such an event has to play as we endeavour to build Singapore into a centre for sports in Asia.

That said, I would like to highlight the fact that the North Face 100 ultra-marathon organising committee has worked hand-in-hand with NParks to design a race that would minimise impact on our nature reserves.

The runners stuck to designated NParks trails and were flagged off in waves over a six-hour period; again, to minimise the impact a large group would have on the reserves.

We are also in the process of launching a trail maintenance programme whereby runners can be actively responsible for our trails by volunteering to repair the ground to stop soil erosion.

The North Face, as a company, and our runners are dedicated to preserving the places we explore.

Elaine Tay (Ms)
Event Director
The North Face 100 Singapore