BY When you have a run that impresses upon the importance of the social message, you are in for a day full of education and active learning. The Income Eco Run had the opportunity to do so during the Race Entry Pack Collection fair and on event day itself.
So far, a lot of race villages focused a lot on sports initiatives and sports goods. Not at the Income Eco Run. The booths were filled with educational panels to push the environmental issues, including a booth by PUB putting up an exhibition to talk about saving water and the need to raise awareness for it.
The race itself helped to push forth more environmental practices, such as recycling pits separating cans, plastic, paper, and banana peels that were given to the runners when running. More initiatives such as presenting terrarium trophies to the winners, bio-degradable medals and the Zero-Waste Runner initiative, which reduces production costs and the runner forgoes the medal and the shirt that states that they went running for the event were in place.
Many runners did take it upon themselves to do their part for the environment. They carried their own water, proceeded to throw the cans and separate the trash in the designated areas, and many did try to clean up their own trash.
Starting from the F1 Pit Building, the route snaked alongside the city, with some enjoying wonderful scenes of the city rising in the morning, while those who started out in the first wave were able to enjoy watching the lights at the neighbouring Gardens by the Bay against the dark sky.
Some of the runners dressed up for the occasion, including three runners who dressed up as sharks to protest the inhumane mutilaton of sharks for Shark’s Fin Soup. These got a special mention from the emcees who then awarded them a special prize for Best Dressed.
RUN Singapore was there too, helping people tape up their muscles and legs before and after the run, and giving out cold towels to runners who were grateful for the feel of something cold after a hot run.
The Income Eco Run has introduced a few good practices that should be implemented for all races, and other environmental races and other competitive events should consider implementing some of these for future runs to garner goodwill from organizations as well as spread the social message of sharing.
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