HomeTeamNS REAL Run cancelled: 'Aren't our NSmen made to withstand inclement weather?'
The HomeTeamNS REAL Run at the Singapore Sports Hub on Oct 6 morning was cancelled due to weather, disappointing many participants.
One of them was Stomper Steven.
"For the first time in many years, the annual REAL Run organised by HomeTeamNS is cancelled this morning due to the rain," said the Stomper.
"This is so disappointing despite the light rain at 7.30am. There wasn't any thunder. Aren't our NSmen made to withstand inclement weather?"
Flag-off for the 10km race was at 7.30am. The 5km run was at 7.50am and the 1.6km fun walk was at 8.15am.
At 7.30am, HomeTeamNS posted on its Facebook page: "Due to unforeseen weather conditions, REAL Run is officially cancelled.
"The safety of participants is our utmost priority, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. Participants can still redeem their entitlements at the race village in OCBC Square till 10am today."
The Stomper commented on the post: "Was it too early to cancel all races at 7.30am? By 8am, only drizzle. Could have proceeded with 5km run and 1.6km walk. There was no sign of thunder and lightning."
HomeTeamNS replied: "We did consider this option; however, the closed roads need to be reopened within a specific time. For the safety of all participants, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the entire event."
Other participants complained about the long queue to collect the entitlements.
One said: "You made us all queue, then kept us in the queue for more than 30 minutes with kids caught in the crowd.
"And you opened the gate slowly as if this was a Causeway checkpoint. What was the point? Event cancelled. All I wanted is to collect and go.
"The crowd was not even interested to clap and cheer when asked. It was very obvious the crowd was very upset."
Later in the afternoon, HomeTeamNS said in another Facebook post: "While we acknowledge that there are areas for improvement in the entitlement collection process, we are also grateful for your patience amidst the delays that affected your experience.
"We'll continue to work towards building a smoother experience for future runs."
The guest of honour, Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who is Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, posted on social media that the weather was not on their side.
"Nonetheless, I'm hearten to still see great spirit among the participants," said Nee Soon GRC MP.
"Some of them went out for their run after the rain cleared up much later and some opted for the indoor running track to complete their run at their own pace. We may not be able to run together as one this year, but continue to keep the spirit of regular exercise, active lifestyle going!"
