Run club accused of ‘colonising’ MOE Evans Stadium track with over 25 people across 7 lanes
Members of a run club have come under fire for allegedly “colonising” the track at MOE (Evans) Stadium, with more than 25 participants reportedly occupying seven lanes of the sports facility and drawing complaints over their “inconsiderate” behaviour.
A Redditor, who wanted to be known only as Ms P, raised concerns in a post on the asksg subreddit on May 7, saying she was “fed up with run clubs colonising whole spaces”.
Accompanying the post were photos of people in blue or orange tank tops, running along a track.
In one photo, over 13 people were running in a single file, while another showed more than 25 people spread out over seven lanes.
Described run club members as ‘one big sweaty cluster’
Speaking to Stomp, Ms P said the incident occurred at MOE (Evans) Stadium on May 6, between 7pm and 8pm.
She said she had often seen the group at the stadium, but would usually finish her run before they began. However, she happened to run at the same time as them that day, something she described as an “overwhelming” experience.
Ms P recalled that about 10 to 15 runners in a single file began to overtake her, causing her to be “subsumed into the single file”.
“Mind you, they all approach you as one big sweaty cluster and have no sense of keeping some distance from you,” she said.
She also described the whole track being “blocked by run clubs” as there were multiple groups at the stadium.
In her Reddit post, she added that the group had apparently engaged photographers who would aim cameras at the track, which she felt was an “invasion of privacy”.
Netizen approaches run club
Ms P said she approached the run club and asked who was in charge, wanting to raise concerns about their “inconsiderate” behaviour.
“They seemed to have a hard time truly comprehending me and one even snickered. They said they’ll let their management know,” Ms P recalled.
She said she has also raised the matter to the staff at MOE (Evans) Stadium.
A few netizens said Zephyr Running Club was the group featured in the photos.
Run club ‘disappointed’ by online comments
In response to Stomp’s queries, a spokesperson from Zephyr Running Club said that track and running etiquette have “long been part of (its) club culture”.
The representative explained that runners are regularly reminded to stay within their lanes and avoid obstructing shared spaces.
“At the same time, while differing opinions are understandable, we are disappointed to see certain online comments crossing into racism and discriminatory language, which we do not condone,” the spokesperson added.
Moving into ‘dangerous territory’: Netizens
Many netizens agreed that the group’s actions were “inconsiderate” and “obnoxious”.
One user even described such behaviour as their “new least favourite thing in Singapore”.
“A couple of times, I’ve had to squeeze myself and my dog to the side just to make space for those massive running clubs that pass unbelievably close to people,” the user wrote, recalling that their dog had allegedly been kicked by one of the participants.
Another said some run clubs are moving into “dangerous territory”, with participants “hogging” lanes or running backwards.
“Run clubs should treat public tracks like shared spaces by keeping groups small, staying to outer lanes when chatting or overtaking and respecting both track etiquette and privacy rules,” a netizen chimed in.
However, some netizens felt the group in question did not do anything out of line.
“Technically, to cut into your lane, they have to run around you. And technically, it’s not your lane,” one netizen said.
“Track etiquette is generally to stay in your own lane and choose a lane appropriate to your pace. I think the main issue is that the track is simply too crowded for OP’s liking,” another pointed out.
Stomp has reached out to SportSG for more information.
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