\n<\/p>\n
What about the perennial challenges that race organisers face in Singapore, such as the heat, low spectator turnout, and challenges in closing roads in a dense urban landscape?<\/p>\n
Ms Tan said that there will be initiatives to educate the public about what the race weekend would entail and how they can be a part of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can start a few months (to) a year to build the momentum to get everybody involved,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked for more details on what new ideas they would bring to the table, Mr Lai said that it will be revealed closer to the event, but ideas such as community running sessions and collaborations with local businesses to build hype would not be ruled out.<\/p>\n
The duo also do not believe that the early start times to beat the heat will necessarily lead to low spectator turnout.<\/p>\n
They cited the Jakarta running festival in October, which likewise flagged off in the wee hours but drew large crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hot, humid, tropical, and also start at 4am, (but) people were supportive. Why were people supportive? At the end of the day, it\u2019s all about education, and it\u2019s also about the time taken to engage,\u201d said Mr Lai.<\/p>\n
Ms Tan said that an improvement in spectatorship numbers can already be seen in Singapore, especially with more run clubs encouraging their members to support their friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, you didn’t see a lot of people waking up in the morning to cheer, but nowadays, you see the difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
He added that challenges in navigating road closures and infrastructural limitations will be tackled months before the race.<\/p>\n
“Singapore is a small country, a small city, we are always upgrading, and that is fine \u2026 at the end of the day, we must be able to empathise with the fact that we are limited by what we have,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But good planning is not done one day before.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n