Clear skies, fresh air and scenic routes taking in the cityscape and waterfront drew some 20,000 participants to give up their Sunday morning for The Straits Times Run at the Singapore Sports Hub on Sept 27.

With the haze staying away, runners took in some of the city's most famous and latest landmarks including the new Jubilee Bridge, the iconic Singapore Flyer, the picturesque Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage.

Said ST Run organising committee chairman Marc Lim, who is also ST Sports Editor: "Almost all our runners last year remarked how they enjoyed the waterfront route. So this year, we made sure to try and stick largely to a similar route while making sure to include more scenic spots as much as possible.”

Runners from all walks of life took part in the 18.45km run, which was specially created to commemorate the newspaper's 170th founding year, 10km and 5km categories. Some turned up wearing superhero costumes and attires in the 1960s.

The former Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) chairman Lee Boon Yang joined the 5km fun run.

Songs from 1950s to the present time were played at various points in the race while ST headlines from memorable historical events like Singapore's separation from Malaysia featured on posters along the route.

For the first time, participants had a chance to win one of the biggest lucky draw prizes ever on offer: the new 5+2 seater Land Rover Discovery Sport, worth $165,000 (without COE), sponsored by Wearnes Automotive.  ST reader Mike Lee, 61, walked away with the grand prize. 

ST Run, presented by Panasonic, finished inside the 55,000-capacity National Stadium, where a post-race carnival welcomed participants.

Kenyan David Kibet, 27, was the first to cross the finish line, winning the 18.45km men's race in a time of 58min 33sec, while compatriot Margaret Njuguna, 46, topped the women's section in 1:12:06.

For more information on partnership opportunities with The Straits Times, please contact Niccolle Lum at 6319-4029 or e-mail to nlum@sph.com.sg.

Click here for event sponsorship opportunities in SPH Newspapers.