Although I don’t go every week, I’ve been a fairly regular parkrun participant since 2015. I’ve run at a couple of different events in the UK, including the hilliest parkrun at Whinlatter Forest in the Lake District! That one is TOUGH!
When I went to visit my sister in Singapore, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try a parkrun in another country.
What Is Parkrun?
- If you’ve not heard of it before, parkrun is a weekly timed 5km run.
- Although you don’t have to run to be a part of it – walking is acceptable, or you can volunteer to help!
- Parkrun happens each Saturday at venues across the world.
- It’s completely free to be part of it, you just need to register (once), in order to get your time.
Running And Travelling.
Since I began run-streaking in 2018, my running kit has been coming with me whenever I go away, which meant I went running in the Arctic Circle!
When we went on a three month trip to Asia, of course my kit came with me. Our first stop off was Singapore to stay with my lovely sister who moved there a couple of years earlier.
Parkrun In Singapore
I carried on with the run streak I was on, which I love as a way to do a bit of exploring. I thought I’d also look into doing a parkrun to meet some of the locals and regular runners.
There were three different parkrun events in Singapore when I was there. I picked Bishan as it was the easiest for me to get to. Set in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park – one of the biggest urban parks in the area.
Thank Goodness For That
I knew that Singapore was going to be hot. When we were there, my hair always reminded me of the humidity whenever I looked in the mirror – it was more rebellious than usual!
The parkrun’s that I have been to in the UK all start at 9am. It was a relief to find out that in Singapore they started at 7.30am. It was still going to be hot and humid, just not quite so full on.
Parkrun In Another Country - A Lovely Familiar Feeling
It was the same familiar set up to the parkrun event I was used to in the UK. Clear signage so I knew where to go to, lots of helpful volunteers, briefings to start, and the usual ‘no barcode, no result’ policy. There were quite a few of us who put our hands up when the run director asked if there were any tourists.
A Run-derful Route
The route was almost two laps of the park following the path as it wound through the trees and around the lush open lawns, across a bridge, over waterways and by some very exotic plants. I’d spotted the odd chicken or two clucking around the grass as I had arrived, but they kept well out of the way of the way when we were pounding our way along the path.
It wasn’t just parkrunners and chickens in the park so early. We ran by people out for a morning stroll, and several groups taking exercise classes. There was plenty going on.
Results From Parkrun In Another Country
As for the running, well, I managed to keep up with the pack until about half way around. I had to walk a few steps at one point as I didn’t think my heart would stay in my chest given how much it was pounding! After a few big solid breaths I picked up the pace again.
Finishing in a time of 29.02, I was really pleased with a sub thirty minute result.
Apologies To The People On The Bus
There weren’t too many passengers on the bus as I made my way back to shower and change. I may have offended the few that were travelling though, as I sat in my sweat sodden running kit. I’d completely forgotten about any etiquette, and not brought anything to mask the pungency from my exertion. Sorry.
Been There - Run That!
Parkrun in Singapore was a great experience. As a solo runner most of the time, it was lovely to run in a community of brilliant people. The volunteers were so helpful, everyone was super friendly, runners encouraged other runners, and the atmosphere was as welcoming as every parkrun I’ve been to.
I didn’t get to do another parkrun in another country on the rest of our trip as either the location or our plans didn’t quite match. However, I will always be on the look out to hopefully get to another one when we’re on our travels.
Want To Try It Yourself?
- It’s free and easy to try a parkrun in another country.
- Make sure you are registered first. You only need to do it once – this generates your own unique barcode which tracks all of the parkrun events you attend around the globe.
- Take a look on the parkrun website to find events wherever you might be travelling to.
Cost Of Experience
Free! Parkrun is completely free to take part in.
- You may need to travel to the venue so there may be some public transport or parking costs.
- Of course there was the initial cost of getting to Singapore. However, I’m not factoring that in to the cost of the experience as I didn’t travel specifically to do parkrun. Also it will depend where in the world you are travelling to and your method of getting there, so it will be different for everyone.
Recommendations
- An obvious one, but worth a mention if you want to take part in parkrun in another country- don’t forget your kit when you are packing!
- Don’t forget your barcode!
- Take some water – I don’t always run with water in the UK, but if you’re running somewhere hot it’s highly advisable.
- Have a look on the parkrun website for information. Each event around the world has a page with really useful details including how to get there, course facilities, and a description of the course.
- Take some pictures to capture the memory of your globe trotting achievement!