S'pore Decathlon's half-marathon shortened from 21km to 10km on race day due to intensifying haze - Mothership

All categories were made non-competitive with no official rankings or results.

Sports retailer Decathlon decided to shorten its inaugural Kiprun Singapore half-marathon on Sep. 27  due to the worsening haze conditions in Singapore.

Decathlon, along with co-organiser Metasport, announced this at about 3am on the day of the race, explaining that air quality readings reviewed at 2am exceeded action thresholds.

It was shared on their social media, and directly to participants via email and text message.

The action thresholds were set out in the organisers' event contingency plans, as well as the applicable SportSG and National Environment Agency (NEA) guidance, according to a post the previous day informing participants that adjustments might be necessary.

Only the 21.1km race was adjusted while the 10km, 5km, and Kids Dash distances were not changed.

The awards ceremony was also cancelled, and all race categories were made non-competitive, which means there would be no official rankings or results.

The measures were taken to reduce prolonged and strenuous physical exertion while still allowing participants to enjoy the event safely, the organisers said.

They did not state on their social media whether half-marathon participants will be refunded.

Two half-marathon participants Mothership spoke to said they have not been offered a partial refund, credit, or any other form of compensation so far.

The Kiprun event, held at the Decathlon Singapore Lab in Kallang, was located in the central-east area.

The 21.1km commenced at 5am, followed by the 10km run at 6am, and the rest after 7am.

At 2am on Sep. 27, Singapore's overall 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings were within the unhealthy range.

The readings in central and east areas were 126 and 109 respectively at 2am.

By 5am, they were up to 127 and 113 respectively.

A large crowd of runners showed up at the half-marathon despite the shortened distance.

Velarde Mikhail Allen Tacderas, 19, who ran in the shortened race, told Mothership he was bummed at first, but ultimately "just took it as a fun run" and enjoyed himself at the "nice course".

It was the first publicly organised race he had participated in, and he ran his personal best for a 10km distance.

Despite the adjustment, he received a medal and finisher T-shirt, which he said felt "undeserved" and like "stolen valour".

He added that he did not feel different due to the haze, while noting that the organisers emphasised safety as the utmost priority both online and at the event itself.

"I assume it's a tactic to keep runner's morale high while reminding runners to monitor their health closely," he said.

Josiah Ho, 26, similarly felt sad when he learnt that the half-marathon would be halved.

"10km is just a normal run for me," he told Mothership. "21.1km was the goal, especially with my colleagues."

He observed that the haze had "pretty much cleared up" at the start of the race, though the PSI levels were high. He did not feel like it affected him.

"[The organisers] were constantly reminding us [at the starting line] to watch ourselves and know when we are feeling good or bad," he said.

On Instagram, many other participants expressed support for the organisers' decision to put their health and safety first.

A user, who said he was up at 3am on race day waiting to find out if the races would proceed, praised the organisers for "making the tough call".

Another acknowledged that it was "all for our safety amidst the haze situation".

A third said the adjustment was made "without much disruption". He called it a "pity" that participants did not get to run the full 21.1km, but added that it was "the responsible thing to do".

Tickets for the half-marathon were priced from S$78 with the super early bird discount, to S$98 at the end of registration.

change or cancellation of the event, "unless the organiser expressly states otherwise".

Both Velarde and Ho said they hope a refund would be offered. "If not, a discount for the [race] next year," Ho added.

Several comments under the Sep. 27 announcement on Instagram asked about refunds, with some arguing for it on the grounds of fairness.

Mothership has reached out to the organisers for more information.