Story and pictures by Leslie Tan
Endurance athletes have a new offering to sample this year with the inaugural Singapore Sprint Series. Consisting of a sprint biathlon, a sprint duathlon and a sprint triathlon, the series provides shorter races for busy Singaporeans who can’t commit more time to training, and features Singapore’s greener zones.
April 20: Sprint Biathlon
This event consist of a 750m swim and 5km run. For those a little tired of the dirty, oily waters off the East Coast, you’ll be happy to know that the biathlon will be held at Tanjong Beach, one of the more pristine beaches in Singapore. Tanjong Beach is a familiar spot for triathletes as the NUS Biathlon used to be held there.
May 4: Sprint Duathlon
The duathlon involves a 3km run, 15km bike and another 3km run. This event will break new ground with a course that takes athletes through Mandai Road for the bike leg, and Upper Seletar Reservoir Park for the run.
June 15: Sprint Triathlon
The series finale is a 750m swim/20km bike/5km run triathlon at Changi Beach Park. While the bike leg along Changi Coast Road will be familiar to most bikers as a training ground, the swim at Changi Beach is a new element for those triathletes who have only picked up the sport in the last 8 years. Changi Beach used to be a venue for the swim leg in the early 90s.
The Singapore Sprint Series is organised by Tribob which first started out as a triathlon training company in 2000. In the last few years, they have gone on to create new signature events in the region (Vietnam International Triathlon, Lombok International Triathlon, Bintan International Biathlon). This is the first Singapore event they are creating.
According to Tribob’s General Manager Nathalie Marquet, the inspiration behind the Singapore Sprint Series was to encourage a healthy lifestyle. “We realised that there was a demand for short-distance events in Singapore, accessible to all. With the government initiatives to encourage a healthy lifestyle, people are looking for sporting activities. The uniqueness of Triathlon as a sport is that it can be practiced by the broad population - people of all ages and fitness level - unlike soccer, rugby, marathon running, etc. as long as the distances are achievable. With a minimum of preparation, any novice exerciser can complete the distances that we have set for the Singapore Sprint Series. The fun about triathlon is that the training never becomes boring since you are going for 3 types of sports - swimming, cycling, running. It's an individual sport as well as a team sport.”
For those who need the competitive element to make them go just a little faster, there is a series ranking, with series champions of each age-group category receiving special prizes. The best two results count towards ranking for athletes who take part in all three races. This also applies to the team competition for those more interested in forming relay teams.
“We are capping the participation numbers for each race and will not go beyond the limit that we have set,” said Ms Marquet. “We have designed each race course in the safest and most participant-friendly way. Quality is our main objective.” Having personally taken part in two Bintan Triathlons in the last two years, I’ve noticed that Tribob’s policy of restricting number of participants contributes to the quality of the experience. While swim starts are now more like mass kickboxing events for the Singapore Biathlon and the OSIM Singapore International Triathlon because of the increased interest in endurance events, the swim starts for the average triathlete at the Bintan Triathlons were smooth.
As a result, registration prices for Tribob-organised events are high compared to other races in Singapore and the immediate region.
“We make no compromise on quality, and quality comes at a price,” said Ms Marquet in response. “We are always looking to achieve quality at all levels: high safety standards, unique race course, high value goodie bags, vibrant atmosphere, this is what we strive to provide.”
“Interestingly, while participants may think prior to the event that the entry price is high, they usually write to us following the event saying that it is actually the best value-for-money event they have ever been to.”
For more information about the Singapore Sprint Series or to register, go to www.singaporesprintseries.com.
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