Salomon X-Trail Run

Being surrounded by nature in the outdoors has always been my comfort zone, and pairing that up with trail running makes the perfect weekend. The Salomon X-Trail Run was the ideal activity to fuel my interest and passion.

 Having been actively participating in local and overseas road and trail runs over the last 4 years, this race was effectively a tick off my laundry list of events to participate in.

Arriving at the site earlier at 2.55pm, I proceeded to collect my race pack. Only a handful of runners clocked in at the time and fortunately, parking was available nearby at the King Albert Park Residence.

Sponsors were stationed the village prior to the race, educating and sharing information with the runners on their products. The afternoon sun, however, was not letting up and the humidity could be seen clinging to the back of the participants. When the starting siren sounded, the intensity of the heat caused me to seek shelter at the nearby trees along Bukit Timah Road. Furthermore, the rain earlier eroded part of the route, hence the muddy trail was also littered with gravel.

10km may be tough for beginners as the route the organisers chose this year had severe undulation. On the bright side, the hydration points at both the 3km and 7km mark were stocked to the brim. Lucozade was available along with an unlimited supply of water and bananas.

The entire route was pretty smooth, with two waves and not many runners so the “bottlenecks” at the overhead railway tracks were quite all right. Overall, the event was well-organised with adequate marshals along the way to guide runners. Completing the run gave me a new boost of confidence for future events.

In reflection, I feel that runners who do trail runs at the Bukit Timah area should bring necessities that will help them relieve the brightness of the sun, like visors, sunglasses, and sunblock. Trail runs are also significantly harder to handle than road races, so individuals that do intend to participate in one should look to gain experience first.

Fresh beginners should start with at least once a week of 5km trail running and a gradual increase to 10km over 6 months before participating in the run to achieve an optimal result.

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