S'PORE BAY RUN 2013: RECOGNISING CONTRIBUTIONS OF NSMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES

"Training to be soldiers, fight for our land..." For the first time, participants in the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run (SSBR) and Army Half Marathon (AHM) will hear familiar army songs such as Training to be Soldiers and Purple Light played along parts of the running route. They will also be greeted by a series of eight large-sized display boards depicting shared experiences and significant milestones of the National Service (NS) journey through cartoons.

These include the shaving of recruits' hair on enlistment day; the fear of navigating the Jacob's Ladder for the very first time as part of the Standard Obstacle Course; and the joy experienced by soldiers during their Basic Military Training (BMT) Passing Out Parade.

Besides enjoying this multi-sensory experience of NS-related sights and sounds during the run, Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) and their family members will also get a special discount of their registration fee for the race. All Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) NSmen and those who have completed their Operationally Ready NS training cycle will receive a 75 percent discount. In recognition of the critical role that families play in supporting NSmen's national defence commitments, each participating NSman can nominate up to three immediate family members to enjoy the special SAF Family rate (which provides discounts of up to 40 percent in the various race categories).

Themed Together We Run, the 22nd edition of SSBR and AHM will be held on 1 Sep and start from the Esplanade bridge.

At a special preview held at Marina Bay City Gallery on 17 Jul, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Senior Minister of State for Defence, said the race's focus on NS experiences and the special discount serve to recognise the contributions of NSmen and their families to national defence. "The strength of the SAF really lies in our NSmen, and the support which our NSmen get from their families is of utmost importance to the entire defence ecosystem. So that is why, this year, we wanted to honour the role of our NSmen and also their families' support."

Mr Chan, who is also the President of SAFRA, added that what distinguished the SSBR and AHM from other local marathon events is the "entire experience of it partly military, partly family oriented".

"There is a larger message behind all this... (which is) that everyone who comes for the run plays a part for the defence of this country," he said.

After the run, participants and their families can even get up close to static displays of the Army's impressive machinery such as the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle, M3G Military Float Raft and Leopard tank, which will be exhibited at the carnival ground.

Competitive runners can choose to run the 21km AHM or the 10km SAFRA race, while social runners can take part in the 5km Fun Run or the 800m Dads For Life challenge.

For Mr Tan Jia Xin, who will be joining the 5km fun race with his father and sister, the run will be a great opportunity for family bonding and to find out more about his father's NS experience.

"I think that's a great time just to spend time with him and get him to share his experiences with me," said the 18-year old who will be enlisting for NS next year. His father Mr Tan Keng Hee, 47, an IT director, was a former NSman in the Guards formation and last held the rank of captain. His sister Tan Jia Mei, 14, will also be taking part in the 5km fun race.

Family bonding is an important motivation for Mr Sivakumar Subramaniam to take part in this year's AHM, which will be his sixth time participating. After he finishes the half marathon, he will head back to the start-line to take part in the the 800m Dads For Life challenge with his four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.

An NSman combat engineer, he also looks forward to listening to the army songs while running. "It will be a very nice way of reliving the memories because it has been quite some time since I heard those songs."

More than 35,000 participants and counting have registered for SSBR and AHM 2013. To sign up, please visit www.safra.sg/sbr.

Familiarise yourself with the running routes through Facebook

To be launched on 1 Aug, an interactive Facebook application (app) called Bay Rush will allow runners to familiarise with the running routes prior to the race.

Participate in a series of trivia questions about the event at various virtual checkpoints, and you stand to win attractive prizes worth a total of $9,000.

For more about this app, check out SAFRA's Facebook fan page at facebook.com/SAFRAsg.