Flash Athletic Club launches cross-country grand prix
Cross-country runners can look forward to taking part in the three-legged Flash Athletic Club X-Country Grand Prix 2017, officially launched at the Park Hotel Clarke Quay yesterday.
The event will take place over three legs with progressive distances, over the course of three months.
The first leg will be a 5km run at Safra Punggol on July 1, the second a 7km run at Gardens By The Bay East on Sept 2 and the third and final leg is a 12km run at MacRitchie Reservoir Park on Oct 21.
SAFRAG Venture Capital Pte Ltd is the main sponsor of the event, providing a cash sponsorship of $300,000, of which $50,000 will be used for prize money.
Flash Athletic Club, who organised Singapore's first Grand Prix Run in 1993, is targeting 1,000 runners for this year's event.
"The amount pledged by SAFRAG is testament to their faith in the ability of Flash Athletic Club to successfully organise this event which will provide an excellent race experience for participants," said Edmond Pereira, president of Flash Athletic Club.
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The Flash Athletic Club X-Country Grand Prix 2017 will feature six categories - the men's open, women's open, men's veteran (over 50 years old), women's veteran (over 50), men's junior (16-21) and women's junior (to be finalised).
While the objective of the event is to add vibrancy to the distance-running discipline in Singapore, Pereira also sees it as an opportunity to scout for promising long-distance runners.
Said Pereira: "I hope we can pick out a good 50 athletes to train for long-distance running in Singapore."
Registration starts on Monday.
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