Great Eastern Women’s Run cancelled due to worsening haze

SINGAPORE: The Great Eastern Women’s Run, scheduled to be held on Nov 1, has been cancelled due to worsening air quality. 

The decision was made to safeguard the health of participants, staff and volunteers, the organiser said on its website on Friday (Oct 16).

“It is not ideal for our participants, especially young children and elderly, to participate under unfavourable weather conditions,” it added.

The run is Southeast Asia’s largest all-women’s running event. More than 12,000 participants have registered for this year’s event. 

The event's organiser said it had considered the prevailing and expected conditions, the prospect of haze persisting through to early November, and the potential health impact of prolonged outdoor physical activity.

On whether the run could have proceeded with additional precautions, the organiser said participants, staff and volunteers would still need to spend extended periods outdoors and air quality could also change. 

“We did not believe that programme or distance changes would provide enough certainty to proceed safely,” it said.

The decision was made to cancel the run now instead of waiting closer to the race day because it is important to make a timely and responsible decision for an event of this scale, the organiser said.

“Events of this scale require extensive planning and coordination well in advance,” it said.

“Given the unexpected air quality conditions, the uncertainty over the duration of the haze and the operational lead time required, we felt it was important to make a timely and responsible decision rather than wait until the last minute and risk greater disruption for participants, volunteers and partners.”

On why the run was not postponed, the event organiser said it could not find a viable alternative date due to planning and coordination constraints. 

All participants who paid a registration fee will receive a full refund of their race fees, excluding the S$20 donation meant for the event’s beneficiaries. 

Refunds will be automatically returned through the original payment method within six to eight weeks. 

Participants will still receive commemorative finisher items, such as medals and where applicable, the 21.1km finisher tees. Details will be shared when they are finalised, the organiser said.