SINGAPORE BIATHLON ATTRACTS RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

The Singapore Biathlon made a splashing return this year, with a record 2,428 participants signing up for the 1.5km swim and 10km run competition.

This year's event, jointly organised by the Republic of Singapore Navy and SAFRA, marked the 11th time since it was first introduced in 2001. The inaugural edition of the competition drew 860 participants.

Colonel (COL) Tan Tai Tiong, Chairman of the Organising Committee for Singapore Biathlon 2011, explained that good management and the carnival-like atmosphere of the event were the two secrets behind the increase of participants over the years.

"Participants bring their friends and families along to cheer them on, and this provides an additional motivation where they participate not just for themselves but also for their loved ones," he said.

Starting as early as 7.30am on 12 Feb, the competition saw participants of various categories taking turns to race into the waters of East Coast Beach at 15-minute intervals. Friends and families of the participants treated themselves to food, games and music at the event carnival.

Soon, all eyes were set on the finishing line when participants started making their way across the finishing line amidst cheers from the crowd.

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Tan Tong Leng, a commando, did the Army proud by leading his team and emerging first in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Commander Challenge, a new event for the SAF in this year's biathlon.

It was a hard-earned victory as he said his team had trained through the Chinese New Year holidays and the rainy season to prepare for the competition.

"Hopefully in subsequent years, the Army team can win other events such as the runway cycling and the Army half-marathon," he said.

In the other categories, Mr Dylan McNeice won the Men's Open while Ms Trudy Fawcett won the Women's Open for the third time. Team one and two from the Special Operations Task Force clinched the top two positions for the SAF Invitation category.

There were a total of seven categories at the biathlon this year, which included the Men's Open, Men's Veteran, Women's Open, Women's Veteran, Men's Youth, Women's Youth and the SAF Invitation.

A new feature of the Singapore Biathlon 2011 was a revised category for youths, which had a shorter sprint distance of a 750-metre swim and a five-kilometre run. When the youth category was first introduced last year, participants were required to complete the full biathlon distance.

"With the introduction of the new sprint distances for the Youth category, we hope the event can continue to attract more young participants. As they use the Singapore Biathlon as a platform to become more conditioned, they can challenge themselves to take on a full triathlon in future," said COL Tan.