Both Jacqueline and I participated in the Hello Kitty Run Singapore yesterday and being a massive one-of-its-kind running event in Singapore, it saw 17,000 race participants decked out in a sea of red and white! Organised by Pink Apple Events, the Hello Kitty Run Singapore met with a couple of hiccups that sent away some pretty disappointed adults and children who did not manage to collect their race medals after the run.
Image Credits to Pink Apple
Our Personal Opinion/Review About The Hello Kitty Run Singapore
Hello Kitty is the world’s most famous feline character and people all over the world are organising celebrations for Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday this year. Here in Singapore, the Hello Kitty Run Singapore was organised to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday and because Hello Kitty is ever so popular, we have witnessed both the good and the ugly side of the Hello Kitty community.
Image Credits to Pink Apple
So what’s this ugly side that we are talking about?
Well, this ugly side of people who are greedy and eager to make money and profit from everything and anything that has got to do with Hello Kitty! From the Hello Kitty Wishing Bone saga that we have personally witnessed at McDonald’s outlets in Singapore to physical fights between mature adults for Hello Kitty plush toys, these incidents were uncalled for and it tarnishes the reputation of the Hello Kitty community.
All over the Internet, we saw people putting the Finisher Medals for the Hello Kitty Run Singapore up for sale and the current black market rate is SGD$60 per medal. This is extremely ridiculous; considering the fact that some of these medals that are up for sale are stolen goods and some race participants took the opportunity to take advantage of the bad weather conditions to queue and re-queue for more medals. Furthermore, there was no control at the collection point and the organiser lacked foresight in this aspect.
Having participated in a couple of running events ourselves, once a finisher medal is issued out to a race participant upon completion of the run, the person issuing the finishing medal will make an indication or marking on the race participant’s race bib. Apparently, this was not done at the Hello Kitty Run Singapore, resulting in a chaotic situation that allowed greedy people to take advantage of this chaos and horde extra race medals that were meant for other race participants.
Totally ugly scene.
However, it is good news that Pink Apple Events will be issuing out medals to race participants whom have not collected their medals during the run. This would definitely increase the supply of the Hello Kitty race medal and thus, make the stolen race medal worthless for people to sell and profit from it. After all, the Hello Kitty race medal is just a collectible for all true blue Hello Kitty fans.
So, if you are a race participant and have yet to collect your race medal, don’t be in a hurry to buy it off the black market when it is supposed to be given to you for free. Just drop an email to info@hellokittyrun.com.sg and wait patiently. We believe all good things are worth waiting for.
Having said so much about the medals, we felt that the run could have been more organised. The wet weather contingency plan was inadequate for 17,000 race participants and although the Hello Kitty Run Singapore was meant to be a fun run, there should be an exclusive lane for families with young children in strollers. The race flag-off at Sentosa Gateway also proved to be a disaster for drivers as the re-routing caused massive traffic jams. Nearing the finishing line, we saw an ambulance trapped in a sea of race participants and despite it being a 5KM run, it was 3.48KM to be exact.
Although there were many negative points about the Hello Kitty Run Singapore, the only plus point that we could think about is, at certain checkpoints during the run, there were beautiful balloon sculptures, creative signages, and enthusiastic cheerleaders that spurred runners to complete the run. The Hello Kitty Beach Party after the race was also filled with a flurry of activities and there were ample opportunities for selfies and photography opportunities.
Image Credits to Pink Apple
Should the Hello Kitty Run be organised in Singapore again?
Well, we say “Yes” as it allows the Hello Kitty community in Singapore to gather together and just enjoy a day out with one another. If the improvements and suggestions given by the race participants are taken into consideration, we are pretty confident that Pink Apple Events would do an even better job of organising this themed race in future because so far, they have done a pretty good job organising other races like the Energizer Night Trail Race.
Video Summary Of Our Experience At Hello Kitty Run Singapore 2014
Image Shot Using SJ4000 Action Camera
On this note, both Jacqueline and I have decided to give away one Hello Kitty Run Singapore 40th Anniversary Plush Toy and one Hello Kitty Run Singapore Race Medal and we are intending to give it to a true blue Hello Kitty fan whom did not have the opportunity to sign up for the Hello Kitty Run Singapore. If you know of such a Hello Kitty fan, do drop us an email at admin@awinsomelife.org with your name, facebook name, contact number, and email address!
Terms & Conditions for the Giveaway
1. Like us on our Facebook Page.
2. Must have proof that you are a true blue Hello Kitty fan.
3. The giveaway is open to anyone and everyone residing in Singapore.
4. Giveaway closes 9 November 2014, 2359 hours.