Young Kenyan James Kemboi became the first person to cross the finish line inside the new National Stadium, winning the men's 21km race at The Straits Times Run at the Hub on Sunday.
The 21-year-old clocked a sizzling time of 1 hr 10min 39sec, raising his hands in triumph at the end of a route that took in landmarks such as the Merlion and the Gardens By The Bay.
National runner Colin Tung was the best Singaporean finisher in fourth spot (1:15:43).
Belgian student Vanja Cnops topped the women's 21km section in 1:26:27, some six minutes ahead of second-placed Rachel See.
Nepal's Shiva Rai took the men's 10km crown (35:30), while Kenyan Valentine Serem crossed first among the women (38:59).
The ST Run is the first mass-running event that ended inside the new 55,000 seater National Stadium. In all, some 21,000 participants pounded along the 5km, 10km and 21km routes, which took in famous sights such as the Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens By the Bay. Panasonic is the presenting sponsor of the ST Run 2014.
Runners arrived as early as 4am along the Nicoll Highway start line to book the best spots for their respective races. Spirits were high and limbs were limbered up as Zumba instructors from the True Fitness club led warm-up sessions ahead of flag-offs for the three categories.
For many runners, it was the first time they had seen the iconic dome-shaped stadium in person. Said Mr Ong Meng Hong, 43, who signed up for the 21km run: 'This route is something different, it's not like other runs that start near Marina or East Coast.'
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong flagged off the 5km run, before the party got started inside the stadium with local acts like pop-rock band 53A and former ChildAid performer Sophia Joe treating the crowd to a host of popular tunes.
National footballers Isa Halim, Izwan Mahbud, Gabriel Quak and Khairul Amri were also on hand, showcasing their nifty footwork and posing for pictures with their fans.
This is the second year The Straits Times has organised such a run.The inaugural ST Run at Punggol Waterway last year attracted around 12,000 participants to the new reservoir.
Several runners noted that the event was an improvement from last year's run. Said 21km runner Ng Zhi Fan, 27, who was at last year's event: 'It gets better each year. It is a new experience and I look forward to coming back next year.'
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