Iffah Nadhirah Osman
Runners bubbled up with joy as they raced through a sea of glowing bubbles at Marina Bay.
As night fell, tens of thousands of gorgeously illuminated bubbles descended upon some 5,500 runners along a scenic 5km route at Singapore’s Marina Bay area.
The runners too were glowing in the dark with their UV face paint and LED-lit bangles, necklaces and glasses. There was a good mix of fitness junkies and casual joggers in the race. Some even came with their young children, many of whom were gleefully firing away with their own bubble guns.
Organised by Zen’Yu Pacific, the Bubble Glow 5k event on May 21 was the first to be held in Asia. It was meant to take place on New Year’s Eve in 2015, but was postponed due to an unexpected downpour. Mr David Cheah, the organizer of the run, told the UrbanWire that he’s heartened by the turnout. He said he has plans to regionalize the event and will likely make Indonesia’s Jakarta his next stop. He also wants Singaporeans to experience more thrills in the next Bubble Glow run. “We want vehicles that can pump up bubbles as big as 15 – 25cm (in diameter),” said Mr Cheah.
Themed runs such as the Bubble Glow 5k are increasingly popular in Singapore.
In just the past 2 months, there were the Music Run, Snoopy Run, vertical marathon Diamond Dash and a Spartan Race featuring challenging obstacle courses among others.
Many participants of such events like the carnival of fun that comes with the otherwise exhausting run. Ms Shakirah, 23, for instance, was bubbling up with joy as she completed the run with 6 friends. Together, the ladies are known as “The Peach Squad”.
“We are a group of friends who exercise a lot. When we exercise, we sweat a lot,” Ms Shakirah said, adding in jest that the “outline of their peach-shaped butts” would then become visible.
Singapore’s acts MICapella and Drummer DJ Chow (Chow Kiat Er) rounded off the night with a groovy showcase. It was particularly delightful to see Chow on his LED-lit see through drum kits as runners filled the stage and partied with their glowing light sticks in the air.
As the talented sessionist told UrbanWire after the show: “Why not combine all 3 – music, drums and lights?”