SINGAPORE MARINA BAY TO BOTANIC GARDENS – 13K

Description

No tour of Singapore is complete without a short stop by the Marina Bay and the Merlion – hence we will start our run in the heart of the Central Business District, at the Marina Bay. We will run towards the Merlion, a famous landmark and major tourist attraction. The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore.

We will continue our run over the Jubilee Bridge, a pedestrian-only bridge spanning the Singapore River, connecting Merlion Park and The Esplanade. The Jubilee bridge was opened in 2015 as part of Singapore’s golden jubilee celebrations. Once across the bridge, we will reach the Esplanade, which is a large park containing a concert hall built in the form of a “durian” (a tropical fruit found in Southeast Asia).

We will leave the Esplanade Park and head northbound towards the War Memorial Park. It is said that more than 50,000 civilians were killed in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation, from 1942 to 1945. The War Memorial commemorates these civilian victims of World War II.

We will continue to run northbound until we reach Orchard Road approximately 1km later. Orchard Road is a 2.5km long road, and is a famous tourist destination and upscale shopping area. Noteworthy, it ranked amongst the top 10 place for luxury shopping globally since 2020. Along Orchard Road, we will pass-by many interesting sights, such as the Istana (the official residence of the President of Singapore), and also the infamous Orchard Towers (colloquially referred to as “the four floors of whores”).

Shortly after Orchard Road, we will reach the Botanic Gardens, Singapore’s first Unesco World Heritage Site. Founded in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens showcases the best and most spectacular of tropical flora set in stunning verdant landscape. Sprawled over 82 hectares, the gardens have over 10,000 different species of plants and flowers and receive millions of visitors annually. We will run a 2km loop inside the gardens.

Afterwards, we will run south towards the Singapore River, where we will be running for 3km towards the end point at the Marina Bay. Along the Singapore River, we will pass-by a number of sites such as the three historic wharf (Robertson Quay, Clark Quay and Boat Quay) which have now been transformed into lifestyle destination famous for al fresco dining and home to some of the best nightlife in Singapore. We will also pass-by the Parliament of Singapore as well as the “Old Hill Street Police Station” – a historic 1934 neoclassical building, which is probably the most photographed building in Singapore thanks to its multi-colored tiles. Very instragrammable building! We will also pass-by some historical bridges, such as the Cavenagh Bridge (dating from 1870) and the Anderson Bridge (built in 1910) before reaching the end of the run at the Marina Bay.