Smoke from Indonesian fires drove Singapore's runners into shopping malls

Running through corridors instead of streets

Smoke from forest and peat fires on Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo, carried by the wind, pushed air quality in Singapore to its worst levels in more than a decade and cancelled outdoor training. Runners found an unusual solution: air-conditioned shopping malls. On Sunday, more than 80 runners turned the corridors of Marina Square into improvised tracks, circling past shop windows on two floors before the stores opened, AFP reports.

Strict rules and runners' opinions

The organizers set strict rules: 'no sprinting, no overtaking, no shouting,' as well as a ban on spitting and wiping sweat on the floor, said Eugene Be, founder of the Singapore Runners Club. Bank employee Angeline Zeng, preparing for a half marathon in Taipei and a December marathon, ran about 10 km, noting that the air conditioning creates the feeling of running abroad in cool weather, but long distances in the mall become 'boring.' Paul Wong, a retiree from the X-Run club who needs to log up to 80 km a week ahead of the Singapore International Marathon, ran about 21 km and said running in the mall is better than the treadmill, on which he had covered almost 100 km over two weeks.

Coordination with mall management and prospects

X-Run head coach Eddie Chan said that to obtain permission from the mall, the club submitted a detailed plan taking into account the width of the walkways, sharp turns, and timing — early morning before the stores open. According to the Swiss monitoring service IQAir, as of Wednesday Singapore remained among the 20 most polluted major cities in the world, although air quality had improved over the week. Both clubs intend to extend the 'mall' runs if the haze persists, and to approach other shopping malls for permission.