Understanding The Force Of Nature

Trail runner Jose Jeuland gets back into the running groove and tells about his experience the first ever Force of Nature race in Singapore.

- José Jeuland

Force of Nature is a new trail race in Singapore that was held on 7th July 2018. Participants could choose between three route lengths: 12km, 23km and 64km. I had chosen to run the 64km trail, and I had been looking forward to it for a long time because I was so busy with work that I had not run a race in months.

Starting at Dairy Farm and ending at MacRitchie Resevoir, Force of Nature has all the ingredients for a stellar trail race, something that Singapore sorely needs, but as runners discovered, it just needs to iron out a few kinks first.

The race area is familiar to practically all the runners, as we go there often to train. The trail itself is one of the most beautiful and varied in Singapore as you can run through dense rainforest and up and down different gradients. It is one of the few places in Singapore where nature feels alive and relatively undisturbed.

The race was really popular with runners, and registration was heaving. As The North Face Singapore was one of the main sponsors for this race, I also spotted some athletes from The North Face Adventure Team like Wong Ho Chung, who would go on to win the 64km race.