Widely known as the official pacers running club for its regular pacing work for major running events, Running Department was founded on the belief that running should be free and accessible to everyone
Running Department (RD) was founded on the belief that running should be free and accessible for everyone and anyone. Founder Terence Teo looks back on the club’s decade long dedication towards building an inclusive running community.
RD is one of the oldest and most established running groups in Singapore, so some might find it hard to believe that its founder, Terence Teo, once hated running.
He dreaded the weekly Physical Education (PE) lessons and running the 2.4km during National Service. That all changed when Terence was motivated to pursue a healthy lifestyle. He put on a pair of running shoes and started running around his neighbourhood.
“One round slowly became two rounds, and two rounds became three. I also met a group of Shifu’s (a chinese title meaning teacher or master), in the running community who gave me advice as I attempted my first 10km race, followed by a half-marathon and then a full marathon.”
The support and advice he received from experienced runners around him helped nurture his passion for running and changed his life for the better. This inspired him to give back to the running community by helping others who were trying to pick up running.
This year, RD celebrates a decade of bringing aspiring and seasoned runners together and building the running community in Singapore.
Terence knows that this is a feat that could have only been achieved through the collective efforts of its members, past and present.
The RD story began 12 years ago, when Terence was tasked to manage the pacers programme for Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) with Ben Pulham. After the first two years of successfully managing the programme, he received many enquiries from runners on how they could continue to follow the pacers for training even after completing the event.
“So it struck me one day during my own gym workout, yes… I was sitting in the gym thinking that maybe I should give this unknown group an official name and start a club or community that hosted free running sessions for runners by runners.”
“A club that was aligned with my vision that running should be free and accessible for everyone and anyone.”
“After brainstorming for a name, RD was born!”
As a 100% volunteers based community, the consistent support that the club receives from the running community is what keeps them going. RD’s weekly community run takes place every Wednesday at UOB Plaza, Raffles Place. The sessions offer distances between 5km to 10km for every runner.
The club also gathers on Saturday for runners who are looking to run longer distances. These sessions usually take place at East Coast Park and the distances vary based on the training programme.
“RD relies on our volunteers to help keep things going. We actually have more than one department, spanning from logistics, social media and a training department.”
“The folks from the Training Department help me out with the weekly training programmes to make sure we have something for everyone.”
Having recently launched a new logo designed by a member of the running crew, and with plans to bring 4 buses of runners to the upcoming Malacca SkyHawk Nature Run, there’s no slowing down for RD.
“The vision that I had for RD has brought us this far and we’re actually celebrating our 10th Anniversary in 2023.”
“To me, consistency is key but we need to constantly evolve ourselves and adapt to the needs of the running community. RD is here for the long run.”