MacRitchie Reservoir Running Loop

East Coast Park is where Singapore learns to run. MacRitchie is where it learns to suffer a little.

The MacRitchie loop is the city's proper long run, for intermediate and experienced runners who want trails, hills and roots rather than another lap of East Coast Park. It is about 10 kilometres around Singapore's oldest and largest reservoir, technical enough that it shouldn't be your first trail run, and best done early on a weekend with someone who knows the way. The catch for early starters is the TreeTop Walk, which opens later than the reserve and is shut on Mondays.

Flat, shaded and lined with water coolers, East Coast Park is where Singapore learns to run. MacRitchie is where it learns to suffer a little, with the faint possibility of a monkey taking an interest in your banana.

The classic route: start at the Visitor Centre by Carpark A, head anticlockwise through shaded forest paths to the TreeTop Walk, carry on through the upper trails and loop back via the boardwalk. Allow about 10 kilometres, depending on which turns you take.

Don't mistake it for a gentle jog. There are hills, tree roots and narrow paths throughout. Walkers take about four hours to go all the way round, so a runner finishing in an hour and a bit has earned their kopi.

The highlight is the TreeTop Walk, a 250-metre suspension bridge that rises up to 27 metres above the forest floor; it sways, so expect to slow down whether you mean to or not. The reserve opens at 7am, but the TreeTop Walk opens later and closes at 5pm, so if you start at first light on a weekend, pace the first half so you reach it after it opens rather than standing at the gate. Elsewhere, look out for the Submerged Boardwalk, designed to dip partly underwater after heavy rain, and Jelutong Tower, seven decks up for a canopy view if you want an excuse to stop.

The wildlife is real. Read the park signs and don't panic at monkeys, otters or the odd crocodile. Keep food zipped away from the macaques; they know what a gel wrapper means.

Runners interested in history can slow down for the Zigzag Bridge and the old bandstand, both conserved by the URA in 2009, and the tomb of war hero Lim Bo Seng, who is buried at the reservoir. If you have legs left, the trails continue towards Bukit Timah Hill.

How to do it well: go early, before the heat settles, from Marymount, Upper Thomson or Caldecott MRT, and check NParks for TreeTop Walk days and trail closures before you set off. Bring more water than you think.

Good to know Start at MacRitchie Reservoir Park's Visitor Centre (Carpark A) off Lornie Road. Nearest MRT stations are Marymount, Upper Thomson and Caldecott. Check NParks for TreeTop Walk opening days and any trail closures before you set off.

MacRitchie Reservoir Running Loop | MacRitchie | Nearest MRT: Marymount, Upper Thomson, Caldecott