SINGAPORE, Oct 19 — Who says the haze has to put a damper on your exercise routine?

With worsening air quality forcing many to rethink their outdoor workouts and to start exercising indoors, a group of runners in Singapore has found an unlikely place to clock their kilometres — inside a shopping mall.

In an Instagram post on Saturday (Oct 17), Joseph Estrella, the organiser of the mall run and run lead of X-Run Singapore, shared snippets of the group running through Marina Square, passing by shuttered shops along the way.

“Haze haze go away or else runners will a find a way!” he quipped, adding that the group “thoroughly enjoyed” their inaugural indoor run, which allowed them to continue training while avoiding the haze.

In a separate Instagram post on Sunday, X-Run Singapore described the event as “Singapore’s first-ever mall run”.

“With the haze affecting outdoor air quality, we’re bringing the running community together for a unique running experience inside Marina Square,” it wrote, adding that those keen on taking part in future sessions can join its Heylo community for updates.

“No haze, no excuses. Just running!”

Participants covered distances ranging from 9km to 21km across the mall’s second and third floors during the two-hour session, which ran from 7am to 9am on Saturday morning.

Among those who took part was Elmer Loy, an insurance manager, who told The Straits Times he had been running on a treadmill for more than a week as worsening haze conditions disrupted his usual routine.

He normally ran outdoors for up to six times a week.

And it appears the experience may have been a welcome change for Elmer.

“It beats running on a treadmill,” he continued, pointing out that the mall also provided a cooler environment for running.

Joseph said the session was a way for runners to carry on their marathon preparations amid Singapore’s worsening haze conditions.

The proposal to conduct indoor run sessions was quickly met with the support of Marina Square’s management, he told Lianhe Zaobao.

According to the 49-year-old, X-Run Singapore plans on holding regular indoor sessions whenever the air quality is poor and when outdoor training is unsuitable, with the next indoor mall run slated for Oct 24.

Haze conditions on the day of the indoor mall run remained in the unhealthy to very unhealthy range across Singapore, with the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranging from 130 to 199 on Saturday.

Air quality has since improved, with the hourly PM2.5 readings falling into the normal and low-elevated bands on Monday morning, following a change in wind direction.

However, the respite may be short-lived, as the National Environment Agency (NEA) warned that the smoke haze from Kalimantan could return from Tuesday night due to another expected shift in wind direction.

Separately, Sport Singapore had temporarily shuttered all outdoor and non-air conditioned ActiveSG facilities on Friday as a precautionary measure amid the worsening haze conditions.

However, all facilities resumed operations the following day, with the statutory board advising visitors to monitor prevailing air quality conditions and adjust their activities accordingly.

SportSG will also continue monitoring the situation closely and adjust operations where necessary, it added.

Elsewhere, several outdoor sporting events have also been cancelled due to the haze conditions in Singapore.

Among them is the Great Eastern Women’s Run 2026, which was originally scheduled for Nov 1. According to the organisers, the decision was made to safeguard the health of participants, staff and volunteers amid “unfavourable weather conditions”.

Another is the Singapore Half Marathon 2026 Powered by JomRun, as well as the Pompompurin 30th Anniversary Run, which were both called off on Sept 30 by the organiser as it cited similar safety concerns.

Meanwhile, organisers of Garmin Run 2026, which is slated to take place on Oct 25, said they are still monitoring the haze conditions before deciding whether to proceed.

They added that they will share updates on contingency measures a day before the event on Oct 24 at 11pm. — AsiaOne