The Anlene Orchard Mile is a sporting event exclusive to women held in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 where women either run or walk a mile (1.6 kilometres) on a straight course down Singapore’s most famous and popular shopping street, Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...

. Just for the event, traffic authorities close off two lanes of one of Singapore’s busiest streets for the duration of the race that is usually held in the morning from 7am onwards. The flag-off for the mile begins near the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station

Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station

Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station ' is a Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore, located at the eastern end of Orchard Road. Originally it was only a station on the North South Line but after the opening of the North East Line on 20 June 2003, it became the interchange station for these two lines...

 and ends near Orchard MRT Station

Orchard MRT Station

Orchard MRT Station is located on the North South Line of the Mass Rapid Transit and is located along Orchard Road, Singapore. Some of its platform livery is maroon in colour, but most of that are black with marbles....

 where participants run past famous landmarks such as the Istana

Istana

Istana is a Malay and Indonesian word meaning palace.-Notable Istanas:*Istana Besar, 19th and early 20th century residence of the Sultan of Johor*Istana Bogor, one of presidential palaces of Indonesia in Bogor, West Java...

, the President’s place of residence.

History

The Anlene Orchard Mile was first launched in Singapore in 2007 and was sponsored by Anlene, a dairy nutrition corporation.
The aim is to highlight the risk of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...

 and raise bone health awareness about building strong bones from within through a sufficient calcium intake of milk everyday coupled with weight bearing

Weight bearing

In orthopedics, weight-bearing is the amount of weight a patient puts on the leg on which surgery has been performed. In general, it is described as a percentage of the body weight, because each leg of a healthy person carries the full body weight when walking, in an alternating fashion.After...

 exercises as well as to foster the growth and recognition of women in sports in Singapore.
The inaugural event in 2007 saw over 2,000 female participants taking part with local TV and radio celebrities lending their name to the cause. Although Anlene Orchard Mile is a running event, participants can walk the race according to their own fitness level. For 2007 and 2008, the official beneficiary of the Anlene Orchard Mile has been the Osteoporosis Society of Singapore (the local chapter of the International Osteoporosis Foundation), where a portion of the proceeds goes to the society.
The Anlene Orchard Mile is modelled against successful mile events around the world including the prestigious Fifth Avenue Mile

Fifth Avenue Mile

The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual road race in New York City. The race begins at East 80th Street and heads straight down Fifth Avenue to East 60th Street...

 in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and the Sport Relief Mile which attracts over 10,000 runners and walkers to 15 events across England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Entrants

The Anlene Orchard Mile comprises three categories – the Elite Mile, the Women’s Mile and the Corporate Mile. The Elite Mile is an invitational category with a cash prize that is open to competitive runners where past race records are compulsory for verification before an invitation is extended for participation by the organisers. The Anlene Orchard Mile 2007 Elite category winner was Suzy Walsham, a two time winner of the U.S. Empire State Building Run-up, who walked away with a cash prize of SGD10,500.

The Women’s Mile is a category open to women of all ages and fitness levels. The Corporate Mile is targeted at corporations where female employees are encouraged to participate in groups of four or more.