By Elaine Yeo

IF you were in the western part of Singapore two Fridays ago, you might have spotted a chicken crossing the road, Dutch maids waiting at a traffic junction, or Vikings charging across the street.

And no, these weren't teens who are into cosplay.

They were students from the Singapore campus of international business school Insead, dressed up for their biannual dash.

Every year, in April and November, students of the MBA programme take part in the Insead Dash.

And on 21 Nov, they gathered at Heritage View condominium at Dover Rise, where many of the international students live.

Tradition

At 8.30am, they took off on the run to the Insead campus on Ayer Rajah Avenue, dressed in whatever they fancied.

The 1.2km route took them up Dover Rise, past Fairfield Methodist Primary School on Dover Road, and finally to the crossing on North Buona Vista Road that leads to their campus.

The dash took 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the runners' pace.

The Insead Dash was started a few years ago by a former MBA student. Since then, it has become a tradition for the school's MBA students.

Some students chose to dress in mascot costumes, like a carrot or a chicken. Others showcased their nationality, like Dutchmen dressed as Dutch maids.

One could even spot Julius Caesar in the throng.

Singaporean MBA student Vanessa Tan, 30, told The New Paper: 'Insead Singapore has a very diverse student body, where each nationality takes up no more than 15 per cent of the student body.

'The dash is a good way to showcase their national costumes in interesting ways.'

She added with a laugh: 'Can you imagine a long stream of people dressed in costumes running across the road? Onlookers were stunned!'

Relieves stress

German student Moritz Butscheid, 33, said: 'The whole idea is to do something that you definitely won't do otherwise, push your limits as far as possible, and have fun with friends.'

He wore his wife's tennis skirt for the run and his wife wore his basketball outfit.

Ms Tan said the dash was a good way to relieve stress.

'We're studying a two-year MBA programme in 10 months, so it's intensive. That's probably why we love the dash - we work hard, so we can party harder.'

Ms Tan said student volunteers were stationed as traffic wardens at major crossings.

Singaporean student Sim Yong Woon, who wore a Tibetan robe he bought in China, suggested: 'Maybe the local schools should try it too.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on 2 Dec 2008.