Located just a stone’s throw away from the airport, Singapore’s newest attraction, the Changi Jurassic Mile, is set to bring you back in time to 65 million years ago, to the time when the dinosaurs freely roamed the earth.

Intrigued by the prospect of seeing dinosaurs right here in Singapore, my running buddy and I decided to checked out the Jurassic Mile recently, working it into the end of a 21km long run early one morning.

We began our run at Decathlon’s Kallang hub and ran through the Tanjong Rhu park connectors and East Coast Park to the Jurassic Mile.

There are some cardboard dinosaur cut-outs to hype up interest and anticipation as we neared the Jurassic Mile.

We had thought that if we turned up early in the morning, we would be able to avoid the weekend crowds.

Oh boy, we were so wrong.

We ran into the attraction and reached the main entrance to the Jurassic Mile at about 7:30am and by that time, there were already throngs of people, a mixture of walkers, runners and cyclists, crowding the entrance.

Among the crowds, I had recognised some familiar faces, friends who were also checking out the Jurassic Mile that same morning.

The Jurassic Mile consists of models of 20 prehistoric dinosaur creatures from nine different dinosaur species, including Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Pterosaurus and of course, not forgetting everyone’s favourite, the fearsome T-Rex. For those who like all things cute, I also saw a toothless baby dinosaur hatchling peeping out of an egg.

There were information fact-sheets plastered on the opposite wall to each dinosaur species, so that we could read up on them and find out more about these fascinating creatures that lived so many years ago. I thought these were quite educational.

And I did have a great time taking photos, both of, and with the dinosaurs. They were truly life-sized and fascinating, with their behaviours supposedly mimicking their species.

For instance, I had thought it was particularly interesting to see the T-rex seemingly taking a bite out of the metal fence.

The Jurassic Mile, which is slightly over a kilometre long, ended for me all too soon. Running there had really given me a focus during my run and helped to add some spice to my morning.

Upon exiting the Jurassic Mile, my running buddy and I continued our run towards Changi Airport, completing 21km right in front of the new Hub & Spoke cafe located at Changi Terminal two along the park connector.

This Jurassic Mile attraction is part of a new park connector that links East Coast Park to the Singapore Changi Airport. So you can run to Changi T4, T2 or even to Jewel, for either breakfast or dinner.

An evening run followed by burgers at Shake Shack? Sounds yum.

Previously it had been impossible to run directly to Changi Airport. Last time, you would have to stop and take a cab or bus at one point. Now you don’t.

And yes, this also means that you can literally run or cycle to the airport… to catch your flight.

If that made you wonder, yes, there are bicycle lockers that you can stow your bicycle before you fly. We ran past them.

While we are not able to travel during this current climate due to Covid-19, this is good for light travellers who don’t need to carry much luggage with them, as an alternative way to get to the airport.