From Gold to Platinum to Major: Sky’s the limit for Singapore’s national marathon, say new organisers

[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s national marathon – traditionally held in the first week of December each year – attained the World Athletics Gold Label status in 2012, and has been the only road race in South-east Asia at this level since 2019.

But Leon Lai, the CEO of SG International Marathon, the new organisers of the annual event, is already setting his sights much higher.

He has a lofty ambition of elevating the BYD Singapore International Marathon presented by adidas to eventually become a World Marathon Major, which would put Singapore in very elite company alongside the likes of New York, Sydney and London.

The 42-year-old, an avid runner who has completed marathons in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, among others, knows it will be a tough road to get there.

Nevertheless, he said he is going to do whatever he can to help grow the event, a regular fixture on Singapore’s sporting calendar since 1982, as much as possible.

“In order for the marathon to become a Major, you have got to achieve the Platinum Label first – and this represents the highest tier of recognition in world athletics,” he added.

“There is no Platinum race in South-east Asia, and we certainly want to be the first. Our neighbours, the likes of Malaysia and Thailand, are slowly catching up too, thanks to the global running boom.

“At the end of the day, every city wants their event to be a Major. There are the economic benefits, and the stature too. But it takes a lot of effort to get there too, especially financially, and no organiser can do it by themselves. You need the entire country to pull together.”

Many first-timers

SG International Marathon is a joint venture between Betterment Sports and Score Sports.

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In December 2025, national sports agency Sport Singapore appointed the venture as the marathon’s new event promoter and organiser for the 2026 and 2027 editions, with an option to extend.

Betterment Sports is a sports management and marketing company; Score Sports is an organiser of sports and fitness events, including the Singapore leg of the Garmin Run Asia Series in 2025.

This year’s Singapore marathon event takes place from Dec 4 to 6, with up to 52,000 runners expected to hit the streets.

Registration has been extended by a month to Oct 31, or until capacity is reached. All 9,000 spots allocated to local participants for the full marathon were sold out at the end of August.

About 40 per cent of the marathon and half-marathon participants are attempting their respective distances for the first time. Of these debutants, more than 60 per cent are Singaporeans.

Runners from nearly 100 countries have signed up for the various categories.

“I want this to be the best organised event,” said Lai. “People have paid a lot of money to sign up, but it’s not about the money. The stress that we feel is that we are in charge of the lives of 52,000 people, and that’s what I’ve been drilling into my team.”

Safety and sugar

Ask Lai about his top priority, and his answer is a simple one: safety.

While closing numerous roads and planning will cost the organisers a princely sum, he said he would spare no expense to ensure the three-day event will have the highest and strictest safety standards.

That means going the extra mile to have more than 200 certified medic runners throughout the 42.195 km course, and carefully planning the route and schedule to reduce the risk of heat-related injuries.

“Whatever we do, it cannot be at the expense of safety,” he added. “At the end of the day, yes, we do have to reopen the roads, but what I tell our stakeholders is the participants’ safety must always come first.”

Among other initiatives being planned to up the fun factor is the setting up of food zones along the route for runners to grab a local snack, such as a curry puff.

The hydration stations will have sweet options such as ice cream soda, besides the usual water and electrolyte drinks.

“Some sugar is actually good for you (during a run). We all know that carbs are important, but so is sugar. It gives you the energy that you need,” Lai explained.

“There are many people taking part for the first time, and they are maybe not used to running for five or six hours. Sugar can give them that fuel to complete the race.”