Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon draws over 55,000 runners from 85 countries
Close to 13,000 participants are from abroad, an all-time high for the region’s only World Athletics Gold Label race
NEARLY a quarter of the more than 55,000 runners at this year’s Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) flew in from overseas for the three-day event that wrapped up on Sunday (Dec 1) at the Padang.
There were about 13,000 international participants from 84 countries, which organisers Ironman Group said was an all-time high and an almost 33 per cent increase from the 2023 edition.
The total turnout was also the highest in the last decade, and a sharp increase from the 44,000 runners who took part last year.
The region’s only World Athletics Gold Label race featured five race categories, including the return of the popular Ekiden relay which saw teams of five splitting up the 42.195-km marathon distance among themselves.
The marathon and half-marathon runners began their race at the F1 Pit Building beside the Singapore Flyer, and flagging them off was National Development Minister Desmond Lee. The historic Anderson Bridge near the Padang served as the finish line for the first time in the event’s history.
In the Gold Label Elite Marathon category, Kenya’s Geoffrey Yegon won the men’s title with a time of two hours, 16 minutes and six seconds. Fantu Zewude Jifar from Ethiopia was first in the women’s category with a timing of two hours, 39 minutes and four seconds. They each won the top prize of US$45,000.
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“It feels very good to win,” said Yegon. “It’s my first time in Singapore and competing here. Coming from Kenya, the Singapore race was always ‘wow’; so I’ve been wanting to come here. Singapore is very nice, but it’s very hot; so I trained very hard in Kenya to try to win the race.”
Over in the National Championship, Soh Rui Yong and Rachel See won the men’s and women’s marathon titles, respectively, with each taking home a prize of S$10,000.
Soh finished in two hours, 46 minutes and five seconds for his fifth SCSM title, while See crossed the finish line in three hours and 45 seconds to retain the crown she won in 2023.
Jeff Edwards, the managing director of Asia at the Ironman Group, said: “From the elite runners to those participating for a personal milestone, the event has once again proven to be a celebration of endurance, achievement and the spirit of competition. We are thrilled to see the marathon continue to grow in significance, attracting talented athletes from around the world.”
Pushing for inclusivity
Standard Chartered (StanChart) gave about 200 complementary marathon slots to beneficiaries with special needs and volunteers from its community partners Runninghour, Special Olympics Singapore and imPAct@Hong Lim Green, as well as 30 StanChart employee volunteers.
The volunteers from these organisations trained regularly with the beneficiaries for a few months before the marathon and ran alongside them.
One beneficiary is Aldan Chong from inclusive sports cooperative Runninghour. After completing the 10-km race at the StanChart marathon last year, the 18-year-old Pathlight School student decided to take on the 21-km half-marathon this year.
In the months before the race, Chong trained regularly at twice-weekly sessions, which included early starts with his guides so that he could cover longer distances. He also clocked in additional solo runs.
He said he felt “happy” completing this year’s marathon and did not find it difficult.
Darren Poh, one of the Runninghour guides that ran alongside Chong, said the marathon was a “good platform” for the cooperative to train with the beneficiaries and work towards the goal of enabling them to participate in more running events.
Shannon Yip, head of public relations and communications at Runninghour, said: “We want to open up a mainstream sport like running to beneficiaries, so that they have the opportunities to expose themselves to different activities. It also brings about a sense of personal satisfaction for them.”
Chong plans to take on the 42-km marathon next year.
Patrick Lee, Standard Chartered’s chief executive officer (Singapore and Asean), noted that this year’s SCSM also raised funds for the Futuremakers programme, which is the bank’s global youth empowerment initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion.
“(This) will help to empower young people with the skills and opportunities to build a better future. It’s a powerful reminder of how sport can bring people together, break down barriers, and inspire positive change in our communities,” he added.
The marathon, half-marathon and Ekiden races were held on Sunday, while the 5-km and 10-km races took place the day before. Last Friday, over 5,000 children participated in the Kids Dash.
The final day saw the death of a runner after completing the race, according to a statement on Sunday evening from the Ironman Group. The person’s gender was not revealed.
“The participant required and received immediate medical attention on site before being transported to Singapore General Hospital,” it said.
“Our condolences go out to the participant’s family and friends, to whom we will continue to offer support. We are grateful to the medical personnel who acted to provide immediate care to the participant.”
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