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Soh Rui Yong and Rachel See shine at the 2024 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

The 2024 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) saw familiar champions reclaim their titles in a showcase of endurance and determination. Soh Rui Yong captured his fifth consecutive men’s national title, while Rachel See defended her women’s national title, solidifying their positions as Singapore’s top marathoners.

With over 55,000 participants, including 13,000 international runners, the 2024 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) highlighted Singapore’s growing enthusiasm for endurance sports.

The marathon also featured familiar champions reclaiming their titles in a display of perseverance and excellence. Soh Rui Yong captured his fifth consecutive men’s national title, while Rachel See successfully defended her women’s national title, cementing their status as Singapore’s top marathoners.

Soh Rui Yong: A Dominant Fifth Victory

Soh Rui Yong crossed the finish line at the Anderson Bridge in 2 hours, 46 minutes, and 5 seconds, edging out Benjamin Khoo and Richard Heng in a tightly contested race.

Celebrating his fifth national championship, Soh reflected on the competitiveness of the event, stating, “The fight for the podium was very close, which bodes well for the depth of marathon running in Singapore.”

Praising the camaraderie among participants, he added, “We conquered together as a community. Win or lose, tomorrow a new season begins.”

Soh took to Facebook after the race, expressing his gratitude and reflecting on the challenges of the event. “It was an honour to race a marathon on home soil again, and an even bigger one to win the national championship for the fifth consecutive time,” he wrote.

Soh, 33, continues to set his sights high, targeting a marathon treble at the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok. “If I win two gold medals 10 years apart, that’s pretty good,” he remarked.

Despite challenges with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) over previous SEA Games and Asian Games exclusions, Soh remains determined to represent Singapore and excel on the international stage.

Rachel See: A Class of Her Own

Rachel See retained her women’s national title with a time of 3 hours, 45 seconds, finishing ahead of Goh Shing Ling and Sharon Tan.

At 42, See continues to defy age with consistent performances that inspire the running community.

Reflecting on her victory, she said, “This year I was very aware and alert, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I came with an open mind to do my best.”

Despite a more relaxed approach to training compared to 2023, See’s strategic pacing and experience proved decisive.

Her back-to-back titles reinforce her reputation as one of Singapore’s premier female distance runners.

A Journey of Determination for Soh

Soh’s athletic journey has not been without hurdles. Over the years, his relationship with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) has been fraught with challenges, including disputes that led to his exclusion from the SEA Games in 2019 and 2021.

His selection for the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games marked a turning point, where he secured a silver medal in the 10,000m and gained international praise for sportsmanship by offering his drink to Indonesia’s Rikki Marthin Luther Simbolon, who had accidentally missed his cup at the water point.

However, challenges persisted. In 2023, Soh faced exclusion from the Asian Games in Hangzhou due to alleged failure to honor commitments made to the SNOC.

The council cited disparaging remarks he made in public as undermining his assurances to conduct himself professionally.

This controversy followed earlier disputes, including a defamation case involving a former teammate, which further complicated his path to international competitions.

Despite these setbacks, Soh continues to focus on his athletic ambitions. His recent marathon victory and his effort to meet SEA Games qualifying marks demonstrate his resilience and dedication to the sport.

(12/02/2024) Views: 82 ⚡AMP
by The Online Citizen

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon could move from its traditional December date to June starting next year

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon could move from year-end to June date.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu told The Straits Times on Thursday (Jan 16) that this is being "talked about" and would be discussed with race organizers to see how it would fit in with the World Marathon Majors (WMM) series.

While the minister did not elaborate on the rationale for the possible date change, she said: "If we can establish that in the calendar, and if the other corporates, hotels and agencies are used to a certain timing, we can work towards de-conflicting better."

Last year's SCSM from Nov 30 to Dec 1 saw the flag-off times of the 42.195km marathon, 21.2km half-marathon and Ekiden relay shifted from their usual pre-dawn starts to 6pm on Nov 30 to boost its chances of being listed among the World Marathon Majors.

But this drew flak from the public after an unprecedented convergence of three other events resulted in some motorists being stuck in traffic snarls for over two hours. Couples holding wedding banquets in town also ran into issues as guests and vendors were unable to make it to the functions on time.

Speaking on the sidelines of the MCCY year-in-review 2019 media conference, Ms Fu said that "we really empathize with the people who have been inconvenienced" and that it was the first time that they were "doing it on such a scale in this location at such a time".

Stressing that it would be a "great opportunity" for Singapore to be part of the WMM, she pointed to the city's hosting of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and how organizers took a few years to get the kinks ironed out.

"What I can commit to Singaporeans is that all the agencies and the organizers and ourselves, we are treating this event very seriously," she added. "We're looking at all the feedback closely, and we will do our utmost best to do better in the next series."

Responding to queries from ST, Geoff Meyer, managing director of Ironman Asia, which organizes the SCSM, said: "The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is the leading mass participation run and only IAAF Gold Label race in South-east Asia. In the last 18 years, the marathon has grown significantly, and we continue to take strides towards our goal of becoming an Abbott World Marathon Major, joining the likes of prestigious marathons around the world.

"We continue to look for ways to enhance the marathon across several aspects, and focus on the event festivities as well as programmes and initiatives that promote the running culture and community engagement in Singapore."

A spokesman for Sport Singapore said that they “are carefully studying the different options”, adding that “we value all feedback and will work with our partners and stakeholders to build the SCSM into an event that Singapore can be proud of”.

Soh Rui Yong, who won the Local Men's marathon title, said: "I think that June is possibly the worst time to hold the Singapore Marathon given that May and June are usually the hottest months of the year. This will heighten the risk of heat injuries.

"But I guess we can try one year and see what happens; maybe it's not as bad as I foresee it being!"

Gerald Gan, an adjunct lecturer in leisure and events management at the Singapore Institute of Management, said that “there is no good time” to hold the marathon unless it moves away from the city center, stressing that better planning of logistics, timing and the route would help. 

He added: “Unfortunately, there is no win-win. Someone has to compromise ultimately... it is about mitigating the amount of exposure in terms of all of these inconveniences to the public.”

(01/17/2020) Views: 2,587 ⚡AMP
by Low Lin Fhoong

Kipkorir and Cherono retain Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon titles

With the dazzling city skyline as his backdrop, Joshua Kipkorir of Kenya stormed home to successfully defend his Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) title on Saturday (Nov 30) night, in the first evening edition of the annual running event.

The 25-year-old breasted the tape at The Float @ Marina Bay in 2hr 19min 13sec, ahead of Munyo Solomon Mutai of Uganda (2:19:46) and Benson Seurei of Bahrain (2:20:25).

Fellow Kenyan Priscah Cherono also retained her title in the women's race, winning in 2:28:53 to set a new SCSM record - the previous mark was 2:31:55 set by her compatriot Salina Kosgei in 2006.

Another Kenyan, Stella Jepng'Etich Barsosio, was second in 2:30:18 while Alemnesh Guta of Australia (2:37:03) rounded off the podium places.

Both Kipkorir and Cherono won US$50,000 (S$68,390) in prize money and ensured Kenya's dominance at the SCSM for a fifth straight year.

The marathon attracted over 15,000 participants with the overall event - which includes a kids' dash, and distances of 21km, 10km, 5km as well as a wheelchair category - seeing over 50,000 entrants.

Unlike the previous editions when the marathon began before dawn - last year's start time was 4.30am - this year's 42.195km marathon flagged off at 6.05pm at the F1 Pit Building.

The switch is part of the effort to fulfil various criteria in the organisers' bid to get the SCSM listed among the Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM), a series of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

None of the six WMM races - Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo - are held at night.

This year's course took runners from the F1 Pit Building through the Central Business District to places such as West Coast Highway, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, before ending at The Float.

Meanwhile, national record holder Soh Rui Yong was the top local male finisher for the third year in a row, crossing the finish line in 2:45:52. He earned $10,000 for his efforts.

Sharon Tan celebrated a first title as the fastest Singapore woman, finishing in 3:12:49.

(11/30/2019) Views: 1,677 ⚡AMP

Soh Rui Yong broke a 24-year-old record at Seoul Marathon

It has been a great day for national marathoner Soh Rui Yong. All of his hard work and training has been paid off when he clocked at 2hr 23 min 43 sec at the Seoul Marathon on Sunday Morning (March 17th). It is a big deal for him as he broke the 24 year old record at the event.

The effort he put in during that race is what he would consider a big achievement as it has always been his goal to go under 2:24. As a matter of fact, he was planning to do that at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this month. However, he had to withdrew from the race due to a mix-up where he was placed in a mass start up pen instead of the elite and sub-elite group.

Soh Rui Yong is also known for his previous achievements where his previous best in the Chicago Marathon back in 2016 was 2:24:55. He also has obtained 2 gold medals in the SEA games.

He expressed his joy with the results he put out as he commented, “It took years of work and I finally found the race and opportunity to do it, so I am happy with that.”

He also mentioned how this marathon is the only serious attempt at record. When it comes to previous marathons, he was “unsure of his fitness going in” but this time he managed to go in fit and healthy.

Soh Rui Yong has done 5 weeks worth of training in Flagstaff, Arizona which is located in the United States. Even with an Achilles heel injury which caused clocking in lower mileage, Soh Rui Yong managed to keep his confidence that he would go under 2hr 24 min as his key workouts there were faster than before.

Soh Rui Yong is not just hardworking in his sports career but even in his working career. He is current working in business development and is also a sports ambassador with lifestyle portal called The Smart Local.

(03/25/2019) Views: 2,479 ⚡AMP

Singapore Fastest Half Marathoner, Soh Rui Yong, getting ready for the World Championships

Soh Rui Yong is no stranger in Singapore's running scene. Soh holds the Singapore National 10,000m record with 31:15 set in 2014. He ran his first marathon in 2014 at the California International Marathon finishing in 2:26:01. 14. His childhood dream was to win a SEA Games gold medal, stand on the podium and hear Majulah Singapura played. He has achieved this dream twice...Soh ran 1:08:37 half marathon in strong winds and snowy conditions in 2018 Marugame Half Marathon. This record earned him a spot at the upcoming World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia on March 24 2018. What does he like better he was asked, "Road race has the bigger community, more racing opportunities, more money, more fun. Track racing needs to learn from road racing to market and run their events better. Especially in Singapore." (03/01/2018) Views: 1,789 ⚡AMP