The highly-anticipated launch event for the weekend-long Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) festivities took place this morning to lots of excitement and fanfare, with two major announcements being made there.

Click here to view the SCSM 2019 Launch photos.

6:00pm flag off for Marathon, Half Marathon and Ekiden

As many had probably already foreseen earlier, the first announcement was that the 2019 race will upgrade the athlete experience – with a new 6:00pm flag off on Saturday 30 November for the Marathon, Half Marathon and Ekiden categories, while shifting to a three day event format.

Said Lim Teck Yin, CEO, Sport Singapore, “Can you imagine a Marathon taking place through Singapore on a busy Saturday evening? We are all excited about this event because it is a significant milestone in the evolution of a race that has grown in size and stature.” 

He continued, “Throughout the last decade, SCSM has sought to become not only a mass running event, but an event that can rally a nation to live together through sport, showcasing a city where passion is possible.”

Kids Dash and the 5km and 10km Events

The Kids Dash will be happening on the evening of Friday 29 November at 7:00pm and the 5km and 10km events will take place on the morning of Sunday 1 December at 8:30am and 6:30am respectively. So this means that there will be a distance tailored for everyone.

The Saturday time slot had been chosen for the longer race categories because of logistical reasons, according to Lim.

He said, “While we could have had the Half Marathon, Marathon and Ekiden on Sunday evening, we realised that most people would need to rush back home so they can wake up for work on Monday. But Saturday is party night where people are able to stay out late. So that makes more sense to hold these categories then instead.”

Furthers the appeal of SCSM for runners and spectators 

These steps had been taken to further the appeal of the race for both participants and spectators and is a significant step towards the goal of SCSM being inducted into the illustrious Abbotts World Marathon Majors, a series of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world.

To put into perspective how massive the Abbotts World Marathon Majors are, a record number of 457,000 applicants have registered for the 17,500 ballot places that are available for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon – which is currently one of the six Abbotts World Marathon Majors.

Since its inauguration in 1982, the SCSM has grown to a globally significant event that attracts approximately 50,000 runners each year across all race categories from more than 125 countries, regions and territories. 

And over the years, Singapore has shown itself to be an ideal year-round race destination to the international running community, having already been recognised in 2012 as a Gold Label Event by the International Association Of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for its world-class excellence in global sporting significance, organisational quality, athletes safety and in compliance with the IAAF Rules and Regulations.

Taking the SCSM to the next level 

Explained Geoff Meyer, Managing Director, IRONMAN Asia, the SCSM organisers, “And we now need to take the race to the next level in order to showcase Singapore at its best. Singapore is a night city. Beginning the race at sunset and running into the night will be a perfect example of Singapore, a night city. Major events will cause disruptions but it can be done.” 

Continued Meyer, “If you have been to one of the World Marathon Majors, the city comes out and embraces the event. It is their big party day. So we are putting the challenge to Singaporeans to help us celebrate and cheer on the athletes and show what Singapore can truly do.”

Singapore hopes to become an Abbotts World Marathon Major in 2021

If Singapore is successful in her bid, SCSM will become the seventh Major, joining the ranks of the BMW Berlin Marathon, Boston Marathon, Bank Of America Chicago Marathon, Virgin Money London Marathon, TCS New York City Marathon and the Tokyo Marathon.

According to Meyer, Singapore is aiming to be inducted into the Abbotts World Marathon Majors in 2021 – this had been the second big announcement of the morning.

Said Meyer, “Since announcing the bid to join the Abbotts World Marathon Majors, we have been working closely with our respective partners to improve the Singapore race experience for both runners and spectators. This has been a big three-year journey to get to where we are today. Last week, we were given the permission to change SCSM into an evening event and that was a huge step in our ambition to become the seventh Major.”

Technical Bits to Iron Out

Continued Meyer, “We are very much on track to become a Major in 2021 and that is a really exciting time. But till then, we still have technical bits and pieces that we will need to sort out.”

These technical bits, according to Meyer, are to create the wow factor in Singapore and to convince the best runners on the planet to race in the heat and humidity of Singapore.

Over the past few editions, the SCSM did not have full fields in both the elite wheelchair and the elite athlete division at SCSM. As these are part of the criteria in order to be inducted into the Abbotts World Marathon Majors, Meyer conceded that SCSM would have to work attracting more elites.

And as well, as part of the Abbotts World Marathon Majors conditions, SCSM will need to have 15,000 finishers in the Marathon; there had been 13,500 who finished this category last year within the time limit. So this means that SCSM will have to reach out to more runners to go for the Marathon.

Added Meyer, “Technically, the WMMs are the best in the world by far, they pride on getting everything right from looking after every athlete to the smallest item in place on the drink station.”

He continued “So enhancements are being made every year to build up the event festivities as well as programs and initiatives that promote the running culture and community engagement in Singapore. We are now closer than ever to the required criteria and we strongly believe that the change in the flag-off time will see more marathoners and community support than ever.”

So far, I have personally run in two of the Abbotts World Marathon Majors  – the Virgin Money London Marathon 2019 and the BMW Berlin Marathon 2018, and I have come away with treasured memories of a spectacular athlete experience from both of these races. And I can testify myself that both of these are world class events indeed, as Meyer had said.

Spectator Friendly Race Course

Thus, in line with this, runners and spectators for SCSM 2019 can expect a spectator-friendly race route through Singapore’s most iconic streets and showcasing modern architecture to give fans and runners a different perspective and intimate view of the city.

From cultural and historical diversity to lush greenery and a buzzing metropolis that includes modern marvels such as the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens By The Bay and The Singapore Flyer, locals and visitors alike, will be treated to a tour of the city-state.

Said Meyer, “We will be tweaking certain aspects of last year’s route. Of course we would love to run through a variety of different areas of Singapore and we are working to come out with solutions that will be a win-win for Singaporeans and the government. The start point will remain at the F1 Pit Building because it has the scale, size and space that we need, for an event of this level.”

All-New Spectator Zones

And as well, SCSM 2019 will also feature all-new spectator zones to encourage added participation and support from the public. 

These will feature a myriad of lifestyle and entertainment offerings and will add to the 26 on-route entertainment points to create a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere for both the runners and spectators.

Said Tim Hadizima, Executive Director of the World Marathon Majors, “Today’s announcement is another step forward for the SCSM in their long-term aspiration of becoming an Abbotts World Marathon Major.”

He continued, “And the changes that were made for this year’s Marathon, are just a few parts of the stringent criteria that we assess each year as there are many stages of this process that are still to be met. Now, we are excited to see how the runners will react to the improvements that they will experience this year.”

Sign Up and Prepare for SCMS 2019

To sign up for SCSM 2019 or for more information about the race, head over to www.SingaporeMarathon.com. 

Standard Chartered Bank cardholders will enjoy 15 per cent registration fee off across all race categories.

Otherwise, Super Early Bird rates apply from now till 4th June, beginning at S$90 for the Marathon, S$75 for the Half Marathon, S$360 for the Ekiden Relay, S$60 for the 10km Run, S$45 for the 5km Fun Run and S$20 for the Kids Dash events. Registrations are subjected to an 8% Active Fee.

And various training programmes are also in place to help runners prepare for the SCSM 2019, including the opportunity to get involved in the SCSM virtual running community on Strava, which will help runners to put their best foot forward – as they gear themselves up for the race.