This weekend, the strongest elite field in history is set to descend upon the Formula One Pit Building for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM), for a share of the SGD$420,000 total prize purse.

The SCSM is the leading mass participation run and the only IAAF Gold Label race in South East Asia, bringing 50,000 runners each year, unparalleled running experiences against one of the world’s most iconic city skylines and past some of Singapore’s iconic landmarks.

Men’s Elite Open Marathon Category

And in the Men’s Elite Open Marathon Category, this will see a strong group of Kenyan runners, including Paul Lonyangata, winner of the 2017 and 2018 Paris Marathon, Felix Kirwa, winner of the SCSM 2016 and the Antwerp Marathon as well as Micah Kogo, who won a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games 10,000m event.

Said Paul, 25, “I came to Singapore so that I could win. I saw that the record time here is 2 hours 11 minutes 25 seconds. So my aim is to lower that with a record time of 2 hours 10 minutes.

This will be Paul’s first time coming to Singapore but the humid weather that Singapore is well known for, does not faze him. He said, “I can see that the humidity is very high, but we begin at 4.30am so maybe the weather will be better at that hour. I will try my best.”

If he wins and sets a new course record, it will also be an apt birthday celebration for Paul, who celebrates his birthday on Wednesday. 

He said, “For sure, it will be a good birthday bonus for me.”

Women’s Elite Open Marathon Category

And in the Women’s Elite Open Marathon Category, Stella Barsosio from Kenya comes to SCSM after a fifth placed finish in Paris and ninth placed finish in Frankfurt. 

Agues Kiprop, also from Kenya, will be giving her a close fight for the title, having won the 2018 Hannover Marathon. Lilia Fisikovici from Moldova will also be a strong challenger, having won the 2019 Krakow Marathon.

Debut Of Elite Wheelchair Marathon Category

Making its debut at the SCSM 2018 will be the Elite Wheelchair Marathon Category, with 11 elites racing through the heart of Singapore.

These include Joshua George from the United States and Japan’s Hiroki Nishida, the latter having clocked a personal best of 1hour 20minutes 28seconds this year.

Said Joshua, “I am feeling great and am excited to be here, racing in a new city, a new event. We tend to do the same races every year so it’s nice to get a new, fresh one in. We’ve got a great men’s field here with a nice group of Japanese athletes, amongst whom are the top wheelchair racers in the world. So that will be fun.”

For the women, Zou Lihong from China and Madison de Rozario from Australia headline the elite field. Lihong is a 2016 Rio Paralympics double gold medallist in the Marathon and the 4x100m and Madison won the Commonwealth Games Marathon and the London Marathon this year.

But despite her pedigree, Lihong remains shy about her chances. Said Lihong, “Every marathon is a new challenge for me, and for this one, I will make sure that I can complete the race in the safest manner and try for a good result.”

Madison however, feels lucky to simply be in Singapore. She said, “This is such an amazing chance. When I first got the email inviting me to race in Singapore, it was exciting, because my dad’s side of the family is Singaporean and I have been waiting for all 25 years of my life for a chance to come here and race, so I hope to have a fantastic time on the roads come Sunday morning.”

She added, “The 4.30am start will be a challenge, but I am really looking forward to it, and getting out there on the Singapore roads.”

National Championships 

But besides welcoming elites from all over the world, SCSM 2018 will also double up as the National Championships where the top local runners will vie to be crowned champions across the Men’s and Women’s Open and Masters Categories.

The Men’s Open will see Soh Rui Yong, 27, aiming to defend his title against fellow athletes Ashley Liew and Evan Chee and the Women’s category will see defending champion Rachel See fighting it out against Mok Ying Rong and Neo Jie Shi.

Said Soh, “I am glad to have the opportunity to race in this year’s SCSM. I am excited by the new route and other new initiatives such as the wheelchair elite athletes.”

He added, “I am not concerned about anyone locally though if I run my own race and hit my splits, and not walk an

d let it get over my head. I have trained with Steven Quek who is one of the best in Singapore, and they are really good.”

A Brand New Two-Day Format

The new two-day SCMS race format begins with the Kids Dash at the Universal Studios Singapore, as well as the 5km category in partnership with the National Steps Challenge and the 10km Race.

It then continues on Sunday with the Marathon, Half Marathon and Ekiden categories, taking athletes through one of the most iconic city skylines in the world and past local icons such as the Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade, Singapore Flyer, War Memorial Park, Singapore Merlion and Marina Barrage.

Said Geoff Meyer, Managing Director of IRONMAN Asia, the organisers of the race, “I have not been shy to say that we want to build this event to a high global standard and to be part of the World Marathon Majors series. We want to be at that level of capacity and technical excellence and we have taken a huge step forward this weekend to achieving that goal, by moving the event to a two-day format with the 5km and 10km on Saturday, to enhance the athlete experience.”

He added, “And in doing this, we have had complete government support led by Sport Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board amongst other agencies, and this has been fantastic in terms of getting Singaporeans moving.”

More Hydration Points and Cooling Zones

This year, the race route will also include additional hydration points, cooling zones and more than 30 entertainment points. 

Said Lim Teck Yin, CEO of Sport Singapore, “Each year, the SCSM inspires our community and enhances the experience of the runners and their supporters. The slew of improvements and additions that IRONMAN Asia have put together this year is remarkable.”

And the event will be open to spectators of all ages with full views of athletes starting and finishing from the F1 Pit Building and The Float at Marina Bay.

Said Lim, “We wish all the participants and those involved in putting together this two-day running festival, a fantastic race experience.”

For More Information 

For more information on how to plan your route to the starting line, find out what are the road closures or to get any other information about the race, head over to www.SingaporeMarathon.com.