Later this month, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) is set to feature the best-ever exciting line-up of entertainment and activities from live bands to performances, arts and delightful local delicacies – to elevate the spectator experience and showcase Singapore to the global running community.

SCSM 2019 will be a weekend-long fiesta, taking place from 29 November – 1 December this year.

Taking place on Friday 29 November, the Kids Dash will kick off the three-day festival, beginning at the F1 Pit Building.

Then on Saturday 30 November, both the Marathon and Half Marathon categories will take place in the evening.

And finally, on the morning of Sunday 1 December, the 5km and 10km races will be taking place.

Delivering a stunning experience for everyone

Said Geoff Meyer, Managing Director, IRONMAN Asia, the organisers of the race, “Each year, we identify areas for improvement which will take us a step closer to our Abbott World Marathon Majors ambition.” 

Meyer added, “So this year, our focus has been on delivering a stunning spectator experience for friends, families and the general public. By working with Singapore Tourism Board and Sport Singapore on our enhanced programming, we look forward to a holistic experience that will appeal to non-runners too.”

StanChart Singapore Marathon as an Abbott World Marathon Major

IRONMAN Asia have been setting their sights on the SCSM becoming an Abbott World Marathon Major for the past three and a half years, in their bold bid to take the Singapore race to the next level.

Said Shang Kok Keong, Head of Events, Singapore Sport Institute, “We were conscious that the SCSM has triggered a strong running culture in Singapore over the years. It used to be one of the few running events in Singapore, but has reached a limit. The race has attained the IAAF Gold Label Status, but with challengers attempting to overtake our position, we had to ask ourselves how to bring the race to the next level.”

Shang continued, “So we decided to partner with IRONMAN Asia, and pursue this journey to level up the marathon and turn it into one of the best running races in the world.”

Entertainment Zones

The SCSM 2019 will kick off with a LED lion dance troupe, with  a lineup of entertainment and activities at three spectator points along the route – these are at Empress Lawn, The Promontory and The Float @ Marina Bay.

The entertainment zones are placed amidst multiple vantage points for spectators to catch a glimpse of the action and cheer on the runners.

And at each zone, spectators can join in the energising Piloxing and Zumba sessions, both organised by Active SG. 

As well, spectators can relive childhood memories and challenge family and friends to old-school lawn games from the Three-Legged Race to Giant Jenga. So this means that there will be options for the young and the young at heart.

And also, the public can also groove to various tunes including old-school soul by local band Ruckus, alternative tunes by Subsonic Eye and R&B and Funk by Astronauts.

Furthermore, top local DJs Daryl Knows, Stephen Day and Toppings will ignite the dance floor with a power blend of top 40s, house and electronic hits.

Says Meyer, “Singapore currently lacks the atmosphere. In order to become a World Marathon Major, we need spectators. So in line with Abbott World Marathon Major standards, we have created 27 entertainment spots along the course along with three spectator zones. We hope that this will encourage Singaporeans to come down and cheer on the athletes, while enjoying some food & beverages, games and entertainment at the same time.”

Food & Beverages Available 

In terms of the food & beverage options that will be made available, both runners and spectators can enjoy tantalising local delights all in one place, from Dumpling Darlings serving up unorthodox versions of this Eastern delight to Butter Chicken Rice from Kinara. 

As well, for those who are looking for something lighter, there are yummy desserts from The Acai Collective and Coolman Froyo.

Added Meyer, “We hope to be considered as a national event. We want Singapore to be proud of what we are trying to achieve. This year, we are targeting 100,000 spectators on the sidelines, with the aim of being inducted in the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2021. But in order to achieve this, we need the whole Singapore to come out and embrace the event.”

Road Closures

While an event like this will naturally come with significant road closures, Meyer’s colleague, Shawn Nik, Manager, Event Operations at IRONMAN Asia, explained that they have already engaged the stakeholders who will be affected by the road closures and reiterated that they are all on board with IRONMAN Asia’s bold vision.

Explained Meyer, “If you look at the history of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the retailers along the route always benefit from the marathon. Every restaurant, shop and club, even the retail stores, hold marathon parties and these have become massive over the years. We have done a good job in bringing agencies on board and motivating people towards our vision so I think that they can understand the benefits that we can see.”

The 2019 Marathon route will be about 90 per cent similar to last year’s edition, except with a new start point at the F1 Pit Building and a new finish line at The Float @ Marina Bay.

Said Nik, “We didn’t change much of last year’s route. It was a success, so we have incorporated that into an evening format this year.”

Nik also added, “But there will be one big change near the start. Last year’s route caused some inconveniences to people getting to Nicoll Highway, so this year, we now turn right to Bras Basah and toward the city via Keppel Road.”

West Coast Highway and Robinson Road are still set to feature on the 2019 route, with Robinson Road being the diversion point for the half marathon and the full marathon categories.

Then after that, the route heads to Marina Gardens Drive and East Coast Park’s bustling Parkland Green before heading onto Gardens by the Bay and then to Marina Centre, before finishing at the Floating Platform.

Said Meyer, “We have come a long way in a short three and a half years and like the F1 Singapore Grand Prix, we are confident that we can become one of the best within a short time. We do plan to adjust the course in the future to showcase even more of Singapore. But for the time being, we think that the route that we have is sensational and does showcase the best of the Singapore cityscape.”

Route planned to minimise disruptions

Besides showcasing the best of Singapore, the new race route has also been planned to minimise disruption to road users and those who live and work in the affected areas, while providing a great experience for runners.

Routes to emergency and essential services such as hospitals will remain accessible throughout the duration of the event and all stakeholders and businesses affected will be able to continue their operations.

Road closures will begin from 1pm on Saturday 30 November and progressively open from 9pm that evening, before being closed again on 4am to 12.15pm on Sunday 1st December.

There will be no road closures during the Kids Dash on Friday 29 November.

As well, Shang also pointed out that there is no total lockdown of any part of Singapore unlike the Singapore Airlines Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, where some major shopping malls are completely closed off to anyone without a ticket to the event.

Said Shang, “Shoppers can still have access to the shopping centres so they are not going to be affected. They may even have more traffic because of the foot-fall effect which would encourage more people to come out and do some shopping, while cheering on the runners at the same time.”

Education and mindset shift needed

However, in order to get more Singaporeans to come out and embrace the event takes some education and a major shift in mindset, though. In fact, IRONMAN Asia are aware that when Singaporeans hear about road closures, they tend to avoid the areas affected, like the plague.

Said Meyer, “That is the education process that we need to get across to all Singaporeans, that this event will be open for everyone; there will be free entertainment and bringing in the spectators is the only way to become an Abbott World Marathon Major. But while such education will take some time, we are confident that once Singaporeans see the benefits of the race in terms of the country’s economy and tourism, such as the case in London and New York, then the locals will follow suit and come out in show of support for the runners. Let’s get out there and show the world what Singapore can do.”

Singapore’s Event to Embrace

And Meyer also continued, “We see this event as Singapore’s event, and we hope that everyone is on board with us to celebrate running and life and the Singapore spirit. Singapore has the most number of running events in the world, with easily more than 200 running races within a calendar year. So there are lots of runners out there. Going forward, we hope to leverage on this and to get the Singapore society to embrace the event.”

His sentiment was also shared by Chiang Hock Woon, Deputy CEO, Sport Singapore.

Said Chiang, “SCSM has always been an event that runners look forward to. More than a marathon, it has also become a platform for giving, where participants extend their passion for running to help others.”

 And Chiang also added, “This year’s Marathon is especially special on many fronts. In addition to being the first evening race in 18 years of history, we are introducing more exciting entertainment and spectator areas for Singaporeans and residents to come together to enjoy and witness, first-hand, the unwavering support of our runners and cheer them on. We would like to thank all our partners and stakeholders who helped make this event possible and I am confident that it is going to be a great experience for all.”

Commuters urged to use public transport

Due to the road closures, IRONMAN Asia strongly encourages commuters and runners to take the MRT as their primary mode of transport to and from the area. While some bus services will be diverted due to the road closures, affected bus stops will be relocated to the nearest possible location. 

Also, commuters are advised to cater more travel time to account for bus service diversions. Specific bus diversion plans will be publicised before the event to facilitate route planning.

As well, for the runners and spectators, ShareTransport will be providing paid bus services that will run between the Start/Finish venue ands 37 locations across the island over 10 routes.

These buses cost $7 per ride and commuters who wish to travel outside of the regular public transportation hours are also welcome to make use of these buses.

SCSM 2019 runners or members of the public who have questions about the road closures can talk to the SCSM 2019 hotline at 6701-1230. 

This hotline is available from now till 29 November, daily 9am-6pm. And from 29 November – 1 December, it will be open for 24 hours.

Where to get more information 

Information on the road closures can also be found here. 

As well, members of the public can download Google Maps or Waze for real-time traffic and road closure updates. As well, they can also visit OneMotoring.com for further advise on commuting during the marathon weekend.