Singapore’s premiere marathon event, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM), took place last weekend. And for the first time in the history of the event, the half and full marathon were held on separate days.

Saturday saw the half marathon flag kick off the festivities at 4:30am with the 5km flag off shortly after at 6:30am. The day concluded with the Kids Dash flagging off at 9am. 

Sunday saw the full marathon and Ekiden relay flag off at 4:30am followed by the 10km race at 6:30am. 

In total, about 55,000 runners took part across all categories of SCSM. 

And this year’s new format meant that runners who felt that 42.195km wasn’t enough, could participate in both the half and the full marathons. About 130 runners attempted this feat including Singapore’s fastest man, Soh Rui Yong.

However I wasn’t that crazy; the only category I took part in was the full marathon. I took a grab to the race start and arrived at the F1 Pit Building at around 3am which would give plenty of time before the flag off. I was glad I got there early because the F1 pit building was getting pretty crowded as the flag-off time approached. 

After collecting the media passes, I headed off to catch up and socialise with friends before making my way to my pen. One of the things I always like most about SCSM is how it is a social gathering for Singapore runners, due to it being the biggest race and the only full marathon held in the country. 

The elite wave was flagged off first at 4:20am followed by pen A at 4:30am and B at 4:32am. The atmosphere and hype at the beginning was electrifying and they did a really great job of pumping up everyone and working the crowd.

I was somewhere around the middle to the back of pen B. In the early kilometres, it felt quite crowded despite the roads being wide enough and I had to weave around the crowds a bit. 

The route this year was quite straightforward and supposedly easier and flatter than past years. Sheares aka “Heartbreak” Bridge which has broken many runners in past editions, was not featured this time round. Instead the route featured the town areas and the CBD, East Coast Park and underneath West Coast Highway. At least the bottom of the highway had some shade, so it wasn’t as bad as last year’s West Coast “Highway to Hell” where we had to run on the top of the highway, which had no shade and plenty of gradual slopes.

The official hydration and aid stations along the way were great. There was ample supply of water, isotonic drinks, gels, bananas, pretzels and even buckets of cold water that runners could pour on ourselves. I particularly remember the station around the 27km mark which was giving out ice lollies. Older Singaporeans will know these as “sng bao” and they taste really amazing when you’re dehydrating and trying to stay cool. 

The brand of gel being given out this year was the  Amino Saurus gel, which is a Japanese brand that is very potent with energy and increasingly becoming popular with runners in Asia. The mango flavour contains caffeine and has some sour notes, while the lemon flavour does not have caffeine in it. 

I stated the race quite well at around 6 mins pace, and managed to spot Justina and Ben within the first few hundred metres. We ran together for around 11 or 12km or so until Ben pulled ahead. Justina and I stayed together until I took a toilet stop somewhere around the halfway mark.

 After coming out of the toilet, my body still felt ok but I found I was not able to pick the pace back up again, despite the weather still being cooler and cloudy. For Singapore’s standards, it was probably one of the better race-day conditions you can get. Wishing that I could have made the most of it!

The running groups along the way cheering and supporting the runners was amazing. Many were out in full force and created an awesome vibe, screaming out names and offering a myriad of fruits, drinks and sweets to keep up runners’ spirits and energy levels. This vibe is what I always enjoy about the local race. I helped myself to isotonic drinks, watermelons and more, to keep myself going. 

Thank you so much to the amazing Falcons crew at the 35km/41km support station for the cheers and the extra fuel. I really needed that coke, somehow after drinking it, I got a lift and was able to pick up the pace a bit in the final stages.

Seeing the Anderson Bridge felt good because it meant that the race was finishing soon. I crossed the finish line at the Padang in a time of 4.43:50. I felt relieved and happy that it was finally over and that I could now rest.

The finisher medal was good; it was big and solid and well-made. It’s also cool that the SCSM logo is like a removable badge on the medal, that can spin or be detached.

Other entitlements being given out included finisher tee, water, 100PLUS isotonic drink, a banana and a packet of dried fruits. The finisher tee was apparently in “unisex” aka men’s sizing only, compared to past SCSM editions where there was both men’s and women’s cutting. 

There was lots to see at the post-race village as well as some product samples to collect, such as Oatside oat milk, fresh Joyvio coconuts and more. The coconut juice was damn shiok and tasted really good. I polished it off within seconds.

Another goodie that I really appreciated too was the old-school wafer biscuit ice cream being given out. This is always yummy and brings back many nostalgic vibes to my Singapore childhood days. The post-marathon ice cream tasted especially amazingly cold and refreshing probably because I was both hungry and thirsty.   

The sun came out from behind the clouds around 9:30am, fortunately I was finished by that point, but I really feel for those runners who were still out there having to brave and battle the heat to finish.

Said Daryl Yeo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Development) at Sport Singapore, “As the largest mass participation run in Singapore, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon brings together runners, supporters, and volunteers in a shared celebration of sportsmanship and resilience.”

He continued, “This year, with the half and full marathon taking place over two days, it has also presented a unique opportunity for more runners to take on the Double Up Challenge and push their limits. Seeing both elite and recreational runners cross the finish line highlights Sport Singapore’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and dynamic sporting culture in Singapore.”

Rui Yong, taking on the Double-Up Challenge, won both the half (01:14:58) and full marathon (02:46:23) National Championships. He was the hot favourite to win both categories and he duly delivered.

Winning the women’s full marathon National Championship was Rachel See with her time of 02:58:15.

Nicole Low was the winner of the women’s half marathon National Championship with her time of 01:23:45. 

There was plenty of joy and energy in the air at the Padang as runners from all walks of life celebrated their respective achievements that will forever be etched in the history of the marathon. 

Said Jeff Edwards, Managing Director of Asia for The IRONMAN Group, “Every year, we witness extraordinary athletes pushing boundaries and achieving new personal bests. This year’s marathon truly embodied the spirit of inclusivity, bringing together elite runners, national champions, individuals of different abilities and their caregivers, alongside everyday runners, all united in pursuit of the same finish line.” 

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@prischewdotcomI Ran A Full Marathon at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2025! Race highlights here. Check out my YouTube Channel at prischewdotcom for full-length video race recap.? original sound – prischewdotcom