Local runners disappointed with changes made to this year's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

SINGAPORE — Local runners are disappointed with changes that have been made to the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) this year, particularly the removal of the National Championships, with some saying they may not participate at all even though the race is back in its original format for the first time since the pandemic.

The organiser of the marathon, Ironman Group, said in a statement to TODAY on Tuesday (Sept 20) that it will “bring back (prize pools) in a progressive manner" over the next few years. It did not reveal the rationale behind the changes but cited the fact that "the world of athletics (is) still in recovery following the pandemic". 

The SCSM features two big changes this year: First, the total prize pool is now S$70,000, down from over US$244,000 (S$300,000) for the open category in 2019.

Second, unlike in previous iterations of the marathon, there will be no National Championships, which is a prize pool specifically for Singaporeans to compete in.

The second change in particular has sparked an outcry among the local running community, with some elite runners saying it gives them less of an incentive to run the race this year. 

This is because they think that international athletes are likely to snag most, if not all, the top prizes. This year, the SCSM will hand out prizes to the top five male and female runners in the marathon and half-marathon, regardless of nationality.

“(These international runners), most of them are professionals. They are likely to claim all those prizes... (whereas) for Singaporeans, there’s no runner that I know of who is a professional except (for) Soh Rui Yong,” said Mr Gordon Lim, 29, a physiotherapist who represented Singapore in the Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

Mr Soh won the National Championships at the SCSM from 2017 to 2019. While he was the fastest Singaporean, he came in 24th overall in 2019.

According to SportsSplits, an international company that tracks athletes' timing, only nine of the top 50 athletes for the overall marathon in 2019, male or female, were Singaporean.

The country that had the most athletes in the top 50 at SCSM 2019 was Kenya, with 21 runners.

Mr Soh told TODAY: “While we are happy that the SCSM is finally back this year, it’s sad to see that the race seems a shadow of its former self."

"I think many runners searching for a good performance would have less reason to do SCSM and they would go overseas to a December marathon such as the Valencia Marathon to race a good time in perfect (cooler and less humid) weather conditions instead," added the 31-year-old, who is a professional runner for Under Armour and also a second-year law student.

Other athletes concurred, saying that although they have signed up for the SCSM, they are still undecided on whether they will actually show up.

“I haven't decided, but might potentially skip it now, given the latest news and depending on how well I do at Chicago (in a marathon to be held in October),” said Mr Colin Tung, 34, a consultant in a strategic advisory firm.

Mr Tung won fourth place in the Singaporean category for the 2012 SCSM.

“As the country's flagship marathon, I feel there's a role that the SCSM can play in supporting the development of marathoning standards locally. While not the only factor, a reward framework and an attractive prize pool is part of that,” he added.

Others remain hopeful that the prizes for locals may come back, if not this year then in future iterations of the race.

“Perhaps the organisers had good reasons for this (change), especially as it is the first full-scale race since the pandemic started. While it may not be so in 2022, I hope that the local prize category can return in future years,” said Mr Ashley Liew, a national marathoner.

The Ironman Group said in its statement that it has had to cut back on more than just the National Championships this year.

"With the world of athletics still in recovery following the pandemic, this year’s race does not include elite racing categories such as a dedicated Gold Label International elite race — which usually features some of the world’s fastest long-distance runners — and as such doesn’t include an international elite race category prize pool."