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THE inaugural Lion City Marathon on June 29 has been postponed, as the event lacks a title sponsor.
Organised by non-profit organisation Fitness for Life, the race was set to be Singapore's second 42.195km event when it made the news last September.
Compared to the runners-only Singapore Marathon in December, the Lion City Marathon is open to runners, in-line skaters and physically challenged athletes.
It will also offer a 50km ultra-marathon distance.
But race director Dr William Tan, 51, said yesterday: 'We're having a lot of trouble finding a title sponsor, so the marathon has to be postponed.'
Runners who have been training towards the date were peeved with the news - mainly because the race's website had not announced it.
Insurance agent Victor Ng, 24, who has been training since January and was told of the postponement by this reporter, said: 'If, indeed, the Lion City Marathon turns out to be a hoax, lots of effort would be wasted.'
Dr Tan was apologetic and said he was grateful for their support.
He has found sponsors for goodie bags and drinks, but has yet to find the funds to cover the race's organisation cost, estimated at between $350,000 and $400,000 - down from the initial $1 million estimate.
'A lot of the companies we approached decided to be involved in Formula One and the Youth Olympics instead,' said Dr Tan, a neuroscientist and wheelchair endurance athlete.
'Companies are also quite cautious and careful with their money now owing to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and credit crunch.
'But I don't lament the fact that we have difficulties because of competition from other events. At the end of the day, we're all trying to enrich the sports community.'
He revealed that organisation costs have already been reduced following cost-cutting measures such as lower prize money and a cheaper timing system.
He opted for the low-cost timing system RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, over the ChampionChip, which is used in world-class events like the Singapore Marathon.
RFID costs about $2 for each transponder, less than half the $5 price of the ChampionChip.
The chip is attached to the runner's shoe and records the participant's time.
The prize purse has also been drastically reduced, from US$150,000 (S$206,000) to just S$40,000.
The prize purse for the Singapore Marathon, which began in 1982, is US$140,000.
Prizes aside, there are other costs, like the rental of half of the Padang (about $15,000), setting up an online registration service ('a four-figure sum', said Dr Tan) and engaging established event organisers to ensure the race goes smoothly.
'All these costs add up. We want the event to be organised well, but this comes at a big price as well,' he said.
The good news?
The new race date is tentatively set for Oct 12.
A new family category has been introduced, where parents can run with their kids in strollers for distances starting from 2.4km.
The 50km ultra-marathon has been lengthened to 56km, to match the standard Paralympic handcycle distance.
'The dream is still very much alive,' said Dr Tan. 'The worst scenario is we'll take up a loan from a bank to hold the race. But that's an extreme measure.'
jwang@sph.com.sg
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