Marathon: Five things to do at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Race Expo

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Over 40,000 people are expected to attend the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Race Expo at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from now till Saturday (Dec 2). Here are things you can do at the event.
Participants queue up to collect their race packs at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Race Expo at Marina Bay Sands on Nov 30, 2017. PHOTO: SAZALI ABDUL AZIZ

By the time the doors to the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) Race Expo swung open at 10am on Thursday (Nov 30) morning, a snaking queue of over 200 had already formed outside.

Over 40,000 people are expected to attend the Race Expo at the 14,560 sq m exhibition hall at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from today till Saturday (Dec 2).

While many will be participants in the SCSM on Sunday (Dec 3), those who are not taking part in the race can also enter without charge.

Here are five things you can do at the Race Expo, which will open until 9pm today and tomorrow, and 7pm on Saturday.

1. Collect your race pack

Upon entering the exhibition hall, participants will be split into different lanes - according to their race categories - to counters where they make their collection.

Each race pack contains a running T-shirt, a race bib, a timing device and other knick-knacks like snacks and gift vouchers.

For more information on collection of race packs, visit www.singaporemarathon.com

2. Plan your pace

Many elite athletes routinely use positive visualisation as part of their training and competition regimen. At the Race Expo, you can do the same.

At the Standard Chartered Treadmill Challenge, you can run at a set pace on a treadmill, and see how it will look on race day.

A screen will project a three-dimensional animated character running along a 2km segment of the race course, starting from Connaught Drive.

This can help you gauge your pace ahead of the big run on Sunday.

3. Try a little virtual reality

If you don't feel like actually running, you can try a little virtual reality (VR) at Under Armour's VR Zone.

Similar to the Treadmill Challenge, the VR zone allows participants to "run" in one of the three segments of the race.

In reality, you only need to put on a VR headset and jog on the spot.

You can choose to "run" along Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer, or Marina Bay Sands.

4. Have a massage

After all that running - on a treadmill or otherwise - treat yourself to a nice rub down.

You can head over to a massage area set up by Salonpas to experience the massage services they will offer on race day.

There are only two massage tables at the Race Expo, but there will be 60 at the finish line on Sunday.

This is not the first time Salonpas has provided massage services for races - it has also done so at the Sundown Marathon and FairPrice Walks With U events - but the SCSM will be the biggest yet.

5. Stock up on your running needs

You can also do some last-minute shopping to gear up for the big race.

From running shoes and apparel to energy gels and kinesiology tape, you can find everything you need to equip yourself for the gruelling run.

There are even travel packages for races overseas in exotic destinations such as New Zealand and North Korea.

"I'm amazed by the maze (of booths)... It seems never-ending," said participant Johnny, a 31-year-old executive. "There are a lot of items, sales and promotions."

Added 37-year-old engineer Wang Fang: "Marina Bay Sands is a more convenient location for us to collect the race packs, compared to the (previous location) at the Singapore Expo.

"The crowd today is not too big since today is a working day, but I'm sure it will be bigger on Friday evening or on Saturday."

The organisers tweeted on its Twitter account (@SG_marathon) in mid-afternoon that the queue time was five to 10 minutes. At around 8pm they said that had lengthened to 20 minutes and they advised runners to avoid long waiting times by coming between 2pm and 6pm tomorrow.

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