His 17th marathon... and still counting

After running his 10th Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) in 2013, Steven Ng considered making it his last as he had been running the 42.195km marathon every year since 2004.

But the avid runner, 53, decided to continue challenging himself and see how many more he could complete consecutively.

He first took part in the 10km category in 2003 and has run the 42.195km event every year since 2004, except last year when he participated in the 21km virtual run as the full marathon was not offered.

Ng, who has never failed to finish the race, told The Sunday Times: "With these long runs, you can imagine a lot of people will quit halfway. I try to push myself to complete each race, so it's been a very enriching experience.

"People have asked me why I keep wanting to suffer by running the full marathon.

"So after 10 races, I thought I should stop since there was no point in running so many.

"But I had second thoughts and wanted to take up the challenge of continuing to see how long I can go without stopping."

He recalled feeling daunted before his first full marathon in 2004, even though he ran 5-10km two or three times a week.

The container shipping manager said: "My friends and I wanted to try something different, so we decided to step out of our comfort zone. We had fewer than six months of training but I managed to finish the race.

"My first race was bittersweet. I completed it in six hours but the process itself was tough, having to endure exhaustion and body aches and sores.

"But I had a great sense of accomplishment, as I had achieved this mini milestone of running such a long distance... I got addicted after that first race."

For subsequent editions, he looked up on how to train better. He made it a point to start at least six months ahead by clocking more mileage and doing more long runs during the weekends.

He also takes part in a few half-marathons in the lead-up to the year-end SCSM.

One memorable race was the last physical edition in 2019 when it was held in the evening for the first time. While humidity was still high, Ng enjoyed taking in the sights in his first night race.

"The city skyline at night was beautiful. That year's finisher's medal design was also my favourite because it was in the shape of a lion's head," said Ng.

Another unforgettable experience was his third or fourth marathon. He was 5km from the finish line on the Benjamin Sheares Bridge and started cramping so badly he had to lie down.

He recounted: "The runners around me came to my aid... they were so kind and helpful. It's not just about running but also about sportsmanship and not leaving anyone behind."

He managed to push through the pain and complete the race.

While this year's event is his 17th full marathon, he is still excited as every year is a different challenge.

He will be running the full marathon distance virtually and two in-person races, the 5km and 10km, on Dec 4 and 5 respectively.

Ng plans to continue running the SCSM for as long as he can, adding: "Every year after I finish, I feel like I've won a race. I think about why I run and that keeps me going.

"It's because of my family and I want to dedicate and present my medal to them because they keep me going."

The 20th SCSM will see a virtual race (VR) grand finale from Dec 1 to 12, and an in-person grand finale on Dec 4 and 5 at The Float @ Marina Bay.