Soh Rui Yong aims for double triumph at StanChart Singapore Marathon

SINGAPORE – With two SEA Games golds and six national records, Singapore’s top distance runner Soh Rui Yong is gunning for another milestone at the Dec 6-7 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM).

The 34-year-old has set his sights on a double triumph at the 2025 edition, where he will compete in the half-marathon and marathon across two days.

Soh, who has clinched five consecutive national championship titles (marathon) at the event, will be able to race in both categories this time owing to the new format, which has the two categories on separate days.

The Singaporean runner will compete in the half-marathon on Dec 6 before taking on the 42.195km event the next day. Nine days later, he will embark on an even bolder quest for a third victory at the SEA Games in Thailand, where

he will race in the 10,000m on Dec 16

.

Soh said in a statement: “As I approach 35 years of age, I’m starting to look at an ultramarathon career, with races like the Two Oceans (56km) and Comrades Marathon (88km) in mind. The Double-Up Challenge (half-marathon and marathon) is a great way for me to get my feet wet and see if ultras might be for me.

“Combining the Double-Up Challenge with the SEA Games 10,000m gives me a good opportunity to test myself on 73.3km over 10 days. If I want to race 88km in one go, I need to first learn how to race this triple challenge well – particularly balancing exertion, nutrition, hydration and recovery.”

Though

national champion Soh has been undefeated since 2017

, he noted that he will not be the favourite for the marathon due to the “new layer of strategy and unpredictability”, adding that he would “have to find a way to win”.

Santoz Kumar, general manager of the Ironman Group, which organises the SCSM, said: “Soh has always been bold in his ambitions, and we’ve seen him work hard to achieve these wins over the years. It is not an easy feat to win all three races, but I cannot think of anyone who has a better chance.”

Soh is not alone in trying to complete the Double-up Challenge, with 130 runners planning to participate in the half-marathon and marathon.

More than 700 participants will also attempt other combinations of the challenge – marathon and 5km, half-marathon and 10km, 10km and 5km – and finishers will receive a special commemorative medal for their efforts.

A total prize purse of about $335,000 will be up for grabs at the SCSM for the national championship and World Athletics Gold Label Marathon (elite men and women’s marathon).

The top 10 finishers in the national championship (men and women’s) will share the total prize pool of $89,000, with the men and women’s champions pocketing $10,000 each. The prize pool for the half-marathon national championship (top five men and women’s) and marathon masters (top five men and women’s) is $23,600 and $14,600 respectively.

Among the notable names in town for the Dec 6-7 race are Uganda’s defending men’s marathon champion Abel Sikowo, who was promoted from second spot after

2024 winner Geoffrey Yegon was suspended for two years

for testing positive for a banned substance in a post-race test.

The top eight runners in the elite men and women’s marathon will share the US$190,000 (S$247,000) prize money, with the top finishers in both events pocketing US$50,000 each.

Over 45,000 participants have signed up for the SCSM, which flags off at the F1 Pit Building and ends at the Padang.