Stanchart Marathon hit by congestion issues at post-race zone, organisers issue apology

SINGAPORE – The first day of the 2025 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) hit a speed bump on Dec 6, with congestion issues at the Padang finish line raising the ire of many participants.

They took to the event’s social media platforms to vent their frustrations with the slow-moving queues, after a bottleneck formed in the post-race zone as the half-marathon and 5km runners came in.

Several runners told The Sunday Times that they waited between 10 and 40 minutes to clear the area after finishing their races between 8am and 9am.

Participants were moved to a medal collection point after crossing the finish line at the Padang – the first time the race is ending here since 2017 – before heading to another area to collect their goodie bags and refreshments.

But runners told ST that the number of people funnelling through led to a jam.

Indonesian Khairunnisa Alkhawarijmi, who travelled from Jakarta to run the half-marathon, took 30 minutes to get to the race village.

While she mostly enjoyed the experience, she felt that the post-race procedures could have been better.

“I will never forget about this event because this is my first half-marathon in Asia,” said the 24-year-old graduate student.

“But one critique I have for this event is maybe it should be neater because it was too crowded (at the finish line) today. It felt hotter (the longer we waited) and I felt dizzy as well.”

The 2025 edition features a new two-day format, with the half-marathon and marathon events held on separate days, with organisers Ironman Group previously stating it would

offer runners a smoother and more enjoyable experience

.

For first-time participant Adam Wafiy, 28, most aspects of the event went smoothly, though he encountered a 40-minute post-race wait.

He said: “Maybe the waiting area could’ve been more sheltered because a lot of runners were complaining that it was very hot and there were no replenishments after they finished the route.”

Note Ngan Vu, who was running the half-marathon for the second time, appreciated the new format because it shortened waiting times at the start.

But the Vietnamese, who works as a business analyst here, also noticed a longer delay in reaching the race village. It took her about 10 minutes to access the area, compared with just two to three minutes in 2024.

She said: “If it’s shorter it’s better because most of the people are tired after the race and they want to get water faster.”

Responding to queries, an SCSM spokesperson apologised to participants, adding that the congestion occurred at a peak time for half-marathon and 5km runners, with the large number of runners “putting a strain on infrastructure”.

The spokesperson added: “Additional medical resources were allocated to this area to provide assistance to any participants that required it. Once this issue was identified the event team moved to ease congestion, opening up additional paths for participants to take, while ensuring that all still had access to hydration and post-event services.”

Under the new format, the half-marathon, 5km and Kids Dash took place on Dec 6, while the marathon, 10km and Ekiden will be held on Dec 7.

The event team will review the post-race set-up ahead of the marathon and 10km events and make any necessary changes, added the spokesperson, although it does not expect a repeat of the Dec 6 issues due to extended course timings.

Several runners also highlighted congestion along parts of the course, particularly the 12km to 19km mark that passed through and looped round Gardens By The Bay and the Marina Barrage.

Sankalp Garg, who ran the half-marathon, said: “You can’t overtake anyone... There was someone requiring a medic and the guy just couldn’t reach him because it was just so narrow.”

Meanwhile, Soh Rui Yong fought off his rivals to win the men’s half-marathon national championships on Dec 6 with a time of 1hr 14min 58sec, ahead of Najib Mooiz (1:15:14) and Ahmad Arif Ibrahim (1:16:26).

His victory came two days after he was told

 he might not be cleared to compete at the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand

after an electrocardiogram taken during a routine pre-Games medical screening was ruled “abnormal, with multiple premature ventricular complexes”.

On how it impacted him mentally, he said: “Because I’ve lived my life so many years with no issues, I thought it wasn’t going to affect me.

“But because it was in the media and I had a lot of people messaging me, telling me to be careful, naturally, for example today, when I was going through a rough patch, I usually just deal with it.

“But today... (I thought) ‘What if it’s my heart?’ for maybe two minutes, then I just continued running.”

The 34-year-old underwent a follow-up check-up on Dec 5 and is awaiting clearance for the SEA Games, where he is slated to compete in the 10,000m.

For now, his focus is on the marathon.

The five-time SCSM marathon national champion said: “Today I have to do everything I can to recover... Health and safety first – if I feel like I can take it on, I will.”

It was another Thailand-bound athlete who stole the show in the women’s national championship, with Nicole Low finishing first in 1:23:45, ahead of Jasmine Teo (1:24:44) and Singapore’s top distance runner Vanessa Lee (1:25:42).

While the half-marathon is not one of her usual events, the 27-year-old, who will race in the 5,000m and modern pentathlon at the SEA Games, decided to give it a go after her training boosted her fitness.

She said: “I’m quite glad that everything went smoothly.

“Seeing that I’m also going for SEA Games next week so I didn’t want to push myself too much, but it was a good effort run.”