Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon marks a new chapter in sporting history with successful First Evening Race

November 30, 2019

- Kipkorir and Cherono defend titles as SCSM records highest number of marathon finishers in event’s 18-year history - Cherono breaks female course record - Singapore’s best crowned as Soh Rui Yong nails a hat-trick while Sharon Tan takes home a maiden title

SINGAPORE / TAMPA Fla. (30 November 2019) –The 2019 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) rewrote the history books and entered a new age as Singapore’s inaugural evening race recorded the highest number of marathon finishers in the event’s 18-year history.

For the second straight year, Kenyan Joshua Kipkorir was the quickest person to complete the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Boasting a time of 2:19:13, the defending champion led the race from start to finish, striding into the sunset amidst Singapore’s dazzling night sky. The win makes Kipkorir the second person to defend his title in the region’s only IAAF Gold Label race.

Priscah Cherono made it a double for Kenya as she shattered the course record for the elite women’s category with a time of 2:28:53. Her win bettered Salina Kosgei’s 13-year time by almost three minutes.

Kota Hokonuie and Madison De Rozario won the elite wheelchair categories with times of 1:36:23 and 1:49:56 respectively against a highly competitive field. The duo came out on top against Paralympians and former Abbott World Marathon Majors champions in the largest ever wheelchair contingent at SCSM.

For Madison, a second podium in Singapore was the perfect preparation for similar conditions at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. “Today’s win is a steppingstone for Tokyo 2020, and I definitely feel confident about it now. Not just the crossing line, but equipment wise and the combination of things that I’ve put together after last year’s race. Last year I was slipping a little bit due to the humidity but everything came together really well this year so I feel a lot better going into it.”

In the local categories, defending champion Soh Rui Yong made it a hat trick as he was crowned men’s local champion for a third time with a finishing time of 2:45:52. His counterpart, Sharon Tan won her maiden race with a time of 3:12:52. Tan breaks a two-year run of compatriot Rachel See underlining the highly competitive field of elite women marathoners in Singapore.

Sharing her thoughts on the new evening format and crowd support, Sharon Tan said, “I like it. You do not need to wake up early to prepare, you will have sufficient rest, the temperature is also quite cooling, more conducive for setting a personal best… The supporters were awesome. When they saw my name on my chest they actually called out my name. I also had friends along the way who cheered.”

“It feels great to win my third consecutive Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon,” said SCSM 2019 Singapore Elite Category Men’s winner, Soh Rui Yong. “It’s really nice to have Singaporean public out there just cheering everyone on. We’ve never had this much crowd support before, and it looked like a big party! I enjoyed the crowd support – saw people I know, and It was great to greet them. The views were awesome as well, especially at Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage. I was amazed by the crowd at Benjamin Sheares Bridge as I did not imagine people going up there, but it felt nice as that’s the section that you really needed the boost and support. The final stretch of the race was beautiful”

Throughout the evening, runners were cheered across the line by a rapturous crowd who filled the stands at The Float @ Marina Bay. They were part of a larger group that turned up across the three spectator viewing zones and at vantage points along the route – the most ever at any Singapore marathon to date.

Sharing his thoughts on the second of three race days, Geoff Meyer, Managing Director for The IRONMAN Group in Asia said, “It was great to see the crowds out in full force today. The new evening time seems to have gone well with both the runners and spectators, as is evident with the record turnouts and course times. I’m confident that we’ve taken another step in the right direction, and really look forward to closing the weekend strong with the 10K and 5K races tomorrow.”

Follow the race:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SGmarathon
Instagram: @sgmarathon
Twitter: @SG_marathon

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About Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is the leading mass participation run and only IAAF Gold Label race in South East Asia. Since 2002, the race has brought runners unparalleled running experiences, threading through the heart of the city seeing iconic heritage buildings and against one of the world’s most iconic city skylines and past some of Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. Comprising six categories; Marathon, Half Marathon, Ekiden Relay, 10km, 5km and Kids Dash, the race has been a catalyst to growing the local and regional running community, by bringing together approximately 50,000 professional, amateur, avid and leisure runners yearly. For more information, visit www.singaporemarathon.com.

About Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore 

Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore is part of an international banking group, with more than 150 years of history in some of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good.

The Bank has a history of 159 years in Singapore, where we opened our first branch in 1859. In October 1999, we were among the first international banks to receive a Qualifying Full Bank (QFB) licence, an endorsement of the Group’s long-standing commitment to our business in the country.

Singapore is home to the majority of our global business leadership, our technology organisation, as well as SC Ventures, our innovation hub. In 2013, the Bank transferred our Singapore Retail and SME businesses to a locally-incorporated subsidiary, Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited (“SCBSL”). In 2018, we announced our intention to fully consolidate our business operations in Singapore through the transfer of our Commercial Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking and Private Banking businesses to SCBSL. SCBSL is one of the highest-rated banks globally: A by Standard & Poor’s, Aa3 by Moody’s Investor Services and A by Fitch Ratings.

In Singapore, we support both individual and corporate needs to build wealth and drive commerce at every step of their journey. We do this by offering an entire range of financial services across personal, priority and private banking as well as our business, commercial and corporate banking teams. The Bank employs around 9,000 people in Singapore and has a network of 15 branches, 5 Priority Banking centres and 31 ATMs.

About Sport Singapore

As the national sports agency, Sport Singapore’s core purpose is to inspire the Singapore spirit and transform Singapore through sport. Through innovative, fun and meaningful sporting experiences, our mission is to reach out and serve communities across Singapore with passion and pride. With Vision 2030 – Singapore’s sports master plan, our mandate goes beyond winning medals. Sport Singapore uses sport to create greater sporting opportunities and access, more inclusivity and integration as well as broader development of capabilities. At Sport Singapore, we work with a vast network of public-private-people sector partners for individuals to live better through sport. To find out more, visit our websites www.sportsingapore.gov.sg and www.myactivesg.com. Follow us at www.facebook.com/myActiveSG and www.youtube.com/SingaporeSports.

About The IRONMAN Group

As part of Wanda Sports Group, The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Wanda Sports Group

Wanda Sports Group (Nasdaq: WSG) is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. Through our businesses, including Infront and The IRONMAN Group, we have significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling us to deliver unrivaled sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. We offer a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through three primary segments: Mass Participation, Spectator Sports and Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS). Our full-service platform creates value for our partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes. Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 60 offices and 1,600 employees around the world.

Appendix A: 2019 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Top Five Results

Top 5 Elite men

Top 5 Elite Women

Top 5 Elite Wheelchair Men

Top 5 Elite Wheelchair Women

Top 5 Singaporean Men

Top 5 Singaporean Women