Organisers announce improved Singapore marathon route

42km route map for the upcoming race on December 2nd. Click on the image for a larger version. (Image courtesy of SSC)

Kallang, Monday, October 29, 2012 — The organisers of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore have announced an improved full-marathon route for the December 2nd race.

The section of the route at South Bridge Road will be omitted and there will be an earlier turn at Upper Pickering Road, with a wider path for runners to prevent congestion.

Participants will also be run through the Gardens by the Bay (South) at the 37km mark.

For half-marathon runners, the section along the Tanjong Beach roundabout on Sentosa has been removed, eliminating the congestion that runners experienced last year. A cap of 10,000 runners was also imposed for the 21.1km category.

In addition, all categories will have improved wave starts to minimise crowding in the first few kilometres.

The routes for the three major categories — 42km, 21.1km, 10km — will merge at some point. 42km runners will see 21km runners at the 37km mark, then 10km runners just before the 40km mark.

Running pace will determine how crowded the route gets for individual runners. 42km runners will start at 5am, 21.1km runners will start at 6.30am, and 10km runners at 7.15am.

There will be festive music performances along the route and the organisers will also be looking out to reward runners who dress up with a festive theme.

Said Mr Lim Teck Yin, the chief executive officer of the Singapore Sports Council and chairman of the organising committee: “The best marathons around the world are remembered for their unique identities. London for its wacky fancy dress participants and charity element, New York for its ‘electrifying’ experience with over 100 bands performing along the route and Berlin for its unique international flavour of participants from over 100 countries.”

“For Singapore, the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore is the largest running event held in December during the festive season so we decided that extending the festive cheer into our event is a way to distinguish ourselves internationally.

“We have close to 4,500 overseas runners this year, which we believe is an indicator of the name our marathon is making for itself around the world. With the festive theme, we hope the international stature of our marathon will grow even further,” added Mr Lim.

Runners were able to opt for the baggage deposit service at the point of registration and will be presented with a Baggage Service Pack (BSP) at the Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) at the end of November.

Runners can pre-pack their belongings and fill up their personal details on the bag within the BSP, which will help to reduce the waiting times at the deposit counters come race day.

Giant Cheer Video screens at the 34km and 40km marks will display videos from supporters. As runners pass those points, their race tag will trigger the screen to show a specific video message sent in by their supporters.

“Feedback from runners has always been very important and helpful for us to make improvements to the race. We went through all aspects of the race from start to finish to see where and how we can make it better. We have made significant changes to the routes and logistical arrangements to ensure a better running experience,” said Mr Lim.

In 2011, the SCMS was awarded the Gold Label status by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), placing it among elite marathons in the world such as London, Berlin, Boston and New York City.

For more information on SCMS 2012, please visit www.marathonsingapore.com and www.facebook.com/marathonSG.

Race Information
Full Marathon/Ekiden — 5am (start point: Orchard Road)
Half Marathon (21.1km) — 6.30am (start point: Sentosa)
10km wheelchair — 7.10am (start point: Esplanade Drive)
10km men and women — 7.15am (start point: Esplanade Drive)

Kids’ Dash (10-12/13 yrs) — 9.15am (start point: Esplanade Drive)
Kids’ Dash (7-9 yrs) — 9.30am (start point: Esplanade Drive)
Kids’ Dash (4-6 yrs) — 9.45am (start point: Esplanade Drive)
Kids’ Dash (below 3 yrs) — 10am (start point: Esplanade Drive)

Baggage Deposit and Collection

Go to next page for 21.1.km and 10km route maps