Contributed by Lorna Campbell

Singapore, Thursday, May 20, 2010 – In a historic first for a marathon in Singapore, participants of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) 2010 can look forward to nothing but an experience of a lifetime as they either run down Orchard Road, through Universal Studios Singapore in Sentosa or on the newly opened Helix Bridge, depending on which category they sign up for.

In what is being billed as Singapore’s pinnacle running event, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) – the organisers of the inaugural SCMS 2010 with Standard Chartered Bank as the title sponsor, today opened registrations for the year-end event with six race categories allowing for participation from more segments of the public.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who officiated at the opening of the registration, said: “The SCMS marathon promises to be a unique and exciting event for the running community and their supporters. The new routes will provide a great experience for the estimated 60,000 participants.

“With the introduction of new routes featuring iconic landmarks of Singapore, and the broadcasting of the event to the world, we expect the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore to grow in size and to become one of the world’s leading running events. We are also extremely delighted with the support shown by the Standard Chartered Bank as we work together towards making the event a people’s marathon of Singapore. ”

Full marathon runners will be in for a treat as they will be able to run down Orchard Road with the Christmas light-up in full operation after the flag-off near Ngee Ann City. Runners will be taken past iconic landmarks such as the colourful Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts building, followed by bustling Chinatown and the grand Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

Half-marathon runners will start their run on Sentosa Bridge and can expect to be taken through Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park at Resorts World Sentosa, where they might be greeted by Shrek, Po (from Kung Fu Panda) and other well-known animated characters. This is the first marathon to take place within the newly opened Universal Studios Singapore.

As for the 10km category, runners will start off at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and will run past Singapore’s Financial District before moving over to the new Helix Bridge.

A new feature of Singapore’s pinnacle running race is the Ekiden relay, which enjoys a huge following in Japan, United States and Australia. The relay event will consist of six runners per team, and together, these six runners will have to run a total of 42.195 km.

“In developing this new race, we took in the best inputs from the planners and runners combined. In our effort to ensure that all participants have a great experience, we have put together a technically sound and world class route. In addition, we have appointed the race director of the world renowned Boston Marathon Dave McGillivray to share his expertise and provide valuable advice in organising the inaugural Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore,” said Mr Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer of the SSC.

“We are incorporating new and exciting elements to the race such as the Ekiden, a relay event consisting of six runners who will complete 42.195 km and a popular feature in famous marathons around the world. We are also planning for a range of carnival activities at the Padang as well as creating excitement along the route for the supporters and spectators so as to give everyone a holistic sporting experience.”

Ray Ferguson, Regional CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, said: “Standard Chartered Bank has been in partnership with the Singapore Sports Council for the past eight years and with our combined experience, we look forward to creating an iconic national event. We have seen the success and popularity of marathon running in Singapore grow phenomenally over the years, so it is fitting that we build on this enthusiasm of participants and produce a marquee event.”

The Race Director for the SCMS 2010, Dave McGillivray, said the participants who signed up for the inaugural race will be in for an experience of a lifetime. He said: “The routes which have been planned appear to take in all the important elements of a world-class race while navigating through some of the most scenic and exciting venues the city of Singapore has to offer. As such, this will become one of the best races ever to be conducted in Asia and will rapidly begin to gain world-wide interest and attention.”

The organisers of the SCMS 2010 are also in negotiations with renowned transportation companies and will be providing a baggage deposit and transfer system for runners who participate in the full and half marathons to have their bags transported from the starting points to the end points. This is similar in practice at various other well-known marathons which have different starting and ending points such as the Hong Kong and London marathons. A bus ferry service will also be available at the finish point to ferry runners back to the start points at Orchard Road and Sentosa Bridge.

The SCMS 2010 official charity partner for the Run for good initiative was also revealed at the launch event. Under the Run for good, the SCMS organising committee aims to raise funds for the beneficiaries of Club Rainbow (Singapore), its adopted charity for 2010. Club Rainbow (Singapore) was set up in 1992 to provide a range of comprehensive support services for the families of children who suffer from major chronic and potentially life-threatening illnesses.

SCMS 2010 aims to attract some 60,000 participants from Singapore and overseas. The event will be broadcast ‘live’ on StarHub Super Sports Arena (Ch 201) which is available to all StarHub Cable TV subscribers. There are plans to provide the ‘live’ coverage to broadcasters around the world. In addition, the event will be streamed ‘live’ on SingaporeSports.tv (the TV arm of the SingaporeSports.sg portal), a first-ever for a local running event.

REGISTRATION PRICES

Inaugural Period: May 20th – June 4th
Early Bird Period: June 5th – July 2nd
Normal Period: July 1st – Sept 30th

Full Marathon – 42.195km
Inaugural Period: $45.00
Early Bird: $75.00
Normal Period: $85.00

Half Marathon – 21.2km
Inaugural Period: $36.00
Early Bird Period: $58.00
Normal Period: $65.00

10km – Men / Women / Wheelchair
Inaugural Period: $31.00
Early Bird Period: $50.00
Normal Period: $55.00

Kids Dash – 750m
Inaugural Period: $10.00
Early Bird Period: $18.00
Normal Period: $20.00

Ekiden – 42.195km
$300.00

Note: Standard Chartered card holders will enjoy additional 15% off online registrations