Mok Ying Ren makes winning return from injury at Stanchart Marathon Singapore

Story by Colin Tung/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan and Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports

Mok Ying Ren was the fastest Singaporean man to complete the marathon. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)

Padang, Sunday, December 7, 2014 — Reigning Southeast Asian (SEA) Games marathon champion Mok Ying Ren made a winning return from injury at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. He was the first Singaporean man to cross the finish line in the marathon, clocking a time of 2 hours 53 minutes 42 seconds. His personal best is 2:26:33, set in 2013 in Gold Coast, Australia.

28-year-old teacher Soon Suan Boon and 39-year-old prisons officer Ramesh Palaniandy finished in second and third places in times of 2:59:50 and 3:02:44 respectively to round up the podium of the Local Men’s Open category.

It was the 26-year-old Ying Ren’s first marathon since the SEA Games in Myanmar last December. He sustained a “shin reaction” in June that had kept him from running till two months ago. The win was his fifth at the event.

Ying Ren, who was the 21st man overall to finish and is currently serving National Service as a medical officer, said, “I’m very happy that my shin held up well. It’s a good sign. Time was not a key consideration in this race. Now that I have completed this, I look forward to adding some intensity (to his training) over the next few months.”

Ying Ren ran conservatively during the race, working alongside a pack of five other local marathoners. He said, “A bunch of us ran together for the first 30km. Suan Boon, Ramesh, Melvin (Wong), (Ang) Chee Yong, and Devathas (Satianathan) were part of this group, with a lot of chatter coming especially from Devathas.”

With fatigue setting in approaching the 30th kilometre, Ying Ren’s rivals found difficulty keeping up.

28-year-old runner-up, Suan Boon, who has twice previously finished as the third-fastest Singaporean in the marathon, said, “I was pushing the pace a little, somewhere after 27km. Mok caught up at about 29km. By then, my legs were feeling strained. I just carried on at my own pace, trying to keep the gap I pulled on the rest (Ramesh, Melvin, Chee Yong, and Devathas) as far as I could.”

In the local women’s category, Rachel See was the fastest in a time of 3:17:13. She was the 12th woman overall to finish. Neo Jie Shi and Lim Sing Yi rounded off the podium places in times of 3:23:53 and 3:27:42 respectively.

The fastest marathoner on the day in the field of 53,000 runners was Kenneth Mungara from Kenya in a time of 2:16:42. Joining him on the podium in the Elite Men’s Open were compatriots David Kiptui Tarus and Charles Kanyao, who finished in times of 2:19:07 and 2:19:18 respectively.

Waganesh Amare of Ethiopia broke the Kenyans’ dominance by winning the Elite Women’s Open category of the marathon, clocking a time of 2:46:54. Trailing her were Kenyans Elizabeth Chemweno and Pauline Wangui in times of 2:47:50 and 2:48:59 respectively.

Headlining the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore this year was two-time Olympic and five-time world champion and distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie.

Competing in the 10km, five Kenyans were looking to collect the 41-year-old Ethiopian’s scalp. Two of them were successful, relegating the 27-time world record holder, who was making his competitive debut in southeast Asia, to third place in a time of 30 minutes. Solomon Kipyego Keter and Thomas Maritim took the top two positions in times of 29:47 and 29:53 respectively.

Gebrselassie said after the race, “The crowd in Singapore has been fantastic and I treated the race as a celebration. It’s a wonderful atmosphere and everything was great, except the weather. The humidity is not something I expected but the guys from Kenya really pushed me to go faster.”

Results (Provisional)

Marathon

Elite Men’s Open
1. Kenneth Mungara (Kenya) – 2 hour 16 minutes 42 seconds
2. David Kiptui Tarus (Kenya) – 2:19:07
3. Charles Kanyao (Kenya) – 2:19:18
4. Paul Matheka (Kenya) – 2:20:38
5. Laban Kipkimoi Moiben (Kenya) – 2:21:30
6. Mike Kiprotich Mutai (Kenya) – 2:23:19
7. Dereje Yadete Woldediyorgis (Ethiopia) – 2:24:12
8. Samwel Kipngetich Kalya (Kenya) – 2:26:55
9. Kennedy Kiproo Lilan (Kenya) – 2:27:25
10. Josphat Kiprono (Kenya) – 2:27:32

Elite Women’s Open
1. Waganesh Amare (Ethiopia) – 2:46:54
2. Elizabeth Chemweno (Kenya) – 2:47:50
3. Pauline Wangui (Kenya) – 2:48:59
4. Albina Mayorova (Russia) – 2:49:26
5. Ayelu Lemma (Ethiopia) – 2:49:52
6. Jane Jepkosgei Kiptoo (Kenya) – 2:51:48
7. Margaret Njuguna (Kenya) – 2:57:55
8. Jane Nyambura Kariuki (Kenya) – 3:01:28
9. Lamahewage Shyamalee Anusha (Sri Lanka) – 3:10:00
10. Kumarasinghe Manjula (Sri Lanka) – 3:11:03

Local Men’s Open
1. Mok Ying Ren – 2:53:42
2. Soon Suan Boon – 2:59:50
3. Ramesh Palaniandy – 3:02:44
4. Melvin Wong – 3:03:50
5. Ang Chee Yong – 3:05:15
6. Andy Neo – 3:05:25
7. Ganesh Sivaraj – 3:07:06
8. Ning Wenlong – 03:08:17
9. Devathas Satianathan – 03:09:01
10. Colin Chua – 03:09:46

Local Women’s Open
1. Rachel See – 3:17:13
2. Neo Jie Shi – 3:23:53
3. Lim Sing Yi – 3:27:42
4. Jasmine Goh – 3:38:18
5. Ezann Eng – 3:40:28
6. Tan Yi Zhen – 3:42:52
7. Choo Ling Er – 3:42:57
8. Viviane Gut – 3:43:11
9. Ling Li Lynly Tan – 3:46:42
10. Tay Bee Lang – 3:51:11

Half Marathon

Men’s Open
1. Josphat Kiprono Menjo (Kenya) – 1:05:47
2. Geoffrey Birgen (Kenya) – 1:05:53
3. John Lorono Lorira (Kenya) – 1:09:10
4. Joseph Mwangi Ngare (Kenya) – 1:09:11
5. Nimesh Gurung (Nepal) – 1:13:50
6. Saiin Alim (Indonesia) – 1:16:26
7. Weerakkody Pathiranalage Jayarathna (Sri Lanka) – 1:19:00
8. Josh Harris (Australia) – 1:23:21
9. Matsumoto Noboru (Japan) – 1:24:02
10. Timothy Kelsall (Singapore) – 1:24:33

Women’s Open
1. Peninah Kigen (Kenya) – 1:19:04
2. Esther Karimi (Kenya) – 1:21:44
3. Lourine Jepchirchir Mutai (Kenya) – 1:31:22
4. Mun Tse Mandy Choy (Hong Kong) – 1:34:50
5. Look Xinqi (Singapore) – 1:39:04
6. Odekta Elvina Naibaho (Indonesia) – 1:39:05
7. Katie Stringer (Australia) – 1:41:19
8. Tatiana Luebke (Singapore) – 1:41:21
9. Susi Heusser (Singapore) – 1:42:33
10. Yan Wang (Singapore) – 1:42:53

10km

Men’s Open
1. Solomon Kipyego Keter (Kenya) – 29 minutes 47 seconds
2. Thomas Maritim (Kenya) – 29:53
3. Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) – 30:00
4. James Maregu (Kenya) – 30:27
5. Charles Munyua Njoki (Kenya) – 31:40
6. Tesfay Negash Wubet (Kenya) – 32:01
7. Fraser Thompson (Australia) – 32:05
8. Tsukasa Kawarai (Japan) – 34:11
9. Colin Tung (Singapore) – 34:49
10. Jeevaneesh Soundararajah (Singapore) – 35:34

Women’s Open
1. Alice Kabura Njoroge (Kenya) – 35:39
2. Isabellah Kigen (Kenya) – 37:12
3. Yucabeth Bore (Kenya) – 37:32
4. Viola Jepchirchir Kimeli (Kenya) – 38:39
5. Elizabeth Orchard (New Zealand) – 41:15
6. Hjordis Storm – 43:03
7. Hilda Stoney – 43:12
8. Melanie Keppler – 43:31
9. Eleanor Chee – 43:33
10. Kristine Carleton – 44:25

Singapore Marathon Statistics