WHAT’S NEXT?
Asked what’s next given the marathon’s perennial challenges, race organiser the Ironman Group said the goal is to keep growing participation as well as improving experiences.
“For us as organizers, we never lose sight of our core mission, which is to grow each edition of the race, increase participation, and deliver an exceptional experience for runners from Singapore and around the world,” said Mr Santoz Kumar, the general manager of the Ironman Group.
Title sponsor Standard Chartered Bank said that it will continue to explore ways to create experiences “that go beyond race weekend” and can benefit the wider community.
For example, this year, it offered 200 complimentary race slots to volunteers and running enthusiasts from community organisations such as Special Olympics Singapore, and Running Hour, which benefits those with special needs.
On how the marathon will continually raise its appeal to international runners, Mr Santoz said that group has “extensive experience in international marketing and promotion”, which has helped grow overseas participation at the event over the years.
The race attracted 14,000 international participants from 80 countries – about 25 per cent of the participants. In comparison, participation statistics from the Berlin Marathon, a World Marathon Major, showed that over 40 per cent of its participants are from overseas.
Mr Santoz noted that international participation has increased by about 10 per cent compared to last year and the organiser will “keep refining our outreach to sustain this trajectory”.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), one of the marathon’s partners, said that it will continue working closely with the event organisers and relevant government agencies to attract more overseas participants.
“To keep the event exciting and engaging, we will support efforts to establish the Singapore Marathon as the ‘must-attend’ marathon race in Southeast Asia through introducing fresh programming,” said director of sports at STB, Ms Lilian Chee.
She added that the Singapore Marathon is part of a “diverse portfolio” of events that aims to attract sports tourism such as Hyrox, triathlons and pickleball, all which target different communities and demographics.
“We will intensify efforts to attract world-class sports events that appeal strongly to both locals and visitors,” said Ms Chee. “These events generate significant economic benefits and global branding value for Singapore, with positive spillover effects across retail, dining, and hospitality.”
In any case, running has become an increasingly popular sport in Singapore.
Sport Singapore’s (SportSG’s) 2024 National Sports and Exercise Participation Survey results showed that running was the second most popular sport just behind walking, with 25 per cent of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents indicating that they run regularly – up from 19 per cent in 2018.
A SportSG spokesperson said that the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon has “played a vital role in uniting our running community, inspiring participation, and fostering a sense of national pride and community bonding.”
“The increasing number of participants each year is also a reflection of the event’s popularity, and SportSG aims to build on this every year,” the spokesperson added.
Beyond funding support, SportSG is also actively involved in the race operations, including event planning and liaising with partners and other public agencies to ensure the smooth conduct of the event.
Agreeing, Mr Santoz said that the marathon represents “an important tradition that brings the running community together”.
“So, as long as there is strong interest from runners and continued support from government agencies, our commitment is to keep the marathon going.”