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HomeSports & RunsStandard Chartered Marathon (SCM) 2007 Post Race Report

Standard Chartered Marathon (SCM) 2007 Post Race Report

Update!
Race results are out! (select your category from the link)
Marathon Photos (coming soon)

The Standard Chartered Marathon (SCM) was on this morning and this year’s race is no exception, considering the last race for the season with Stand Chartered as the title sponsor. You can’t deny that 42km is not an easy feat but that didn’t stop a total of more than 40,000 runners from signing up for today’s event.

In the wee early morning at about 4.50am

Early morning
There are a large variety of transport options, despite the absence of bus and train services early in the morning. You can make your way to the venue by taxi, private transport (carparks in the area are open 24hours) or by official shuttle service (pre-booked) at the race expo ($3) or paid on the spot ($5). I personally took the 4.30am shuttle bus at Delta Sports Complex and technically you can even board the bus even without showing (or having) your ticket! Baggage deposit was rather disappointing, which I will touch on in a later part.

Marathon route terrain & weather
The marathon route is generally flat throughout and takes roughly the same route as last year, so I won’t touch on much about that, the lane width for most parts of the race are adequate and wide, even at the east coast areas, making full use of both the biking and pedestrian walkways for the 2 way traffic.

The finish line (at 1.30pm)
Finish line
There are still a handful of runners finishing past 1pm
Route up to finish
The old supreme court
Old supreme court

The weather for today’s race was excellent- it did not rain yet it was constantly cooling and windy through the wee mornings, even up to about 8am plus. That helped much in preventing excessive water loss for everybody in the early part of the race. I personally did not perspire much at all till the Sun came up fully at around 9am.

Waterpoints & Route facilities
Very commendable are the water points this year, there are always ready cold ice-mountain water and 100-plus at every water point, don’t ask me how they do it even with no visible chillers, ice or freezer trucks in sigh, only ice boxes of stacked mineral water, yet it’s always cold when you need it. We runners also can appreciate the organizers in stationing additional water points in critically hot sunny areas along the route (such as the kallang route towards national stadium), it goes to show how flexible can they be.

There are 2 portable pottys stationed at every waterpoint, which came as a welcome for all runners and not having to “hold up” to the known toilet areas along the route (e.g. east coast park which is remarkably not packed with runners), guess that really did lighten the toilet queues through the race. Deep heating stations are aplenty this time as they are manned by the SCM volunteers themselves, contray to Deep heating own staff members. There is only one powergel station this year, manned by powerbar themselves. There are banana kiosks at the 20km mark and many more nearing the finish, largely notable by banana peels all over the place which didn’t post much of a hazard. The spray tunnel tunnel came very much as a bonus to many, but not that the mist can actually reach/cool you down physically at all or directed away by the wind.

Baggage deposit/collection
The baggage deposit in the morning was terribly long, with queues snaking from the tentage all to the underpass. And mind them it’s not exactly fast moving at all. It’s not as if I had to put up with the queue myself but I believe many started the race late after having to put up with the it. Having a single main line actually acts as a bottleneck and not utilizing the other pens who are waiting at idle until the earlier pens are all filled, they should have dedicated independent queue lines to each pen based on the runner’s tag number so the lines will be more spaced out and accumulated. Another confusing thing is the need for another printed tag number on top of your bib number, is it really necessary?

Baggage collection take aobut 5mins average, fast!
Baggage tents
The admin, drinks and rest areas
Refreshments & rest tent
The marathoner massage area
Massage area

The organisers also made a mistake in condorning so much of the baggage area off, making it very difficult to access the area. The long pre-race toilet queues are exceptional as well, but you can still make use of the toilets in the surrounding areas (I used marina square), provided if they are accessible and not locked.

Post race events and facilities
Complete your race and be greeted by an array of tents and carnivals at the Padang. There is nothing much for adults which the exception of massage (the massage was great! 1st time going for it) and large admin/rest area, but for kids there are lots of play areas, not to mention large walking spheres, bungee and “spirit of marathon” painting competitions. There are also performances by various school military bands, not to mention face off between the run-aspirator performing teams at the stage (the percussion drums team clad in green were the champions).

The kids art booth
Children art booth
Performances by the padang
Stage performances
The kids play area
Kids play area

We have a winner!
With the exception of a few hour delay for results and prize presentation by the organisers, congrats to our SP’s 10km relay team for coming in 3rd for the Mixed 10km Relays!

And our SP track won 3rd for the mixed team relay!
3rd on the podium
Our prize winners!
Our winning team
The 10km 3rd plalce medal.
10km mixed 3rd medal
The marathon finisher package

So how did I do?
Personally I found this year’s marathon very relaxing and enjoyable to run especially in the early part of the race (<25km), but my timing this year did not say likewise- it is in fact 15mins slower than my last year’s timing of 4hours 40minutes. I did not walk as much this year and kept to an average pace of about 9.5km/h for most parts of the run. I think the greatest thing I lack from LSD runs is speed, which could actually improve my timing further.

Looking at some factors which could possibly slowed me down, I did stop by a visit to the first aid asking for plasters, but was offered vaseline by the auntie there instead for nipple abrasions (duh) which I found out when applied in generous amounts works wonders! I did not visit any toilets at all but chatted with few old friends along the route, so give and take for the considerable longer times.

The thing which really bugged me is a cramp which came up at my right quads at the last 2km when I was picking up the pace, it’s disappointing knowing that the finish is so near, yet you have to force yourself to stop and walk/stretch before picking up the pace again. Overall I cleared the line at about 5hours guntime, so my actual timing can be around 4:45 to 4:50. My calibrated distance measurement read 45km+ when I crossed the line, could straying off track for stretching and not cutting corners really turn in more than 42.192km?

In a better light, the other wonderful thing about this year’s race would be my shoes, never before I’ve ran more than 20km without a single blister at all (not to mention blackened toenails too)! Now I come to realize that my Mizuno is a perfect fitting shoe for me. My previous DS trainer for last year’s race, though very much lighter was very cramped at the toes, not suited for my wider foot type.

Nevertheless I was a finisher, and I guess that is what most people are more than satisfied with! I left the place around 1.30pm and there are still a handful of runners still finishing the marathon, amazing!

Low down: 9/10
Excellent organization for an international standard event. Well thought after crowd and event management, together with rather commendable water points and friendly service staff. Baggage collection deposit methods however, could be improved further also with more toilets at the start line. Nevertheless, a very professional event. Well done for the last of the 5 year season, running with Standard Charted as the title sponsor.

Weight for thought
Last but not least, to go with the SGrunner’s line of “running away the weight” here are some interesting measurements I’ve recorded prior and after the race Oregon Scientific Body analysis Scale, who says you can’t loose weight by running? Here’s the prove from myself!

Night before Marathon
Total weight: 62.2kg
Body Water percentage: 64.1%
Body Fat percentage: 12.1%

Post Marathon after recovery and full hydration
Total weight: 59.7kg
Body Water percentage: 65.6%
Body Fat percentage: 10.0%

I’ve never got below 10% for body fat before, it goes into saying that even with a week’s of gull glycogen store it won’t stop the body from going emergency into the fat stores to sustain the calorie requirement. Whats more I’ve crossed my 1000km mark for this year!

978.25km
Running Mileage for the week
Standard Chartered Marathon: 42.195km – Sunday
Total Mileage for week: 42.195km
Total 2007 Accumulative Mileage: 1020.45km

>> SCM 2007 Photo Album


Top 5 results of SCM 2007 for marathon categories

Category Rank Time Name Country
Men
1 2.14.23 ELIJAH MBOGO KENYA
2 2.14.25 AMOS TIROP MATUI KENYA
3 2.14.43 DAVID CHERUIYOT KENYA
4 2.16.43 FRANCIS KIPROP ETHIOPIA
5 2.16.59 MICHAEL KIMANI KENYA
Women
1 2.37.08 ALEM ASHEBIER GEBREZO ETHIOPIA
2 2.38.08 EDITH MASAI KENYA
3 2.38.46 CAROLINE KWAMBAI KENYA
4 2.39.41 EMMA MUTHONI KIRUKI KENYA
5 2.43.27 MADINA BIKTAGIROVA RUSSIA

Category Rank Time Name Country
Singapore Men
1 2.46.31 DANIEL LING SINGAPORE
2 2.51.22 M. RAMESHON SINGAPORE
3 2.55.54 P.RAMESH SINGAPORE
4 2.57.27 TAN CHOON GHEE SINGAPORE
5 3.00.21 HUANG YUXIANG EUGEN SINGAPORE

Singapore Women
1 3.01.17 VIVIEN TANG SINGAPORE
2 3.10.19 ANNE QIHUI DATE SINGAPORE
3 3.24.59 LIM SU LIN ELAINE SINGAPORE
4 3.36.17 YONG LAI CHEE SINGAPORE
5 3.38.15 ANNA TEO SINGAPORE

Category Rank Time Name Country
Veteran Men
1 2.42.34 JIRATIGARN BOONMA THAILAND
2 2.57.27 TAN CHOON GHEE SINGAPORE
3 3.00.10 MICHAEL CRAIG SCOTLAND
4 3.07.23 BRUNO FIORE FRANCE
5 3.08.40 SLONAKER MICHAEL USA
Veteran Women
1 3.01.46 JUNGSOOK LEE KOREA
2 3.11.19 ITSUKO LEWNES JAPAN
3 3.14.26 LUCIE HARDIMAN AUSTRALIA
4 3.24.45 JULIE FOREMAN GREAT BRITAIN
5 3.36.18 YONG LAI CHEE SINGAPORE

17 COMMENTS

  1. I was just happening to look for some photos for this SCSM 2007 photos while I found your blog in google.Congrats for clearing the full marathon here!

    It is my first marathon here & managed to complete the run.It was quite enjoyable though with the after effects of sore leg muscles,pains & aches :p

    For me,I used a brooks radius 7 cushioning shoes as it has a perfect fit for me instead 🙂 By the way,did you see those funny costumes (especially spiderman) when you were running?I won’t forget that in a hurry haha 😆

    • haha yes of course I saw spide! that will be around the marina bay U-turn for me, then every oncoming runner (on the 2 way route) was like calling out “spiderman!” “hi spide” the “spiderman” kept going “hey!” “hi” “hey there” “good day!” haha in other words replying everyone who called him, really made me smile there. 😀

      There was the lady with the painted face and twisty balloons all around her.

      There is one more, like a japanese farmer clad in a pink robe and straw hat as well!

  2. :razz:Congrats Shaun, well done for the run and the gd write up! Agree with your comments as usual, the run was really enjoyable. Like you, I discovered the perfect shoe for the run ( Adidas Adizero) and for the first time, I did not have a blackened big toe nail after the event .

    • Hi Glenda congrats on your run as well! Glad your Adizero served you well!

      Yup, Its also a fact that shoes which fit me will not fit everybody, but personally Well, besides, cramps, etc… I always find blisters the biggest stumbling block for my long distance runs, it’s like having to run with a flat tyre, frustrating!

      Having no blisters (or loose toenails!) for this marathon is like a miracally-unreal experience for me! I didn’t even have to apply emergency blister wraps (aka simple black tape!) during the run at all!

  3. Hi Shaun,first of all congratulations in completing your second Singapore Marathon! It was a wonderful experience for me given it was my 1st ever marathon.
    From the start,it looks kinda simliar to the AHM except the tents were set up at padang.Baggage deposit was a breeze for me as there wasn’t any long queue when i got there.
    Moving on to the route,it was quite smooth at the beginning,i was surprised that one round around Marina South is only about 8km! Everytime when i go to that area by bus,i thought it was quite a long stretch.Maybe at least 10km at least.
    Moving on to the east coast route,was kinda tough for me as i never thought that 8km into & out of the park just seems to take forever.And my worst nightmare struck when a cramp hit me big time on my left leg during the u-turn point at the 26km mark.I stretched my leg and walk for a while before picking up my pace and the cramp came back no matter how hard i try to shake it off.Everytime when i try to run again the cramp just came back.In the end i had no choice but to walk for the remaining 16km.Luckily during walking,the cramp didn’t stay there and i begun to walk as fast as i could and hoping to complete the race beyond my targeted time of less than 5 hours.

    Along the way back to the finish line,saw a number of familar faces which included my frens from NDU & commando during their NSF days.Was surprised that they are behind me!:mrgreen: I took numerous drinks from the drink stations along the way as my throat went dry on those occasions.This is also the 1st time i drank so much water during a running event.During the last 4km,i got a blister on my left sole! I wondered why i got so many problems with my left leg given that i’m a right footed!
    Finally,when i reached the final 100m mark,seeing so many people cheering us on,i decided to make my run no matter how.Even when cramps struck me on my legs eventually,i still cross the finishing line,running.I felt a wonderful sense of achievement after crossing the finish line.
    After crossing the finishing line,i proceed immediately to collect my well deserved finisher medal & shirt,and my bag at the baggage deposit.I was fortunate not to encounter any queues.After that i meet up with my running buddy & off to raffles city shopping centre to change up.
    No much complains except that the sprays available along the way doesn’t provide much help for me as it did not relieve me of my cramp,as my running buddy agreed as well.At least he did say that the creams well slightly more helpful but only for a short period of time.

    Finally,congratulations to all once again in completing one of the “greatest race on earth”.Despite walking for the last 16km,i was happy to finish the marathon in 5hr12min gun time and most important of all,completing the entire marathon.Hope that i will last longer next time round without any cramps.

    One of my friend asked me,”Why did you pay to suffer?”.I told him,”If I have a choice,i would do the same thing again.I might suffer along the way,but i also gained a wonderful experience in my life as well”.

    • woohoo! claudio! thanks for your report and views on the race! It’s your first marathon finish and in a big way it’s already an achievement! This race will definitely be the benchmark for you. Go for your PB on subsequent races to come and before you know it! It’s a (runners) way of life! A healthy and rewarding one as well!

      Yes, I understand your pain as the cramp you’ve got was very similar to mine at the 39km mark, which will only come about when you start to pick up the running pace. Rather irritating right? Guess we both have to build on muscular endurance!

      Why pay to suffer? haha I guess then you can say we are all addicted to pain then!

    • Yes,I was just about to tell you that actually but i guess you are earlier 😀 I checked my results and I am quite happy with my first time marathon results 😀 Now,I am definitely going to sign for SCSM 2008 now 😛

      About those 2 more costumes,yes they are that Japanese farmer & the lady with the balloons!! *lol* For me,my muscle soreness started at the 34km mark which was very annoying >_> But I did not use their deep heating cream as I preferred my counterpain cream instead (which I use after the run).My only grouse was the lack of spraying points which can keep the runners hydrated with a splash of water but i am not complaining about that haha

  4. Congratulations on finishing the marathon.

    It is a great effort.

    I was part of the organization and am glad to hear it was a good experience. As you can imagine, its difficult to please 40,000 runnrers but we try our best.

    Hope your recovery is good.

    AD

  5. Thanks Shaun! Will definitely go for better run results for all the running events i had took part this year,and no doubt i will try to do much better for next year’s marathon!
    The cramp was definitely a killer and hopefully i will build up a better endurance next time round.

  6. GOOD RUN – WRONG CHIP!!

    I recorded a personal best. The run went well and I could not have asked for more. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I discovered a wrong timing posted against my name. With help from the marathon pictures I was quickly able to determine that I was given the wrong champion chip in my race package. Whilst my bib said 4412 my chip was 4411. My personal details were matched against the person carrying chip 4412 and vice versa. I brought this matter to the notice of the authorities. Interestingly no one has stepped forward to acknowledge and take responsibility for the error. A lady from the organizers has given her word that the timing will be corrected together with the web results and runpix. As to when this will be done she was not able to say. Today is 3 weeks since I ran the marathon and I am still waiting. I will post an entry when this matter is addressed in a satisfactory manner.

    A great running experience with a bad aftertaste!

    • I guess such mistake of wrong chip is quite inevitable considering that all championchips are all hand packed by volunteers. So there are bound to be some errors, just sad to say you are the few ones.

      The main thing to accurately gauge the post management of the race have to be how professionally they respond and update your respective timings accordingly, which I see they aren’t doing just as well too?

      From what I know once the results are up online, it’s quite difficult to get changes done, unless you really press them to do it.

      From experience, the chances of getting the amendments done is higher especially if you want to purchase photos from them, thats where you can get into direct contact with the people who manages the database.

  7. You have a great blog that I frequently look up to get updates on running events.

    I would rank the Standard Chartered Marathon as a world class event. Errors are inevitable I agree. How these are managed well the event scores big. I have sent several emails and made a number of telephone calls. I do know that it is not difficult to correct the web results and runpix. It is a matter of the urgency with which it gets done.

    The web shows my timing to be close to 3 hours over the actual timing. That hurts. Anyways I am being positive that it will get corrected sooner than later.

    • Hey Vinod, thanks! I appreciate your comments! personally i find that it my way of contributing to the running community as a whole, especially with our love for running! :mrgreen:

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