SCMS 2011 Participants To Enjoy Greater Race Experience And Own Signature Portions Of The Route

SCMS 2011 Participants To Enjoy Greater Race Experience And 'Own' Signature Portions Of The Route

Singapore, 17 October 2011 - Come 4 December, runners at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) 2011 can expect a more positive race experience as a result of a number of key improvements made to the Marathon based on the feedback received from participants last year.

2. Committed to better the race experience, SCMS Organiser, Singapore Sports Council (SSC), took extra efforts to improve the race routes and baggage collection point. "At the top of our list of priorities is creating an exciting and safe race experience for everyone. As we strive to further develop the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore as the People's Race, these operational improvements goes towards providing a more positive race experience for all our participants," explained Mr David Voth, Senior Director, Sports Business, Singapore Sports Council, and Vice-chairman of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2011 Organising Committee.

Improvements to SCMS 2011

3. To ease congestion at the merging point of all three routes, participants of the 10km will now run on Nicoll Highway instead of hitting the East Coast Parkway (ECP) where the Full and Half Marathoners will be running on. They will also start their race at an earlier time of 7.15am on the Esplanade Bridge to create separation from runners in other categories towards the finish line.

4. This year, the various age categories of the Kids Dash will also flag off earlier by an hour to minimise heat and congestion during the race. In addition, Kids Dash participants will have a dedicated finish lane at the end of their race.

5. Full Marathon participants, who will begin their race at Orchard Road under the Christmas season's light-up, will be greeted by the newly opened Bay East interim garden at the 33km mark as they head towards the Padang from East Coast Park.

6. Another significant improvement for SCMS 2011 will be the change in the baggage collection point, which was previously located at the F1 Pit Building for Full and Half Marathon participants. For SCMS 2011, the baggage collection point will be moved to the War Memorial Park for all categories. The new location is chosen due to its close proximity to the finish point at the Padang, which will enable runners to pick up their belongings with ease after the race.

SCMS 2011 Route Naming Challenge

7. Adding to the colour of the race, the Organiser has also introduced the Route Naming Challenge which provides an opportunity for runners and supporters to 'own' eight key signature portions of the route. To participate in the Challenge, one simply needs to submit the proposed names and accompanying reasons to contest@marathonsingapore.com. The Challenge was also conducted at the SCMS 2011 road show at Clarke Quay (Central Fountain Square) this past Saturday, 15 October 2011, from 6pm to 2am.

8. Each winning name will earn the contestant S$100 in cash, with no restriction on the number of entries submitted per person. The winning contestants will also have their proposed names printed on the route maps within the SCMS 2011 Event Handbook and an actual road sign bearing each name will be placed along the route. The Challenge will end on 31 October 2011. Details of the Challenge are available on the official website (www.singaporemarathon.com).

9. Similar to its inaugural edition last year, the SCMS 2011 will feature three different start points and routes for the Full Marathon, Half Marathon and 10km, showcasing Singapore's iconic landmarks and neighbourhoods, including Orchard Road, Chinatown, Sentosa, Singapore Flyer and Esplanade. For further details of the SCMS 2011, please visit www.singaporemarathon.com and www.facebook.com/SGmarathon.

Annex A: Race Information - SCMS 2011 vs SCMS 2010

* Timings in bold denote changes in start times for 10km and Kids Dash.

** With the introduction of the 5km Fun Run this year, which is open to participants aged 13 and above, the age limit for Kids Dash has been lowered by a year to 12 years and below for SCMS 2011.