The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Half-Marathon National Championship delivered decisive wins on Saturday morning, with Soh Rui Yong and Nicole Low taking the men’s and women’s national titles, respectively.
Soh won in 1:14:58, finishing just 16 seconds ahead of Najib Mooiz (1:15:14), with Ahmad Arif Ibrahim (1:16:26) taking third. Low topped the women’s field in 1:23:45, followed by Jasmine Teo (1:24:44) and Vanessa Lee (1:25:42).
The victories came with very different storylines: a tactical, turbulent race for Soh and a controlled, assured performance from Low.
Soh Holds Firm, Then Closes Hard
Soh did not run the race like a conventional half-marathon. Attempting a 63 km weekend double – the half-marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday – he intentionally kept his pacing conservative early on.
Soh said, “My plan was very simple. I’m looking at this as a 63km race, not a 21km race. If you’re running a 63km race, you try and run the first 50km really, really relaxed, and then maybe you attack the last 13km.”
That approach shaped how he responded to the younger, more aggressive runners in the field.
The 34-year-old added, “Of course, it doesn’t play out exactly that way, because I’m facing different people in 21km and 42km. The younger guys can be a bit more aggressive in the way they run. I wasn’t leading until between 19 and 20km, and I think that’s where a bit of experience paid off.”
But experience did not spare him from difficulty. Midway through the race, Soh hit a sudden low.
“I think I felt like my sugar levels dropped very suddenly, going up one of the bridges. Suddenly I felt my head (was) a bit light. Then I looked at my heart rate, and it had dropped.
“I consumed one of my gels, but it doesn’t hit right away. At one point, the thought even crept in, like, do I drop out? Or do I finish and get the podium? Because if I’m really not going to run well today, there’s no point dragging myself through a race and risk recovery or risk health and safety.”
As his rhythm returned between 12km and 15km, he reassessed. Mooiz, by then, was deep into his boldest move of the day.
Mooiz’s Surge Shakes the Race Open
Between 11km and 20km, Mooiz was the main protagonist.
“From 11km all the way to maybe around 20km, I was leading the race, and the gap between Rui Yong and me was quite sizable.”
Soh confirmed it: “He overtook me, and he was like a jet. Like, he went past me, and it was another aggressive move. At one point, I think both of them (Keane Ko and Mooiz) were at least a minute ahead, maybe 50 seconds ahead.”
Mooiz stayed committed to the move and held on impressively until the final kilometre. When Soh finally caught him at around the Red Dot Design Museum, Mooiz was “a bit shagged,” but still continued fighting until the end.
After finishing second – earning both his first SCSM podium and a personal best – Mooiz summed up the emotions plainly: “It’s a bittersweet feeling. Almost first, but it’s not that. So it’s like in the middle. But I’m happy and thankful for this chance to get on the podium.”
Soh Clarifies Health Situation After Pre-Games Screening
Soh’s win came at the end of a week dominated by medical scrutiny. A routine pre-participation ECG ahead of the SEA Games had shown irregularities, prompting further evaluation.
Post-race, he clarified that a second test had already taken place, and it yielded a more encouraging outcome.
“The doctor mentioned that whatever abnormalities that were observed by the first test seemed to dissipate when I’m running, like the abnormalities are not so obvious when I’m running.
“The second checkup was, in my opinion, very positive.”
The results have been sent to SSI for final clearance. Until then, Soh remains focused on what he can control.
“For now, today, I have to do everything I can to recover.”
He returns to the start line tomorrow for the full marathon.
Low Executes a Clean, Controlled Win Ahead of SEA Games Double Duty
Low entered the half-marathon not just as a final tune-up, but as part of a bigger picture. The 27-year-old will soon make her SEA Games debut in both athletics and modern pentathlon, competing in the 5,000m and the laser run (a run-and-shoot discipline).
While the men’s race changed shape repeatedly, the women’s national race held its form. Low entered with a clear plan: stay composed, run within herself, and avoid unnecessary risks.
“I’m actually quite glad that everything went smoothly. Half-marathon is not what I usually want to run. I find it’s a bit long for me, but I think it’s a good effort run, definitely.”
Low stayed patient through the early kilometres and shifted gears only when she felt the timing was right.
“I was trying to hold a comfortably hard pace until the last four or five km or so. Then I think the last 4km, I felt good, so I surged a bit and just put a bit of a gap.”
Low finished in 1:23:45, with Teo and Lee rounding out the women’s podium. More than a national title, the performance delivered clarity and confidence as she prepares to juggle two distinct events at the SEA Games.
Low departs with the national contingent on Tuesday, just days before she lines up in Bangkok and Pattaya.
