Power Mettle

The fastest Singaporean road runners of 2018 share their stories, culminating at their victories at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

- Lionel Kong

Soh Rui Yong

Defender of the Faith

27-year-old Soh Rui Yong is a household name to running enthusiasts in Singapore. The two-time SEA Games gold medallist successfully defended his Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon champion’s title in 2018 as well, making him the only Singaporean marathoner who has successfully won the SCSM back-to-back.

On weekdays, you’ll find him at TheSmartLocal, Singapore’s leading online lifestyle portal, where he works as a Business Development Executive and Sports Ambassador. Make no mistake about his sporting ambitions though, as he continues to push himself to greater heights .

Q: IT’S A SUCCESSFUL RETENTION OF YOUR SCSM TITLE FROM 2017. HOW DID THE RACE ITSELF GO, PHYSICALLY?

I actually took this year's Singapore Marathon as easy as I could. I didn't try to chase for a time, and concentrated on running with the lead pack for 25km before I found myself pulling away in the final 17.2km. My finishing time was 02:41:48. I'm currently preparing for the Tokyo Marathon and had to use Singapore Marathon as a training long run, rather than a peak in and of itself.

I found the new route of the 2018 race very enjoyable, compared to some of the previous editions where most of the route was along East Coast Park, where it was always dark and boring in the predawn hours.

Q: HOW HAS YOUR TRAINING BEEN LIKE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS?

I took two weeks completely off after running at the Berlin Marathon in September, then did two weeks of easy jogging before starting workouts again. When restarted, I focused on 5000m training to regain my speed, which I had neglected for some time. However, my longest run before the SCSM was only 32km, and that added an element of uncertainty to race day. It was the least I had ever run leading into a marathon!