Push together, win together – Log your distance with your running mates to win prizes (and bragging rights) as you train for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2024
When you ask a runner what gets them through those long runs in Singapore’s thick humidity and early morning training sessions, they’d often tell you that it’s the community. When training towards a common goal, only you and those you run alongside understand the pain — and just why the blood, sweat and tears shed will be worth it in the end.
Singapore has seen a plethora of run clubs emerge in recent years, especially after the Covid-19 lockdown saw running surge in popularity. With so many clubs in the thick of preparing for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2024 (SCSM), why not add a little friendly rivalry into the mix?
From now until November 15th, SCSM+’s Virtual Challenge provides run clubs, big or small, in Singapore the chance to log their distances together and win express passes to the post-run massages on race day. We know Singaporeans love queuing, but after running that much? You’ll want these passes.
How does the challenge work?
Download the SCSM+ App and get your run club members to track your runs together. The top three clubs that log the biggest accumulated distance get their hands on the express passes and will be featured on SCSM’s monthly leaderboard.
An SCSM pacer this year, Running Department's Yong Jun sees the challenge as another form of training.
"Not everyone can just go out there and run 42.195km. It's good to train and you can take the SCSM+ Virtual Challenge as such," he said.
Community is at the heart of running — and it's never more obvious than during a marathon season. As SCSM 2024 approaches, it's important to soak up all the joy you spend with your running mates. After all, it's how you got to the finish line that matters.
The Benefits of Running with a Community
There are plenty of benefits to running with a run club. Emmanuel, who runs with Running Department, said: "I believe running as a sport is a community. If you run with a community, it'll be much more exciting and less mundane."
Mental Health
It’s widely known that sport is at the core of improving mental health, but what happens when the physicality gets too much to bear? How do you then juggle your love for the sport and wanting to improve your mental health, with the physical fatigue of training?
As an athlete, it’s always important to make sure your passion triumphs over pain. During a training block, it’s easier to give up than to keep going. Your legs are telling you to stop — can someone love something this much? Why put yourself through the pain? When the doubt creeps in — and it will — running with your club members alongside you will feel like that big hug you need. You’ll be almost immediately reminded of why you love running and that yes, you do love it that much.
Being Held Accountable
Whether it’s having to wake up at ungodly hours or needing to do intervals after a hard day’s work at your 9-5, it’s easy to procrastinate if you and only you know of your training schedule. Having the support of your run club however, will only encourage you to hit the streets (or track) even when you don’t particularly feel like it. On those days, pushing through together will only foster the camaraderie even more.
Making Friends
Who said running can’t be a team sport? One of the most fulfilling parts about joining a run club is making new friends who you know you’ll share common interests with. Who else is going to enable you to buy that expensive branded running cap? Exactly.
Many have made friends for life in running clubs, some even finding their best friends later in life through running together. Having spoken to many marathoners during their training block, it never gets old listening to stories of runners finding their soulmates and twin flames within their communities.
When you cross that finish line at this year’s SCSM and all comes to fruition, you’ll want to celebrate with your running mates for sure. What better way than to get those express post-run massages together?
Yet to sign-up for the 2024 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon? You can do so via the official website here, or explore more Singapore Marathon content on SportPlus.sg/singapore-marathon.