Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Launches First Ever Virtual Club and Racing Series to Complement Year-End Race

August 24, 2020

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Virtual Club becomes an all-in-one platform for runners to train, compete, earn rewards, and connect with the community

SINGAPORE / TAMPA, Fla. (24 August 2020)– Today, The IRONMAN Group, event organiser of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM), officially announced the SCSM Virtual Club (VC) and the SCSM Virtual Racing Series – two innovative initiatives as part of an alternative model to create a unique and world-class runners experience.  The two initiatives provide runners and the SCSM community with a much-needed racing alternative during what has been an uncertain and ever evolving year in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the health and safety of the runners, community, and supporters being of utmost importance, race organisers will continue to work closely with relevant government agencies for the unique race format for 2020 SCSM.

Signups for the Virtual Club are free and accessible to athletes globally, and runners from all over the world will now be able to train, compete, earn rewards and connect with the running community.

The SCSM Virtual Club

The IRONMAN Group is introducing the SCSM Virtual Club (VC) to help runners stay active, train and gear up towards the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. The SCSM VC is an all-in-one engaging and rewarding platform that includes weekly races and challenges, an online store with redeemable rewards, training and nutritional resources, and performance tracking.

Runners can track their training data easily, compare themselves against their peers across local and global leader boards. They can also improve their performances through the nutrition and training guides available and join themed weekly challenges and races to build up their training mileage for the race at the end of the year.

Each week, races under the SCSM Virtual Racing Series will be categorised according to four themes that celebrate running routes that are unique to Singapore. The four themes mirror the Singapore Tourism Board’s passion tribes, which include the Action Seekers, Culture Shapers, Explorers and Foodies. These routes will give runners the opportunity to explore and rediscover different sides of Singapore and its hidden gems. There will be a total of 15 races.

Runners can also take part in an activity-based loyalty point system, designed to motivate them by earning points as they train, and be rewarded through merchandise, discounts and special benefits.

“For decades, the Singapore Marathon has been the highlight of runners calendars, and a true celebration of human spirit,” says Geoff Meyer, Managing Director of Asia for The IRONMAN Group. “The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Virtual Club will bring together the running community in new ways, while introducing extra motivation into the training routine and bringing runners to the grand finish, all in a safe and controllable environment.”

2020 SCSM Race Format

For 2020,event organisers will be introducing a unique alternative race format with virtual and possible physical components that are being explored depending on regulations to replace the traditional road-race. The first of its kind, the race will allow runners to take part in the race safely and virtually, and still look forward to the signature finisher experience – complete with the finisher photo for runners to celebrate their accomplishments. There will also be a virtual reality component allowing runners to create avatars who can navigate through the virtual SCSM route in real time, competing with fellow runners. Planning for the race is still ongoing, and more details will be shared soon. Runners and partners are encouraged to stay updated for the latest information from SCSM’s digital platforms, as well as official government platforms and recommendations to keep the risk of transmission low.

Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, commented, “The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon will be a unique experience this year. With the launch of new innovative solutions, we will be able to continue training and connecting with fellow runners and athletes from around the world. I thank the organisers and sponsors for supporting the Marathon, and for bringing people together through sport!”

Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board said, “The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is a key highlight of our sporting calendar. We are glad to partner IRONMAN Asia and our tourism industry to continue and present this year’s race in a new and innovative format, given the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re also excited for the international community to discover Singapore’s hidden gems virtually as they explore our city from wherever they are in the world.”

Going the distance with Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Chartered Bank, who has been the event title sponsor since 2002, also announced their continued support of Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon till 2023. In the past 18 years, the event has grown in both size and stature to become a signature racing event in the region on the global running calendar. Participation numbers have grown nine times in the last 18 years – the 2019 edition welcomed over 50,000 local and international participants from across 133 countries.

Patrick Lee, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited, said, “’Here for good’ is what we stand for as a brand at Standard Chartered. In these challenging times, it is ever more important for us to reinforce our commitment to our partners and community.

“Our decision to continue supporting the race has never wavered as we understand the role sport plays in building social bonds and community resilience. Our continued commitment is our way of saying, ‘Thank You’ to our partners, government stakeholders and runners who have helped us build Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon to what we know of it today.”

For more information on the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and the SCSM Virtual Club, please visit www.singaporemarathon.com/.

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About Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is the leading mass participation run and only IAAF Gold Label race in South East Asia. Since 2002, the race has brought runners unparalleled running experiences, threading through the heart of the city seeing iconic heritage buildings and against one of the world’s most iconic city skylines and past some of Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. Comprising six categories; Marathon, Half Marathon, Ekiden Relay, 10km and Kids Dash, the race has been a catalyst to growing the local and regional running community, by bringing together approximately 50,000 professional, amateur, avid and leisure runners yearly. For more information, visit www.singaporemarathon.com.

About Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore is part of an international banking group, with more than 150 years of history in some of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good.

The Bank has a history of 161 years in Singapore, where we opened our first branch in 1859. In October 1999, we were among the first international banks to receive a Qualifying Full Bank (QFB) licence, an endorsement of the Group’s longstanding commitment to our business in the country.

Singapore is home to the majority of our global business leadership, our technology operations, as well as SC Ventures, our innovation hub. In 2013, the Bank transferred our Singapore Retail and SME businesses to a locally incorporated subsidiary, Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited (“SCBSL”). And in May 2019, we fully consolidated our business operations in Singapore through the transfer of our Commercial Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking and Private Banking businesses to SCBSL. SCBSL is one of the highest-rated banks globally: A1/Stable by Moody’s Investor Services, A/Stable by Standard & Poor’s and A/Stable by Fitch Ratings. In August 2020, we were the first and only bank to be awarded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore the status of “Significantly Rooted Foreign Bank”.

In Singapore, we support both individual and corporate needs to build wealth and drive commerce at every step of their journey. We do this by offering an entire range of financial services across personal, priority and private banking as well as our business, commercial and corporate banking teams. The Bank has a network of 16 branches, 5 Priority Banking centres, 1 International Banking and Priority Private Centre and 27 ATMs. For more information please visit www.sc.com/sg

About Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com| Follow us: facebook.com/STBsingapore or twitter.com/stb_sg

About Sport Singapore

As the national sports agency, Sport Singapore’s core purpose is to inspire the Singapore spirit and transform Singapore through sport. Through innovative, fun and meaningful sporting experiences, our mission is to reach out and serve communities across Singapore with passion and pride. With Vision 2030 – Singapore’s sports master plan, our mandate goes beyond winning medals. Sport Singapore uses sport to create greater sporting opportunities and access, more inclusivity and integration as well as broader development of capabilities. At Sport Singapore, we work with a vast network of public-private-people sector partners for individuals to live better through sport. To find out more, visit our websites www.sportsingapore.gov.sg and www.myactivesg.com. Follow us at www.facebook.com/myActiveSG and www.youtube.com/SingaporeSports.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^®70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.

Isabelle Loh
Weber Shandwick
T: +65 6825 8016
HP: +65 9115 4230
Email: iLoh@webershandwick.com