Singapore Marathon

Location: Singapore
Country: Singapore
Website: https://www.singaporemarathon.com/
2025 Marathon Date: 07/12/2025
2026 Marathon Date: TBC
Winning Time 2025: 2:15:40
% Sub-3s: <1% # Sub-3s: 50-99 Total Finishers: 3-10k

The Singapore Marathon is a flagship urban road race that delivers a flat, fast 42.195 km course through the heart of Singapore’s modern cityscape. First held in 1982 as a modest fun run, the event has evolved into one of Asia’s most prominent marathons, attracting more than 50,000 local and international participants each year. Today, it stands as the only World Athletics Gold Label marathon in Southeast Asia, reflecting its scale, organisation and international standing.

The marathon takes place entirely within the city-state of Singapore, with a route designed to showcase both its dense central business district and its extensive network of waterfronts and green spaces. The course typically starts at the F1 Pit Building and finishes at the historic Padang, a significant civic space framed by colonial-era buildings and modern skyscrapers. This start–finish pairing anchors the race firmly in the city centre and creates a clear, ceremonial arc to the event.

The course profile is widely regarded as flat and fast. Recent redesigns have deliberately removed more demanding elevation points to create a smoother, more consistent running experience. Elevation change across the full distance is minimal, often remaining within a narrow band of around 20 metres, with only short rises over bridges such as the Marina Barrage. This makes the marathon technically suitable for personal-best attempts, particularly when pacing is managed carefully.

From the start, the route loops through the downtown core and the Sports Hub area, passing landmarks such as the National Stadium, Merdeka Bridge, Suntec City, the Esplanade and Merlion Park. Runners then enter the Marina Bay area before heading onto a long, exposed stretch along East Coast Park via the Marina Barrage. This section is visually striking, with open views across the water, but also represents one of the most demanding parts of the race due to limited shade. After the turnaround, the course returns toward the city, weaving through Gardens by the Bay and past historic buildings on the approach to the Padang.

Singapore’s tropical climate is a defining feature of the marathon experience. Heat and humidity play a significant role throughout the race, particularly on exposed coastal sections, and are mitigated by extensive hydration points, chilled drinks and cooling zones along the route. The result is a marathon that combines a highly runnable profile with distinctive environmental challenges, set against one of Asia’s most recognisable urban backdrops.