Singapore Run Club Leaders Terence Goh and Sofie Chandra from Singapore Runners Club and The High Panters join Sydney Marathon Ambassador Melvin Wong and Sydney Marathon representative James Constantine to share thoughts in Studio Show
22 August 2023, Singapore - In anticipation of the Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, SportPlus.sg hosted a special edition studio show episode discussing overseas runs and what runners can look forward to in this year's Sydney Marathon, an Abbott World Marathon Major candidate event.
Sydney Marathon ambassador for Singapore Melvin Wong was joined by Singapore run club leaders Terence Goh of Singapore Runners Club, and Sofie Chandra of The High Panters and Happy Pace Club, while James Constantine, Digital Marketing Manager of the Sydney Marathon, also joined the session virtually.
When asked what he was most looking forward to in his upcoming race at the Sydney Marathon, Singapore marathoner and Sydney Marathon ambassador Melvin Wong shared, "I remember the Olympics being held in Sydney in 2000, and it was the first year the sport of triathlon was included at the Olympics."
"The finishing line for the event was at the Opera House. While I wasn't a big fan of triathlon back then, I remember seeing the finishing images of the first triathlete gold medalist crossing through the blue carpet at Sydney Opera House and it gave me a lot of goose bumps and that has made Sydney iconic for me ever since," said Melvin.
Indeed the city of Sydney holds beautiful memories for more than one member of the panel, with Sofie Chandra sharing that she previously stayed in the city during her college days and opted to extend her stay after falling in love with the city.
Sofie recalls vividly: "I actually did an internship in Sydney, and I loved the city so much that I extended my internship and ended up staying there for 8 to 9 months. Even after that I did go back for a Music Festival before Covid, and that was the last time I visited the city."
"The city is home to one of my favourite bakeries that does this amazing watermelon cake. One of my really good friends actually got someone to hand carry that cake back for me on a flight (from Sydney) this year. I just love that it's a beautiful city with all the iconic parts to it, and I think it's amazing that runners get to run through them all. And it's not just in the city or the marathon itself but even beautiful outside of it as well right, like the Blue Mountains and all that," added the Happy Pace Club founder.
"I am thinking I would want to run it (the Sydney Marathon) next year, and some of the girls are talking about it already."
Sydney Marathon's Newly Re-designed Course the Best in its 20 year History
Beyond its beautiful and iconic landmarks, what can participants of this year's Sydney Marathon expect of its newly re-designed course and 27 live entertainment sites? James Constantine, Digital Marketing Manager of the Sydney Marathon, was on hand to help with a walk through of the new course.
"The marathon course for this year's Sydney Marathon is the best in its 20 year history. You'll start by going over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, taking in beautiful views of Sydney Harbour including where you'll be finishing your marathon - the Sydney Opera House, before descending into the east of the city."
"Going around Darling Harbour, and the inner city suburbs of the city in Pyrmont. Traditionally this was towards the end of the marathon course, and incorporating some of the wharves. But this year we are making it not only more enjoyable but also an overall faster course for the marathon, by taking out the wharves and staying on the roads around Pyrmont and Darling Harbour for most of the race."
"You'll then head back underneath the Harbour Bridge before heading out towards the east of the city towards Moore Park and Centennial Park where some of the city's major sporting stadiums are located. Centennial Park is the most iconic park in Sydney, and measures about 3.8km in circumference, and you'll be running kilometres around beautiful greenery before heading back towards the city and back towards the finish line."
Terence Goh, captain at Singapore Runners Club, whose love for overseas runs has continued ever since his first marathon experience in 2022 saw him join coach David Shum to form a group called the Singapore Runners Club Hustlers, to fill a gap for those who fall between recreational runners and elite runners, and wish to train a little more seriously for overseas races but aren't quite elites.
Said Terence: "Sydney is a good candidate to consider for the next half of the year for an overseas run with our club members. Definitely everyone has been talking about Sydney and the marathon itself, with the promoting from Melvin as well and it's getting quite exciting. As I mentioned, SGRC is planning all these overseas trips progressively. We are definitely looking forward to all these interesting locations."
"And at the end of the day, Sydney is a friendly city. Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic locations, and it's also a major plus point while the Sydney Harbour Bridge is also a view to behold from any angle."
While the full marathon category is already about 80 per cent full and the Half-Marathon category is fully sold out for this year's Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, participants can still join a special edition Sydney Marathon Run Clinic and City Run organised by SportPlus.sg in partnership with ASICS Singapore on Wednesday, 6 September 2023.
Those who are headed to the Sydney Marathon can also look forward to a morning shakeout run the day before the race (16 September), with Sydney Marathon ambassador Melvin Wong leading the run as well.
There were also some extra tips Melvin shared for those preparing to run overseas for the first time.
"The first tip is to find out where you stay, where is your accomodation and how to get to the race start. More often than not for Singaporeans in local races, we take it for granted and assume there will not be traffic jams and the time taken from point A to point B could be longer, there could be more twist and turns. So be prepared for that," said the two-time SEA Games athlete.
"The second thing which is something Sofie touched on as well, is to be prepared for the weather. Keep yourselves warm when going into the race pen or start pen. With a lot of the overseas races we tend to choose cooler weather to race in, but some of these places could throw up unpredictable weather conditions."
Melvin added: "Be prepared to bring along warm clothing you are ready to throw aside at the start of the race, and it's also good to download the weather app, something many of the locals do in Sydney," he finished.
Looking to join an overseas race? The Sydney Marathon, presented by ASICS, is a candidate race to become the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major. Offering one of the world's most scenic courses, participants who join the Sydney Marathon from 2022 to 2024 will gain automatic entry into the event when it becomes a WMM major in 2025.
Sign up for the Sydney Marathon and find out more about Australia's biggest marathon here.