SEA Games athlete and Sydney Marathon ambassador Melvin Wong share generous running tips with local runners in first Sydney Marathon community engagement session in Singapore
Singapore, 7 September 2023 - Runners who turned up for the Sydney Marathon Singapore City Run last evening were in high spirits in spite of the gloomy weather, and learned useful tips from Sydney Marathon ambassador Melvin Wong as part of a Singapore running community engagement session ahead of this year's Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS.
With just 11 days to go to this year's Sydney sporting showpiece, thundery showers that lasted an entire afternoon in Singapore threatened the sold-out event which initially saw 171 registrants, but even the rain could not stop some 103 attendees from turning up on site for the dialogue session with two-time SEA Games athlete Melvin, and 83 runners from continuing with the Sydney Marathon Singapore City Run later in the evening.
Led by the run crew of ASICS Running Club and Superhero Runners, and joined by five 'Friends of Sydney Marathon' KOLs and running content creators Sebastian Cheong, Melissa Foo, John Yeong, Chermaine Zhou and Daniel Fang, the groups completed a short and scenic 7KM city run, witnessing the beautiful sights of a city that glistened in the twilight right after rain.
Holding up Sydney Marathon props and Sydney City props from Destination New South Wales as they ran along, some runners could even be seen dancing to music as they made their way around the bay.
Following the city run, runners were treated to refreshing hydration from event hydration sponsors Pocari Singapore.
"I usually join Park Run so today is a totally different experience for me," said Imran, a participant of the event. "Running has changed my life, my health and my happiness, taking a stagnant middle aged runner to from the couch to training for his first marathon while losing 16kg! I can't wait to visit the Sydney Marathon next year."
Manfred, one of the winners of a pair of Sunday Shades from the dialogue session with Melvin Wong, echoed Imran's sentiment: "Through the running community, I've made new friends, and at every running event I reconnect with old ones."
"Experienced runners generously sharing their wisdom and thoughts for these cherished moments."
Earlier on before the run, Melvin took five questions from the group about training for marathons and running overseas before engaging with more runners during the city run.
When asked by Bryan, an event participant on how he chooses which overseas race to participate in and what attracts him, the Sydney Marathon Ambassador shared that he considers a multitude of factors.
"There are different things I would consider, depending on goals - Time, Significance or Convenience," shared Melvin.
"Appeal factors would of course include accessibility of the nearest airport, how fast is the course? The crowd support, expo, prestige of the event and the event's reputation."
When asked by another event participant on how he successfully prevents positive splits in his marathons, Melvin encouraged runners to look at positive splits not necessarily as a bad thing.
"I think it's good to manage expectations and plan out what you feel most confident and comfortable with," said the 40 year-old.
He added: "I like to view a marathon as a sum of 4.5 parts: easy (first 10KM), cruising (second 10KM), rolling (third 10KM), pushing (last 10KM) and striding (final stretch). Positive splits may not be a bad thing if the end outcome is achieved."
"Prepare splits on hand, and have a plan B and an attitude to keep moving forward even when the body is slowing."
Singapore-based runners who are headed to this year's Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS can also look forward to a shake-out run led by Sydney Marathon ambassador Melvin Wong, and Singapore Runners Club Hustlers run coach David Shum on the morning of Saturday, 16 September 2023.
For more details and to register for the event, keep your eyes peeled to SportPlus.sg website and SportPlus.sg Instagram.
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.