2016 Singapore Marathon Expo
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Registration process for Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore was a breeze. You just do all through their website www.marathonsingapore.com. First choose your distance - Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km, Ekiden (a long-distance relay) or for the kids absolutely magical 600m Kids Dash on Orchard Road decorated for Christmas in fairy lights. Then type your details and payment details with credit card or Paypal payment options. Marathon entry in 2016, purchased a month before, was SG$125. Standard Chartered cards from Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam give right to the 15% discount.
Soon after completing the registration you will receive a confirmation email. Yay! You are ready to go!
Marathon Expo with Race Pack Collection runs for 3 days before the event, Thursday & Friday from 10am to 9pm and Saturday 10am to 7pm. It is conveniently located just one MRT stop from Changi Airport at Singapore EXPO (in 2016 it was at Hall No. 4). I picked up my bib and a goodie bag on the way from the airport to the hotel, on Friday. It was quite a walk from the MRT station to the Hall 4. Couldn’t find any signage at the station and nothing along the way, until I reached 2 or 3 building. However, there were many people carrying bright blue Singapore Marathon bags and I just followed directions they were coming from.
What was in my goodie bag (actually not a bag but a very handy drawstring backpack)? There was my bib, running singlet (you need to select your size during registration process), information booklet, a face cream sample and a very useful pain relief muscle rub sample.
After I got my goodies, I could explore the Expo. Well, I didn’t really have any choice since the only way out of Hall 4 was through the Expo and it was also organised the way that you had to pass next to all the stalls. Any way, it was quite interesting, with wide range of products for any runner and for any budget... if you are really desperate to buy anything just before the run. It also has stalls with fitness equipment and some even offering tours to other marathons... like Pyongyang!
All of that flying and expo excitement made me feel really tired, so as soon as I managed to navigate my way out, I got back on MRT and to my hotel.
Finding the right accommodation in my case was a bit tricky. I was on a budget and Singapore is not the cheapest place. I wanted something comfortable, in walking distance to the start line and, if I could afford, with a swimming pool. Oh yes, you need a swimming pool in Singapore, especially when you run a marathon. After hours of searching finally got some bearable deal on YWCA Fort Canning. It is a decent place, with clean, basic rooms and just about 2 km from the marathon starting line and the same from the finish.
Any way, even if your hotel is further away from the start line, there are charter buses provided by organisers, and for SG$5 you can still arrive on time... ...and the time is 4.30am!
