BYD Singapore International Marathon by Adidas

You thought you had tested heat on a marathon? The French Riviera in July, Brazil, Australia? Adorable 😇. Welcome to Singapore, where mercury and humidity wage an intense battle to see which will drop you to your knees first 🥵.

The Singapore International Marathonor SGIM for insiders, is the RUNNING event of an entire state. Not a region, not a metropolis among others: an island nation of 734 km² which, every first weekend of December, transforms into a giant urban circuit 🗺️. And that, since 1982 📅. The story starts modestly, like any great event worthy of the name. A handful of runners, a course, and tropical heat acting as a natural filter. By 1984, more than 11,000 participants answer the call: the machine is launched 🚀. In 1989, two local runners, Ricky Khoo and Toh So Liang, claim victories that remain etched in national history. Singapore winning on its own asphalt is a bit like a Frenchman on the Paris Marathon podium 🏆, except it’s 28°C at 4 a.m. 😅.

In December, it’s the rainy season 🌧️, which can, in certain years, add a layer of unpredictability on top of the base humidity. Nighttime temperatures hover around 26-28°C, with relative humidity often near 90%. To give you an idea, it’s like running in a steam room, but with cars 🚗 and LED boards showing split times.

The real international crowning glory arrives in 2012: the marathon earns the

Yes, you read that right. The marathon start time is at 4:30 a.m. ⏰. Not because the organizers are night-owls with a masochistic streak 🐦, but because running in Singapore’s tropical sun by day would be a whole different discipline, probably called “survival” 🌞. The start is from the iconic F1 Pit Building, yes, the building that borders the Formula 1 circuit of Marina Bay 🏎️. Atmosphere guaranteed 💯. The course then winds through the city’s sleepy avenues, passing spots that make tourists dream and runners sweat 😮‍💨. On the program: the National Stadium 🏟️, the Esplanade (the famous “durian building” 🍈, a nod to the local fruit whose iconic architecture never fails to evoke a reaction), the Marina Bay area with its skyline reflections on the water, Marina with its skyscraper reflections on the water, Gardens by the Bay ⛲️ and its giant sci-fi trees 🌳, then a detour through East Coast Park by the sea before returning to the Central Business District at dawn 🌅. The finish line sits in the historic district, between the Merlion, the lion-fish creature that symbolizes the city, and the colonial buildings.

Elevation? 215 meters of positive gain over 42.195 km precisely 📐. This isn’t the enemy here. The real foe is the humidity that brushes up against 80-90%, even in the dead of night 🫣. In 2025, the men’s winner, the Ugandan Abel Boniface Sikowo crossed the line in 2h15'40, more than 5 minutes above his personal best. For the women, Ethiopian Shuko Genemo won in 2h41'24, about 20 minutes off her best time. These gaps aren’t calculator errors: they simply reflect what Singaporean weather does to the world’s best athletes 🌍.

The Singapore Marathon, it’s a weekend of running spread over two to three days, with formats for all levels and all ambitions 📆. The Marathon (42.195 km) is the ultimate distance, obviously 👑. Start at 4:30 a.m., reserved for lovers of organized suffering and inadvertent night owls 🌃. The Half-Marathon (21.0975 km) offers the SGIM prestige without doubling the effort, same start time, same vibe, half the pavement 🙌. The 10 km is the Saturday-friendly format, perfect for discovering running and the capital’s monuments without exhausting your locomotor abilities. And for families or beginners, the 5 km exists and deserves all the respect it’s owed 🫡. The Ekiden completes the picture: a marathon relay with 4 runners, a team, four segments, and a good excuse to share the sweat with friends 👯. Relay zones notably pass through Bayfront Plaz and Marina Barrage. For the younger ones, the Kids Dash starts Friday evening, because even kids deserve to complain about the heat 👦. Finally, the cherry on the laksa (the local dish, don’t bother translating 🍜): the Double Up Challenge, which lets you run two different formats over the weekend. Every year hundreds of intrepid runners take on the challenge 🏆. The organization even maintains a dedicated ranking to salute those who may have made dubious decisions but honored them to the end 👏.

Years pass, but the heart of this marathon stays intact: a whole city running, a high-level international format, and a heat that has never varied by a single degree ❤️‍🩹.