Record Number of Runners to Compete in Singapore’s Night Ultramarathon

HiVelocity, organiser of the adidas Sundown Marathon in Singapore, a mass night running event, has had a record 600 participants sign up to run the 84km Ultramarathon course.

Widely known to be “Singapore’s Toughest Race”, runners in the Ultramarathon category have registered the highest increase (of all categories) by 86%, smashing the previous entry record of 322 participants.

Of the 600 entrants, the adidas Sundown Marathon will also be hosting one of the biggest contingents of international Ultramarathon runners with more than 12% of the participants coming from beyond Singapore’s borders.

“The response to this year’s race is a strong indicator of the phenomenal growth of ultra-running within Asia and in Singapore. Asia has an incredibly dynamic running community and we are thrilled to see that the Ultramarathon event is well on its way to becoming one of the region’s premier races,” said Benjamin Wee, General Manager, HiVelocity.

Reigning Ultramarathon champions Fabian William Raj and Jeanette Wang of Singapore will also be returning for the second year of the race on May 30.

"I would like to thank adidas and HiVelocity for inviting me back to race in the adidas Sundown Marathon again," said 30-year-old Raj. "The Ultramarathon is one of my favourite events and I look forward to another interesting race this year."

In a memorable inaugural race last year, Raj won the race in emphatic fashion with a time of 7:37:15 by surging past his closest competitor at the 34km mark. He crossed the finish line ahead of the runner up by more than 20 minutes.

The adidas Sundown’s 2008 women’s champion, 27-year-old Jeanette Wang prevailed in a time of 9:14:36 by pushing ahead of her closest competitor at Bedok Reservoir with 15km to go. It was with great resolve that she prevailed against her nearest opponent by 10 minutes.

She said, "I'm really looking forward to this year's Ultramarathon and I hope to better my time from last year. The race is one of the highlights of my season and I've been putting in many training miles for it. I can't wait for race day to come, I am sure I will be pushed in my title defence by many tough challengers this year."

As with last year’s race, participants will once again pound the scenic routes of the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network (PCN), developed by the National Parks Board on the eastern side of the island. The 42km long Eastern Coastal PCN links up popular beach parks of East Coast, Changi Beach and Pasir Ris. It also connects to other parks in the eastern parts of Singapore such as Bedok Reservoir Park, Bedok Town Park and Sun Plaza Park. Ultramarathoners will run the course twice.

“The Ultramarathon is truly a special nocturnal experience and we are excited to offer runners a course that is both challenging and scenic. This year we have modified the route slightly to ensure we continue to deliver a unique, well-designed race that will not only test the physical stamina but the mental strength of each athlete. For those who completed last year’s inaugural race, they will remember what a triumph over adversity it was, especially in the final stages. We promise an equally stellar race this year for all,” said Wee.

The adidas Sundown Ultramarathon will be held on Saturday 30 May beginning at 1900hrs at Changi Point. The team category begins at 2000hrs followed by the Women’s 10KM at 2030hrs and the Marathon at 2359hrs.

HiVelocity expects all remaining slots for the Ultramarathon category to be taken up before the closing date on 30 April 2009.

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