Weekend high: Soh Rui Yong runs ‘impossible double’ at StanChart marathon, now cleared for SEA Games

SINGAPORE: It’s been a triumphant couple of days for distance runner Soh Rui Yong, who won in the marathon and half-marathon events at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon last weekend.

The following day, CNA reported that Soh has been cleared to participate in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, which will be held from December 9 to 20, in Bangkok and the provinces of Chonburi and Songkhla, in Thailand.

The runner had announced in June that Singapore Athletics had nominated him to represent the city-state at the SEA Games for the 10,000m and marathon events. However, during the course of a routine medical screening last Thursday (Dec 4), an electrocardiogram had shown “abnormal” results.

Soh seemed unperturbed at hearing this; however, writing in a Facebook post the day before the StanChart events, “The doctor says I’m getting old. Looking forward to proving my heart health at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this weekend.”

In later posts, he added that he took further tests, after which he was “Ready to race with the heart of a lion.”

He holds national records for the 5,000m and 10,000m races, as well as the half-marathon and marathon. Last year, he marked his fifth consecutive win at the StanChart marathon.

On Dec 6, he won in the half-marathon for the first time, and noted that he was “Happy to finally do it at age 34!”

And 24 hours later, he emerged as champion all over again. Soh’s elation at his back-to-back victories, as well as his graciousness toward his fellow winners, was evident in his Facebook post.

“The impossible double. I respect every one of my competitors but am over the moon to share the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon national championship podium with my ex-ActiveSG training partners Aaron Justin Tan and Darren Chong,” he wrote.

Soh also noted that during the lockdown days during the Covid-19 pandemic, he “felt pointless and hopeless with regards to running,” with travel being impossible and training days and race events pared down. Therefore, running at the Gombak stadium with Mr Tan, Mr Chong, and their ActiveSG teammates twice weekly was something he not only looked forward to but also became a “source of sanity” for him.

“I believe it’s also forged a bond that will last a lifetime,” he wrote, adding that while Mr Tan and Mr Chong’s experience of the marathon had been unsuccessful in the past, they’ve come back stronger.

“Racing them and the rest of the field took everything I had, but I enjoyed every second of it. Congratulations, Aaron and Darren, I’m honoured to be a training partner of yours,” wrote Soh.

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