BYD Singapore International Marathon (Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon): Dates, Tickets & Venue (Singapore)

A Gold Label race in the tropics

It is Southeast Asia’s only World Athletics Gold Label road race. That label puts Singapore’s marathon in the top tier of road races in the region. It draws over 55,000 runners, and thousands of them fly in from abroad.

The 2026 edition runs from December 4 to 6. Its biggest change is structural. The half marathon and the marathon now have separate days, so the two biggest fields are no longer crammed onto one morning of road closures.

December is the northeast monsoon season. Mornings are humid and short afternoon downpours are common. That is why Singapore’s long-distance road races traditionally start in the dark, so most of the running happens before the sun gets high.

Course, venue and getting around

The route is a city course. In past editions it ran through the Civic District and around Marina Bay, past the Padang, the Esplanade’s spiked domes and the Marina Bay Sands towers. The race’s official site carries the 2026 start, finish and route maps.

For that waterfront area, these MRT stops are the usual ones:

• City Hall (North-South and East-West lines), for the Padang and the Civic District
• Esplanade (Circle Line), for the Esplanade and the Marina Bay promenade
• Promenade (Circle and Downtown lines), for the eastern side of the bay

Road closures across the city centre come with a race of this size. Taxis and ride-hail cars often can’t reach the start area directly, so most runners take the MRT or walk in from nearby hotels.

Entries and the two-day format

Entries work as the event’s tickets. The race’s official site sells them and lists the category distances. This guide gives no prices, because none were supplied for 2026.

Splitting the race over two days has practical effects:

• Each day’s start corrals hold a smaller field.
• Spectators can watch both the half and the full marathon.
• Visiting runners entering one distance often shape their trip around the day it runs.

Hotels near Marina Bay and the Civic District fill up fast on race weekend. They are the closest beds to the start.

Race weekend on Singapore’s streets

Runners and spectators follow some well-worn habits here.

• Kit collection. Big Singapore races usually run a race-pack collection before race day. Bib, timing chip and event shirt are handed out there, so runners rarely pick up anything on race morning.
• Getting to the start. Because starts are pre-dawn, runners usually stay within walking distance of the start or plan around the city’s earliest transport.
• Heat management. Experienced runners treat the course as a hot-weather race. They drink at water stations from the first few kilometres, not only when thirsty, and take electrolytes on board.
• Cheering. Spectators gather along the Marina Bay promenade and the long straights near the Padang, where the runners pass close by. Handwritten signs are common. Clapping is welcome, but stepping onto the course to hand over food or drink is not.
• Paying for things. Singapore runs on cards and contactless. The MRT gates accept contactless bank cards directly, which saves visitors buying a separate transit card.

After the finish, many runners go for breakfast at the hawker centres near the Civic District. Lau Pa Sat, a short walk from Raffles Place, is the best known. Plates of kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and kopi are the standard recovery meal.