Payment issues mar first day of registration for BYD Singapore International Marathon
Melvyn Teoh
The Straits Times
April 27, 2028
Registration for the Dec 4-6 BYD Singapore International Marathon presented by adidas opened on April 27, but it was dogged by payment problems on the event website, with some runners raising the issue on social media.
Several of them said on the event’s Instagram page that their credit cards were charged, but their registration was unsuccessful.
Checks by The Straits Times found that while some were able to register successfully, others were unable to do so and were still waiting for organisers to get back to them.
One of them, a 38-year-old admin executive who wanted to be known only as Wendy, told ST that she encountered issues while trying to sign up at around 10am.
“I texted them (the organisers) via Instagram message and they replied that they will get back to me, so still waiting for their follow-up to resolve the issue,” she said at 8pm.
“I signed up for the half-marathon and my husband signed up for the full marathon. We tried using PayNow as our payment method twice but it ended up as an unsuccessful registration.
“I’m still waiting for them to proceed with my registration because I still want to race.”
But 58-year-old civil servant Lim Han Chee, who signed up at 9.45pm for his 15th Singapore marathon, said: “It went through smoothly, but... it would have been helpful for the new sponsor and organisers to send e-mail reminders to past participants to invite them to sign up.
“There seems to be some disconnect in the outreach.”
Entry fees for locals are $168 for the half-marathon and $188 for the marathon, while international runners pay $188 and $208 for the 21.1km race and 42.195km event respectively.
When contacted, an SG International Marathon Pte Ltd spokesperson said: “We received more than 4,500 sign-ups as of 5pm on the first day of registrations for the BYD Singapore International Marathon presented by adidas.
“Approximately 400 people experienced technical issues that affected their transactions and we are currently working with the relevant payment portals to resolve this matter.
“All affected runners will be refunded for the duplicated charges and their registered slots will be honoured. If they require further assistance, they can reach SG International Marathon Pte Ltd at info@singaporeinternationalmarathon.com.”
Earlier on April 27, organisers announced that more money will be up for grabs for Singaporean runners competing in the national championships at the Singapore International Marathon.
Embed Financial Group Holdings (EFGH) was announced as the naming partner for the national championships, with the total prize purse nearly doubling to $177,500.
The winner will receive $30,000 – three times more than the last edition – with the runner-up getting $15,000 and $10,000 going to the third-place finisher.
Six-time national champion and two-time SEA Games marathon winner Soh Rui Yong believes that the increase in prize money will help “build a pipeline for the next generation”.
The 34-year-old said: “There’s a reason why Singapore only has three (marathon) SEA Games gold medals in history and that’s because it has been unsustainable to do this sport full time in Singapore.
“The old purse of $10,000 has been there since 2010. With year-on-year inflation, the same value of $10,000 is really $6,900 in the year 2025 at most, despite entry fees and other costs rising all that time.”
He credited SG International Marathon Pte Ltd – a joint venture between management companies Betterment Sports and Score Sports that replaced the Ironman Group as the official event promoter – with “providing a worthwhile platform for our Singaporean athletes to shine and perhaps even make a living from this sport”.
“An elevated prize purse of $30,000 symbolises that ambition,” he added.
The top three finishers of each gender for the national championships will also earn places in the 2027 SEA Games provisional squad.
Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen said: “The national championships form an important part of our performance pathway and we are committed to supporting our athletes beyond the event through targeted development opportunities, including overseas competitions as they work towards achieving major Games qualifying standards.
“The top three men and women finishers will be identified as part of the provisional SEA Games selection squad and we will continue to assess all athletes holistically in line with our selection framework as we work towards final nominations.”
Race organisers will waive the registration fee for 60 of Singapore’s fastest men and women competing in the national championships.
On the partnership, EFGH executive chairman Dennis Ng said: “If support rises, standards rise. If opportunity becomes clearer, performance follows. Serious athletes need serious support. We are proud to help create that platform.”
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
