Local long-distance runner Soh Rui Yong has sealed his fourth national title at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2023.

Soh clinched the National Championship Marathon with a time of two hours, 40 minutes, and 33 seconds and walked away with the S$10,000 prize.

The last National Championship Marathon title Soh received was back in 2019, when he won consecutively from 2017 to 2019.

Soh shared that it was a nice feeling to be national champion again, the Straits Times (ST) reported.

"It has not happened in four years and I have not run a marathon in two years, so to make a comeback to the marathon in Singapore is very nice.

I'm still not back into my full marathon shape yet. But there is some time for that before the next SEA Games," he said.

On Facebook, Soh captioned a picture of him crossing the finish line with "Sunday long run" and four gold medals to signify his four national titles.

Over 44,000 runners competed in the events

2023's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon had over 44,000 runners, with more than 8,000 international participants. This is the highest number of international participants in the marathon's history.

The event saw runners from over 70 countries, and the total distance clocked by all participants was equal to the distance to the moon and back, said organisers in a press release..

For the female marathon category, Rachel See clinched the National Championship with a time of three hours, five minutes, and 51 seconds.

For the half marathon, the National Champions were Shaun Goh, with a time of one hour, 12 minutes, and 49 seconds, and Vanessa Lee, with a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Top photos via Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon& Soh Rui Yong/Facebook