In preparation to defend his SEA Games Men’s Marathon title at the upcoming Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August this year, Soh is currently training in Flagstaff, Arizona, for a 3.5-month altitude training camp.

While building up his speed and stamina for the SEA Games Marathon, Soh will be running in shorter distance races earlier in the season.

Photo Credit: Soh Rui Yong

On 10 June 2017, Soh will be taking part in the 5000m race at the Portland Track Festival, one of the top track events in the United States of America which regularly attracts the country’s best Olympians. It will be a stacked field, and Soh is confident that the level of competition will help push him to a better timing. He said,

I’m entering the final stretch of my preparations for this year’s SEA Games and this 5000m race is a good milestone towards it. Training here has been great so far, and while my training has been geared towards the Marathon, and not the 5000m, I’m confident of showing a good result this weekend. This is a step towards the ultimate aim of defending the SEA Games marathon gold by refining my speed, that same speed I used to outsprint my opponents in the closing stages of the 2015 SEA Games Marathon. With both speed and stamina in my armoury, I'll be hard to beat.

Soh added,

I’d also like to thank Sport Singapore for allowing me to take no-pay leave to fully concentrate and train for the SEA Games marathon on 19 August, as well as my sponsors, ASICS and Yeo’s H-Two-O, for their invaluable support for my apparel and hydration needs. All of this would not have been possible without them.

After the Portland Track Festival, Soh will continue to ramp up his training by participating in the Hamburg Half Marathon on 25 June 2017.