Runners crossing Sydney Harbour with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in view

Partner feature

Last days: Sydney ballot closes Monday 7am

Five minutes this weekend could get you to your next Major. The 2027 TCS Sydney Marathon ballot is free to apply — you are only charged if your name is drawn.

Last weekend to apply · closes Mon 19 Oct, 7am SGT

Apply now

TRENDING

Having run a marathon—or just cheering friends on because you’ve yet to try a full marathon yourself—you probably know that not all recoveries are created equal. What do we mean by this intriguing statement? That we’re all unique, so your recovery “style” may be far afield of your running mates and competitors.

You’re smart. Your parents are smart. Even your dog and cat are smart — but can a nation be smart? It can if the country to which you refer is Singapore. We are never shy about admitting that everything new and improved is a shining example of our urban planning efforts, so you couldn’t find a more advanced society in which to live than ours. But perhaps you wonder how Singapore’s mission to become the world’s first smart nation impacts runners.

As a Singaporean runner, you already know how assertive the government has been about maintaining, creating and nurturing green space, but what you might not know is that the most spectacular long-range project any country has tackled in recent memory is beginning to take shape: the rejuvenation of an area that once hosted the nation’s busiest rail line.