Games-Soh Rui Yong wins SEA Games marathon for Singapore

By Julian Linden SINGAPORE, June 7 (Reuters) - As a marathon runner with ambitions of winning the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games, Soh Rui Yong spent months preparing himself to combat Singapore's stifling humidity. Despite hailing from Singapore, Soh currently lives and studies in the United States, often training in snow, so was worried about how he would cope with the notoriously tough conditions back in his home city. The 23-year-old returned home early to try and acclimatise but when Sunday's marathon started around dawn, he suddenly had to face an altogether new weather problem: a tropical storm. Located near the equator, Singapore is not only one of the world's most humid cities, it's also one of the wettest so the 12 runners set off on their 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards) journey in driving rain. The downpour made the conditions cooler but it was still tough going on the slippery roads. Ten of the 12 starters finished the long journey, which ended in a sprint finish. Soh and Thailand's Srisung Boonthung had broken from the pack as they reached the end. Boonthung was ahead as they entered Kallang Practice Track but stumbled briefly. Soh shot past and surged away to win in two hours, 34 minutes, 56 seconds. Srisung crossed the line 13 seconds later with Hoang Nguyen Thanh of Vietnam, coming third, a further two minutes adrift. "I feel really happy, and winning the gold feels great," Soh said. "The Thai runner stumbled a little at the 300m mark and I ran next to him, gave him a stare and then I was off." The women's marathon was won by Thailand's Natthaya Thanaronnawat, who reached the finish after 3:03:25. The silver went to Mary Joy Tabal of the Philippines and the bronze to Hoang Thi Thanh. (Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)