SINGAPORE, June 6 — As Soh Rui Yong tucked into a plate of fried carrot cake at the Old Airport Road Food Centre, other patrons — as well as a stall owner whose outlet is adorned with photos of former swimmer Ang Peng Siong and Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu — looked on curiously, not because of his choice of breakfast, but the sight of a TODAY photographer busy snapping away at him.

While he has yet to become a household name in Singapore, Soh could be on his way to becoming one if his bid to win the coveted men’s marathon gold tomorrow is successful.

Although a relative newcomer to the scene, Soh has impressed with a string of notable performances.

At last December’s California International Marathon, national 10,000m record-holder Soh clocked the second-fastest time achieved by a Singaporean, finishing in 2hr 26min 1 sec, on his first attempt to qualify for the SEA Games.

With defending champion Mok Ying Ren ruled out of the Games because of injury, Soh and team-mate Ashley Liew have the task of defending Singapore’s marathon gold on home soil.

When TODAY caught up with Soh last week at the food centre, where he was having breakfast with his mother, Ms Tay Siew Lai, and assistant coach Jordan Schilit after a training session at East Coast Park, the United States-based runner exuded confidence.

“I’m feeling pretty fresh, as I’ve been cutting down on my mileage to about 110km a week. I’m just getting a lot of rest and catching up with friends in the past week,” he said.

However, with the marathon flagging off at the Kallang Practice Track at 6am tomorrow, he is concerned about the debilitating effects that Singapore’s heat and humidity could have on his race.

“I should be fine for the first one-and-a-half hours, but once we hit 8am, any mistakes that were made earlier will be felt in the last 30min,” he said. “Your running will slow down and you can feel the effect of the sun. I have been preparing for it by starting my training sessions later at 7.30am at East Coast to see what it feels like.”

Singapore’s men marathoners are part of a 12-strong field in the race. Among the leading contenders for top spot is three-time SEA Games champion (3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, men’s marathon) Eduardo Buenavista of the Philippines.

The 36-year-old missed out on the 2013 Games in Myanmar, but is back in sizzling form after last year posting 2:24:11 — the fastest time this season among the field — but which is more than five minutes off his personal best time of 2:18:44.

“He’s going to be someone who can influence the race and he could be a big player,” said Soh. “But I don’t think he’s a shoo-in for gold. I haven’t seen any of them running, but generally everyone is about the same standard. Some of these guys will be fitter than me, but I plan to run the smarter race by not moving until I absolutely have to.

“My strength lies in my fast runs over the shorter distances, as I broke 15 minutes in the 5,000m earlier this year. When it comes down to the sprint, I am not scared of it. I’m confident that I’m in the best shape possible. If I’m still in the leading pack after 30km, I think something can happen in the last 7km.”

Team-mate Liew has also set his sights on a podium spot after clocking a personal best (PB) time of 2:32:12 at the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in January.

The 28-year-old, who is coached by national men’s marathon record-holder M Rameshon, spent 41 days training at the high-altitude training centre in Kenya’s Iten — a town famous for producing the country’s top distance runners — and he is ready to make an impact in his second SEA Games marathon.

“I was running hard and suffering a lot, but being able to run and keep pace with the Kenya group of runners gave me confidence,” said Liew, who finished eighth in Myanmar with a time of 2:42:55.

“A PB will be nice, but placing is more important than a PB. I’m definitely going for a bronze and it’s possible with my current condition.” — TODAY