The 29-year-old clocked 30 minutes and 27.83 seconds at the Japan race on Nov. 7, lopping 5.46 seconds off the previous national mark of 30:33.29, which was set by Soh Rui Yong at the same meet in November 2025.
At the start of the race, Goh locked into a “good pack” that pushed quicker than the national record pace. However, the group splintered around the 7km mark and everyone ran alone for the final 3km.
“I was in a bit of a tough situation where I had to run alone and try to chase people down, and it’s very mentally tough to get through because you are still quite far from the finish,” Goh told The Straits Times. “But when I was at the 9km mark, I did some mental math and saw that I needed 3 min 7 sec to break the record and I got the job done by running 3 min and 1 sec.”
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Shaun Goh after breaking the men’s half marathon national record, his fifth overall in 2026, at the Valencia Half Marathon in October 2026. Photo by Instagram/@lilardtime0 |
Goh pointed out that Soh Rui Yong will be competing in the 27th edition of the Nittaidai Challenge in two weeks.
“So we will see if the record lasts past the two weeks. Let’s enjoy it for now,” he added.
The 10,000m track record adds to a stacked list of national marks Goh has set earlier in 2026 at events in the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Denmark, the U.K. and Spain. His year includes new benchmarks in the half-marathon, the road mile, the 5km road race, the 2.4km track event and the 10km road race, a mark he has broken twice.
All seven records have come after Goh made a life-changing career shift. Nine months ago, the former information security analyst signed a two-year contract with the sports management company Betterment Sports to become a full-time professional athlete.
As the first athlete under the company’s Professional Athlete Scheme, Goh receives a monthly salary with full employment benefits, including health insurance and outpatient coverage, ToughASIA reported.
He attributes his jump in fitness to this professional support, noting he is no longer at the mercy of a corporate leave quota when planning his international race and training schedule.
“The national records are just good indicators; they are not the be-all and end-all,” he said. The goal is still to go and win races.”
Goh will next travel to Australia to compete in the Victorian Open and U20 5000m Championships on Nov. 19, as he aims for 2027 SEA Games qualification.