Letters | Hong Kong Marathon would run more smoothly with less crowding
Readers discuss overcrowding at the city’s flagship road race, and a taxi association’s threatened strike

However, I feel compelled to offer constructive criticism about the overcrowding issues that have plagued the event, particularly over the last two years.
The first 5-6km of the half-marathon were uncomfortably congested, with runners packed shoulder to shoulder, making it nearly impossible to establish a steady pace. This overcrowding led to faster runners weaving through the crowd, resulting in collisions, trips and falls. To make matters worse, cones were inexplicably placed in the middle of the raceway throughout the course, and I personally witnessed runners falling over them.
This is my third time taking part in the Hong Kong Marathon and overcrowding has been a recurring problem. Last year, during the full marathon, the merging of the marathon and half-marathon courses near the end created severe bottlenecks, with runners literally running in place at times. While taping off lanes allows ambulances to reach runners quickly, taping off entire lanes in two-lane areas funnels thousands of runners into inadequate space.
