Hong Kong Streetathon vows to regain runners’ trust as 7 lost bags are found
Race organiser RunOurCity wants runners to ‘feel that confidence is restored’ after QR code system failed and complaints about route
Officials behind the Kerry Hong Kong Streetathon have located all bags missing after Sunday’s event and are aiming to regain the trust of the city’s runners, the chief organiser has said.
Bag collection descended into chaos following the race, with some items initially being lost, as exhausted participants waited hours to retrieve their belongings in what one called a “post-run treasure hunt”. There were also complaints for a third year running about the course.
Andes Leung Pak-hang, CEO and co-founder of event organiser RunOurCity, told the Post all seven pieces of baggage reported lost on Monday had been found by late on Tuesday. And he said he was committed to addressing the mishaps that occurred.
“I think we will use the actual work done to make runners understand that we are genuinely improving and will not repeat the problem, by using facts to make them feel that confidence is restored,” he said.
“Saying a lot of things is useless; we really want them to see that things have truly got better.”
This year, new QR codes embedded on competitors’ bibs were supposed to speed up baggage collection. However, the breakdown of a Wi-fi system impeded scanning of the codes, and the backup system malfunctioned, forcing staff to manually sort baggage.
Leung attributed some failures to the event’s attempts to innovate, but said that a smoother registration process and greater clarity about the route had earned positive feedback.