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Ada Li

Reigning Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon champion Bethwell Kipkemboi is back in the city and determined not only to successfully defend his title on Sunday but also to break the course record.
Kipkemboi, who claimed last year’s men’s marathon crown in two hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds, has set his sights on surpassing the 2:09:20 mark set by fellow Kenyan Barnabas Kiptum in 2019.
Even so, the 32-year-old said he did not feel any pressure and was “just focused” on his goal.
“I want to defend the title,” Kipkemboi said. “The course is tough, I know that, but it all depends on how you train before the race and I am ready to tackle it.”
He will need to overcome the challenge of Mekuant Ayenew as well as that posed by the course. The Ethiopian, who is ranked 98th in the world, is the fastest man in the field with a personal best of 2:04:46.

Among the women’s elite, Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete, who was born in Ethiopia, will make her Hong Kong debut as the fastest of the invited female runners.
The three-time Asian champion, ranked 72nd in the world, said she was confident about handling the city’s demanding route, and believed she could “smash it”.
“I have heard Hong Kong’s course is very challenging with a lot of climbing in the second half,” the 35-year-old said. “Rutto [Kipkemboi] told me it is difficult.”
This year’s race will see a record number of invited overseas athletes, including five runners from North Korea among the 26 men and 19 women.
Kwan Kee, chairman of the race’s organising committee, said they had invested more in attracting elite competitors.
“Some top-level athletes even wrote to us asking to join. We’re very pleased with the response,” Kwan said.
With several of the invited runners ranked among the world’s top 100, Kwan hoped some of Hong Kong’s best would be able to keep pace with some of them.
Wong Wan-chun, Hong Kong’s marathon record holder, is hoping to better the time of 2:21:04 he posted in being the fastest local runner last year. That time was two minutes and 19 seconds faster than he managed when winning in 2024.
The 29-year-old said he would go into the run full of confidence after finishing this month’s Unicef Hero Run half-marathon around Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in 1:06:32.
Despite being Hong Kong’s fastest long-distance runner, Wong and the city’s athletics association, of which Kwan is also the chairman, have been locked in a dispute that has stopped him competing in major overseas events.
“For the coming Asian Games in Nagoya [in September], I will just take things as they come,” Wong said. “I still hope the association can give me a clear and reasonable explanation for why the team Hong Kong application has not been processed.”
In the women’s local division, defending champion Virginia Lo Ying-chiu said the marathon remained the most important race of her year.
“For full-time athletes like me, it affects our livelihood, so we will give everything we have,” Lo said.
Lo, who was the eighth woman overall across the line last year, said the strong overseas field would push her to perform better.
“Running alongside top international runners will really motivate me and I hope their presence can drive me to go faster on Sunday,” she added.


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Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: defending champ Kipkemboi eyes course record, title

Shitaye Eshete (left) and defending men’s champion  Bethwell Kipkemboi. Photo: Dickson Lee

Virginia Lo is back to defend her title as the Hong Kong marathon’s fastest local woman. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong marathons throughout the years – SCMP archive

Runners during the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in 1999. This was the first time the running event was held in the heart of the city. Photo: David Wong 

Runners taking part in the Tin Tin international marathon at Yuen Long Stadium in the New Territories on December 14, 1969. Photo: SCMP

Adrian Trowell and Sandra Fung, winners of the men’s and women’s titles in the Cathay Pacific Marathon held in Shek Kong, congratulate each other after the race on December 4, 1977. Photo: SCMP

The marathon moved to Hong Kong Island’s Eastern Corridor for the first time in 1988, attracting nearly 1,000 runners. Photo: SCMP 

In 1992, Hong Kong’s became the first marathon to run across two territories, starting in Sheung Shui in the New Territories and finishing in the Shenzhen Gymnasium. Runners were required to clear immigration checkpoints. Photo: SCMP

Standard Chartered became the title sponsor of the event in 1997. Photo: Tony Aw

Nicholas Kioko from Kenya was the champion of the men’s overall event in 1997. Photo: Tony Aw

Over 6,000 runners took part in 1998’s marathon which ended at the newly built Hong Kong International Airport’s runway in Chek Lap Kok. Photo: Ricky Chung

The marathon went “urban” for the first time in 1999, starting in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central District. Photo: David Wong

At the start of the millennium, the running event expanded to include three different distances: marathon, half marathon and 10km. Photo: Garrige Ho

Runners pack Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui on February 8, 2004. Photo: Antony Dickson

Pollution levels were high during 2006’s marathon with many runners complaining that the air quality had affected their performance. Photo: Dominic Nahr

A competitor lies on the floor because of exhaustion after finishing the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in 2006. Photo: Dominic Nahr

The Best Costume Award was introduced in 2009. Photo: May Tse

The full marathon wheelchair event and 3km wheelchair event were introduced for the first time in 2012. Photo: Nora Tam

Runners preparing for the 10km event in 2012. Participant numbers hit a record 70,000 this year. Photo: Felix Wong

Paper cups at the roadside during the 2018 Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Dickson Lee

After being suspended in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon returned with physical races on October 24, 2021. Photo: May Tse

The 2021 race was Hong Kong’s first large-scale sporting event since the pandemic began. Participants had to follow vaccine requirements. Photo: May Tse

The city’s iconic Lion Rock is seen in the background during the 2025 marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee

A runner dressed up as God of Wealth at the Island Eastern Corridor in North Point during last year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee

Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: North Korean quintet among invited runners

North Korea’s Asian Games silver medallist Han Il-ryong will be running on Sunday, along with four female compatriots. Photo: AFP

Mekuant Ayenew, who was third in Hong Kong two years ago, will wear the No 1 bib. Photo: Elson Li

Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi at last year’s Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Half Marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee

Sport

Outdoor

Bethwell Kipkemboi is back to defend his men’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon crown, as Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete targets women’s gold


Bethwell Kipkemboi is back to defend his men’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon crown, as Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete targets women’s gold.


Marathons

Wong Wan-chun

Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: defending champ Kipkemboi eyes course record, title

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Bethwell Kipkemboi is back to defend his men’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon crown, as Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete targets women’s gold

Bethwell Kipkemboi is back to defend his men’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon crown, as Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete targets women’s gold