appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ada Li

Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will set up a special task force to look into the “future development” of the event, after thousands of visitors flocked to take part in Sunday’s races and almost 50,000 runners were denied a spot.
More than 90 per cent of the 74,000 who were awarded a place turned up, but officials previously said 120,000 people applied and athletes have asked before why Hong Kong does not follow in Singapore’s footsteps in spreading out events over 48 hours.
Officials did put on a series of youth races at Kai Tak Sports Park on Saturday and said they would study how the venue could be “incorporated into future race routes”.
Whether they attempt to make changes quickly remains to be seen, but 2027’s race has already been marked in the calendar for January 17.
And while Kwan Kee, chairman of the race organising committee, acknowledged oversubscription was an issue that needed to be addressed, he also pointed to the disruption just one race day caused to the city.

“Demand for race entries far exceeds supply,” Kwan said at a post-race briefing near the finish line in Victoria Park. “We’ve been actively exploring ways to expand the event’s scale and capacity, including extending race hours and considering new route options.
“But as everyone knows, road space in Hong Kong is limited, so we must strike a balance with other road users.”
Still, on Sunday, those other road users had to wait as Ethiopia’s Melaku Belachew claimed victory in the men’s marathon for the second time in nine years, and Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete won the women’s race on her debut.
Both briefly flirted with course records too, with Belachew’s two hours, nine minutes and 39 seconds just shy of the 2:09:20 mark set by Kenyan Barnabas Kiptum in 2019.
Kwam called the 19-second gap “a bit of a pity”, although it was unsurprising given the windy and slightly humid conditions that Belachew said had made the race “horrible”.
According to the Hospital Authority, 59 runners had been sent to public hospitals as of 4pm. Of those, two were listed as being critical, three were in serious condition, 29 in stable condition and 25 had been discharged.
“The three runners collapsed at different locations,” Lam Kin-kwan, the event’s medical director, said. “Along the Island Eastern Corridor, in front of Sogo in Causeway Bay and at the exit of the Western Harbour Crossing. They required first aid and CPR while a few others showed signs of heatstroke or shock.”

Of those that did make it across the line in the marathon, 299 local runners received the “Mr and Miss Thousand Dollars” Marathon Special Incentive Award, which gives HK$1,000 (US$128) to each permanent Hong Kong resident finishing within three hours for men and three hours and 30 minutes for women.
With organisers claiming 25 per cent of competitors came from outside the city, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the race solidified Hong Kong’s “position as an international sports capital”.
Writing on his official Facebook page, Lee, who was at the start line in Tsim Sha Tsui, said the government “remained dedicated to a long-term vision for sports development centred on five key objectives: fostering elite talent, hosting major events, enhancing professionalism, driving industrialisation and promoting popularisation”.


Hong Kong Marathon expects to welcome record number of runners after increasing quota

Priority-entry registration for Hong Kong bridge half-marathon opens on Thursday

How this Hong Kong executive lost 32kg in 8 months through exercise and a diet overhaul

Law urges caution over proposals for Hong Kong Marathon route change, switch to 2-day event

Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

Hong Kong Marathon organisers to look into turning event into 2-day affair

Almost all of the 74,000 runners who were awarded a place in the race, out of 120,000 applicants, turned up, organisers said. Photo: Karma Lo

Race winner Melaku Belachew finished just shy of the Hong Kong Marathon record. Photo: Dickson Lee

Chief Executive John Lee (centre) said the race cemented Hong Kong’s “position as an international sports capital”. Photo: Karma Lo

World Snooker Grand Prix will have Kai Tak home until 2029, but will O’Sullivan ever come?

Defending champion Neil Robertson will return to Hong Kong for the World Grand Prix. Photo: Dickson Lee

Marco Fu will play two exhibition matches against seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong’s sevens heartbreak as World Rugby meddling plunges beaten city team into void

Max Denmark, here in action during the victory over Tonga on Saturday, scored Hong Kong’s first try against Canada. Photo: World Rugby

Sport

Outdoor

Hong Kong

Other Sport

Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day


Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day.


Marathons

Hospital Authority

Hong Kong Marathon organisers to look into turning event into 2-day affair

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day

Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day