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Marathons

Marathons
More than 800 marathons and countless other half marathons take place around the world every year, but only six are classed as world title events - Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
On August 31, Zhang Shuihua, a Chinese runner participating in the women’s race of the 2025 Harbin Marathon, reached the finish line. (Xinhua)

China’s ‘fastest female nurse’ quits hospital job amid sponsor, shift controversy

Zhang Shuihua, who was the fastest local woman at the Harbin Marathon, resigns after row over clash between work and running.

Milestone marathon now just a marker on Hongkonger’s road to reaching magic number

China Coast Marathon a spectacular alternative to Standard Chartered Hong Kong

Wellness

She’d make excuses to skip running club. Now she’s smashed the 6 big marathons

Sophia Leung didn’t start running until her 40s and even then she wasn’t keen. Six world major marathons later and running is her ‘medicine’.

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Sophia Leung finishes the Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan in 2023, a race she has completed twice. She tells the Post how she used to make excuses to skip running, but not any more. Photo: courtesy of Sophia Leung
Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation

Hong Kong runners hit the track to raise funds for Tai Po victims

HK$500,000 already raised for Wang Fuk Court support fund in Lap Dog Challenge at Stanley Ho Sports Centre.

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.

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Hong Kong sports

7 Hong Kong Streetathon runners still missing bags as Wi-fi failure blamed

Organiser RunOurCity says team was unable to scan QR codes during peak hours due to discrepancy in signal strength and Wi-fi breakdown.

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Seven runners’ personal belongings are still missing after a chaotic baggage collection process at the Kerry Hong Kong Streetathon. Photo: Handout
Mable Chan

Hong Kong Streetathon organisers sorry for bag collection chaos, promise review

While costumed runners, ‘leaders’ race’ add to merriment, long uphill finish questioned by competitors.

Food and Drinks

On the Menu | Runners of Hong Kong, what kind of carbs are you eating?

Char siu rice? Pineapple buns? Running influencers tout the benefits of bread and pasta, but that is not what this new runner is looking for.

World Athletics Championships

Duplantis breaks pole vault world record in Tokyo after amazing marathon finish

Men’s marathon proves closer than men’s 100m final as it ends in a photo finish, a first for a major championship.

Armand Duplantis celebrates his world record in the pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: AFP
Wellness

Profile | ‘Lazy’? How Hong Kong marathon star made history, and his next goal

Dennis Lui, the first Hongkonger to run all seven major world marathons in under three hours each, shares his story – and his love of sleep.

Dennis Lui Wai-keung, the first Hongkonger to complete all seven world major marathons in under three hours. The seasoned runner often trains along Repulse Bay beach. 23AUG25 SCMP / Karma Lo
Eliud Kipchoge

Olympic champion Hassan and Kiros smash course records to win Sydney Marathon

Decision to skip World Athletics Championships pays off for Sifan Hassan in utterly dominant display.

Eliud Kipchoge

World’s fastest marathon man to lead runners as Sydney race joins elite group

Organisers expect about 35,000 people to run on Sunday, with event predicted to be worth US$47 million in tourism spending over next three years.

Trail running and hiking

Hong Kong Marathon officials’ plan to stop race cheats: ask runners to check

Details of 2026 race announced, after this year’s saw half-marathon winner and runner-up disqualified over bibs not matching identities.

Runners pass through Mong Kok during the 2025 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Dickson Lee
Wellness

He’s 80 and still running marathons. How does Olympian Jeff Galloway do it?

Galloway, whose Run-Walk-Run method has helped countless people take up endurance running, reveals how he trains and what he eats.

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Inspirational American Olympian Jeff Galloway has made finishing a distance race accessible to almost everyone through his Run-Walk-Run method. Photo: Jeff Galloway
India

Video | World’s oldest runner dies in hit-and-run

Fauja Singh was widely considered to be the world’s oldest marathon runner. He was hit by a car in India while crossing the road.

India

British-Indian marathon runner nicknamed ‘Turbaned Tornado’ dies at 114

Fauja Singh was widely considered to be the world’s oldest marathon runner. He was hit by a car in India while crossing the road.

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After Everest and Great Wall, marathon-loving Hongkonger tackles North Pole

Wan Chai resident David Dudek is hoping for lucky No 7 after past attempts were thwarted by Russia, Covid-19 and a collapsing runway.

David Dudek took on the Everest Marathon in 2024 and will finally tackle the sub-zero North Pole Marathon. Photo: Handout
Wellness

From 0 to 300km in 1 year. How this non-runner conquered ultra-marathons

Hongkonger Vriko Kwok’s journey to ultra athlete is among stories in a new book that shows how female-specific training can help them excel.

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: tile art, translation and a marathon star

See how Hong Kong history is written in the walls, get inspired by a trailblazing ultra-marathon queen, or go wild in Yellowstone National Park.

Runners in Hong Kong Streetathon get chance to try out new route

Registration for 10th anniversary of event, which features marathon, half-marathon and 10km races, has opened, with 20,000-contestant limit.

Marathon runners take part in last year’s Hong Kong Streetathon. Photo: Eugene Lee
Wellness

A stroke at 31 left her not wanting to go out. How she got her life back

Kandi Schmitz was afraid of leaving the house or exercising after a stroke during a 5km run. Now she’s back training for a half marathon.

Kandi Schmitz (left) with her husband and two children in 2024. Schmitz had a stroke at 31 while running a 5K race; almost a decade later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Photo: Courtesy of Heather Lynn Photography/ American Heart Association

More than 1 million people sign up for 2026 London Marathon, shatter world record

Number blasts past previous best of 840,300 entries for this month’s race in UK capital.

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Fresh ideas can better marathon experience

With the Kai Tak Sports Park open, a new route with a new finish line are among the options that can and should be considered for Hong Kong’s premier running festival.

Offbeat

Hindu monks, rare disabilities: the best stories ahead of London Marathon

According to its organisers, the London race is the most popular marathon in the world with a 43 per cent increase on last year.

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The London half marathon, pictured here, took place in early April with the full marathon scheduled for the coming weekend. Photo: Reuters
Robotics

Can robots outrun humans? This Chinese half-marathon found out

Some robots wear running shoes, others fall over, but Yizhuang race in Beijing’s E-Town showcases country’s growing robotics industry.

A robot crosses the finish line in the half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday. Photo: AFP
North Korea

American’s ‘craziest experience’ at North Korea marathon, completes record task

Cameron Mofid’s 10km in Pyongyang race means 25-year-old has now visited every country in the world.

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North Korea

Video | North Korea’s first Pyongyang marathon in 6 years

Around 200 foreign athletes took part in the race, one of several events held to celebrate the April 15 birthday of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung

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