Hong Kong Marathon

The Hong Kong Marathon (Chinese: 香港馬拉松), sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank, is an annual marathon race held in January or February in Hong Kong. In addition to the full marathon, a 10 km run and a half marathon are also held. Around 70,000 runners take part each year across all events.

Hong Kong Marathon
Hong Kong Marathon in West Kowloon, 2007
Date	February
Location	Hong Kong
Event type	Road
Distance	Marathon, Half marathon and 10 km
Primary sponsor	Standard Chartered Bank
Established	1997 (26 years ago) (1997) (Standard Chartered era)
Course records	Men: 2:09:20 Barnabas Kiptum (2019) Women: 2:26:13 Volha Mazuronak (2019)
Official site	Hong Kong Marathon
Participants	4,744 (2019)

Finish line in 2011

High levels of humidity and a difficult course make finishing times for the Hong Kong Marathon comparatively slower than other large marathons. The course records were both set in 2019. Kenyan Barnabas Kiptum holds the men's record of 2:09:20 hours while Belarusian Volha Mazuronak holds the women's record of 2:26:13 hours.^[1]

The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics.^[2][a]

The Hong Kong Marathon has hosted the Asian Marathon Championship race on four occasions (2002, 2008, 2013, and 2015).^[4][5]

History

Initial era

The race traces its history back to 1981 when the first race was held in Sek Kong comprising four circuits of the roads around Sek Kong Camp where it started and finished.^{[citation needed]} The race continued to be held here during the 80s (see records below).^{[citation needed]} It became the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Marathon, launched by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association. The route was between Sheung Shui and Shenzhen.^{[6][better source needed]} The race endured organisational difficulties due to a lack of funding and was not held from 1989 to 1991. After two further editions, the race was again suspended from 1994 to 1996.^[4]

Standard Chartered era

Standard Chartered Bank stepped in as a title sponsor for the 1997 race and it garnered a field of 1,000 runners.^[7] The relaunch of the race saw increased participation from top-level East African runners – the men's race has been won by either a Kenyan or Ethiopian runner for all but two years from 1997 to 2012.^[4]

The 1998 marathon established a new course, starting at Tsing Ma Bridge and ending at the newly finished Hong Kong International Airport on Chek Lap Kok. The total number of entrants increased to 6,000 participants. In 1999, the race was moved to urban areas for the first time, starting in Central, ending at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, with 7,000 participants. The route was altered again in 2000, as it started from Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, and ended at the Sham Shui Po Sports Ground. The half-marathon was added, alongside the already-existing full marathon and 10 km race.^[6]

 

West Kowloon Highway at Olympic station under heavy air pollution, 2006

In 2001 the number of participants exceeded 10,000. The racecourse started from Nathan Road, then out to West Kowloon, onto West Kowloon Highway, followed by Cheung Tsing Tunnel, Tsing Ma Bridge, Ting Kau Bridge, then going all the way back into Western Harbour Crossing, ending at Golden Bauhinia Plaza in Wan Chai North.^[6]

The race was incorporated as one of the four legs of the Standard Chartered-sponsored The Greatest Race on Earth in 2005.

In 2006 the marathon was held on 12 February, with a prize fund of US$100,000. Almost 40,000 joined the Marathon. Two fainted during the race and one died on 14 February, resulting in the competition's first fatality. Reflecting this, first-aid services were introduced for the 2007 edition, but weather conditions seriously affected the runners. A record-breaking number of 6249 participants took part, 16.7% of whom experienced an injury. Hot weather sent 35 participants to hospital, including one young runner who died.^[8]

2008

In 2008 the marathon was held on 17 February, participated by some 42,000 runners, of which over 30,000 joined the 10 km event. (Originally 49,000 had signed up but 7,000 of them did not turn up.)^[9]

The 10 km race took place at Island Eastern Corridor instead of Western Harbour Crossing like in previous years. The race track started from City Garden in North Point, and ran eastwards until Shau Kei Wan, where it made a U-turn, back along with westbound IEC and ended at Victoria Park, near the western terminus of the IEC. Due to the proximity of Island Eastern Corridor from residential blocks such as those at City Garden, and also the early starting time of the races (05:10 to 06:40), residents complained about noises as loud as 60dB. The organizer, however, stated that it hopes to use IEC again for the 2009 Marathon since it successfully alleviated the problem of large numbers of runners rushing into Western Harbour Crossing, which made breathing difficult within the tunnel. The new route was welcomed by the participants, saying that it was better than the old one.^[9][10][11]

 

Entering Cheung Tsing Tunnel

The full and half marathon's race tracks remained generally the same, starting from Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, then going out to West Kowloon using Austin Road, followed by West Kowloon Highway and Tsing Kwai Highway, where half-marathoners turn back. Full-marathoners continue through Cheung Tsing Tunnel, then do a return trip each on Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. Competitors then ran back all the way to West Kowloon, joining half-marathoners again at Kwai Chung, and into Western Harbour Crossing. The finishing point, however, was changed to Victoria Park instead of the Golden Bauhinia Plaza in Wan Chai North. This arrangement was welcomed by elite athletes, citing that it would improve their performance. Japanese runner Koichioro Fukuoka won the full marathon in 2:16:50, ending Kenya's four-year domination of the event.^[9][10][12]

2009

 

Lockhart Road in 2011

The race for 2009 took place on 8 February, with the courses for all events remaining the same as the previous year. About 55,000 people enrolled, among which 51,272 runners turned up (of which 31,000 were of the 10 km event, 7000 in full marathon), breaking previous records. The prize pool was US$100,000, with the winner getting US$20,000. Kenyan runner Cyprian Kiogora Mwobi won the full marathon in 2:14:57, setting a new course record. The women's title was won by Winnie Frida Kwamboka Nyansikera, also Kenyan, in 2:41:25.^[13][14]

The finishing rate this year was 98%. The injury count was 394, of which 16 were sent to hospital (including a case due to a temperature), down from 31 in 2008. 5000 runners requested massage due to cramps. Blind students participated in the 10 km race with an escort by their teachers. The relative humidity that day was high at 60%-85%, making the race less comfortable. The inclination on the course was also a subject of complaint.^[15][16]

Two runners were found using identical number bibs with the number "4", and this spurred discussion. The number belonged to the Hong Kong delegate, Lau Kwong-man. Several days later, his coach, Ng Fai-yeung, admitted that he took one bib (Lau got two bibs for being an invited runner, one in front and one on rear) from Lau, wore it, and accompanied Leung Yuen-fan, another teammate, in the race. The event committee delivered its verdict on 12 February with reference to the scandal, disqualifying Lau and Leung from the race. The HKAAA has considered holding a disciplinary hearing on the matter.^[17][18]

2010–present

 

Near the Victoria Park finish, 2012

The 2010 race saw Cyprian Kiogara Mwobi become the first man to defend his title in Hong Kong, and only the second person to do so after Yuko Gordon won the women's races in 1983 and 1984.^[4]

At the 2011 edition, held on 20 February, Nelson Kirwa Rotich won the men's elite race in a time of 2:16.00 hours. However, it was the women's elite race that proved to be the high point of that year's events: young Kenyan runner Janet Rono failed to gain a position within the invited foreign athletes and she chose to fund her own journey and participation for the event. The move paid off as she won the race in a new women's course record time of 2:33:42, erasing Irina Bogachova's ten-year-old mark.^[19]

The route was modified in the 2012 race to pass through the Central Piers and the newly reclaimed areas around the Tamar site. Ethiopians set new course records for both men's and women's races: Dejere Abera for the men's record with 2:11:27 hours and Misiker Demissie for the women's record with 2:30:12 hours. The wheelchair race was resumed after 14 years of hiatus, with full marathon and 3 km courses.^[20] The second fatality in the competition's history occurred that year, when a 26-year-old male half marathon runner fell unconscious after he passed the finish line, and announced dead after he was sent to hospital.^[21]

The 2013 edition was held on 23 February and Julius Maisei (2:14:18) and Misiker Demissie (2:30:49) won the elite races.^[22]

The 2014 races were won by two Ethiopian athletes who self-funded to enter the race. Feyera Gemeda and Rehima Kedir won the men's and women's races in 2:15:05 and 2:34:53 hours, respectively.^[23]

A 24-year-old male Ng Cheuk-yue from the 2015 race died of an unknown cause in a hospital after a heart attack^[24] and then head injury just one hundred metres away from the finish line. A 49-year-old male runner is currently in a hospital after falling ill at the Tsing Ma Bridge.^[25][26] Ethiopian runner Sentayehu Merga Ejigu won the men's race with two hours, thirteen minutes, and forty-six seconds; North Korean runner Kim Hye-gyong won the woman's race with two hours, thirty-one minutes, and forty-six seconds.^[27] Thirty more people were hospitalised: three serious, nineteen stable, and eight discharged.^[27]

The (20th) Hong Kong Marathon (2016) had the first Official Theme Song of the race - Life And Marathon (人生馬拉松) sung by Hong Kong singer Eason Chan, being recorded on his newest album Getting Ready (準備中) released on 10 July 2015, and Eason was formally invited to participate on this race with being granted "Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon VIP Pass" by Standard Chartered Bank and Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association.^[28]

The 2017 course omitted the Tsing Ma Bridge due to complaints by motorists.^[29] After omitting it again in 2018, race organizers stated that it was unlikely to ever return to the marathon course.^[29][30]

In 2019, a new course record of 2:09:21 was set by Barnabas Kiptum.

The 2020 edition originally scheduled in February was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[31]

Similarly, the 2021 edition of the race, originally scheduled for January, was postponed to 24 October 2021 due to the pandemic.^{[32][33][34][35]} The marathon was won by Christy Yiu and Wong Kai-lok, both from Hong Kong.^[36] Wong won by four seconds in his debut marathon, which he ran against the advice of his doctors, after having taken two years to recover from a serious knee injury.^[36] As this was the first edition of the race held since the pandemic began, the number of participants was reduced by about 75 percent, and no overseas runners were invited.^[37] As this was also the first edition held since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, runners were warned against making political statements, and some runners reported being banned from the race due to wearing apparel containing the words "Hong Kong".^{[38][39][40][37][b]}

Course

Standard Chartered era

External images
^[41]
Course map of full marathon in 2021^[42]

The course initially used in 1997 ran from Sheung Shui to Shenzhen via Huanggang.^[43]

The marathon begins on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, crosses Stonecutters and Ting Kau Bridges, then runs through Cheung Tsing and Western Harbour Tunnels before finishing in Victoria Park.^[41]

The Tsing Ma Bridge was added to the course in 1998 but was removed in 2017 due to complaints by motorists.^[43][29]

Winners

 

2006 winner Ethiopian Dire Tune (pictured running the 2008 Boston Marathon, which she won)

 

Course record holder Volha Mazuronak (pictured here Women's marathon in Doha

 

2021 winner Christy Yiu (pictured here Women's marathon in Rio de Janeiro

Key:

   Course record (in bold)

   Asian Marathon Championship race

Initial era

Year	Men's winner	Time^[c]	Women's winner	Time^[c]	Rf.
1981	Yoshinobu Kitayama (JPN)	2:19:43	Kathryn Binns (GBR)	2:45:38
1982	Andy Holden (GBR)	2:17:43	Winnie Lai-Chu Ng (HKG)	2:50:09
1983	James Dingwall (GBR)	2:15:48	Yuko Gordon (HKG)	2:48:08
1984	Graeme Kennedy (AUS)	2:17:27	Yuko Gordon (HKG)	2:42:35
1985	Alain Lazare (NCL)	2:18:34	Asha Agarwal (IND)	2:44:51
1986	Shu-chun Zhu (CHN)	2:15:08	Yan-min Wen (CHN)	2:36:55
1987	Richard Mannen (CAN)	2:20:51	Ju-an Li (CHN)	2:37:35
1988	Cai Shang-yan (CHN)	2:23:27	Xiu-xia Li (CHN)	2:41:31
—	suspended from 1989 to 1991
1992	Pan Shao-kui (CHN)	2:20:54	Hong Wang (CHN)	2:45:44
1993	Peter Handcock (NZL)	2:18:34	Zina Marchant (GBR)	2:41:20	^[44]
—	suspended from 1994 to 1996

Standard Chartered era

Ed.	Year	Men's winner	Time^[c]	Women's winner	Time^[c]	Rf.
1	1997	Nicholas Kioko (KEN)^[d]	2:16:13	Zheng Guixia [de] (CHN)^[d]	2:31:33	^[45]
2	1998	Belaye Wolashe (ETH)	2:13:09	Alina Ivanova (RUS)	2:39:26
3	1999	Charles Tangus (KEN)	2:17:00	Zheng Guixia (CHN)	2:36:52
4	2000	Henry Cherono (KEN)	2:21:09	Irina Safarova (RUS)	2:46:59
5	2001	Dube Jillo (ETH)	2:23:21	Irina Bogacheva (KGZ)	2:33:43
6	2002	Benjamin Mutua (KEN)	2:16:07	Zhang Shujing (CHN)	2:36:27
7	2003	Tendai Chimusasa (ZIM)	2:18:11	Sun Weiwei (CHN)	2:38:55
8	2004	Thomas Migwi (KEN)	2:17:17	Gitte Karlshøj (DEN)	2:42:19
9	2005	Samson Loywapet (KEN)	2:15:21	Dai Yanyan (CHN)	2:34:41
10	2006	Simon Kipruto (KEN)	2:14:18	Dire Tune (ETH)	2:35:15
11	2007	Steven Kamar (KEN)	2:17:03	Rose Nyangacha (KEN)	2:38:19
12	2008	Koichiro Fukuoka (JPN)	2:16:50	Kim Kum-ok (PRK)	2:36:43
13	2009	Cyprian Mwobi (KEN)	2:14:57	Winfrida Kwamboka (KEN)	2:41:25
14	2010	Cyprian Mwobi (KEN)	2:20:12	Triyaningsih (INA)	2:47:35
15	2011	Nelson Rotich (KEN)	2:16:00	Janet Rono (KEN)	2:33:42
16	2012	Dejere Abera (ETH)	2:11:27	Misiker Demissie (ETH)	2:30:12
17	2013	Julius Masei (KEN)	2:14:18	Misiker Demissie (ETH)	2:30:49
18	2014	Feyera Gemeda (ETH)	2:15:05	Rehima Kedir (ETH)	2:34:53
19	2015	Sentayehu Merga (ETH)	2:13:00	Kim Hye-gyong (PRK)	2:31:46
20	2016	Mike Mutai (KEN)	2:12:12	Letebrhan Gebreslasea (ETH)	2:36:51	^[50]
21	2017	Melaku Belachew (ETH)	2:10:31	Gulume Tollesa (ETH)	2:33:39
22	2018	Kenneth Mungara (KEN)	2:13:39	Gulume Tollesa (ETH)	2:29:37
23	2019	Barnabas Kiptum (KEN)	2:09:20	Volha Mazuronak (BLR)	2:26:13	^[51]
—	2020	cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic				^[31]
24	2021	Wong Kai-lok (HKG)	2:31:10	Christy Yiu (HKG)	2:39:27	^[36]
—	2022	cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
25	2023	Scheduled to take place 12/02/2023. No refunds if cancelled.

See also

• Beijing Marathon
• Macau Marathon

Notes

1. The Hong Kong Marathon was first categorized as an IAAF Bronze Label road race by International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for the 2012 race, and was upgraded to a Silver Label for the 2013 race.^[3] The race remained a Silver Label race in 2014 and 2015 and was upgraded to a Gold Label for the 2016 race.
2. During a press conference with marathon organisers, one media representative asked if the race was going to be renamed "Standard Chartered Marathon", dropping the words "Hong Kong".^[37]
3. h:m:s
4. The official race site has previously listed Bashir Hussain of the United Kingdom and Bev Lucas of Australia as the winners in 1997 (with winning times of 2:25:34 and 2:52:07, respectively), even though they are well documented as the winners of the Swire Group Tsing Ma Bridge Marathon (with those winning times), held on 4 May 1997 after the bridge was inaugurated on 27 April 1997, while the Standard Chartered marathon was held on 16 February 1997, ran from Sheung Shui to Shenzhen via Huanggang, and never crossed the bridge.^{[45][46][43][47][48][49]}

References

1. Hong Kong Winner Barnabas Kiptum Was So Far Ahead Rivals Never Saw Him. SportPesa News. 18 February 2019.
2. . Archived from the original on 2 September 2020.
3. IAAF Silver Label Road Races, IAAF Official Website, Retrieved on 21 February 2013
4. Civai, Franco (11 March 2011). Hong Kong Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 5 February 2012.
5. 14th Asian Marathon Championships, IAAF Official Website, Retrieved on 21 February 2013
6. Exhibition on a marathon in Victoria Park, February 2008, by the organizer of the Marathon
7. "Standard Chartered Bank".
8. "迫爆馬拉松 青年中暑危殆 6249人不適". 明報. 4 March 2007.
9. "馬拉松噪音超標居民投訴". Ming Pao. 18 February 2008.
10. "New Route for 2008 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon". ASIATravelTips.com.
11. "四萬人跑馬拉松破紀錄". Sing Tao Daily. 18 February 2008.
12. "渣馬新賽道跑手畀滿分 跑入鬧市長直路助創佳績". Ming Pao. 28 February 2007.
13. Chui, Timothy (9 February 2009). . The Standard. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
14. 渣打馬拉松人數創新高 (in Chinese). Hong Kong Daily News. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
15. 跑馬拉松受傷增倍半 (in Chinese). Oriental Daily News. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
16. 香 港 馬 拉 松 5000 多 人 抽 筋 16 人 送 院 (in Chinese). RTHK. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
17. "Untitled Document" 馬拉松「造假」兩選手取消成績 (in Chinese). Oriental Daily News. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
18. "Untitled Document" 兩個4號馬拉松爆造假 (in Chinese). Oriental Daily News. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
19. Butcher, Pat (20 February 2011). Rono surprises in Hong Kong. IAAF. Retrieved on 20 February 2011.
20. 國際輪椅選手：港賽道最難 (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
21. 濕熱馬拉松跑死人 (in Chinese). The Sun (Hong Kong). 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
22. February 2013 Results. AIMS. Retrieved on 17 March 2013.
23. Butcher, Pat (16 February 2014). Ethiopian enterprise pays dividends in Hong Kong. IAAF. Retrieved on 23 February 2014.
24. Lau, Kenneth (27 January 2015). "Runner, 24, loses race for life." The Standard. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
25. Louie, Lobo (26 January 2015). "Marathon runner succumbs to injuries." RTHK. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
26. Chan, Samuel (26 January 2015). "Hong Kong marathon runner, 24, dies after collapsing 100m from finishing line." South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
27. Lau, Kenneth (26 January 2015). "Marathon tears and triumphs." 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Standard. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
28. The 2015 Cantonese Album of Eason Chan "Getting Ready" Release Party, PlayMusic, 2015-07-08
29. "Bridge too far – Hong Kong Marathon likely to lose Tsing Ma Bridge forever | South China Morning Post". www.scmp.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
30. ^{[bare URL image file]}
31. Hong Kong Marathon and other major events are cancelled. CNN. Retrieved on 25 January 2020.
32. https://www.hkmarathon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SCHKM2021_Race-Day-Postponement-Press-Release-E_FINAL.pdf^{[bare URL PDF]}
33. "Organisers postpone 2021 Hong Kong Marathon from January date". 27 August 2020.
34. "Hong Kong Marathon: 2021 race postponed to October 24 with Covid-19 pandemic ruling out an April event | South China Morning Post". www.scmp.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
35. ^{[bare URL PDF]}
36. • https://archive.today/20211024055748/https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3153487/hong-kong-marathon-dream-debut-mens-overall-winner-wong-kai-lok
37. "Hong Kong Marathon organisers cut short tense press conference after questions about barred participants | South China Morning Post". www.scmp.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
38. "Hong Kong Marathon warns runners against breaking law with political slogans in first mass participation sports event of national security era | South China Morning Post". www.scmp.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
39. "Marathon organiser clarifies that it's anti-crime - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
40. "Hong Kong Marathon: Runners claim organisers stopped them racing over logos, slogans on clothing | South China Morning Post". www.scmp.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
41. . www.hkmarathon.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
42. "Course map-Marathon – Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2021". www.hkmarathon.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
43. https://archive.today/20201103063614/https://www.hkmarathon.com/event-history/
44. . Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
45. • . Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
    • https://archive.today/20201205022238/https://www.scmp.com/article/190047/tsing-ma-marathon-targets-kenyans
    • https://archive.today/20201205032645/https://www.scmp.com/article/230698/zheng-runs-visa-roadblock
    • https://archive.today/20201205024140/http://www.marathonspiegel.de/welt/topwefr.htm#selection-104851.2-104879.12
48. https://archive.today/20201205022200/https://www.scmp.com/article/194703/victorious-hussain-tsing-ing-rain
50. Butcher, Pat (17 January 2016). Mutai defies downpour to triumph in Hong Kong. IAAF. Retrieved on 17 January 2016.
51. "World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.

List of winners

• Civai, Franco (2011-03-11). Hong Kong Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 5 February 2012.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hong Kong Marathon.

• Official website
• Hong Kong's Marathon Guide - information on this and other running competitions in Hong Kong
• Findamarathon.com - Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon