Hong Kong Marathon
Encyclopedia
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
, is an annual marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
race held in February or March in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. In addition to the full marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, a 10 km run and a half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
are also held.
1997
In 1997 Standard Chartered decided to sponsor the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Marathon, held by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic AssociationHong Kong Amateur Athletic Association
Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association is an amateur organisation for track and field in Hong Kong.-External links:*...
, which had been previously suspended for three years due to lack of funds. The route was between Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui is an area in New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling-Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southeast.-History:...
and Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
.
1998
The Marathon started at Tsing Ma BridgeTsing Ma Bridge
The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail...
and ended at the newly-finished Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
on Chek Lap Kok
Chek Lap Kok
Chek Lap Kok was an island in the western waters of Hong Kong. Together with the smaller Lam Chau, it was leveled and merged via land reclamation into the platform for the current Hong Kong International Airport, which opened for commercial operations in 1998...
, with 6,000 participants.
1999
The race was moved to urban areas for the first time, starting in CentralCentral, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
, ending at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground
Sham Shui Po Sports Ground
Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, is located at 3 Hing Wah Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It opened on 9 January 1988.-Facilities:*1 all-weather of international standard 400-metre running track...
, with 7,000 participants.
2000
The route started from Hong Kong Cultural CentreHong Kong Cultural Centre
The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a multipurpose performance facility in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was founded by the former Urban Council and, after 2000, is administered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government...
, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, and ended at the Sham Shui Po Sports Ground. The half-marathon was added, alongside with the already-existing full marathon and 10 km race.
2001
In 2001 the number of participants exceeded 10,000. The race track started from Nathan Road, then out to West KowloonWest Kowloon
West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north, the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon...
, onto West Kowloon Highway
West Kowloon Highway
West Kowloon Highway is a section of Route 3 in Hong Kong. This dual-3 lane highway runs for 4.2 km, connecting Western Harbour Crossing in the south with Tsing Kwai Highway in the north. While the southern section of the road is at grade, the northern part is on a viaduct in order to accommodate...
, followed by Cheung Tsing Tunnel
Cheung Tsing Tunnel
Cheung Tsing Tunnel, also spelt Cheung Ching Tunnel, is a dual tube 3-lane tunnel on Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong. It is part of Tsing Kwai Highway of Route 3. Its east end connects to Rambler Channel Bridge and west Cheung Tsing Highway. The tunnel was opened on 1997-05-22 and is the second...
, Tsing Ma Bridge
Tsing Ma Bridge
The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail...
, Ting Kau Bridge
Ting Kau Bridge
Ting Kau Bridge is a 1,177-metre long cable-stayed bridge in Hong Kong that spans from the northwest of Tsing Yi Island and Tuen Mun Road. It is adjacent to Tsing Ma Bridge which also serves as major connector between the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island and the rest of Hong Kong....
, then going all the way back into Western Harbour Crossing
Western Harbour Crossing
The Western Harbour Crossing is a dual 3-lane immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong. It is the third tunnel to cross Victoria Harbour, linking the newly reclaimed land in West Kowloon with Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island...
, ending at Golden Bauhina Plaza
Golden Bauhinia Square
The Golden Bauhinia Square is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the...
in Wan Chai North.
2005
In 2005 Standard Chartered started sponsoring the newly-created Greatest Race on Earth. Hong Kong was included in the four constituent races.2006
In 2006 the Marathon was held on 12 February, with a prize fund of US$100,000. The entry fee was US$37 for foreign runners who paid on time. Almost 40,000 joined the Marathon. Two fainted during the race, with their lives severed. One of them died at about 3am on 14 February. The champion was from KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
with a time of 2:14:18.
2007
In 2007, the Hong Kong Marathon took place on Sunday, 4 March. The organizer, learning from experience of the previous year, arranged first-aid services. A record-breaking number of 6249 participants, or 16.7% of the total participants experienced injury. Hot weather sent 35 participants to hospital, including one young runner who died.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.)10km
The 10 km race took place at Island Eastern CorridorIsland Eastern Corridor
Island Eastern Corridor is an expressway along the north shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It starts from Causeway Bay in the west and ends in Chai Wan in the east. It is part of Route 4...
instead of Western Harbour Crossing
Western Harbour Crossing
The Western Harbour Crossing is a dual 3-lane immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong. It is the third tunnel to cross Victoria Harbour, linking the newly reclaimed land in West Kowloon with Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island...
like previous years. The race track started from City Garden
City Garden
City Garden , is a private housing estate in North Point, Hong Kong. It was built from 1983 to 1986 by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited. It consists of 14 blocks, each 28 storeys tall. Part of the site was occupied North Point Power Station before 1983....
in North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...
, and ran eastwards until Shau Kei Wan
Shau Kei Wan
Shau Kei Wan or Shaukeiwan, Shaukiwan is a town in Eastern District, Hong Kong. Literally, Shau Kei means a pail, and Wan implies that the town is developed along the coast. Nowadays it is a relatively densely populated town compared with some developing areas.-Name:The name Shau Kei Wan comes...
, where it made a U-turn, back along westbound IEC and ended at Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
, 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
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
. 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.
Full and half marathon
The full and half marathon's race tracks remained generally the same, starting from Nathan Road, Tsim Sha TsuiTsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, then going out to West Kowloon
West Kowloon
West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north, the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon...
using Austin Road
Austin Road
Austin Road is a road in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was named after John Gardiner Austin, Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1868 to 1879.-Location:...
, followed by West Kowloon Highway
West Kowloon Highway
West Kowloon Highway is a section of Route 3 in Hong Kong. This dual-3 lane highway runs for 4.2 km, connecting Western Harbour Crossing in the south with Tsing Kwai Highway in the north. While the southern section of the road is at grade, the northern part is on a viaduct in order to accommodate...
and Tsing Kwai Highway
Tsing Kwai Highway
Tsing Kwai Highway is a section of Route 3 in Hong Kong, previously known as Route 3 - Kwai Chung Section. From its junction with West Kowloon Highway at Mei Foo Roundabout, the expressway runs in the form of a 3 km dual-4 lane viaduct atop Kwai Chung Road and Kwai Tai Road, circumscribing the...
, where half-marathoners turn back. Full-marathoners continue through Cheung Ching Tunnel, then do a return trip each on Tsing Ma Bridge
Tsing Ma Bridge
The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail...
and Ting Kau Bridge. Competitors then ran back all the way to West Kowloon
West Kowloon
West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north, the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon...
, joining half-marathoners again at Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
, and into Western Harbour Crossing
Western Harbour Crossing
The Western Harbour Crossing is a dual 3-lane immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong. It is the third tunnel to cross Victoria Harbour, linking the newly reclaimed land in West Kowloon with Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island...
. The finishing point, however, was changed to Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
Victoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
instead of the Golden Bauhina Plaza in Wan Chai North. This arrangement was welcomed by elite athletes, citing that it would improve their performance. Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese runner Koichioro Fukuoka won the full marathon in 2:16:50, ending Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's four year domination of the event.
2009
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. KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n 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.
The finishing rate this year was 98%. The injury count was 394, of which 16 were sent to the hospital (including a case due to a temperature), down from 31 in 2008. 5000 runners requested massage due to cramp
Cramp
Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by muscle contraction or over shortening. Common causes of skeletal muscle cramps include muscle fatigue, low sodium, and low potassium...
s. Blind students participated in the 10 km race with 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.
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 is considering holding a disciplinary hearing on the matter.
2011
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 BogachovaIrina Bogachova
Irina Bogachova is a former long-distance runner from Kyrgyzstan, who competed in the women's marathon at three consecutive Summer Olympics: 1996, 2000 and 2004...
's ten-year-old mark.
External links
- Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon
- Hong Kong's Marathon Guide - information on this and other running competitions in Hong Kong
- Findamarathon.com - Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon