Hong Kong ultra-runners to race 50km through streets of Central ... well, street to be exact
Runners taking part in ultramarathon will lap a stretch 25 times to complete 50km
Runners will pound out an ultramarathon through the streets of Central next month ... well, street to be exact: participants have to go up and down a 1km-long section of Lung Wo Road 25 times for the 50km race.
Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association chairman Kwan Kee defended a route that seems somewhat monotonous: runners will start near IFC Two and head to the other end of Lung Wo Road near Citic Tower, then go back ... and forward ... and back ... and forward ...
"Using laps in ultramarathon races is common in other countries," said Kwan, who added that the race was just the starting point for ultra-distance races in the city, with 100km a long-term goal.
The HKAAA has long struggled to establish an attractive route through Hong Kong's streets for its flagship race, the Standard Chartered Marathon, and future ultramarathons seem unlikely to break that trend for now with road closures still proving to be a thorny issue.
"Given the difficulty to arrange closure of roads of that length, we will possibly make improvements by increasing the length of each lap in coming years," said Kwan.