Congratulations to the Standard Chartered Bank for organising the annual marathon - probably one of the best sporting events in Hong Kong.
When it was first held in 1997 there were only 1,076 participants in all categories (marathon, half-marathon and 10km) but the number has grown 14 fold in just five years, as there were about 14,000 participants this time, and is likely to grow further.
However, there were some problems at last Sunday's event, particularly about 100 metres from the finishing line. The separation of marathon runners from those in the half-marathon was poorly managed. At one stage, three officials were telling runners to take the left lane which was separated by small red traffic cones. This caused confusion and must have effected the finishing time of more than one runner.
It would be more convenient for the runners if there were separate finishing points for the marathon and the half-marathon. Towards the marathon finishing line there were hundreds of half-marathon runners blocking the way, consequently reducing the speed of the leading marathon runners.
I hope officials will improve the arrangements for this great event next year.
MURTAZA GUJAR