Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon said it is up to the runners to help secure a change to the route in future so that more of the race takes place on streets where spectators can watch.
The annual event has attracted an ever-growing number of competitors, with a record 60,000 ready to start tomorrow in a 10 kilometre race, half marathon and marathon.
However, the races are run mostly on cordoned-off highways with few opportunities for spectators to cheer on the runners until they reach the final stages on Hong Kong Island, before the finish at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. This is in marked contrast with most other major city marathons around the world, where a major part of the attraction for runners is to be able to race while enjoying the support of spectators.
'The ideal situation would be to have most of the races threading through the urban area with crowds cheering the runners on both sides of the road,' William Ko Wai-lim, chairman of the organising committee, said. 'But we are frustrated. Repeated requests have been made to the authorities to alter the route, but our appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
'I understand they say they have to consider the concerns of other road users, who might object if urban roads were closed and they were inconvenienced,' he said. 'I think it's time for the runners to come out and speak for themselves if they want to run the race within the urban area. They are also road users after all and have the right to have their interests taken into consideration.'
Ko admitted the undulating course was one reason organisers could not attract a top-class international field. 'Our course is very challenging and it will be difficult for the runners to hit good times in Hong Kong,' he said. 'What we can do is increase the prize money as an incentive to get a better field.'
