https://www.scmp.com/rss/316006/feed The 2015 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon is the 19th edition of the popular running event, founded in 1997, held on January 25th 2015. In addition to the full marathon, a 10km run and a half marathon are also held. The winner of the men’s and women’s races each receives US$65,000.Around 70,000 runners take part each year across all events. The defending champions are both Ethiopians, Feyera Gemeda who won the 2014 men’s edition in 2 hours 15 minutes and five seconds and Rehima Kedir, who... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A surreal Sunday scene emerges around this time every year, with the city's highways and tunnels carpeted with tens of thousands of people in colourful sporty outfits. With a turnout of more than 70,000 participants this year, some coming from as far as North Korea and Africa, the Hong Kong Marathon is no doubt one of the city's few signature events. But for those who do not sign up to run, the marathon remains little more than arresting images on their TV screen or newspaper. That the community... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1693651/marathon-race-deserves-citys-support-it-puts-hong-kong-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1693651/marathon-race-deserves-citys-support-it-puts-hong-kong-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:45:30 +0000 Sportswear company Puma has apologised for a catty Hong Kong Marathon marketing stunt that appeared to have its claws out for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. A photograph posted on the brand’s official Facebook page ahead of the race showed a cat pawing a runners’ t-shirt with the marathon entrant number “D7689” attached to the front. “D7” sounds similar to a vulgar Cantonese expression, while Leung’s critics often call him “689” – in reference to the number of votes he got from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1692371/claws-out-puma-apologises-d7689-hong-kong-marathon-photo-targeting-cy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1692371/claws-out-puma-apologises-d7689-hong-kong-marathon-photo-targeting-cy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:32:32 +0000 A runner who collapsed just 100 metres from the finishing line at the Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday has died in hospital. Hongkonger Ng Cheuk-yue, 24, a runner in the 10km race, was certified dead at 11.37am yesterday at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan following a night in intensive care. The exact cause of his death was yet to be determined by the Coroner's Court, according to a Hospital Authority spokesman. Ng collapsed and suffered a head injury in Causeway Bay at around... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1692214/hong-kong-runner-24-dies-after-collapsing-close-marathon-finishing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1692214/hong-kong-runner-24-dies-after-collapsing-close-marathon-finishing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2015 05:53:59 +0000 With her twin sister and running partner staying at home in Pyongyang, Kim Hye-gyong took on the powerful Africans single-handed yesterday and pulled off a surprise victory in the women’s marathon. The last time a woman from North Korea won the race was in 2008 when Kim Kum-ok and Jong Yong-ok crossed the finish line locked together in what appeared to be a dead heat. It was a politically correct move, although Kim was awarded the race afterwards by perplexed organisers. They dedicated their... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1692152/north-korea-best-kim-hye-gyong-fends-african-challenge-win-womens-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1692152/north-korea-best-kim-hye-gyong-fends-african-challenge-win-womens-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:00:00 +0000 Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will push for all of Hennessy Road to be opened for next year's event, but the ceiling of 73,000 entries is unlikely to be raised. Runners yesterday spoke overwhelmingly in favour of the slight change to this year's finish, a more spectator-friendly route along Hennessy Road and Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay. "More than 84 per cent of the runners said the new finish is better than before," said William Ko Wai-lam, chairman of the organising... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691810/hong-kong-marathon-full-bursting-even-if-new-wan-chai-route-approved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691810/hong-kong-marathon-full-bursting-even-if-new-wan-chai-route-approved?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 19:30:00 +0000 Link to the full-screen interactive graphic https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1691300/long-run-visualising-2015-hong-kong-marathon-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1691300/long-run-visualising-2015-hong-kong-marathon-results?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 17:15:45 +0000 The barricades were back out on Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay on Sunday, but there were no Occupy protesters around. Instead, they were keeping a large crowd off the streets, allowing Ethiopia's Sentayehu Merga Ejigu to race to victory in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Breathing down his neck were countryman Fikre Assefa Robi and Kenyan Robert Kipkorir Kipchumba, but Merga, a first-time competitor, wasn't to be denied a well-deserved victory as he continued a long African dominance... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691646/first-time-lucky-ethiopian-merga-he-wins-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691646/first-time-lucky-ethiopian-merga-he-wins-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:30:15 +0000 For Sam Kong Lai-ming, it's more like "10th time's a charm". After running the Standard Chartered Marathon "more than 10 times", she was relieved to run a personal best and finally claim victory in the women's 10km in 38 minutes and 33 seconds. I think it's not my best performance yet and there's still room to improve Sam Kong Lai-ming With defending champion Christy Yiu Kit-ching running the marathon distance, the winner's spot in the women's 10km field was ripe for the taking. And Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691358/persistence-finally-pays-patient-sam-kong-womens-10km?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691358/persistence-finally-pays-patient-sam-kong-womens-10km?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:29:02 +0000 There were no tears but plenty of sweat and even some blood as Alex Chan Wai-tung claimed honours in the junior half- marathon. "I wasn't sure if I could run, even when the race started," said Chan, who damaged the soles of his feet on Friday after taking part in a physical exercise study at Polytechnic University. My feet were hurting. I took some steps at the starting point and decided to keep going Alex Chan Wai-tung "My feet were hurting. I took some steps at the starting point and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691564/bad-science-almost-costs-alex-chan-junior-half-marathon-title?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691564/bad-science-almost-costs-alex-chan-junior-half-marathon-title?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:25:27 +0000 The competitive fires still burn bright in former Hong Kong cycling champion Hung Chung-yam. The 52-year-old former Olympian is proving age is no hurdle as he shows the younger generation a thing or two. Hung recorded a personal best two hours, 45 minutes and 25 seconds when he finished third in the men's masters yesterday. Hung finished just in front of Christy Yiu Kit-ching, one of Hong Kong's best women's distance runners. "I put in a lot of effort for the event this year, training more than... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691611/former-champion-cyclist-hung-chung-yam-shows-he-still-competitive-52?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691611/former-champion-cyclist-hung-chung-yam-shows-he-still-competitive-52?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:19:01 +0000 Christy Yiu Kit-ching's dream of a trip to the Rio Olympics is on hold for another few months but her marathon debut was the start of "a great career", said coach Anthony Giorgi. Yiu ran a gutsy 2:45.44 for her first serious attempt at the 42.2-kilometre distance, narrowly missing her target of two hours and 44 minutes. I was going quite well until we got off the Tsing Ma Bridge and I then started to feel a bit fatigued Christy Yiu Kit-ching "I was going quite well until we got off the Tsing... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691360/christy-yiu-kit-ching-misses-rio-olympics-qualifying-time-coaches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691360/christy-yiu-kit-ching-misses-rio-olympics-qualifying-time-coaches?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:00:47 +0000 There was a hop, maybe even a little bit of a skip, and most definitely a jump for joy as Hong Kong's Ivan Lo Ching-hin crossed the line for his breakthrough victory in the elite 10 kilometre race. The 26-year-old is better known as one of Hong Kong's leading triathletes, but has proved himself more than able to mix it up with the 10km specialists over the years and boasts two second-place finishes (2012, 2014) on his resumé. I don't want to sound like I am saying the field was slow, there was... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691361/triathlete-ivan-lo-gets-his-bike-take-10km-title?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691361/triathlete-ivan-lo-gets-his-bike-take-10km-title?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 13:45:00 +0000 Pint-sized North Korea Kim Hye-gyong stopped Ethiopia's domination of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon when she won the women’s marathon today. Nearly 65,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong this morning, not to "occupy" the city but to compete in the popular event, comprising the marathon, half marathon and 10km. Two runners, aged 24 and 49, were in critical condition last night at Eastern Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital. One fainted and suffered a head injury in Causeway Bay,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691053/hong-kong-streets-alive-marathon-runners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1691053/hong-kong-streets-alive-marathon-runners?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:00:45 +0000 Like any proud father, Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng is effusive about his "baby", when he slips "derivative" into the conversation. The banking jargon might be common in his office on the 32nd floor of Standard Chartered's headquarters in Central, but in the context of the Hong Kong Marathon, it is met with laughter. He laughs too and then finds another word more fitting - "offshoot" - as he tries to explain the phenomenon of the Hong Kong Marathon and outlines his hopes, aspirations and dreams for... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690801/pride-and-joy-hong-kong-marathon-founder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690801/pride-and-joy-hong-kong-marathon-founder?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2015 14:00:45 +0000 Standard Chartered chief executive Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng yesterday called on 7.2 million people to embrace the Hong Kong Marathon, saying small opposing minorities with big voices would soon be silenced - and even "embarrassed" - by a city on the run. With a marathon bursting at the seams and restrictions on road closures and opposition to route changes, only small improvements have been made for today's 19th edition of the event, including Hennessy Road being used for the finishing burst to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690343/standard-chartered-marathon-founder-ben-hung-wants-hong-kong-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690343/standard-chartered-marathon-founder-ben-hung-wants-hong-kong-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2015 16:45:45 +0000 If you can't beat them, join them - that was the thinking of promising Hong Kong distance runner Wan Cheuk-hei as he travelled to Taiwan to join a group of elite runners to find out why they seemed to be making so much better progress than him. Wan found new inspiration and new techniques as he prepares for tomorrow's half marathon at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. "Many of the athletes were better than me. I was exhausted in the second week and could hardly move. As a part of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690149/wan-cheuk-hei-picks-pace-after-training-stint-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1690149/wan-cheuk-hei-picks-pace-after-training-stint-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2015 15:45:30 +0000 Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay will be reoccupied next Sunday, this time by thousands of runners - but organisers admit they will be powerless to prevent possible protests along the route. After organisers had long pushed for a wider, more spectator friendly route leading to the finish at Victoria Park, the end of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will now take runners along Hennessy Road and Yee Wo Street, one of the sites of the recent Occupy protests. "There will be more room for the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1681609/occupied-causeway-bay-time-hong-kong-runners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1681609/occupied-causeway-bay-time-hong-kong-runners?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2015 17:30:30 +0000 Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Marathon have for years raked in the dollars by linking the race with the 10-kilometre run which has greater mass appeal. Now they want to stage the "Marathon" over two Sundays to "make it a better event" according to William Ko Wai-lam, chairman of the organising committee. Hong Kong's largest participatory sporting event has reached maximum capacity with 73,000 runners entering the January 25 showpiece. During Occupy, main streets... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1666939/left-field-splitting-hong-kong-marathon-two-not-solomonic-wisdom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1666939/left-field-splitting-hong-kong-marathon-two-not-solomonic-wisdom?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2014 11:45:30 +0000 Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Marathon are thinking about staging the event over two weekends to improve the quality and accommodate more runners. A total of 73,000 participants have registered for the January 25 showpiece in three categories - the 10-kilometre run, half-marathon and full marathon. All spots were snapped up within three hours of online registration. "Under the current routings and traffic arrangements, I don't think we can expand any more," William... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1664504/extra-day-mooted-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1664504/extra-day-mooted-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:30:30 +0000 Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon are keeping a wary eye on the Occupy protests, worried they may have to introduce a "plan B" route. The marathon and half-marathon races, scheduled for January 25, will go through Central along Lung Wo Road, close to the campaigners who now occupy part of Connaught Road and Harcourt Road. The approach to the finish along Great George Street in Causeway Bay is also near the protest site on Yee Wo Street. "At the moment, the occupation will... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1636825/occupy-protests-may-force-plan-b-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1636825/occupy-protests-may-force-plan-b-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:15:15 +0000 Youngsters who in the past could only watch the Hong Kong Marathon and associated races on television can now get ready for a piece of the action. Organisers plan to launch a shortened version of the race next year for contestants aged 12 to 15. The 2.2-kilometre Youth Dash will take place on January 25, the day of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. "Many young running enthusiasts have expressed their wish to take part in the marathon over the years," Kwan Kee, chairman of race... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1617108/youngsters-get-ready-make-dash-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1617108/youngsters-get-ready-make-dash-hong-kong-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:45:15 +0000 Eager runners snapped up all 23,000 slots for the popular half-marathon race in next year's Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon within three hours yesterday morning. Organisers said all the available spots for the race, to be held in January, were filled by 10am. After last year's registration chaos - when the online system became so overloaded by demand that it crashed and caused many people to miss out - this year's registration process appeared to run more smoothly. With online registration... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1596015/all-23000-places-hong-kong-half-marathon-snapped-within-three-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1596015/all-23000-places-hong-kong-half-marathon-snapped-within-three-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2014 07:00:45 +0000 The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon has reached its saturation point, its top official William Ko Wai-lam said yesterday after organisers revealed that the quota for the race in January - held before the Lunar New Year holiday for the first time - would remain at 73,000. "There is no room to expand," Ko, chairman of the organising committee, said. "We have reached a limit with our existing route, which we are quite satisfied with, even though we would like changes to increase numbers. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1579488/next-years-hong-kong-marathon-wont-raise-quota-runners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1579488/next-years-hong-kong-marathon-wont-raise-quota-runners?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2014 18:45:00 +0000 A move to stage the 2015 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in January was "undesirable", the reigning women's half-marathon champion Jane Richards said yesterday. Organisers yesterday revealed the event will be staged on January 25 next year, so "runners can benefit from the generally more favourable weather conditions". "Personally, it's undesirable. Had it been held in January this year, I would likely not have run," said Hong Kong-based Australian Richards, who claimed her first triumph... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1519762/january-date-change-2015-hong-kong-marathon-will-make-it-harder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1519762/january-date-change-2015-hong-kong-marathon-will-make-it-harder?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 May 2014 14:15:15 +0000