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Stephy Zhang

While more than 70,000 runners took to the streets for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, a small group held their own “invitational” at the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Unable to get places in the 10km race or half-marathon, fitness coach Michael Sik made sure the months of training did not go to waste for himself and a group of committed friends.
The “Sik-Fit Invitational Run” was created as a “reason to keep training”.
“Without this event as a goal, the effort from the past few months might have been wasted,” he said.
Sik said most running enthusiasts set winter marathons as their annual training target, and as the biggest event for local runners, the Hong Kong Marathon was the main motivation for many to keep up their training.

“We found that many people, especially half-marathon runners, simply cannot get a spot,” Sik said.
He pointed out that because of the popularity of the half-marathon and its lower entry barrier compared with the full marathon, it was usually the hardest category to get into.
According to the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates, almost 120,000 people registered for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon this year, the highest oversubscription in the event’s history.
But the marathon offers only about 74,000 places across all categories, including the full marathon, half-marathon, 10km and wheelchair races, meaning about 40 per cent of hopefuls will not get an official bib.
“For me, 21km is 21km, a half-marathon is a half-marathon – it’s as simple as that,” Sik said. While he would not claim the two events were identical, Sik said the numbers in terms of distance and speed were objectively the same.
“You might not get to enjoy the beautiful scenery or run through the harbour tunnel or have so many people running beside you, but in the end, it’s still running,” he added.
The unofficial event started at 7am, with about a dozen runners, most of them beginners, taking part by doing laps around the outer track at the racecourse.
Sik said the purpose of the event was aimed to create a sense of “ritual” within his own community, just as he chose an “official-sounding” name for the run.
“The key is that your own motivation is most important; everything else is just a bonus,” Sik said. “When you can’t join the official marathon because you didn’t get a place, you’re still responsible for continuing your own training. It may sound a bit romantic, but you’re holding this event for yourself.”
Though the activity lacked the fanfare, closed roads and cheering crowds of the city’s flagship sports event, Sik remained focused on the core goal of self-improvement.
“Just because others aren’t running with you doesn’t mean you can’t make progress,” Sik said. “If you’re lucky enough to join the marathon, I’m happy for you. But if you can’t, create your own small version. The final goal is always to run farther and faster.”


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Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

Runners who missed out on Hong Kong Marathon complete ‘invitational’ race at Happy Valley

Trainer Michael Sik leads a small group of running enthusiasts around the outer track at Happy Valley Racecourse. Photo: Chieu Luu

Michael Sik (left) takes his group through a warm-up before their Happy Valley run. Photo: Chieu Luu

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Sport

Hong Kong

Other Sport

With almost half of applicants unable to get a spot in Sunday’s event, a few do the next best thing – it’s still running, organiser says


With almost half of applicants unable to get a spot in Sunday’s event, a few do the next best thing – it’s still running, organiser says.


Happy Valley

Marathons

Runners who missed out on Hong Kong Marathon complete ‘invitational’ race at Happy Valley

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With almost half of applicants unable to get a spot in Sunday’s event, a few do the next best thing – it’s still running, organiser says

With almost half of applicants unable to get a spot in Sunday’s event, a few do the next best thing – it’s still running, organiser says