Hong Kong Marathon organisers to look into turning event into 2-day affair
Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day
Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will set up a special task force to look into the “future development” of the event, after thousands of visitors flocked to take part in Sunday’s races and almost 50,000 runners were denied a spot.
More than 90 per cent of the 74,000 who were awarded a place turned up, but officials previously said 120,000 people applied and athletes have asked before why Hong Kong does not follow in Singapore’s footsteps in spreading out events over 48 hours.
Officials did put on a series of youth races at Kai Tak Sports Park on Saturday and said they would study how the venue could be “incorporated into future race routes”.
Whether they attempt to make changes quickly remains to be seen, but 2027’s race has already been marked in the calendar for January 17.
And while Kwan Kee, chairman of the race organising committee, acknowledged oversubscription was an issue that needed to be addressed, he also pointed to the disruption just one race day caused to the city.
“Demand for race entries far exceeds supply,” Kwan said at a post-race briefing near the finish line in Victoria Park. “We’ve been actively exploring ways to expand the event’s scale and capacity, including extending race hours and considering new route options.