Sports

Kenyan runner takes first place in Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon
- 2025-02-17
- Photo Essay
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Chun Hei LUK
- 2025-02-17
Kenyan runner Rutto Bethwell Kipkemboi was the champion of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Feb 9, clocking in at 2:11:13 hours. “I never knew I could win. I struggled to beat the other seven to nine runners around 30 km. It's a hard win,” Bethwell Kipkemboi said. “Hong Kong people were friendly. With the cheering along the way, it was a good game.” This year, 383 local runners won the special incentive award with a cash prize of HK$1,000 each, reduced for the first time from the usual HK$10,000. The award is for permanent residents who finished the marathon in less than three hours for men and three and a half hours for women. “While prize money was a nice incentive, I didn't think it would diminish their desire to compete or pursue better results,” said Kwan Kee, the Chairman of the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates. “After finishing the race, I heard some runners complaining about the prize money, but I believed the process was the most important aspect,” said Tam Ho-hin, 23, a local amateur runner who finished the marathon. Around 74,000 runners participated in the marathon on the coldest day of the year, including 15,00 non-locals. The marathon started at Nathan Road and finished in Victoria Park. Hong Kong local and spectator Paddy Haughey made creative boards with her friends to encourage runners and their friends who took part in the race. “We wanted to make the race more exciting and interactive,” Haughey said. Tam Man-huen, 24, an artist, finished the concurrent 10km race. She said that professional as well as amateur runners enjoyed the race. “I thought such an atmosphere was only found in the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon,” Tam said. “It was cool to see so many people doing something …

Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon kicks off with expo at new sports park
- 2025-02-11
- By: Fu RongEdited by: Chun Hei LUK
- 2025-02-11
The starting gun for this year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon fired at 5am on Feb. 9, 2025 at Tsim Sha Tsui, but the Expo that launched this year’s race was still buzzing with excitement at Kai Tak Sports Park. The expo held from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8, 2025, was the first of its kind. In the past, runners would collect their marathon packs individually, but the expo provided a carnival atmosphere ahead of the marathon. With over 40 booths and a dedicated 'Runner's Wall' featuring the names of 74,000 past and present participants, this expo captured the spirit of the marathon: Challenge and Love. Dickson Cheung, a half marathon runner, brought his daughter Sue to the expo. “I am so happy to find my dad’s name on the board,” Sue said. Sun Xiao-tong, 37, a salesman from the mainland with his friend, Luo Hua, 28 came to Hong Kong for the race “I have taken part in other marathons before but the Hong Kong marathon is my first international race and I am also accompanying him,” Sun said. Burson Hong Kong, a PR agency in charge of the marathon said the expo allowed the entire community to take part. A special cheering recording team was designed for the expo so that members of the public could record encouraging messages for the runners A recording team walked around the venue inviting visitors to record their messages for the runners. Sunny Yeung, a worker from Standard Chartered marathon community said they have collected more than 1000 messages by the end of the expo. “The energetic and positive voice will be present near the exit of the Western Harbour Crossing to encourage runners,” Yeung said. Participants in both the marathon and the half-marathon had to run through the Western Harbour Crossing …