LAW URGES CAUTION OVER PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG MARATHON ROUTE CHANGE, SWITCH TO 2-DAY EVENT
Organisers considering moving finish line to Kai Tak Sports Park with recommendation expected this month
The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon is considering making major changes, including moving the finish line to Kai Tak Sports Park and expanding the event over two days, but not everyone is a fan.
With organisers expected to make recommendations to the government this month, Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary Rosanna Law Shuk-pui has questioned whether the roads around the venue could support races that drew almost 74,000 runners this year.
A new route would also be likely to include the Central Kowloon Bypass, which was incorporated into the Streetathon marathon last November and took runners uphill for the last two kilometres to the Yau Ma Tei Interchange.
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Law said the roads around the sports park "may not be ideal", pointing out that the last 10km of a marathon would be "extremely tough".
Kimmy Leung Hong-kiu, who has finished the 298km Four Trails, ran a personal best one hour, 38 minutes and 47 seconds in the Streetathon and said there had been "far more slopes than I expected, especially that last one, when I just had no idea how much farther I had to go".
Talking to RTHK, Law said race organisers, the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA), needed to balance difficulty with runner experience when considering new routes.
The next Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon is scheduled for January 17, 2027.
Another key proposal under consideration is splitting the marathon into a two-day event to accommodate surging demand. This year's race attracted nearly 120,000 applications for the 74,000 places across the full marathon, half-marathon and 10km events.
At this year's post-race briefing, association chairman Kwan Kee said his organisation was "actively exploring" ways to expand capacity, including extending race hours and considering new routes.
"Demand for race entries far exceeds supply," he said. "But as everyone knows, road space in Hong Kong is limited, so we must strike a balance with other road users."
While moving to two days could allow more runners to take part, Law questioned whether organisers had the resources to expand and if Hongkongers would "accept road closures on a Saturday as well".
The move would follow a global trend, with the London Marathon - one of the World Marathon Majors - reportedly considering extending to two days in 2027 after receiving more than 1 million applications for just 50,000 spots this year, while Singapore's marathon has already adopted a two-day format.
Separately, World Athletics plans to launch a standalone World Marathon Championship from 2030 under a major overhaul of its distance running calendar, the sport's governing body said on Tuesday.
The marathon will remain part of the World Championships in 2027 and 2029, but from 2030 it will have its own championship event. From 2031, the marathon will not be contested at the World Championships.
The new World Marathon Championship will be held annually, with men and women competing in alternate years, matching the current frequency of the World Championships marathon.
Sebastian Coe, the World Athletics President, said the global governing body was "delighted" to have opened talks with Athens to host the inaugural marathon event.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2026-04-08T00:08:18Z
