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Jonathan White

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon takes to the streets for its annual run out this weekend.
Once again thousands are expected to run the race around the city on Sunday morning and thousands more will line the pavements to cheer them on.
Here’s everything you need to know about the big event:

How many people are running this year?
There will be more than 70,000 challenging themselves at the Hong Kong Marathon with 22,500 running the full 42.195km distance, another 19,500 in the half-marathon and 32,000 taking on the 10km.
In addition, there are 20 racing in the 10km wheelchair race and 50 more in the 3km distance. There are also 1,000 runners in the youth dash (2.2km) and another 3,000 in the 3km family run.
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What time does it start and when can we expect the winners?
Sunday’s very first action begins at 5.10am for the 10km wheelchair race, followed by the half-marathon challenge and 10km challenge at 5.45am.
The half-marathon champions will reach Victoria Park towards 7am while the 10km competitors should sprint into the winner’s enclosure any time from 6.15am.
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At 6.10am the marathon challenge begins and the men’s marathon winner will be expected to cross the finish line any time from 8.20am with the women’s winner not far behind at around 20 minutes later.
A steady stream of finishers will follow the challenge competitors with the cut-off point for finishing the marathon coming at 1pm.

What’s the route?
The full marathon and the half both start at Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and snake along to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.
The first 5km sees the runners on the West Kowloon Highway before they hit the 10km mark as they cross Stonecutters Bridge.
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After the Nam Wan Tunnel they pass 15km on the way to Tsing Ma Bridge where they turn on their way to more turning points at North West Tsing Yi Interchange and Tsing Long Highway before hitting the 20km mark.
Halfway is reached just before the Cheung Tsing Tunnel and 25km comes up just ahead of the Tsing Kwai Highway and a 10km stretch to the 35km milestone and the Western Harbour Tunnel.

Once on Hong Kong Island runners take the Connaught Road West Flyover, hitting 40km before getting onto Hennessy Road and the finish line in Victoria Park.
Both 10km races also finish there but they set off from the Island Eastern Corridor, while the 3km wheelchair race and the youth dash go from Wan Chai Sports Ground to Victoria Park.
  
What is the record time for a marathon?
The men’s world record was set just last year by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge at the Berlin Marathon in September when he ran 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds.
The women’s record was set in 2003 by Paula Radcliffe, with the Briton running 2:15:25 at that year’s London Marathon.
Recent years have seen the course record in Hong Kong broken. Last year Ethiopia’s Gulume Tollesa set a new benchmark of 2:29:37 for the women’s race while her compatriot Melaku Belachew set the men’s record in 2017 with a time of 2:10:31.

What are the challenges for the runners?
One of the reasons for the relatively slow times recorded in Hong Kong is the elevation compared to the faster, flatter courses found in European cities.
The highest point in the race is 90m but the runners also drop to 35m below the water in the Western Harbour Tunnel.
The bigger factor is the humidity and that will be the case again on Sunday as it is predicted to reach 95 per cent.
What will the weather be like on Sunday?
Aside from the humidity, the temperature is expected to reach 19 degrees Centigrade.

What are the prizes?
There is more than US$300,000 up for grabs in what is one of Asia’s richest prize purses. A healthy US$65,000 is ready to be pocketed by the men’s and women’s marathon winners, while second place gets US$30,000 and third wins US$15,000.
Spurring them on is the incentive of US$10,000 for men to finish under 2:09:30 and women to break 2:28:00 – both would set new course records.
The top 10 all take a cash prize of at least US$1,000 and there are also cash prizes for the first three Hong Kong residents to finish in the marathon, half and 10km across the junior, senior and two masters categories.
For the rest there is the sense of achievement that comes with finishing and the event T-shirt that will be worn at many a post-marathon brunch on Sunday.


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Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

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Runners take part in the 2018 Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong Marathon 2019 course map. Photo: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

Some runners juggled while they run through the Island Eastern Corridor during the 10km Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. 21JAN18

Runners dressed in Super Mario costumes cross the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon finish line at Victoria Park. 21JAN18

Runners run through the Island Eastern Corridor during the 10km Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. 21JAN18 SCMP / Felix Wong

Kenneth Mburu Mung'ara from Kenya wins the Men's full marathon of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. 21JAN18 SCMP / Nora Tam

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Aaron Tennant is running the Fast 50 Ultra after forgetting to pay for his marathon spot. Photos: Handout

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More than 70,000 runners will compete in this weekend’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photos: SCMP

Men's 10km winner Chan Ka-ho (centre), 1st runner-up Wong Tsz-to (left) and 2nd runner-up Shuen Chun-kit (right) pose with their trophies at 2017 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon at the Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. 12FEB17 SCMP/ Nora Tam

James Ma Wai-hung from the Hong Kong Police Force, joins the press conference at the Regal Hong Kong Hotel in Causeway Bay on the 2019 Standard Marathon. 11FEB19 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

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Leanne Szeto is ready to run a good race in the half-marathon in Sunday’s Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Chan Kin-wa

Leanne Szeto

Natasha Wong

Ngai Kang

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Paramedics attend to a runner who collapsed at the finish line of last year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Mark Agnew

Participants are treated at the finish line of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. 21JAN18 SCMP / Nora Tam

Sport

Hong Kong

Tens of thousands will run Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon and 10km events – and thousands more will cheer them on
Conditions not ideal for a challenge to course record times


Tens of thousands will run Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon and 10km events – and thousands more will cheer them on


Hong Kong Marathon: what time does it start, where does it finish? Route map, records, schedule – all you need to know

Tens of thousands will run Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon and 10km events – and thousands more will cheer them on Conditions not ideal for a challenge to course record times

Tens of thousands will run Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon and 10km events – and thousands more will cheer them on

Conditions not ideal for a challenge to course record times