The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HK Section) Half Marathon 2023 takes place on the morning of November 19th. This event, which also hosted the East-Asian Half Marathon Championships concurrently, marked the first marathon to be run on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Geoffrey Toroitich of Kenya won the men’s race in 1 hour, 1 minute, and 39 seconds, and Sarah Chelangat from Uganda clinched the women’s title in 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 5 seconds. Both champions receive a prize of US$10,000.
Local athletes Gi Ka-Man and Yiu Kit Ching triumphed as the first local men’s and women’s champions, respectively. The famous Hong Kong athlete Chan Ka Ho and Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat also participated in the race.
The half marathon spanned 21.0975km, starting and finishing at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge HK Port. Runners traversed the Scenic Hill Tunnel and Sha Lo Wan before returning from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Hong Kong Link Road.
Chow Yun-Fat is a famous Hong Kong film actor known for his roles in iconic movies, including A Better Tomorrow (1986) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
The race is the first half-marathon in which he participated.
As reported by HK01, Chow Yun-Fat finishes the race in 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 56 seconds. He stated that the run itself was not exhausting but responding to greetings along the way was more tiring. He expresses gratitude towards his fellow runners for their support and encouragement.
Compared to Chow Yun Fat, who was participating in his first half-marathon, the race held a different significance for famous Hong Kong athlete Chan Ka Ho; it marked the final race of his career with the Hong Kong Athletics Team.
As reported by HK01, Chan Ka Ho completed the race in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 48 seconds, and was welcomed at the finish line by two of his students, who are also Hong Kong athletes.
Halfway through, I realized I was only 10 kilometers away from the end of my career. In the last kilometer, I focused on sprinting towards the finish line,” said Chan Ka Ho to HK01.
For safety and convenience, the organizers set up 5 first aid stations, 4 water stations, and 5 portable toilets. Throughout the event, 17 participants required medical attention, with 3 hospitalized for non-serious conditions like minor heat exhaustion and sprains.
Before the race, runners are transported by shuttle buses from AsiaWorld-Expo to the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and needed to walk about 1.5 kilometers to the start line. Near the shuttle bus drop-off point, there were 12 portable toilets. However, according to Ming Pao, an insufficient number of toilets led to lengthy queues.
The half marathon registration opened in August 2023. Entrants had to be at least 16 years old. Priority entry was given to those meeting time standards in recognized 10km and half marathon races.
Runners were grouped into three start times: the Challenged Group at 7:30am, and two Public Ballot groups at 8:10am and 8:50am. On the morning of the race day, MTR arranged special early trains on the Airport Express Line.
(Photo credited to: Yik Yeung-man/SCMP)