42K Photos of a 3-in-1 42K: The Hong Kong Marathon 渣打馬拉松

Arriving in Hong Kong for the nth time, I was again reminded of its enviable status- a world city, one foot familiar with the sophisticated and direct Western ways but the other ever-wise to the subtleties and mysteries of the East. Truly a melting point city of the Orient and the Occident. 

It was a world party that I had come for- the 15th staging of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. With a record 64,253 runners, I had answered the call of this year’s marathon organizers to ‘Join the Race and Share the Spirit’.

Preparations, carbo-loading-wise, were very much the traditional Chinese way- lots of noodles- rice-based, E-fu, and a Sichuan-inspired variation that even for a spice-lover like me was simply ‘too hot to handle’.

At the hotel the night before the race, the veteran marathon gear had to be assembled once more. The weather was going to be very cold we were told. I had to decide whether to dress heavy or run light. I eventually opted for something in between.

The start time @6:45 AM was pretty late by most standards but it was still dark. With the temperature in the lower 10s, many runners wore jackets over their running gear. Many, like me, opted for the practical- a disposable garbage bag!

Like other major races in Asia- Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo- elite runners were invited to grace the event. Aside from the ever-present Kenyans, it was good to see professional athletes from other continents- Asia, Europe, and Oceania, among them.

There were two waves for the 9,711 42K runners that morning. Those expected to finish in less than 4 hrs started at 6:20 while slower runners like me began at 6:45. In both waves, runners simply jam-packed the four lanes of Nathan Road!

As the starting gun was fired, I noticed interesting company- 6 aliens from outer space had also decided to join the race and share the spirit of Hong Kong that day. I was to see more mascots running the rest of the way.

The Hong Kong government was fully behind the event. It had been encouraging citizens to take up running as a lifestyle to achieve good health and well-being. The presence of top officials at the starting line underscored this commitment.

After a light drizzle and heavy congestion during the first 5K, it was running business all the way.  The 42K route was to take runners from Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Shui, Kowloon to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Along the way, the route would pass by various Hong Kong suburbs I had heard of only as stations of the city’s subway- to name a few, Jordan, Mei Foo, Lai King, Sheung Wan, Central, Wan Chai, and Admiralty.

The landscape didn't help either. That early and sometimes foggy morning, the concrete skyscraper-apartments looked all Greek to me. However, one could not help but be awed at how modernity had overtaken this global city!

Then there were the bridges- we must have run on the roadbeds of at least three!  Having ran and been captivated by Golden Gate the year previously, it was quite a treat to run on three in a single day!

The artfully-designed and aptly-named Stonecutter’s Bridge, the Golden Gate-inspired Tsing Ma Bridge, and the more than 90 meter above sea level-high Ting Kau Bridge were all sights to see as they were engineering feats to imitate!

Then there were the tunnels. As we entered each one, my Garmin Forerunner 310XT watch would be cut-off from the GPS satellite signals, only to recalculate the distance as soon as I emerged from the tube- leading to erroneous distance reads.

There was the above-ground Cheung Tsing Tunnel, a dual tube 3-lane tunnel on Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong that was 1.6 kilometers long. It lies beneath Cheung Ching Estate, the first public housing property constructed on the island.

And the Western Harbor Tunnel which connects major population centers in Hong Kong, the container port in Kwai Chung, the Hong Kong International Airport, and other facilities in the New Territories including many superhighways.

Over 30 meters below sea surface, the downhill then uphill run on this 1.36-kilometer tunnel made up of 12 immersed tubes, each 33.4 m wide, 8.57 m high and 113.5 m long, was an experience of a lifetime. If only Moses could have seen us run under the sea...

The marathon route was a point to point course, with three major turning points- two of them in the middle of bridges- near the 17^th and 22^nd kilometers.

There was also a point in the race, before the 23K mark, when an S-double loop was formed, allowing faster runners to meet-up with other runners either in front or behind them at this 7-kilometer stretch.

It was at this stretch that I had photo opportunities with members of my club- The Marathon Maniacs- from different countries, their bright yellow vests easily giving them away. Maniacs such as Khairul from Malaysia,

Vincent from Singapore who I’ve shared the road with a couple of times before in Singapore and Chiang Mai,

Hideki and Derrick, two very fast Maniacs from New York, who were trying to patiently organize meet-ups before race day and after,

and the all-smiles Choi from Malaysia. There were other Maniacs in attendance that I wasn't able to take photos of- Pui San, Aileen, Otto, Mohan, Benny, Mike, Donald - maybe next time!

And then there were non-Maniacs (yet) with Maniac-level resumes- running back to back marathons- Oicin of Malaysia, for example, who I had run with in Thailand less than two months before.

Support- and logistics-wise, the marathon had most of everything, thanks to the partnership of the private and public sector. Distilled water, for example, was available roughly every 5 kilometers.

An isotonic sports beverage with a unique nuzzle that made it easy to drink on the run was appreciated. Not being an expert on drinking while running, I wished all races would use containers like these for easy drinking.

Then there were medical stations set-up along the hydration points as well as First Aid teams roving in bicycles to cater to those in pain or injured.  A post-race physiotherapy tent was also provided.

All 42K runners know how dirty one can unknowingly get when running a marathon. To this end, the sponging points along with strategically positioned port-a-lets provided a cooling, freshening-up, and/or comforting zone.

The marathon used a timing chip to record running times at critical junctures via a running mat- this one set up at 30K. The chips were all recyclable, as were the baggage bags, all in line with the city’s desire to make this event a Green Marathon.

There wasn’t much one could ask that wasn’t there already. What appeared missing were the pacers- a service feature in major marathons- and one that could be implemented easily by the run-loving and efficient Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association or HKAAA.

At around 30K all the way to the end of the marathon, the 42K runners were joined by the 17,286-strong 21K runners who started in two waves from Nathan Road much later in the day- at 8:45 and 9:15.

As some portions of the race route, especially as we approached the city, consisted of single running lanes only, the merger of the two race categories, as in Singapore, resulted in gridlock and turned the now-tired runners into walkers instantly.

But the cheering groups along the sidewalks,

The balconies,

Even from bridge ways, facilitated the release of more energy…

That as we turned to Great George Street, realized the crowd had thickened, and saw the green shrubbery of Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, to most, it was of little use looking the other way.

So on to Gloucester Road
we dashed as a predominantly Indonesian crowd cheered on Sugar Street, knowing that the finish line was just meters away!

And when I saw the arc extolling 21K and 42K runners to ‘Finish’ hard and boldly, I drew on additional reserves of energy and dashed on the Standard Chartered colors-carpeted finish area, smiling all the way!

My Garmin-registered unofficial time for this 42K was 4 hours and 50 minutes, 32 minutes off from my personal best for this distance but, for the first time, I was feeling still very fit to run at least another 10K.

This was my 10^th marathon in the last 10 months in 9 different US states or countries. In fact, the 3^rd marathon over a span of one month for a 3-in-1 42K. The former statistic guarantees an Iridium Level (four-star) status in the Insane Asylum of The Marathon Maniacs.

Garmin FR310XT-recorded route (broken lines are tunnels)

But as an exclamation point, I ran Hong Kong exactly one year from the day I first posted an entry in this running diary, viewed the past year 50,000+ times by visitors from 105 countries already.

In Asia's World City, these numbers warrant a raucous fireworks display!