Over 250 participants injured in Hong Kong Streetathon

More than 250 runners were injured in the Hong Kong Streetathon held on Sunday, with five sent to hospitals.

This came as some 15,000 people turned up for the 42-kilometer full marathon, 21km half-marathon, and 10km races this morning.

The organizer said most injured runners hurt themselves as a result of a fall after crossing the finish line in a rush. The most seriously wounded runner suffered a fracture to her right hand during the 10-kilometer race.

Andes Leung Pak-hang, chief executive and co-founder of organizer RunOurCity, said the number of injuries was minimal. He said most runners were well-prepared against the cold, with the number of injuries not related to the weather.
 
In response to some runners reflecting that the track instructions were not clear with staff giving wrong directions, Leung explained this might be the result of insufficient manpower and pledged to improve the situation in the future.

He also apologized to some 30 to 50 participants in the full marathon who ran into the track for the half marathon by mistake.