As dawn broke on Sunday, over 20,000 runners challenged themselves with a groundbreaking route at the Hong Kong Streetathon, racing through the yet-to-open Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei Section).
Runners in the full and half-marathon events began their journey at the Eastern Corridor this morning, passing through the Eastern Harbour Tunnel before heading to the newly built section of the Central Kowloon Bypass, which is not yet open to traffic.
For the 10K participants, the race commenced at Tiu Keng Leng, taking them over the Tseung Kwan O Cross-Bay Bridge and through the Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel before finishing at Kwun Tong Promenade.
At the opening ceremony, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing praised the marathon's growth since 2014, noting it has evolved from a 5,000-participant 10K race into a diverse event for various distances and age groups, attracting around 20,000 runners.
Expressing gratitude to the organizers, sponsors, staff, and participants, Cheuk credited their support for transforming the Hong Kong Street Marathon into one of the city's premier running events.
Cheuk also highlighted that this year's marathon, coinciding with the impending opening of the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass, offered a fresh racing experience and a first-hand look at the city's new infrastructure.
The first to cross the finish line in the half-marathon was newcomer Samuel Fletcher, who expressed his excitement at competing on the yet-to-open route.
"November in Hong Kong is the best place on Earth," he said, highlighting the scenic course that includes three tunnels.
Closely following was another male runner with three years of experience, who called the final 2km uphill section as the "toughest part" of the race.
Meanwhile, the full marathon champion, Yu, had to re-enact his finish four or five times after a tracking failure caused officials and media to miss his initial arrival.
Echoing the sentiment of many runners, Yu likened the challenging route to an endless journey of steep descents and climbs.
In a separate event, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan led nearly 100 community leaders on a 2km route–beginning at the eastern tunnel portal of the Central Kowloon Route Bypass and turning back towards Kowloon Bay–to leave an imprint of sportsmanship on the city’s new infrastructure.
She thanked the organizers for uniting community sports with infrastructure and expressed hope for future collaboration when Route 6 is completed next year, fostering a similar vibrant atmosphere.
However, the day was not without hiccups, where many runners complained online about long wait times for baggage retrieval due to a system malfunction, with some waiting over an hour.
Several participants voiced frustration about searching for their belongings after completing the long route, likening it to "finding a needle in a haystack."
The organizer, RunOurCity, apologized for the inconvenience and deployed additional staff to manage the situation, advising runners to rest and hydrate before joining the line.
In preparation for the marathon, temporary road closures were enacted at 1am, affecting 56 bus routes and 15 minibus routes. Roads are expected to reopen gradually by early afternoon, restoring affected public transport services.
