The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Carnival 2015 kicked off today at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. At the opening ceremony of the two-day carnival, the organiser announced new race route for this year as well as a series of new green measures for the event. The inclusion of the Asian Marathon Championships in the event for the fourth time, and the addition of the inaugural Youth Dash, have helped make next week’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2015 a highly anticipated event.
This year, the Marathon, the Half Marathon, the Youth Dash, the 3KM Wheelchair Race and the Leaders Cup will all turn into Percival Street from Lockhart Road for the final kilometre. Runners will then run along Hennessy Road, Yee Wo Street and Sugar Street to reach the finishing point in Victoria Park. Meanwhile, instead of crossing the Tai Hang Road Flyover, participants in the 10KM Wheelchair Race will enter Victoria Park via Paterson Street and Kinston Street. This
flatter route is expected to help participants deliver better performance. Together with the drummers at several major spots along the route and the official cheering teams who will station at Hennessy Road to cheer with the spectators, the race atmosphere will be more exciting than
ever.
Mr. Kwan Kee, Chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association, said, “The organiser is committed to enhancing the quality of the race, and one way of doing that is by improving the race route. Thanks to the support from many government departments, this year runners will be able to complete the race by running along the Hennessy Road, among the animated cheering of supporters lining the busy street of Causeway Bay. It will also be a great opportunity for the
public to witness the marathon spirit up close. The starting point for the 10KM Races has also been changed slightly, so we suggest that runners proceed to the starting point earlier this year. The Organising Committee also encourages participants to prepare themselves well in this week to ensure their safety on race day.”
With an aspiration of running a “Green Marathon”, the organiser has been encouraging the public to avoid driving on race day. This year, a number of additional green initiatives will be introduced to further promote environmental protection, including the en-route set-up of “Air Quality Health Index – Green Marathon” monitors to provide runners with more accurate information. Another highlight is the set-up of bottle-shaped recycling bins (for plastic bottles) and food waste collection bins with banana-shaped balloons (for banana peel) around the baggage collection area, and in the meeting point at the finish area. All participants are urged to support this recycling initiative and to make strides for the environment.
The fun-filled two-day Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Carnival features many exciting activities. The Marathon 101 Cheering Team Competition and stage performances hosted by Commercial Radio definitely lifted runners’ spirits before the race. Runners are invited to search for their own names on the spectacular Runners Walls, on which the names of more than 70,000 runners have been printed. In addition, Carnival-goers were also able to make their own
personalised Marathon Red Packets, which are proving great support for the runners. Also on display are ten masterpieces made of toy bricks showing some of the key moments of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.
As in previous years, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Charity Programme is raising funds through the Marathon donation portal in support of three charitable institutions/initiatives: “Seeing is Believing”, Standard Chartered’s global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness; the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society; and the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled.
The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Carnival 2015 is open from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm on 17 January and 18 January at Victoria Park while the race will take place on the following Sunday, 25 January.
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