Super Sundays: Extra day mooted for Hong Kong Marathon

Organisers are looking at staging the showpiece event over two Sundays to accommodate more runners and improve the overall quality

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Maximum capacity: Thousands of runners head along the Eastern Corridor expressway during the 10km race as part of the Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 11:30pm, 17 Dec 2014Updated: 11:18am, 18 Dec 2014

Organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Marathon are thinking about staging the event over two weekends to improve the quality and accommodate more runners.

A total of 73,000 participants have registered for the January 25 showpiece in three categories - the 10-kilometre run, half-marathon and full marathon. All spots were snapped up within three hours of online registration.

"Under the current routings and traffic arrangements, I don't think we can expand any more," William Ko Wai-lam, chairman of the organising committee, said on Wednesday.

It's not going to be easy. Nonetheless, we will continue to work with other parties to find the best arrangement for the event's future

William Ko Wai-lam, chairman of the organising committee

"If we want to make it a better event with more runners for the two marathon competitions, we may have to separate the 10-kilometre run, probably in two consecutive Sundays.

"This is one of the possible solutions and, of course, if the police can allow us more time for using the roads, we can also achieve the aim of recruiting more runners.

"But this is not going to be easy. Nonetheless, we will continue to work with other parties to find the best arrangement for the event's future."

There has been little change in quotas for two years. The 73,000 limit was set for both this year and next year, a small increase on the 72,000 in 2013.