The 2026 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon delivered a landmark edition on Sunday, with a record 73,000 runners completing distances across the full marathon, half marathon and 10-kilometre categories along a scenic route spanning Tsing Ma Bridge, the Western Harbour Tunnel, and the iconic waterfront promenade of Victoria Harbour. International participation reached its highest level in the race's 30-year history, with elite and amateur runners from 68 countries representing over 18 percent of total finishers.
Elite Performances
Ethiopian runner Birhanu Legese set a new course record of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 38 seconds in the men's full marathon, bettering the previous mark by 2 minutes and 14 seconds in near-perfect cool conditions enabled by the race's unusually cold and overcast morning. The women's race was won by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir in a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 42 seconds, also a new course record, in a commanding front-running performance that lapped the field by the 25-kilometre point.
Hong Kong's leading local runners performed creditably. Chan Ka-lok finished first among local men in a personal best time of 2 hours, 32 minutes and 18 seconds, and Yeung Yuk-yin set a new Hong Kong women's record of 2 hours, 51 minutes and 42 seconds. Both performances qualified their holders for the 2027 World Athletics Championships standard.
Ethiopian Birhanu Legese set a new Hong Kong Marathon course record of 2:04:38 as 73,000 runners from 68 countries completed the iconic route.
The Route Experience
The full marathon course, universally regarded as one of the most spectacular urban marathon routes in Asia, takes runners across the Tsing Ma Bridge with panoramic views of the South China Sea and Lantau Island before returning through the Western Harbour Tunnel to wind along the Central and Wan Chai waterfronts. Race director Sam Chan reported that infrastructure investment in improved race timing, hydration stations, and crowd management technology made this edition the smoothest operationally in the race's history.
The introduction of a new 5.5-kilometre wheelchair category attracted 340 participants and generated significant positive media coverage as Hong Kong's largest road race formally expanded its commitment to para-sport inclusivity. The wheelchair category podium was a particularly emotional moment, with three Hong Kong-born athletes claiming all three places to sustained applause from spectators lining the Wan Chai waterfront finish precinct.
Economic and Tourism Value
The Hong Kong Tourism Board estimates that international marathon participants contributed HK$480 million in hotel, dining, retail and ancillary spending to the Hong Kong economy in the race weekend, with many extending their stay to explore the city before or after the race. The marathon has become a significant anchor event on Hong Kong's international sports tourism calendar, attracting runners who combine the race experience with broader leisure tourism.
International participants from 68 countries contributed an estimated HK$480M in tourism spending across the marathon weekend.
Community Dimensions
The Standard Chartered sponsorship, now in its 22nd year, has raised over HK$100 million for charitable causes through the race's associated fundraising programme. This year's designated charities included mental health organisations, inclusive sport development bodies and environmental conservation groups. Standard Chartered CEO, Greater China and North Asia, Myriam Sbeiti expressed the bank's commitment to renewing the title sponsorship at the forthcoming contract review, citing the race's alignment with the bank's broader purpose commitments.
The Hong Kong Athletics Association has already opened registration for the 2027 edition, with the new online ballot system for popular start wave allocations receiving 145,000 applications within the first 48 hours of opening, substantially oversubscribed relative to the available 73,000 race places and indicative of the race's enduring popularity among the Hong Kong running community.