Hong Kong Marathon

The organiser lists the start as Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, and the finish as Victoria Park, Hong Kong. Between the two, marathon and half marathon runners “are required to run through the Western Harbour Crossing according to the race route layout”, the road tunnel under the harbour.

The FAQ answers the obvious worry about running inside it. The southbound tube is closed to traffic from 00:45 on race day, fresh air is pumped in, and the air quality is monitored during the race. Traffic is shut along the whole route for the event.

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From Nathan Road the route turns onto the West Kowloon Highway at about 3.9 km and stays on major highways for most of the next 28 km. Stonecutters Bridge carries it from about 9.3 to 10.8 km, and the Nam Wan Tunnel follows at about 11.7 to 12.9 km.

Ting Kau Bridge is crossed at about 15.7 to 16.8 km on the way out and again from 19.2 to 20.2 km on the way back. The turn is at about 17.9 km on Tsing Long Highway. After the second crossing the route returns by the Cheung Tsing and Tsing Kwai highways rather than by the road it went out on, and rejoins the West Kowloon Highway at about 28 km, four kilometres before the harbour tunnel.

Measured

Asked whether the course is very hilly, the organiser answers with a range: “The elevation range of the Marathon course is 120 metres, from 30 metres below sea level to 90 metres above sea level.” The lowest point is inside the Western Harbour Crossing and the highest is the Tsing Ma Bridge section.

That is the spread between the two extremes, not the amount climbed. The low point is inside a tunnel and the high point on a bridge section, so both describe the road itself rather than the ground it crosses.

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In the organiser’s 2027 schedule the Marathon Challenge, the category that competes for the prize money, starts at 6:00, Marathon Run 1 at 6:25 and Marathon Run 2 at 6:50. Every runner submits an estimated finishing time at registration, and the organiser uses it “when the Organiser allocates the race category and start time to participants”. The time limit for the full course is 6 hours.

The FAQ gives the reason for the hour: “To avoid running under humid and hot weather conditions and reducing the risks of injury, early starts would be favourable to distance running.” It adds that the races start early so the roads can go back to normal traffic as early as possible and the public transport system is disturbed as little as possible.

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