Hong Kong Streetathon organiser ‘sorry’ after complaints participants ran extra 9km

The organiser of the Kerry Hong Kong Streetathon 2024 has expressed regret after up to 30 half-marathon participants were believed to have run an extra 9km (5.6 miles) due to a mix-up by volunteers at Sunday’s annual race.

Andes Leung Pak-hang, CEO and co-founder of race organiser RunOurCity Foundation, said on Monday that more could have been done to prevent the incident, which sparked online complaints from some runners.

Most of those affected, about 20 to 30 people, were from the first batch of runners, he said.

“If the staff had further elaborated about the directions and actively informed runners about the correct pathways, such as telling them to turn right for the half-marathon, it would have been better,” Leung told a radio programme. “I feel sorry about the incident.”

Asked whether the situation had resulted from a lack of manpower, Leung said there were staffers standing to the sides of the pathways, but they might not have realised what was happening when the first batch of runners came past.

But he pledged to strengthen staff training in the wake of the incident, and that he would consider including special instructions in future to help the first batch of runners identify routes.