With a 55-kilometer length, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the longest bridge-tunnel system in the world. The bridge spans the Lingding and Jiuzhou channels, connecting the three Pearl River Delta cities, together with its four man-made islands. After seven years of development, the bridge connecting Hong Kong and Zhuhai saw its inaugural car traffic in 2018.
The maiden run in 2023, according to President and CEO of Manulife Asia Damien Green, is just the beginning of what’s to come. “The Greater Bay Area marathon is scheduled to hold its inaugural event in Hong Kong, with longer-term goals of expanding to Zhuhai and Macau in the future,” he explains.
The marathon’s year and location are the only other information that have been made public, although its organisers emphasise that it will be the first of its sort in the Greater Bay Area.
The Pearl River Delta may be seen clearly from the bridge. Professional and amateur runners will be able to take in the beauty like never before throughout the half-marathon.
The precise time and information, including the amount of registration slots available, are still in the works and pending official government approval.
An intriguing new race is coming to a city that has a long history of holding prestigious competitions: the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Half-Marathon. City marathons have a long history in Hong Kong, but Covid has caused a number of events to be postponed or scaled back recently. The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, one of the most famous with a 40-year history, draws 10,000 international professional marathon runners every year.
Due to Covid, the event was postponed in 2020, however it resumed in 2021 with a 25% attendance level.
74,000 runners participated in the annual marathon at its peak in 2019. The race starts at Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side of the city and ends at Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island, across the harbour from where it started.
There is currently no information on whether the Standard Chartered marathon will return for the 2022 edition due to the rigorous Covid regulations that are still in place. The race is slated to begin on November 20 and has just three months left.
As the three cities adjust to changing pandemic rules, there will probably be comparable uncertainties and difficulties during the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Half-Marathon.
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