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Ethiopia’s Mengesha wins Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge race

The Bank of China Hong Kong-Zuhai-Macau Bridge Half Marathon made a considerable improvement on its flawed previous edition as it was praised by elite and amateur runners on Sunday.

After criticism following the inaugural race 14 months ago, the logistical aspects were as important as the identities of the winners at this second event.

Handily for organizers, the first man and woman over the line, Milkesa Mengesha and Grace Nawowuna, were gushing in their assessments of the race, which is staged inside a border checkpoint at the Hong Kong end of the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge.

Ethiopian Mengesha, winner of last year’s Berlin Marathon, completed the 13.1 miles (21km) in one hour, one minute and 27 seconds, three seconds ahead of Patrick Mosin, from Kenya, who finished in 1:01.30.

“I am so happy to win here, the level of everything has been perfect, even above my expectations,” Mengesha said.

The 21-year-old Kenyan Nawowuna clocked 1:07.56, ahead of compatriot Sheila Chelangat in 1:08.06. She said the mixed reviews of November 2023 had not been a factor when deciding whether to compete.

“The organisation was everything we could have asked for and Hong Kong is beautiful,” Nawowuna said.

Complaints following the debut race focused on a scarcity of toilets, delays transporting runners between their AsiaWorld-Expo assembly point and the course, an absence of food and shortage of drink, and a pre-race drop-off about a 1.5km walk from the start line.

Simon Yeung Sai-mo, chairman of the organising committee, said a backlash from “runners and the media” had prompted a host of changes.

“There were more than 70 toilets in the starting and finishing areas,” Yeung said. “The drop-off point was fewer than 500 metres from the start line and we provided food and drinks for runners.”

As they walked to the start, flanked by rows of portable toilets, some of the 8,000 runners were heard saying lessons had been learned. Out on the course, there were six water stations, with food available from those on the homeward straight.

The start was watched by government officials including Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui.

Fleets of buses were waiting to take runners back to AsiaWorld-Expo, where they were greeted with gift bags containing a banana, crackers, water and a towel, before collecting their bags.

Amateur runner Rick Yam said: “I heard a lot about last year, but there isn’t anything I can say that needs improving.

“We could see the start line when we got off the bus and the transport was good. It can’t be as easy as some other races, because we’re in an area where there is usually restricted access. Overall, it was pretty good.”

Fellow runner Alan Zagury said the toilets and shuttle bus service were faultless, but he would not be back for future editions “because it is a huge logistical headache”. “I left home at 4.30am, it’s now past 9.30am, which is far too much for a half-marathon,” he said.

Zagury also said the 45-minute wait in a confined area before starting was “too long and meant we could not warm-up”.

Given the race’s location, however, hanging around before starting was the nature of the beast.

Virginia Lo Ying-chiu, the first Hong Kong woman home in 1:16.45, said it had been a “privilege to be involved”. “I think the problems were solved,” she said. “We didn’t need to wait for toilets, or walk to the start line. The arrangement is much better.”

Japan’s 2018 Boston Marathon winner, Yuki Kawauchi, finished seventh in 1:07.52 before being mobbed for autographs and selfies. He said it had been a “good decision” to compete and rated the event above his own country’s Chiba Aqualine Marathon, where runners race on the bridge section of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

Yeung said the race would return next year, on condition of government support, but the plan was to make it “better rather than bigger”.

“If we increased numbers, it would not be a good experience for runners,” he said. “We can’t have any more, because we have to give the bridge back to the government as soon as possible.”

After assembling a strong international field, organisers were rewarded when World Athletics designated the event a Gold Label Road Race, one rung beneath its top-tier Platinum Label races.

(01/06/2025) Views: 57 ⚡AMP
by Paul McNamara