25th Standard Chartered HK's Marathon: Exemplifying the ‘HK Story’

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon (SCHKM), of which Standard Chartered Hong Kong (SCBHK) has been the proud title sponsor since 1997, is a testament to the Bank’s long-standing commitment to Hong Kong. 

Growing from a 1,000-runner local race to one that attracted as many as 78,000 participants at its pre-Covid peak, SCHKM has evolved into the city’s largest mass participatory sporting event and an important source of positivity and pride for Hong Kong people over the years.

First mega sports event at HK’s reopening 

The 25th edition of the SCHKM represented a particularly important milestone at a critical time in the city’s post-pandemic recovery. Not only did it fuel the momentum in Hong Kong’s return to normalcy, but it also provided a heart-warming “Hong Kong Story” creating positive sentiments and instilling renewed hopes in the community.

As the first “M” Mark event after the lifting of Covid restrictions in Hong Kong, athletes were able to run without masks, cheered on by excited crowds back on the streets to show support. The race was also marked by the return of over 500 international runners and a record-high participation rate 94% with around 35,000 runners and over 43,000 visitors enjoying the fun atmosphere of the Marathon Carnival.

Special prizes for jubilee celebration to inspire local athletes to run their best 

To commemorate the quarter-century milestone, Standard Chartered additionally sponsored a 25th edition 10-fold “Marathon Special Incentive Award” to encourage local runners to pursue performance excellence. Permanent residents of Hong Kong who finished marathon under three hours for men and under three hours and 30 minutes for women were each offered a prize money of HKD10,000 and crowned as “Mr. and Ms. Super Thousand” respectively.

The special award proved successful in drawing awareness as it made media headlines and attracted positive feedback across social media platforms. It also resulted in a record number of 218 runners successfully completing the marathon challenge.

Run for a good cause and fundraise for our community 

To create an impact far beyond the running community, the Charity Entry enabled participants to run for a good cause. SCBHK also leveraged the event to engage both staff and clients to run for Hong Kong’s future generation. Over 1,000 clients (from 136 companies) and 400 staff participated in the race, raising over HK$2m together with the proceeds from Charity Entry for our local “Futuremakers” programme which aimed to empower the next generation to learn, earn and grow through enhancing their employability. In addition, over 500 employees volunteered to be “cheerers” in their personal time to support the runners.

All these achievements set the background for the stunning performances of runners, as the roar and cheers of excited jubilation at the finish line buzzed the city with a renewed energy and hope, heralding a welcome return to normality and representing the very best illustration of the “Hong Kong Story”. 

This article is sponsored by Standard Chartered Hong Kong.