With the Hong Kong Marathon completed, running fever has subsided for another year. The event is so popular today that, for this year's race, registration closed due to overbooking less than two days after it began. The organizers have made the Hong Kong Marathon into a successful event (financially at least). The marathon probably drove many Hong Kongers to exercise more. However, there are a few things that can make the Hong Kong Marathon into an even better (world-class perhaps) event.
The first issue is the course mdash; the 10K, half-marathon and full marathon courses consist mostly of limited-access roads and expressways. At least the marathon runners get to run on the Tsing Ma Bridge, the first landmark to greet people coming Hong Kong by air. The 10K runners had it worst — the only time their' feet pound on city streets is the right before they cross the finish line. While the race gives participants a chance to step foot on roads they normally cannot walk on, the organizers can re-design the course so that runners get to run on more city streets.
Re-routing the course can make the run more enjoyable for runners and supporters alike. Presently, at the expressway sections of the course, footbridges are the only place where people can cheer on the runners. If the course traverses more city streets, there would be more space for friends, family, and strangers to rally the runners. This can spur the runners to perform better. Furthermore, the runners get to see what a vibrant city Hong Kong is, which would help draw runners from overseas.
Of course, having a longer section on city streets means more people would be exposed to the noise generated by runners, volunteers, and supporters. The more vocal residents would complain about the potential noise should the course passes through where they live. Business owners may also have reservations, as many owners believe road closures would hurt their businesses.
While road closures may drive away some shoppers on the day of the race, businesses along the route may hold sales events for volunteers and supporters, who often stay for hours, on race day. If the volunteers and supporters are satisfied with the goods and services provided by the businesses along the route, they would likely recommend the businesses to their friends and family.
The Hong Kong Marathon is held on a Sunday morning. This is also a time when many people in town are fast asleep. So it is natural for race organizers to avoid heavily-populated streets when designing a course. One way to solve this problem is to start the race at a later time, say 7am. (At present the earliest race begins just after 5am.) Organizers may also consider starting the half- and full marathons in late (Saturday or Sunday) afternoon. People are less inclined to complain about noise made in the afternoon/evening than those made in the morning. Starting the race in late afternoon or the evening has another benefit — people get to see the winner cross the finish line under the bright lights, one of the city's biggest attractions.
At present racers participating in the Hong Kong Marathon are required to are required to board a bus if they fail to reach designated checkpoints on the course before a specified time. Fortunately I have yet to board a bus. From what I have heard, the organizers are quite strict when it comes to observing the time limit. I can understand having a checkpoint halfway (or even three-quarters) through thee course, but having a checkpoint a mile away from the finish line is simply harsh. Why not let runners who have already ran 40km choose whether they wish to complete the course? Besides, re-opening a street to traffic just half an hour later should not be a big impediment.
Will the organizers take my suggestions? Doubtful, but I should send them my wish list anyways. Who knows? They can come true.