Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Hong Kong)

Nathan Road with no traffic on it

On race morning, Nathan Road belongs to runners. On any other day this road in Tsim Sha Tsui is packed with double-decker buses and red taxis under rows of neon signs. On marathon Sunday the start pens stretch down the tarmac, and the first waves go off in the dark before the city is awake.

That is the odd part of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. You run through streets that usually never stop moving, on roads and bridges that are closed to everyone else, and you finish on the far side of the harbour beside Victoria Park.

The 2027 date and the three races

The 2027 edition is on Sunday, January 17, 2027. It is Hong Kong’s flagship annual road race, and this edition has a record 78,000 places across three distances:

• Full marathon: the longest course, and the one that crosses the big bridges and the harbour
• Half marathon: a shorter route that also finishes at Victoria Park
• 10km: the entry most first-timers and casual runners choose

The Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates organises the race. It publishes entry rules, race packs, results and the race-day guide on the official marathon website. Places have usually been given out by online registration and ballot, not sold at a counter, and demand for the full marathon has tended to be higher than supply.

Over the bridges and under the harbour

The full marathon course is the reason many overseas runners sign up. Over the years it has taken runners west out of Kowloon and across some of Hong Kong’s big suspension and cable-stayed bridges. These include Stonecutters Bridge, Ting Kau Bridge and Tsing Ma Bridge, roads you would normally only cross by car or airport bus.

The route then comes back towards the harbour and dips through the Western Harbour Crossing to Hong Kong Island. The last stretch runs east along the elevated roads above the waterfront to Victoria Park. The bridges are exposed to wind and the tunnel has long climbs at both ends, so experienced runners usually save some energy for the second half.

The exact route can change between editions. The official course map for the year is the one that counts.

Getting to the start and home from the finish

The start in Tsim Sha Tsui and the finish in Causeway Bay are both on the MTR, Hong Kong’s metro:

• Start area: Tsim Sha Tsui station (Tsuen Wan Line) sits under Nathan Road. East Tsim Sha Tsui station (Tuen Ma Line) is a short walk away through underground passages.
• Finish area: Victoria Park is between Causeway Bay station and Tin Hau station, both on the Island Line.
• Crossing back to Kowloon: the Tsuen Wan Line goes from Admiralty or Central under the harbour. The Star Ferry from Wan Chai is the slower, nicer option.

Road closures across Kowloon and the north shore of the island make buses and taxis unreliable on race morning. Most runners use the MTR, and in past years the rail operator has run extra early trains for the race. Runners staying in Tsim Sha Tsui or Jordan often just walk to their start pen.

January air on the waterfront

January is a good month for running in Hong Kong. It falls in the cool, dry season. Mornings are usually in the low-to-mid teens Celsius, with far less of the heavy humidity that makes summer running so hard.

The cool start does not last all day. By late morning, slower full-marathon runners are on exposed roads with the sun on them. Runners from colder countries are often surprised by how warm the final kilometres feel. Many keep a cheap throwaway layer for the pen and drop it before the gun.

Cheering “ga yau” from the roadside

Watching costs nothing, and spectators make the race. The cheer you will hear everywhere is 加油 (ga yau in Cantonese, literally “add oil”), meaning “keep going”. Shout it at a stranger whose legs are failing and you will often get a grin back.

Some practical habits help spectators enjoy the day:

• Pick the right stretch. The bridges, tunnels and elevated highways are closed to the public, so spectators gather in Tsim Sha Tsui around the start and in Causeway Bay and Tin Hau near the finish.
• Use the footbridges and pavements. Hong Kong police and marshals keep the roads clear, so people stand behind barriers, not in the street.
• Agree on a meeting point. Finish areas at big races are busy and phone networks slow down. Groups usually agree on a corner outside Victoria Park, away from the finish chute itself.
• Pay by tap. An Octopus card or a contactless bank card works on the MTR and in most convenience stores. That saves queueing at ticket machines with tired runners.

Runners themselves usually collect their race pack at the official expo in the days before the race. On race morning they head to an assigned start pen, and the waves are released one after another.

After the finish line at Victoria Park

Victoria Park is Hong Kong Island’s biggest public park, a flat stretch of lawns, sports pitches and swimming pools between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau. On race day its grounds become the finish area. Medals, water and bag collection are spread out over ground that is usually used for football and tai chi.

After the race, you are close to some of the city’s easiest places for recovery food. Causeway Bay’s side streets have cha chaan teng diners serving milk tea, macaroni soup and pineapple buns. Tin Hau, one stop east, is calmer, with noodle shops and the small Tin Hau Temple that gives the area its name.

Many finishers then take the Island Line west to their hotel and spend the afternoon lying down. That is also a fine plan.