Initial era The race traces its history back to 1981 when the first race was held in Sek Kong comprising four circuits of the roads around Sek Kong Camp where it started and finished. The race continued to be held here during the 80s (see records below). It became the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Marathon, launched by the
Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association. The route was between
Sheung Shui and
Shenzhen. The race endured organisational difficulties due to a lack of funding and was not held from 1989 to 1991. After two further editions, the race was again suspended from 1994 to 1996.
Standard Chartered era Standard Chartered Bank stepped in as a title sponsor for the 1997 race and it garnered a field of 1,000 runners. The relaunch of the race saw increased participation from top-level East African runners – the men's race has been won by either a Kenyan or Ethiopian runner for all but two years from 1997 to 2012.
2008 In 2008, the marathon was held on 17 February, participated by some 42,000 runners, of which over 30,000 joined the 10 km event. (Originally 49,000 had signed up but 7,000 of them did not turn up.) The full and half marathon's race tracks remained generally the same, starting from Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, then going out to
West Kowloon using
Austin Road, followed by
West Kowloon Highway and
Tsing Kwai Highway, where half-marathoners turn back. Full-marathoners continue through
Cheung Tsing Tunnel, then do a return trip each on
Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. Competitors then ran back all the way to
West Kowloon, joining half-marathoners again at
Kwai Chung, and into
Western Harbour Crossing. The finishing point, however, was changed to
Victoria Park instead of the Golden Bauhinia Plaza in
Wan Chai North. This arrangement was welcomed by elite athletes, citing that it would improve their performance.
Japanese runner
Koichioro Fukuoka won the full marathon in 2:16:50, ending
Kenya's four-year domination of the event.
2009 in 2011 The race for 2009 took place on 8 February, with the courses for all events remaining the same as the previous year. About 55,000 people enrolled, among which 51,272 runners turned up (of which 31,000 were of the 10 km event, 7000 in full marathon), breaking previous records. The prize pool was US$100,000, with the winner getting US$20,000.
Kenyan runner
Cyprian Kiogora Mwobi won the full marathon in 2:14:57, setting a new course record. The women's title was won by
Winnie Frida Kwamboka Nyansikera, also Kenyan, in 2:41:25. The finishing rate this year was 98%. The injury count was 394, of which 16 were sent to hospital (including a case due to a temperature), down from 31 in 2008. 5000 runners requested massage due to
cramps. Blind students participated in the 10 km race with an escort by their teachers. The relative humidity that day was high at 60%-85%, making the race less comfortable. The inclination on the course was also a subject of complaint. Two runners were found using identical number bibs with the number "4", and this spurred discussion. The number belonged to the Hong Kong delegate, Lau Kwong-man. Several days later, his coach, Ng Fai-yeung, admitted that he took one bib (Lau got two bibs for being an invited runner, one in front and one on rear) from Lau, wore it, and accompanied Leung Yuen-fan, another teammate, in the race. The event committee delivered its verdict on 12 February with reference to the scandal, disqualifying Lau and Leung from the race. The HKAAA has considered holding a disciplinary hearing on the matter.
2010–present finish, 2012 The 2010 race saw Cyprian Kiogara Mwobi become the first man to defend his title in Hong Kong, and only the second person to do so after
Yuko Gordon won the women's races in 1983 and 1984. The route was modified in the 2012 race to pass through the
Central Piers and the newly reclaimed areas around the
Tamar site. Ethiopians set new course records for both men's and women's races:
Dejere Abera for the men's record with 2:11:27 hours and
Misiker Demissie for the women's record with 2:30:12 hours. The wheelchair race was resumed after 14 years of hiatus, with full marathon and 3 km courses. The second fatality in the competition's history occurred that year, when a 26-year-old male half marathon runner fell unconscious after he passed the finish line, and announced dead after he was sent to hospital. The 2013 edition was held on 23 February and
Julius Maisei (2:14:18) and
Misiker Demissie (2:30:49) won the elite races. The 2014 races were won by two Ethiopian athletes who self-funded to enter the race.
Feyera Gemeda and
Rehima Kedir won the men's and women's races in 2:15:05 and 2:34:53 hours, respectively. A 24-year-old male Ng Cheuk-yue from the 2015 race died of an unknown cause in a hospital after a heart attack and then head injury just one hundred metres away from the finish line. A 49-year-old male runner is currently in a hospital after falling ill at the
Tsing Ma Bridge. Ethiopian runner Sentayehu Merga Ejigu won the men's race with two hours, thirteen minutes, and forty-six seconds; North Korean runner
Kim Hye-gyong won the woman's race with two hours, thirty-one minutes, and forty-six seconds. Thirty more people were hospitalised: three serious, nineteen stable, and eight discharged. The 2017 course omitted the Tsing Ma Bridge due to complaints by motorists. After omitting it again in 2018, race organizers stated that it was unlikely to ever return to the marathon course. In 2019, a new course record of 2:09:21 was set by
Barnabas Kiptum. The 2020 edition originally scheduled in February was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the 2021 edition of the race, originally scheduled for January, was postponed to due to the pandemic. The marathon was won by
Christy Yiu and
Wong Kai-lok, both from Hong Kong. Wong won by four seconds in his debut marathon, which he ran against the advice of his doctors, after having taken two years to recover from a serious knee injury. As this was the first edition of the race held since the pandemic began, the number of participants was reduced by about 75 percent, and no overseas runners were invited. As this was also the first edition held since the implementation of the
Hong Kong National Security Law, runners were warned against making political statements, and some runners reported being banned from the race due to wearing apparel containing the words "Hong Kong". == Course ==