2004-10-05
Standard Chartered Marathon 2005 - Register Now!
Entry quota for Hong Kong's largest participatory sporting event increased to 28,000

[Hong Kong, 5 October, 2004]: Standard Chartered Bank, in conjunction with Event Organizers the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA), has sounded the starter's pistol for the 9th annual Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Continuing its role as Hong Kong's largest participatory sporting event, the entry quota for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2005 has been increased to 28,000 runners across the event's Marathon, Half-Marathon and 10km challenges. Confirming its growing international prominence, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will also serve as the final race in Standard Chartered's new global marathon sponsorship initiative, the Greatest Race On Earth.

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will be held on 27 February 2005. The expanded entry quota for the event follows record-setting attendance at the 2004 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon where over 24,000 runners took part. Even with the record figures in 2004, several hopefuls were turned away, convincing Standard Chartered and the HKAAA to again expand the entry field for 2005. This year's entry quota will be increased by 4,000, enabling 28,000 local and international runners to take part in this unique community celebration of the Hong Kong spirit.

It was also announced that Hong Kong Marathon, one of the longest history and most successful of the five international marathons sponsored by Standard Chartered, will be the finale event for the Bank's new global marathon sponsorship initiative, the Greatest Race On Earth. Launched earlier this year, the Greatest Race On Earth sees teams of marathon runners from around the world chasing the fastest cumulative time over four Standard Chartered-sponsored marathons around the world to win the total prize purse exceeding US$ 1 million. The HKAAA has announced that a team of Hong Kong's elite marathon runners will participate in this year's Greatest Race On Earth, which will be run over four Standard Chartered marathons including Mumbai, Nairobi, Singapore and Hong Kong. They are Chung Yan-kwei, Yip Chun-fai, Choi Tat-ming, Ng Yan-chi with reserve runners Wu Ki Kai and Lai Ka Wai.

Peter Wong, Director and CEO of Greater China for Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited commented on the announcement saying, “Standard Chartered Bank is proud to continue our title sponsorship of the Hong Kong Marathon in 2005. In our nine years of sponsorship, participation in the Marathon has grown exponentially. We are excited that this growth continues unabated and will expand the field to 28,000 to let more and more Hong Kong people take part. The Hong Kong Marathon's role as the finale event in the inaugural Greatest Race On Earth adds even more excitement to the event in 2005. I am confident that Hong Kong, the greatest city on Earth, will certainly provide a fitting finale for the Greatest Race On Earth.”

The HKAAA will again invite many of the top international marathon runners to compete in Hong Kong in 2005. With the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon's role as the finale of the Greatest Race On Earth, the world's best marathon runners will have added incentive to make their way to Hong Kong in February.

The famed urban course for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon is as challenging as it is scenic. Beginning along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, the route runs along West Kowloon and Tsing Kwai Highways, through Cheung Tsing Tunnel and Lantau Link (Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Mun bridges) and over Ting Kau Bridge, before retuning via Western Harbour Tunnel along Connaught Road Central. The Standard Chartered Marathon 2005 will finish at its customary location in Golden Bauhinia Square in front of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wanchai. To ensure the ideal running and course conditions, thousands of 10km runners will start at 6:00am and 6:40am while the Half-Marathon and Marathon fields start at 7:10am and 8:00am respectively.

Prize money for the Standard Charted Marathon 2005 is US$65,300 in total, exclusive of the Time Bonus Scheme that rewards any male or female runner finishing the Marathon in under 2:15:00 or 2:33:00 respectively with prizes from US$1,000 - $10,000 depending upon the strength of their performance.

Registration for this year's Marathon will commence today (6 October). The event organizers are again offering a special Early Bird Registration Fee of HK$270 until 30 November. From 1 December through 17 January the fee will be HK$320. Registration in person at the Marathon Secretariat in Hotel Miramar on 25-26 February will be HK$420. Entry forms are available at the HKAAA office and all branches of Standard Chartewww.hkmarathon.comred Bank in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit the official website at or call the official hotline on 2577 0800.

Standard Chartered Bank is in its 9th year of title sponsorship to the Hong Kong Marathon. Other sponsors and supporting parties include: New Balance Athletic Shoes (Hong Kong) Limited, Convey Advertising Company Limited, Hotel Miramar Hong Kong, Watsons Water, Citizen Watches (HK) Limited, Mercedes Benz, Commercial Radio, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Information Services Department, Western Harbour Tunnel Co. Ltd and Tsing Ma Management Limited.

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Released on behalf of Standard Chartered Bank by Octagon Greater China.

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