'Instructions unclear at HK Streetathon'
Organisers of the first post-pandemic Hong Kong Streetathon on Sunday have apologised after wrong or unclear instructions were given to some runners. The winner of the half marathon on appeal said he received wrong information during the race, while dozens taking part in the full marathon ran the half marathon route. University student Lau Chun-wai had finished a close second to his rival in the half marathon from Island Eastern Corridor and To Kwa Wan, via the Eastern Harbour Crossing. "The staff told me to follow the traffic cones, but the route didn't look right to me so I ran back. I ended up crossing the finish line with another runner and he was a bit faster than me. But I thought I ran 600 or 700 metres more because I was misled, so I filed an appeal... and I won," Lau said. Streetathon organiser Andes Leung also said 30 to 50 marathon runners ran the half marathon route. "Maybe we didn't have enough staff, or maybe our instructions could have been better, so some of the main marathon runners started with those who took part in the half marathon," he said. "I would like to apologise to them and we will definitely work to do better." There was also a 10km race from Tseung Kwan O to Kwun Tong. A total of 15,000 runners took part in the Hong Kong Streetathon on Sunday morning. About 250 felt unwell or suffered slight injuries, and five were sent to hospital for treatment.  Others didn't appear to be deterred by the cold weather warning that was in effect. "It was the ideal weather for running," one told RTHK.