What is it like to run on the world's longest sea-crossing bridge? On January 5th, the second Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Half Marathon officially began, attracting over 8,000 participants worldwide.

 

Over 8,000 participants take off on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Photo courtesy of the organizers.

At 7:15 AM, as the starting gun fired, more than 8,000 runners set off from the Hong Kong connection of the bridge, heading towards Zhuhai for a distance of 10.5 kilometers to the boundary line between Guangdong and Hong Kong, before they headed back. Ultimately, Ethiopian runner Mengesha clinched the men's champion with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 27 seconds, while Kenyan runner Nawowuna took the women's title with a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 56 seconds.

This year's event also featured a special "2-kilometer Honor Cup" race, inviting government officials from the Hong Kong SAR, legislators, athletes, and celebrities to participate. Guests included legislator of Hong Kong Legislative Council Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, Olympic champion Guo Jingjing and her husband, as well as Vivian Kong Man Wai, the fencing champion from the Paris Olympics. Kenneth was seen running while taking selfies with his phone and capturing moments for Guo Jingjing, creating a lighthearted and warm atmosphere.
 

After the race, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Hong Kong SAR, Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, expressed hopes that more "traveler runners" would come to Hong Kong to compete in the future, which would help stimulate the city's tourism economy.

Source: Lingnan on the Cloud