Local couple Eric Wong Kai-lok and Virginia Lo Ying-chiu meanwhile gave themselves a Valentine’s Day weekend to remember, winning their respective 10k races.

Afterwards, organisers hailed the success of the Standard Chartered-backed event and said they wanted twice as many to take part in a second race in November, part of a packed sporting calendar this year that includes the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens next month and three top-flight golf tournaments.

“Despite the unfavourable weather, the event has been very smooth, giving us the confidence as we are planning for another Hong Kong Marathon later this year,” Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates, said.

“We want to increase the entry back to the 74,000 as before. Of course, this will be subject to our discussion with the government and we wish it can happen as the pandemic continues to ease.”

The last time the city had that many runners was in 2019, three years after the quota was increased from 70,000. The race, which this year was estimated to have cost between HK$20 million and HK$30 million, is usually oversubscribed with some 100,000 people applying to run in 2017.

It was only held one during the pandemic, in 2021. But it was scaled down with fewer than 17,000 taking part and no overseas runners allowed.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu sounded the horn on the start of the day as runners set off from Tsim Sha Tsui, and later said he and his team would continue “to promote the social and economic activities in Hong Kong to make the city a better place”.

Among those taking part in the shorter 10k race, was film star Chow, who finished in an hour and was full of smiles afterwards.

“It’s really wet today, making it difficult for all runners,” the 67-year-old said. “My target was to finish in an hour and I achieved it, but I am only here to enjoy myself more than anything.”

A host of other local dignitaries and celebrities also took part, among them legislator Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, actress Celicia So Lai-shan and Poki Ng, a member of boy band Error.

He was not the only one having fun, there was the usual assortment of fancy dress from a trio of dinosaurs to Kaonashi, aka No-Face, from Studio Ghibli Animation, Spirited Away.

And while runners had been advised to avoid displaying political slogans that might be deemed problematic, one competitor dressed in traditional Arab garb, with a nod to Lee’s recent trip to the Middle East, decided to have some fun at the expense of the tourism board and displayed a “Hello Hong Kong” sign while making his way along the Island Eastern Corridor.

As well as the rain, there was the humidity, which at times hit 100 per cent and along with temperatures that peaked at 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) there were a number of injuries.

According to organisers, 35 runners were sent to hospital during the race, many for heat-related illness. Of those, 21 were discharged, 10 were considered stable and four serious.

In all, 34,783 runners took part across the three races – the marathon, half-marathon and 10k – about 94 per cent of the 37,000 entries received. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the turnout was usually about 90 per cent.

“We think most of the runners treasured the opportunity as this is the first biggest sports participatory event since the pandemic has eased,” Kwan said.

The high turnout could also have had something to do with the HK$10,000 cash incentive provided to local runners who completed the marathon in less than three hours for men, and 3½ hours for women.

Officials estimated they had given out more than HK$2 million in celebration of the race’s 25th anniversary, with 151 men and 66 women reaching the target.

“This was a special one-off incentive, but we will try to work with our sponsor to see if we can continue with it in the same way or another in future,” Kwan said. “The incentive is quite positive as we can see improved results and that is why we want to make it happen again.”

There was an additional cash award too for women’s champion Eticha, who earned US$10,000 on top of her winning purse of US$15,000. The award came as a bonus for finishing below 2:28.

More than 500 overseas runners took part, with the 13 invited athletes joined by others who got places through the ballot, and with no quarantine requirements, officials are hoping that number is far greater later in the year.

Previously, as many as 10,000 overseas runners took part with the help of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and officials expect the number will gradually increase as the city slowly returns to normal.

Economist Simon Lee Siu-po, an honorary fellow at the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business at Chinese University, said the event could be deemed as a locally successful event, even though there had been fewer overseas runners than normal.

He said the reopening of the city’s border at short notice, and the still limited carrying capabilities in the aviation sector made it difficult for some international runners to take part.

Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung and Danny Mok