Meet your Valentine on a Hong Kong matchmaking run – it’s speed dating with a difference
Run Date 2018 will help runners find potential partners through a series of athletic activities. Participants will first run 3km, before going in pairs to tackle three physical challenges – by the end you could be paired up
Single Hongkongers who don’t want to spend Valentine’s Day alone can give Run Date 2018 a go instead.
The matchmaking event, hosted by dating app Coffee Meets Bagel and Asian cultural online platform Honkiee, aims to help runners find potential partners through a series of athletic activities.
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Held once again at the Science Park in Sha Tin on February 11, the event’s second edition will be open to 2,000 runners, and includes a new age group for adults aged 60 or above.
Out of 1,300 runners that joined last year, more than half were successfully matched with a partner.
“Most of the [normal] speed-dating events are quite formal and serious, like the traditional table for six or cocktail night, where participants usually dress up, and people are not authentic,” says Kenny Ho, founder of Honkiee.
“But running is a popular trend. It’s healthy and is suitable for all people. That is why we combine these two activities together to form a ‘run date’ to provide a special platform for single runners to be running as a couple [by the end].”
After a series of ice-breaking warm-up games, participants will run 3km, before being sent in pairs to tackle three different challenges: a three-legged race (participants will have their wrists tied together instead of their legs), a blindfold obstacle course, and the most physically taxing of all – carrying a teammate along a cobblestone path.
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The organisers will not pair up runners; instead, participants are free to approach whomever they like to complete the three tasks. The event is not exclusively for singles. Couples can also join as pairs to add an extra kick to their relationship.
To encourage more participants to take part, coffee and bagels will be served at the end of the event.
Run Date 2018, February 11, Science Park, Sha Tin, 9am-1pm, HK$350.
Inquiries: 3620 3270
