Ex-triathlete Leanne Szeto leads Hong Kong runners across line in National Games test
Leanne Szeto takes third place in women’s race as Shenzhen-Hong Kong Marathon, and officials happy as everything goes smoothly
Leanne Szeto Shiu-yan led Hong Kong’s marathon runners across the finish line during a National Games test event on Sunday.
The former triathlete came third in the women’s race, which started at 7am, crossing the line in two hours, 47 minutes and 20 seconds. Guangdong’s Chen Liqin won in 2:44:44, with Jin Linzhu, from Guizhou, second in 2:45:15.
In the men’s race, which started 30 minutes later, Yunnan pair Zhao Chaochuan and Tao Hui finished first and second, in 2:17:17 and 2:23:20, respectively, with Ningxia’s Ren Lei third in 2:24:49.
Wan Cheuk-hei was the fastest Hongkonger overall, finishing eighth in the men’s race in 2:33:00. The qualifying time for the men’s and women’s marathon at the National Games is 2:53:00 and 3:22:00, respectively.
The race which started and finished at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Stadium, took in some 13.5 miles of Hong Kong roads, sweeping along the Western Corridor and Shenzhen Bay Bridge.
After crossing back over the border to the mainland, runners headed towards the Nanshan and Qianhai districts, before finishing at the 20,000-seat arena that staged the World University Games in 2011.