Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

When I signed up for the Hong Kong Marathon last summer, I expected just another typical race. The experience I ended up enjoying, however, was anything but typical. 

The story started at an evening training run with an outdoor social group I joined to meet new people in Hong Kong. The guy leading the training session asked if I would be interested in running the marathon dressed as a superhero.

Interested?  That's an understatement. I have been wanting to run a race in costume for a long time, and the mere suggestion of this possibility was beyond exciting for me.

I did not realize how easy it would be to find a Superman costume at a local market in Hong Kong. After a little tailoring and the addition of running shorts, I was garishly dressed for the occasion. 

The day before the race, we met for lunch to "test out" the costumes. For the first few minutes in public, my inner shy kid took over as I felt everyone's eyes (and a few camera lenses) on us. However, it didn't take long for my self-consciousness to adopt the persona of the costume. With "The Flash" and "Captain America" by my side, I started really enjoying the attention.

We first went to the pier and took some action shots in our best superhero poses. A small group of curious people came by to watch (and take photos with us) while we ran across the pavement, hung from poles, and jumped over park benches.

Photo montage that EJ made from our action shots on the pier

Our next destination was the nearby carnival. Before we could even make it through the gates, we had already taken about 20 pictures with families and small children. I'm not sure if they thought we worked at the carnival as entertainers, but we actually had to cut off the photos so we could keep moving! Over the next couple hours, we played games, rode bumper cars, and even went ice skating - all in costume. I was having so much fun at the carnival that I almost forgot we would be running 26.2 miles the next morning.

Ice Skating at the carnival

Even superheros need to have fun sometimes

More superhero fun from the carnival

On the morning of the race, I woke up early and went through my typical routine. I felt relaxed, knowing that the starting line was only 15 minutes from my apartment. The half marathon runners went past my window very early and I quadruple-checked to make sure I was not supposed to be part of the earlier group (slightly neurotic)!

After that, I completely lost track of time until I looked down at my watch and realized there was only about 25 minutes until the start of my group. With my heart pounding, I bolted out of the apartment, jogged through the adjacent park, and made it to the baggage truck just as they were closing up. I quickly walked into the starting corral without even an opportunity to stretch. Five minutes later, the race had begun.

I decided long before today that this would be nothing more than a fun run, so I took a very relaxed pace and savored the sounds of people shouting "Superman!" from the sidewalks.

Less than 5k into the race, I saw someone wearing all red...a surprisingly similar costume to Alfredo, except that he was meant to be in the earlier wave so it couldn't be him...or could it be?
 
As I got closer, I noticed the lightening bolts on the side of his hat and realized that it was, in fact, "The Flash". I pulled up next to him and we started talking. As it turns out, we actually started in the same wave. I was thrilled to have a running partner.

Alf, "The Flash" stands out from the crowd.

Before long,  a sexy Supergirl in a blue leotard and a red cape passed us and we yelled encouraging words to each other. The Flash and I also met a runner from Guangzhou named Jerry who seemed overly enthusiastic about joining our little superhero group. 

At around the 12k mark, we started seeing other runners along an out-and-back portion of the course and I was excited to notice several other fun costumes. There was a pair of Nintendo characters (Mario and Luigi), multiple people dressed in a full shark costume, and several other superheroes in slightly less elaborate outfits. Every time we passed another character, we would shout words of encouragement as if we were best friends. One thing I love about races is how everyone supports each other in our common quest to finish. We will never see any of these people again, yet we selflessly put our competitive spirits aside for the day to encourage one another.

Mario makes his way along the course

Just one of several people in an incredible shark costume!

Before reaching the 20km mark, Jerry could no longer keep up with our pace and we lost him in the voracious crowd. Fortunately, The Flash was still going strong despite playing a soccer game the evening before. This was the first time I had ever run with someone during a race, but chatting throughout the course really made the kilometers pass quickly.

At some point near the 30km mark, we started merging with the half marathon runners and we got to see an entirely new group of people (and costumes). One girl wearing a kimono stood out to us as having the best costume, but there were also many other gems. I was surprised by the number of runners carrying yellow umbrellas as a silent, yet blatant reminder that negative sentiment stemming from the democracy protest has not been forgotten.

Just before we approached the Victoria Harbour tunnel at kilometer 35, Alfredo started slowing his pace and I inadvertently picked up speed as we descended into the tunnel. I looked back to find him but the lightening bolts were nowhere to be seen. I debated with myself: Do I hold back and run with him to the finish line or pick up speed and get this race over with?

My selfish side won out this time, as I transitioned into beast mode for the final five miles. It was amazing how much energy I still had left as I breezed past people on the crowded Hong Kong streets (this part of the course felt a little too bottlenecked for my taste). The crowd support at this point was much stronger, and I heard many cheers for “Superman” as I aggressively weaved my way through fellow runners.

The finish line was expertly set up to resemble a stage, and there was a huge screen that broadcast candid shots of the runners. I looked up to see a close-up of myself, which was both surreal and intimidating! I believe the finish line is the most important part of a race because it can make each runner feel like a superstar.

At the baggage claim area, I was excited to see my Supergirl from the race. As we chatted, the costume effect again attracted random people who asked to have their photos taken with us. I find it so endearing that I only need a HK$150 costume to achieve quasi-celebrity status here.

Chatting with Supergirl after the race

I found the lady with the amazing kimono costume!

When I think back to the Hong Kong marathon in future years, I will always associate it with the costumes. Not only did I enjoy dressing up myself, but I loved seeking out other runners with a similar sense of fun. The 2015 Hong Kong Marathon introduced me to a new dimension of the race experience, and I cannot wait to dress up again for future running events.

Below are some of my favorite costumes from the race: 

My little piggy?

Football player or rubbish collector??

Another superhero pairing

Golden boy

I have no words.

Another Captain America!

Orange antler man?

I wish that snickers bar attached to his back was real...

Not sure if this is a costume!

Vineyard man?

This looks comfortable

Dinosaur? Turtle? Lizard?

Costume Time

Let me tell you a story about this picture:

It was our last night in Hyderabad and the local team hosted a cocktail party in celebration of everyone's work.  To be completely honest, they are the ones that deserved all the accolades, but somehow, we ended up with gifts.   

I opened up the gift bag to find shiny dark blue material - embroidered along the collar and adorned with a long row of buttons.  The local finance director informed me that it was a traditional outfit and I was instantly awe-struck by their generosity.

My first thought was that I don't have any opportunities to wear this outfit and I was envisioning it sitting in my closet for years at a time.    

Then, as if reading my mind, one of the guys exclaimed: "You must change into it for the rest of the night!"  Looking around, I noticed several nods of affirmation and I figured that I had no option but to say yes. 

My colleague had also received a similar gift (as you probably noticed from the picture), so I didn't feel quite as uncomfortable. We went up to our rooms to change quickly before re-joining the party for dinner.  As soon as I looked at myself in the mirror in my room, I got an instant feeling of self-consciousness but I had no option but to move forward.  The feeling returned when I entered the elevator and caught the amused glance of another hotel guest. Did I look like I was in costume or did people think that I was honoring the local culture by dressing in traditional garb?

Costume?  ...or fashion? 

The entire team was so enthusiastic when I re-entered the restaurant, which made me start to forget about how ridiculous I must have looked.  I mentioned to them that I was quite impressed with the overall fit (not that I even know how it should fit, but I was surprised that the sleeves were long enough, considering that the average height of men in India seems to be about 5'7''). 

One of the guys mentioned that they actually inspected my laundry to learn my measurements so they could have the jacket tailored accordingly (the pants appear to be one-size-fits-all). They also took note of the clothes that caught my attention when they took us out shopping the weekend prior.  Apparently, I was picking up a lot of dark blue shirts on our shopping excursion.  At that moment, I didn't know whether I should be completely impressed with their attention to detail or if I should be concerned that big brother is watching my every move!

I decided to focus on the positive and enjoy a meal in my perfectly-tailored outfit, and surrounded by people who displayed such incredible efforts to make my visit to Hyderabad memorable.  They certainly achieved this goal.     

Looking like locals on our last night in Hyderabad.