HONG KONG - The first-ever charity marathon to loop around the Hong Kong harbour was successfully held on Saturday, with dozens of heavyweight cross-sector leaders participating to raise funds for youth development and education projects.
The BOC Life Hong Kong Harbour Marathon 2024, sponsored by BOC Group Life Assurance Co Ltd, raised funds for RunOurCity Foundation and St. James’ Settlement’s youth development and STEAM education projects.
The marathon showcased the cross-sector collaboration between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and commercial and social sectors in the city for a worthy cause
The marathon showcased the cross-sector collaboration between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and commercial and social sectors in the city for a worthy cause.
“BOC Life is delighted to be the title sponsor of the first-ever harbor marathon in Hong Kong, embodying cross-sector collaboration from the HKSAR government, commercial and NGO sectors to create social value and win-win for all parties in the society,” said Wilson Tang, Chief Executive of BOC Life.
The marathon started with the “CEO Run” from HarbourChill in Wan Chai that included Tang; Vincent Cheng, Legislative Councilor and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Sports Institute; Vincent Ng, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission; April Kun, Head of Energizing Kowloon East Office, Development Bureau; Fung Hong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the CUHK Medical Centre; Francis Ngai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SVhk; Andes Leung, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of RunOurCity, Elton Ng, Founder and CEO of CORES, and Alex Ko, COO of Ming Pao Newspapers Ltd.
BOC Life formed 14 corporate teams from its staff members and also colleagues of BOC Hong Kong to run for the youth development and STEAM education.
Francis Ngai, Founder and CEO of the organizer SVhk said the marathon 2024 was dedicated to facilitate employee wellness while offering a practical platform for companies to show their commitment in social responsibility.
“This year, we introduce the element of relay into the Marathon. With the CEO Run, we encourage corporate leaders to be the first baton of the relay, motivating their employees to run for a good cause together while staff members participating in other batons to complete the race as a team effort,” he said.
Andes Leung, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of RunOurCity, said RunOurCity has consistently transformed lives through running, and in recent years, has organized projects focusing on holistic physical and mental health.
“This Marathon actively encourages companies to participate, raising their staff’s awareness on wellness and fostering team spirit through completing the marathon in a relay format. It is truly meaningful as it also helps those in need in the society,” he said.
Josephine Lee, Chief Executive Officer of St. James’ Settlement, said BOC Life has generously increased the sponsorship for the new cohort of ‘BOC Life New Generation Financial and Technology Designers’ Programme’, and with matching grant from the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged under Social Welfare Department, the number of students benefiting from the program has increased by over 50 percent.
“Together, we continue to cultivate the students’ knowledge in technology, environmental protection and financial management, enhancing their creativity, integration and application of knowledge and skills to face future challenges,” she said.
The marathon started from the HarbourChill in Wanchai and was divided into eight checkpoints, with participating corporate teams engaging in relay running. The routes covered various harbor front areas across different districts of Hong Kong, allowing participants to run into the community and enjoy the stunning harbor scenery.
