SUN HUNG KAI PROPERTIES LIMITED Over 1,900 run for charity at the Seventh SHKP Vertical Run for Charity - Race to Hong Kong ICC
The seventh 'SHKP Vertical Run for Charity - Race to Hong Kong ICC' drew to a close today with Polish runner and Australian runner crowned men's and women's champions in the Vertical World Circuit. Organized by Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP), this year's 'Race to Hong Kong ICC' attracted over 1,900 participants including a record high of 75 student relay teams. All proceeds will go to charitable organizations to be used for children and youth development.
Officiating the kick-off ceremony were SHKP Executive Director and Deputy Managing Director Mr. Mike Wong, SHKP Executive Directors Mr. Christopher Kwok and Mr. Adam Kwok and Event Organizing Committee Co-chairman Mr. Edward Cheung, along with the Government of the HKSAR Chief Secretary for Administration Mr. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, the Community Chest Campaign Committee Co-chairman Dr. Simon Kwok and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service Chief Executive Mr. Chua Hoi Wai.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, praised 'SHKP Vertical Run for Charity - Race to Hong Kong ICC' as a meaningful activity combining sports and charity, and a model for collaboration among the community, the business sector and the Government. The HKSAR Government will continue to promote cross-sectoral cooperation with a view to building a truly inclusive society. Noting that children and young people are the target beneficiaries this year, he remarked that the Government had attached great importance to the work on children and young people. With the injection of an additional HK$300 million into the Children Development Fund which was established in 2018, the Government aimed to improve the upward mobility of children and young people from low-income families and reduce intergenerational poverty.
SHKP Executive Director Mr. Christopher Kwok said, 'We're particularly pleased to see 'Race to Hong Kong ICC' drawing in a record-breaking number of student relay teams this year. We want to continue to promote the popularity of vertical running among young people, developing this sport and the spirit of giving at an early age. Apart from today's event, we have organized a series of lead-in community activities to engage the general public in our 'sports for charity' effort that would benefit children and youth groups in Hong Kong.'
As in previous years, all proceeds of 'Race to Hong Kong ICC' together with top-up donations from SHKP will go toward underprivileged children and youth work in Hong Kong. The event had to date donated over HK$38 million over the seven years, benefitting programmes such as the 'SHKP Rainbow with KIDS' designed and run by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service to support children who had undergone traumatic family crises. Through the Community Chest of Hong Kong, this year's donations will also support the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society's 'Parade of Light - Pilot Project on 'Child-focused' Intervention Programme for Children Facing Parental Conflicts / Separation or Divorce' and Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service's 'Discover Talents through Happy Training' programme that supports children with special education needs.
More than 1,900 runners joined this year's races, aged 10 to 75 and coming from 38 countries and regions, including runners with visual or hearing impairment and autistic runners.
Polish Piotr Lobodzinski and Australian Suzy Walsham won world championship as international elite runners scaled Hong Kong's tallest building
Over a hundred elite vertical runners competed in the Vertical World Circuit 2018 from May onwards at nine iconic skyscrapers around the globe, culminating at the grand finale at SHKP's International Commerce Centre (ICC).
At 'Race to Hong Kong ICC', the Circuit's finale, 26 elite runners vied for the title of championship. The men's champion was eventually taken by Polish runner Piotr Lobodzinski, who reached the finish line at sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck in 12 minutes. In the women's category, Australian runner Suzy Walsham came first with a time of 14 minutes 5 seconds. They also became overall champion of the Vertical World Circuit from the men's and women's respectively.
Diverse race and fun climb categories encourage 'sports for charity' spirit
'Race to Hong Kong ICC' offers 15 categories of races and fun climbs, including Individual and Relay races and the Fun Climb for leisure. Children aged 10 or above can take part with their parents in the Fun Climb 21, which attracted more than 50 young people aged between 10 and 18 to enjoy the fun of family exercise this year.
Over 840 runners enrolled in the Individual races, in which Eric Yeung Hoi-chun took home the title of championship in the male's category at 14 minutes 3 seconds, while Le Qing-hua was crowned championship in the female's category with a time of 17 minutes 25 seconds. To encourage international exchange between promising athletes and promote 'sports for charity', SHKP will sponsor Eric and Qing-hua in the coming Vertical World Circuit 2019.
Despite the dual challenge of speed and rapport, the Student Relay this year attracted 75 teams, including 57 teams ferociously competing in the Secondary Students category. Raimondi College eventually came first at 13 minutes 51 seconds, while BokChunMF won in the Tertiary category with a time of 14 minutes 33 seconds. The competition was keen in the Corporate Relay as people from different sectors ditched their work attire to become vertical runners, scaling the 2,120 steps of ICC. The Corporate Relay was eventually won by SHKP (A) with a time of 12 minutes 46 seconds.
Game booths combine sport and play for all
SHKP once again teamed up with Playright Children's Play Association (Playright) to offer a series of interactive installations and educational games designed for families, so runners and their families could experience sports in a different way.
About SHKP Vertical Run for Charity - Race to Hong Kong ICC
SHKP first launched the vertical running race in 2012, aiming to raise awareness of a healthy lifestyle among the Hong Kong public, as well as promoting a charitable spirit. In 2013, this vertical running event became the grand finale of the Vertical World Circuit, escalating into a sporting event of international scale. From 2014 onwards, the 'SHKP Vertical Run for Charity' expanded into two branches - 'Race to Hong Kong ICC' held at the International Commerce Centre and 'Race to Shanghai IFC' held at the Shanghai International Finance Centre. Both events encourage public participation in the sport while promoting 'sports for charity'. The 'SHKP Vertical Run for Charity' has attracted over 17,000 runners since its inception.
About 2018 Vertical World Circuit
The Vertical World Circuit was initiated by The International Skyrunning Federation (ISF), an authority that formulates regulations and standards for international vertical running tournaments. The ISF collaborates with global iconic skyscrapers every year to organize the Vertical World Circuit.
2018 Results
2018 Vertical World Circuit - Overall Champion
| Men | Women | |
| Champion | Piotr Lobodzinki (Poland) | Suzy Walsham (Australia) |
Race to Hong Kong ICC 2018
Elite
| Male | Female | |
| Champion | Piotr Lobodzinski (Poland) | Suzy Walsham (Australia) |
| 1st Runner-up | Mark Bourne (Australia) | Valentina Belotti (Italy) |
| 2nd Runner-up | Watanabe Ryoji (Japan) | Alice McNamara (Australia) |
Individual
| Male | Female | |
| Overall Champion | Eric Yeung Hoi-chun | Le Qing-hua |
Team Relay
| Corporate | |
| Champion | SHKP (A) |
| 1st Runner-up | Railway District, Kowloon East Region, HK Police Force |
| 2nd Runner-up | ATAL |
| Secondary Student | |
| Champion | Raimondi College |
| 1st Runner-up | STS Elite 1 (Sai Kung Sung Tsun Catholic School) |
| 2nd Runner-up | CCC Kei To Secondary School |
| Tertiary Student | |
| Champion | BokChunMF (The University of Hong Kong) |
| 1st Runner-up | Yi Jin 1 (Yi Jin) |
| 2nd Runner-up | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKBU College of International Education |
| Open | |
| Champion | Love and Care Running Association |
| 1st Runner-up | Hong Kong Guangdong Youth Association |
| 2nd Runner-up | Kai Shing Management Services Limited (Shanghai) |
Attachments
- Original document
- Permalink
Disclaimer
Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. published this content on 02 December 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 02 December 2018 10:36:07 UTC
