At the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon (SCHKM), around 3,000 members of the PolyU community came together – as runners, cheering team members, professional support providers, and other roles – exemplifying the “PolyU Spirit” of perseverance and unity. The team included PolyU students, staff, alumni, and their families and friends, all participating in various races at the city’s largest participatory sporting event.

A ten-time recipient of the “Most Supportive Group Award” at SCHKM, PolyU once again demonstrated its vibrant community spirit, with senior management actively supporting the runners at the event. Professor Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President; Professor Christopher Chao, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation); Professor Ben Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs); Dr Ben Lau, Interim Vice President (Campus and Facilities); Dr Laura Lo, Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement); and Professor Horace Mui, Dean of Students, along with Deans from faculties and schools, showcased the University’s solidarity and pride through their enthusiastic cheers. Professor Teng remarked that the PolyU community’s robust participation exemplified the University’s core values of perseverance and teamwork.

In addition to the 2,300 PolyU runners on the course, the PolyU Cheering Team was stationed at key locations to support the runners. A booth was set up at Victoria Park, and a professional team from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences provided on-site support and physiotherapy treatment for PolyU runners.

Senior management congratulated the award-winning PolyU runners, including Lam Ka-yan, Champion of the 10km Challenge Women’s Master 1 (2nd from left); Wong Cho-sum, 2nd Runner-up of the 10km Challenge Women’s Senior (3rd from left); Tse Chun-yin, 1st Runner-up of the 10km Challenge Men’s Senior and Men’s Overall (3rd from right); and Yip Tak-long 2nd Runner-up of the 10km Challenge Men’s Senior and Men’s Overall (2nd from right). View the list of PolyU winners here.

Wang Junxia, Olympic gold medallist in the women’s 5,000m at the 1996 Atlanta Games (left), joined the PolyU Running Team for the 10km race and posed with Prof. Jin-Guang Teng (right) after the event.

Beyond on-site and post-race treatment, the University also provided pre-race support by leveraging its interdisciplinary expertise and research strengths to provide comprehensive “Tech + Health” support. Runners benefited from long-distance training courses led by professional coaches, and the PolyU Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology offered 3D foot scanning, body composition, and gait analysis. Based on individual data, the Institute prescribed functional insoles developed by PolyU to support feet and reduce injury risk. Select marathon runners also used the Smart Cadence Sensor, which delivers real-time vibration alerts to help runners adjust their pace, reduce joint load, and enhance efficiency. Data collected will further contribute to future sports science research, realising a two-way synergy of “research empowering competition, competition advancing research”.

The PolyU Department of Rehabilitation Sciences also conducted pre-race functional fitness assessments and biomechanics tests, designing personalised rehabilitation programmes to boost performance and minimise injury risk. An educational seminar on common running injuries and prevention strategies equipped runners with essential knowledge to monitor their condition during training.

Sports, as an integral part of holistic education at PolyU, have been widely promoted across the University to instil confidence, camaraderie, and resilience in students. Over the years, PolyU has introduced a range of initiatives, such as flexible study options for student-athletes, to help them excel both academically and in sports, while actively fostering a vibrant sporting culture on campus.