Hong Kong runners made great strides in the annual Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday morning despite the chilly weather, while the event was also marred by a number of disqualifications.

SAR runner Christy Yiu claimed victory in the women's half-marathon, crossing the finish line at Victoria Park in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 9 seconds.

She said her performance was within expectations, crediting the weather conditions for making the race smoother than she had anticipated.

"I think the weather was really good. The humidity was only about 40 percent. The temperature was about 10 to 12 degrees, so it was nice and cool. When I got on the course, I found that it wasn't that windy (even though) it was windy at night," Yiu said.

"It was pretty good. I didn't need to use my raincoat. The track changed a bit, but was still good for running. There were fewer places with strong winds."

In the men's half-marathon, Vincent Lam from Hong Kong, who originally came in third, was awarded the title after the top two finishers – He Yingbing and Sun Xiaoyang of China – were disqualified.

"I was faster by a minute when compared to my results from last year. I am also satisfied with myself. I have laid a very good foundation in the past year. I always had good communication with my coach. The weather was very good. Although the Observatory said it was a bit cold, it was not that hard to run," Lam said.

In the 10km race for women, Candy Tsang from Hong Kong defended her title with a time of 35 minutes and 16 seconds.

In the men's event, SAR triathlete Wong Tsz-to became runner-up after Lan Jiehuai of China, who had finished second, was disqualified. China's Liu Aiyan won the race.

Dennis Ng, executive director of Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates, said after the event that three male runners were disqualified.

"Especially for the prize winners, we will verify their identities after the race. Officials found that the bibs they were wearing did not belong to that runner, so after we reported to the referees as well as other key officials, the organisers confirmed that the results were disqualified," he said.

Kenya dominated the podium in the men's marathon, with Bethwell Kipkemboi taking gold in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds, while compatriots Kennedy Kipyeko and Seroi Anderson coming second and third.

Belarusian runner Volha Mazuronak won the women's marathon in 2 hours and 27 minutes, followed by Ethiopia's Emebet Niguse and Tadelech Bekele.

Among the runners on Sunday was Hong Kong movie icon Chow Yun-fat, who completed the half marathon in about 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Chow said the atmosphere was fantastic, and he aims for even better results next year.

"I hope I can finish under 2 hours when I turn 80!" he added.

About 74,000 runners signed up this year, including more than 15,000 international athletes from 101 countries and regions.