People hoping to take part in the annual Hong Kong Marathon will be able to apply for a spot between September 8-17.

The total number of places for the full marathon, half marathon and 10km races on January 18 remains unchanged from last time, at about 74,000.

A new 2km race for up to 2,500 young people aged between 10 and 15 will be held at Kai Tak Sports Park the day before.

“We will have a site visit with the Kai Tak Sports Park operator to finalise the details of the route,” said Dennis Ng, executive director of the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates.

“Probably we will publish the details and also the registration of the youth run will be starting in October.”

Several runners were disqualified for wearing bib numbers that did not belong to them during last year’s race.

Ng said the association will install devices for participants to check if they received the right number when they collect their runner's pack.

“If they find any problems or discrepancy regarding the information on the bib, they can immediately report to our inquiry counter to amend it,’ he said.

A number of star runners will be joining the marathon, including multiple-time half-marathon winner Christy Yiu, who will compete in the 10km race this time.

Yiu has also been nominated to represent the SAR in the same race at November’s National Games, pending a final decision.

“My target is around 34 minutes, which is very close to my personal best. Right now, I still have around two months to go. I think all of [the SAR representatives] are starting to fight for the Games, so we are preparing ourselves in a tight schedule,” she said.

Another past Hong Kong Marathon winner Vincent Lam, meanwhile, has been nominated to represent the SAR in the marathon race at the Games.

“I have been doing my marathon build since July. I usually do a lot of my mileage on the treadmill indoor and also at the gym," he said.

“Because it's my first time doing the National Games, my ultimate goal is to just enjoy the process, enjoy the game, and try to make my personal best.”