Runner carrying baby disqualified from Hong Kong Marathon

January 19, 2026

A Hong Kong man could not seem to find a last‑minute babysitter before his marathon, so he brought his baby to the race.

A video circulating on social media shows a man at Sunday’s 2026 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, wearing bib A2055, running with a baby secured in a front carrier between the 10- and 15-kilometre marks of the marathon course. The infant, who appeared to be wearing a race bib on its jacket, could be seen bobbing up and down as the man jogged on.

According to official live-tracking data, Wang started the race at 6:25 a.m. and reached 15 km in approximately two hours and 20 minutes, averaging roughly nine minutes per kilometre. Shortly after the 15-km point, race officials reportedly instructed him to leave the course.

Race organizers later said the runner was disqualified for violating competition rules that prohibit runners from being “accompanied by infants, children under the age of 16, or anyone not wearing a valid race bib.” The rules strictly state that participants who violate this policy will be asked to leave the course immediately.

The incident sparked backlash online, with several users putting the runner’s actions on blast as unsafe and irresponsible. “The baby could easily have suffered a concussion,” one user wrote, while another added, “If he had tripped and fallen forward, the baby could have been crushed.” Running Magazine