What prompted Hopper, who grew up near Durham, in northeast England, to take up this challenge and how has he kept it going?

“I wanted a goal that would motivate me to get out there and run even as my years advance. I was inspired by Ron Hill, a British long-distance runner and Olympian who became well known for running a minimum of a mile every day for 53 years non-stop,” shares Hopper, now 64.

It helped that he knew what he was getting himself into: the experienced runner, who moved to Hong Kong in 2000, started running in school and kept it up through his 20s and 30s. He started taking his hobby seriously after arriving in Hong Kong in his 40s.

He says he managed to keep his streak unbroken by running on a treadmill at home while in isolation when he caught Covid-19.

“I controlled my heart rate and monitored my oxygen levels. I try not to overreact to every sniffle and just carry on, and genuinely believe constant exposure to the outdoors is a better defence [against] infection than all this effort to sanitise everything around us,” he says.

His father, a talented footballer and cricketer, influenced Hopper’s interest in sport. Young Hopper grew up playing cricket, golf and squash, and he ran his first race – the Great North Run in Newcastle – in his early teens.

“Little did I know then that it would begin a lifelong love affair with running which would transform my life,” he says.

He adds that he loves the discipline and the fitness that running brings and the time spent in nature when on Hong Kong trails.

The 2008 Berlin Marathon was Hopper’s favourite race.

Hopper trained under Chris Wardlaw, an Australian Olympian who lived in Hong Kong for some time and who taught him the importance of building volume.

“His favourite question was, ‘How many weeks have you run above 100km, back-to-back? He would only work with you if your answer was eight weeks or more,” Hopper says.

Wardlaw’s training encompassed track repeats for speed, tempo runs for endurance and a long run to build stamina. Hopper’s weekly mileage while training for a marathon peaked at 160km.

These days, he gets in about 70km a week. He runs in the mornings and his favourite running trails in Hong Kong are Sir Cecil’s Ride, the Twin Peaks, the Pat Sin Leng trail, Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak.

“I realise my running personal bests are in the past, but competing in age-group races still fuels my competitive spirit. It is great fun but now a bit of a shock when I collect the trophy in the 60-plus category,” he says.

Hopper has sustained several injuries over the years, resulting mainly in lower back pain. Listening to his body, resting, and reducing his mileage and speed have helped in his recoveries.

“The benefit of the running challenge is that I get to exercise daily, and I feel great after the run,” shares Hopper.

His greatest motivation to run, he says, is to inspire more people to take up the sport.

Its Gone Runners Running Club has 400 members and organises more than 200 group runs every year; it has a dedicated women’s running support group; and it has an online training platform where people can access top-class trainers.

Hopper leads the Tuesday track sessions, Thursday tempo runs and the Saturday long run. He has helped nurture a community of runners and his passion has inspired his family and friends to embrace running, too.

His advice to people in their 50s and 60s who want to start running is to simply get started and build up gradually to avoid injury. If you do get injured, accept that recovery may take longer than it would if you were younger.

Most importantly, enjoy the process.

Hopper can’t wait to run his next race: the Hong Kong-Zhuhai Macau Bridge Half-Marathon in November 2023.

“I am excited to run on the new bridge for the first time,” he says.