Hong Kong Marathon: finishers share stories of weight loss, friendship and personal bests
- Runners tackle the gruelling 42-kilometre race for a variety of reasons, from lifestyle changes to camaraderie
- Finishers share their unique stories of why they run, what makes them keep running, and what it feels like to complete a marathon
For Jessica So, Jackie Wong and Amy Yan, running is as much about friendship as it is about finishing.
The three, who train together, finished as a team after staying together for the entire 42.195 kilometres. They all came home in just under four hours, setting personal bests in the process.
“We cheer each other on, and cheer each other up while we’re running,” said So, adding there’s also a bit of competition. “They also make you feel bad when they pass you, so you speed up.”
While the top runners stole the show on Sunday with a number of records broken, many finishers had equally inspiring stories as to why they run, and continue to run.
For German Tilman Altmeppen, he had one goal heading into the event: finish in under three hours.
Altmeppen, who has been living and working in Hong Kong for more than a year for Infinity Motors Inc., was greeted at the finish line by his wife Tiff, his two infant children and his mother-in-law.
He finished seventh at the 2018 Immortals Green Race Hong Kong 34km trail race, but said this was his first time completing a marathon. His time was 2:58:32, hitting his goal with a minute and a bit to spare.
“I wanted to go under three, that was the goal. The last two weeks (during training) I felt pretty good so I was carefully positive heading into this.”
Altmeppen said there was a lot of wind on and around Stonecutters Bridge, and he did not expect to feel the elevation changes as much as he did.
“I underestimated the course a little bit. It looks very flat but it is definitely not going up onto (Stonecutters Bridge).”
He said it was a bit of an adjustment from trail running where racers deal with a variety of environmental factors, including roots, rocks and wildlife.
“In the beginning I was questioning running on the highway, but by the end I was fine with it.”
While the humidity turned out not to be an issue, many runners said they encountered wind coming in and out of the Western Harbour Tunnel and at various other points. Most marathon finishers also had to deal with light drizzle that started around 8am.
Cyrus Szeto, who has run the Hong Kong event nearly 10 times, first ran it in 2005. He completed it with his friend Sharon Tang, who was on her second attempt. Tang was elated at the finish line as she set a personal best of 3:40:42.
“I was very happy with myself,” she said. “I enjoyed the competition, and felt very excited when I finished.”
Tang did note she may be able to shave a few seconds off her time next year, given she had a clothing malfunction during the race.
“It was very windy, and my cap fell off and I had to run back and pick it up,” she said with a laugh.
Szeto, who finished with a time of 3:39:41, said it was pretty cool to watch Tang set her PB.
“It was fun to run along with her and watch her do that for sure.”
For 56-year-old Ben Lui, running has been a part of a long journey to a healthier life. In 2013, he said he weighed nearly 85 kilograms, was horribly out of shape and had bad eating habits.
“I asked all my friends what I should do to lose weight, and they said try running, but none of them ran themselves, so I just went out one day myself.”
Lui said he has since done 10 marathons all over Asia and a number of Ironmans. He noted that diet is more important than exercise in becoming healthier, but running is also key. His weight now is 71.5kg and his time was 3:33:25, 20 seconds off his personal best.
“I was so fat, so when I started running it was simple, I just wanted to be more slim.”
He said he has no plans to stop running any time soon.
“As long as I don’t die, I’ll keep going.”
