Hong Kong’s Wong Wan-chun sets new city record at half marathon in Japan, targets running quickest marathon next
- Wong’s time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 30 seconds at Ageo City Half Marathon was some 27 seconds quicker than his old record
- The 26-year-old also covered first 15km in fastest time, knocking 75 second off his previous best
Wong Wan-chun broke his own Hong Kong record at the Ageo City Half Marathon in Japan on Sunday, and is now aiming for another best at the Fukuoka Marathon in two weeks.
The 26-year-old finished in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 30 seconds, some 27 seconds faster than his previous best set five months ago in San Diego, US.
Wong also ran his quickest 15km time, covering the distance at the start of the 13.1-mile race in a time of 45:40.
With 5,000 runners competing in the half marathon, amid light rain and temperatures of around 11 degrees Celsius (51.8 degrees Fahrenheit), Kenyan Boniface Mulwa, 22, won in 1:01.17, with Japanese pair Kensuke Tsubura and Yuto Akahoshi coming second and third in 1:01.51 and 1:02.00, respectively.
Wong credited Japan’s Suguru Osako, who holds his country’s record in the marathon and the Asian junior record for the half marathon, with giving him a special training session that increased his speed before the race.
“Suguru knew we [other Hong Kong runners] had this half-marathon race, so he asked us to run a 3,000-metre at half-marathon pace,” Wong said. “It helps, especially since I focused on training for a full marathon the last few months, and helped me to elevate my form and adjust my rhythm for the race.”