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The Support China Morning Post reports that local runner Steve Carr (not an AVOHK member for some inexplicable reason) set out in the last week of May to reprise the long-dead Stanley-to-Shataukok run. His effort was abortive in that he started in Tsimshatsui, not Stanley and got hung up in urban congestion to the point that he couldn’t even finish that shortened version. I never did Stanley-to-Shataukok, but Sheila and I helped out a few times. Here’s what I remember.

It was held annually on the Saturday night closest to the full moon in May. It started from Stanley police station and ended at the Shataukok border zone control post (about 55K). There was no set route; each took the route they felt would be fastest. With only about a half-dozen starters running individually, that would ease the police surveillance and permit problems that races have these days. The only fixed part of the route was the Cross-Harbour Tunnel—the only tunnel in those days.

The start was in the middle of the night to reach Shataukok in the cool of the morning. The Tony Gover race (now called Round-the-Island) used to go past Stanley, and most runners simply took the Repulse Bay Road up to the little park at the junction of Headland Road. (The Gover race started and finished there one year.) That would be suicide with today’s traffic and runners would presumably go through Chung Hom Kok instead.

At the park it was out with the flashlights for the run down what was called the snake path to South Bay Road. (Technology had moved beyond carbide, but batteries weren’t what they are today, so there were no headlamps.) In those days there was a trail from the top end of the Deep Water Bay golf course up to the tail end of the Aberdeen catchment. Following the catchment brought you out on Nam Fung Road just above the South Island School, from where it was an easy run on lighted footpaths across the Wong Nai Chung Gap, down Blue Pool Road and through Happy Valley to the tunnel. The ride through the tunnel involved some waiting for the drivers, as there were no mobile phones in those days.

On the Kowloon side it was every man (I think Charlotte Mitchell may have tried it one year; Kitty Chow? Maggie Brooke?) for himself. Up the Tai Po Road, around Shing Mun Reservoir and over Lead Mine Pass was a popular option. But one year Nick Brooke was detained there by some Gurkhas on night manoeuvers who thought he had been sent in to represent the enemy. (Nick is a patriot with a bauhinia to prove it, but he has never been in the PLA.)

Today runners would better opt for Shatin Pass. There are escalators up to Tsz Ching Estate, and the rest of the way up is a road, traffic-free except on the night of the Trailwalker. Then it will be time to pull out the flashlight again, as the trail down to Shatin is all 19th century stone stairs. It’s easy running, but you need to watch your step.

From Shatin today it’s down the river and around Tolo Harbour on the lighted footpath all the way to the Sha Lo Tung Valley. I don’t remember that too well, but there is a trail up from the valley to a low point in the Pat Sin Leng, from where there is a country park road out to the Shataukok access road. Bus service from the police post back to the Fanling MTR Station must be much better today than it was in the ’90s when the Stanley-to-Shataukok was last run.

The full moon will be May 23rd in 2024.

Bill Purves

Hong Kong had a team of 5 at the Singapore veterans’ meet June 10 and 11, including two from AVOHK: Shirley Wong and Mick Wong. Here is Shirley’s account of their adventures.

The Singapore meet had all the usual track and field events except the steeple and pole vault, but included a hammer throw. It attracted almost 600 entries, including 237 veterans starting at age 30. Apart from our little team of 5 there were foreign entries from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the UK, Poland and some African country. There were 3 entries in the M80s.

The weather was extremely hot and sunny, but the humidity was low by Hong Kong standards. It was over 33℃ in the afternoon both days. I had to pour water on the track so I could put my hands down in the starting blocks. The benefit is that you didn’t spend much time warming up. You felt fully ready after just a few easy runs.

The meet was at Singapore’s Home of Athletics with electronic timing. It’s a very sunny venue, but the organisers provided tents and chairs at trackside. The Home of Athletics is near the Stadium MRT station, which makes it easily accessible from the hotel of your choice. There is also a very nice shopping mall nearby with more than enough restaurants offering different cuisines at reasonable prices. The setup is similar to what is planned for Kai Tak. The Home of Athletics is a simple track right next to a major football stadium with a big seating capacity. The organiser explained that booking the main stadium would cost at least S$200,000. The situation will probably be similar at Kai Tak except that the simple track probably won’t be reserved for athletics. In Hong Kong, football will always get priority.

The track was very soft in the heat. Great for distance runners; not so great for sprinters. But it was easy on the legs. Mick says it cost him half a second on his 200m time.

So how did we do? The Hong Kong team was Mick Wong, Shirley Wong, Jacky Chan, Charles Ng and Alice Tai. Everyone came home with at least one medal. There were 5 golds:

Mick in the M50 100, 200 and 400
Alice in the W55 javelin
Myself in the W40 100.

Then there were 4 silvers:
Jacky in the M45 800
Charles in the M40 200
Myself in the W40 200 and 400.

The meet was a huge success simply because the organisers paid attention to details. There was unlimited iced sports drink and water available, and beer and cakes after the last event. That’s the best service I’ve seen. The free cakes and drinks showed that they understood the needs of the athletes. They respected each of us and always spoke politely to everyone. Everyone spoke good English, and the entry fee was quite reasonable. The time management and planning went very well with everything correctly organised. Best of all, the changing rooms were very clean!

The Singapore athletes were all very friendly and helpful, making sure we knew where to get the cold water and sports drinks, where best to warm up and about the call room times. The announcers were always encouraging and kind—very professional and generous with their compliments. It made for a very harmonious sporting environment.

Shirley Wong

A few members spent the afternoon of Tuen Ng Festival at the Victoria AC’s veterans’ meet at Wanchai. The turnout overall was limited, as the Victoria club is not well known among vets and the meet was not well publicised. But it turns out that the Victoria club has been running track meets for very young children (kindergarten age) for a couple of decades. This, though, was their first veterans’ meet. Their rug rat experience stood them in good stead, as the meet ran smoothly despite all the age group complications.

Glory and Aldo amply justified their AOY status with a couple of easy wins, but the star of the show for AVOHK was Mick Wong. He dominated both the 200 and the 400 (an event he dislikes). As he powered around the bend in the 200 (see the photo) the spectators let out a collective gasp.

Everyone attending agreed it was a great to see hordes of little kids running, jumping and winning big, shiny trophies. It’s the future of our sport.

Bill Purves