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Runners’ Stories … Dr David Woo

April 6, 2022 admin 1207 Views

In this feature, we introduce our AVOHK Committee Secretary, David Woo. And how better to do that than letting the man speak for himself. Much to the Committee’s surprise, it turns out that David is an avid blogger. Nothing interests him more than the review of running shoes. His shoe reviews can attract thousands of views – so, quite the following!

Each shoe review clip runs for barely 1.5 minutes. Yet each episode is jam-packed with information. David describes a shoe’s upper, midsole and outsole with such detail, and he reviews the performance of a shoe after running in it for hundreds of kilometers. His sharing is totally based on a personal interaction with each shoe!

What can we say? Having covered over 40 shoes in the past eight months, clearly our Committee Secretary runs a lot — approximately 70km per week — and wears out a vast wardrobe of running shoes in order to compile such an extensive blog.

So for this “Runners’ Story”, we feature David’s latest shoe review, posted to YouTube on 2 April. Here he compares two big brands’ flagship racing flats – New Balance 5280 and Reebok Run Fast Pro 2. Welcome to Dr. Woo’s shoe review world!

“The New Balance 5280 and the Reebok Run Fast Pro 2, a comparison of these flagship racing flats’ durability, comfort and performance.

In terms of durability, the Speedtrac lugs on the Pro’s outsole look brand new. Although the Dynaride lugs on the 5280 outsole also look brand new, the same cannot be said for the exposed Fuelcell midsole. In fact, there is noticeable compression in the Fuelcell midsole whereas the Pro’s Floatride foam midsole still looks brand new. In this way, the Pro, which has endured four times the miles of the 5280, has shown surprising durability.

In terms of comfort, I haven’t observed any problems with the Pro’s upper; and the Pro’s midsole provides plush cushioning yet allows me to feel the road. In contrast, the 5280’s substantial Fuelcell midsole dampens my feel for the road. Besides, the lacing system is unusual and the upper’s construction is narrow. All this creates such a tight fit, as though I were wearing a track spike, that I immediately remove the shoes after a race.

In terms of performance, especially because of its light weight and low profile, I have found that the Pro enables me to focus on cadence running. I have broken 200 steps per minute in this shoe. In contrast, the full length carbon fiber plate in the 5280 enables me to focus on stride running. The propulsion effect from the plate is very pronounced.

To conclude, if I could only wear one pair, I would choose the Run Fast Pro as a matter of comfort, and value for money.

If you enjoyed this video, please like, subscribe and comment. Thank you and bless you.“

For more reviews, check out Dr Woo on YouTube https://youtu.be/qM0pHIjrghg or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drwoo.running/

Awards and Recognition

Runners’ Stories … Evelyn Lim

March 24, 2022 admin 1293 Views

Our club has a diverse membership with runners from almost every corner of the globe. In our new column we will be looking at the stories behind the familiar faces of our members. In our first article we learn more about one of our 2022 Athletes of the Year, Evelyn Lim.

It’s hard to think of an AVOHK race where Evelyn hasn’t featured! From the China Coast Half Marathon to the 5k Series and even track meets at home and overseas, she can be seen sporting AVOHK colours with a broad smile.

Evelyn was born and raised in Malaysia and worked in England for 10 years as a nurse and midwife. She came to Hong Kong in the 80’s to work for Cathay Pacific and it was while working there that she began running with a colleague. Reluctant at first, she soon caught the bug and hasn’t stopped running since! It was also while working at Cathay that she met her husband and fellow Athlete of the Year, John Fowler. John suggested joining Ladies Road Runners Club and from there they joined AVOHK in the late 80s. From her first race, a 5k organised by Cathay, Evelyn has moved up through the distances racing 5ks, 10ks and marathons. She even completed the famous Trailwalker alongside John and 2 other medical colleagues in 2000. Evelyn recalls that their team had a fantastic buffet catered by The Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the end of Stage-3, but John didn’t want her to eat it. This proved to be a wise decision when their teammate threw up shortly afterwards! They finished as a team in 25.5 hours.

Favourite Events

When asked about her most memorable events, Evelyn lists the mountains she has summited, including Kilimanjaro, Kinabalu and Mount Fuji. Although she struggles with altitude sickness, she explains that she perseveres as she loves the challenge and adores the sunrises. Even now, with the current travel restrictions in place, Evelyn can often be seen out exercising at dawn in Sai Kung Country Park where the sunrises are often spectacular.

Inspiration

Both her husband, John, and fellow AVOHK runner, Rachel Sproston, have inspired Evelyn in her running journey thus far. As anyone who knows them can attest, John and Evelyn have a great, healthy rivalry. Evelyn says that his endless support and great sense of humour has inspired her to follow her passion.

Evelyn has a great respect for Rachel, who has not only had an impact on her running over the years, but also introduced Evelyn to the French language and taught her for 2 years after Evelyn met and connected with a friend’s mother in France.

Training

Evelyn has never had a running coach as she “hates to be pushed or add stress”. Instead, she exercises almost every day, with a mixture of yoga, track sessions, gym, cycling, weights and longer runs. She says that the most important thing is that she enjoys everything that she does. “Running is not easy, but it’s worth it!’

Thanks for reading about our club treasure, Evelyn. Watch this space as we share more Running Stories featuring AVOHK members and committee members!

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Mar 2022

March 24, 2022 admin 967 Views

While all race plans are currently on hold due to the COVID-9 restrictions, now is a good time to catch up with admin and housekeeping in anticipation of the season opening up later in the year.

As an AVOHK member, you may already know that you are entitled to discounted entry fees on many of our races and social events. But you may not be aware that you are also eligible for priority entry for many HKAAA races, including the Standard Chartered Marathon. In order to take advantage of this system you must become an HKAAA member as well as an AVOHK member.

Visit www.hkaaa.com and click on “registration” to join. It costs $100 annually for seniors and $40 for juniors. There are many other benefits to membership, including access to training venues around HK during HKAAA booked times, and the chance to be included in HK Rankings.

If you don’t have a Club vest, or your old one has seen better days, now is your chance to refresh your running wardrobe. We will shortly be selling off our Club vests at the bargain price of only $50 each. These are quality, lightweight Adidas running vests which are perfectly suited to the Hong Kong climate. Visit our website www.avohk.org for details of how to purchase your vest. Stock is limited so be quick. We will be launching a new club vest later this year to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

Our AGM will be held in June this year. We are very much hoping that we can return to Café 8 for a physical AGM but our constitution now allows us to hold a virtual AGM, if necessary. Formal notice will be emailed to all members soon.

Our Treasurer and Vice-Chair will be stepping down after many years of service and we are looking for members to fill these roles so please email me at chair@avohk.org if you are interested in joining the committee. We generally meet approximately every six weeks throughout the year and it is a great way to become more involved in the Hong Kong running community. Both Colin, our Vice-Chair, and Peter, our Treasurer, would be more than happy to talk to you about what the roles involve if you are interested.

Elaine Hall
Chair, AVOHK

AVOHK Activities

AVOHK shares surplus tee-shirts

March 11, 2022 admin 1058 Views

Surplus T shirts from the 2020 China Coast Races were distributed to various charities and groups in Hong Kong.

Our dedicated Filipino volunteer group was able to send some boxes “door to door” to the Philippines.

One batch was donated to an elderly home in Tuntungin Putho baranguay and another to the Tricycle Drivers (pictured) at the University of Philippines, Los Banos, Laguna.

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Feb 2022

February 25, 2022 admin 1412 Views

Like many of you, we have been affected by the challenges posed by the latest wave of COVID-19. The most recent changes to restrictions have included the end to exemptions for mask wearing during exercise. Because of this, we have decided to pause our plan to hold a Virtual Round The Island Time Trial. Our new website is up and running and we will, of course, use it to keep you up-to-date with any race plans as soon as the situation in Hong Kong will allow.

I would like to draw your attention to the request we have received from RUN, a charity with whom AVOHK have partnered for some years now. AVOHK member and former Athlete of The Year Virginie Goethals is co-founder and managing director of RUN, a charity whose mission is to rehabilitate refugees through sports, education and beyond. Many of our club members support RUN through volunteering and fundraising, and the runners from RUN support AVOHK races and events. These times are challenging for all of us, but are particularly so for refugees who are having to deal with school closures and social distancing while living in very cramped conditions.

Please see the information on the left for a list of items of which they are in need, or go to www.runhk.org for more information if you are able to help.

If you have items to donate but can’t deliver them, we might be able to help to collect them. Please email at chair@avohk.org.

Thank you!

Elaine Hall, Chair

AVOHK News

Breaking the HK Marathon Record

February 7, 2022 admin 1465 Views

7 February 2022

2021 certainly ended on a high note for AVOHK runner, Gi Ka Man, who travelled to Spain to run in The Valencia Marathon on December 4th.

Ka Man headed to Europe with hopes of breaking his previous personal best. This would be no mean feat as it was an impressive time of 2:30:27. He was not expecting to run as fast as did however, and his time of 2:19:48 is the fastest ever run by a Hong Kong Runner! Just in case you were wondering, that equates to an average pace of 3:19/km! The previous record of 2:20:58 was set by Wong Wan Chun in Japan in 2019.

It has been a great season for Ka Man as many of you will have seen him cross the line at the Standard Chartered Half Marathon in October alongside Chan Ka Ho. Their times were ultimately split by one 100th of a second, with Gi Ka Man being awarded 2nd place overall in the elite category.

The marathon record is still being ratified by HKAAA, and it is obviously also a new AVOHK M35 marathon record.

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Jan 2022

January 28, 2022 admin 952 Views

Happy Birthday AVOHK!

2022 marks the 40th birthday of AVOHK running club, which was founded in 1982. The Big 4-0 is definitely an occasion to celebrate so we are hoping to plan some special events for later in the year.

China Coast Marathon

As many of you will now be aware, we had to cancel the 2022 China Coast Marathon due to the government restrictions in response to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. It is particularly disappointing to cancel China Coast for a 2nd year as it is our flagship event. Most of the preparations for the race had been completed and our race directors are now hard at work to action refunds and send out souvenirs to all of those who had entered. Please keep up the training and come back faster than ever when we can race again!

Social Run

The next AVOHK Social Run would have been held on February 2nd. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, it has been tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday, February 9th. Please do check the website, or contact Frank directly on membership@avohk.org or 9423 5422 for any updates.

Our New Website

Committee members, Aldo and Nigel, presented our new AVOHK website at the Christmas party last month. And here it is! We do hope you enjoy the new look and feel. We’ve focused on usability and an improved experience to members and runners alike. There is lots of information about our races and activities for new members. For our long-term members, there are lots of galleries to bring back memories.

But if you have a request or an idea, then do use the Contact area to share. We can’t promise we’ll take every suggestion but will certainly factor this into future changes. The site is for you so please enjoy your experience.

Happy running!

Elaine Hall
Chair

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Dec 2021

December 24, 2021 admin 1066 Views

China Coast Marathon

As 2021 draws to a close, AVOHK’s focus is firmly fixed on the upcoming 2022 China Coast Marathon on January 16th. Race opportunities were sadly limited by the pandemic in 2021 but, through the races that we have been able to organise, we have developed a good working relationship with the Home Affairs Bureau and we have been liaising with them to organise the China Coast Marathon. The 2022 event will be a full marathon only and there are still spaces available, so please visit www.avohk.org to sign up. Buses will be provided to transport runners to the Start in Sai Kung Country Park.

Christmas Party

It was lovely to see lots of AVOHK runners and swimmers at the recent Christmas Party at Café 8. As always, Melody and the team there did a wonderful job of hosting us. It turned into a lively night with AVOHK members joining our guitarist Keith Raymont “onstage” for a bit of a singalong at the end!

AVOHK and HKAAA Membership

Please don’t forget to renew your AVOHK membership if you are an Annual Member. Life Members do not need to renew. As a Club member, it is also worth considering becoming an HKAAA member as you will then become eligible for priority entry to HKAAA events, such as the Standard Chartered Marathon. HKAAA membership is handled separately through www.hkaaa.com.

New Marathon Record

I would like to congratulate AVOHK runner Gi Ka-man who ended the year with an incredible run at The Valencia Marathon on December 4th. Ka-man headed to Spain with hopes of breaking his previous personal best. This would be no mean feat as it was an impressive time of 2:30:27. He was not expecting to run as fast as did however, and his time of 2:19:48 is the fastest ever run by a Hong Kong Runner! It has been a great season for him as many of you will have seen him cross the line at the Standard Chartered Half Marathon in October alongside Chan Ka-ho. Their times were ultimately split by one 100th of a second, with Gi Ka-man being awarded 2nd place overall in the elite category. The marathon record is still being ratified by HKAAA, but it is obviously also a new AVOHK record.

I hope that you all have a lovely holiday season, but keep getting those miles in for the China Coast Marathon! I am looking forward to seeing you in 2022.

Happy running!

Elaine Hall
Chair, AVOHK

AVOHK Activities

2021 AVOHK Christmas Party

December 23, 2021 admin 1817 Views

In a year where we could lay on precious little in the way of running and swimming events, at least the ‘social-distancing’ skies cleared for a moment where we could gather at our social hub, namely Cafe8. We remain very grateful to Melody and her wonderful team, who opened their doors to our club members.

Among the highlights of the evening were the lucky draw and many congratulations to those who held those treasured pictogram tickets and went away with bottles of wine and the like.

We enjoyed the fun, action packed video announcing the new website – and here it is! Do let us have your thoughts – this is our member site and we would love to get some helpful feedback!

Music was provided by local musician, Keith, who eventually found himself backing some extraordinary vocalists from club members and committee members. Perhaps most memorable was the moment Phil booth grabbed the mike for his rendition of Hey Jude!

Many thanks to organisers and contributors to the evening – but most especially to our members who, despite everything, have continued to stay faithful to our ambitions. We eagerly look forward to the day when our favourites can be arranged once again – China Coast, Reservoir Series, 5K series and RTI Time Trials!

Many thanks and wishing you a Personal Best 2022!

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Nov 2021

November 27, 2021 admin 1127 Views

Dear AVOHK Members

Well, there’s quite a few updates this month …

China Coast Marathon

Sunday, January 16th, is the date for the 2022 China Coast Marathon. Catherine and Dave are working closely with the Home Affairs Bureau to make sure that our race will satisfy all the current COVID-19 precautions. We are planning for the full marathon only this year and are hoping to open registration very soon. Please keep an eye on the avohk.org website for announcements.

Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas Party will take place on Wednesday, December 8th, at Café 8. It’s a great way to catch up with old friends, especially since there haven’t been many races this year! We would also love to meet and get to know any new members, so please sign up and come along. We will have a fantastic buffet meal and drinks and there will be music from Keith Raymont. Further details are in the newsletter.

Membership

Membership for 2022 is now open for renewal or sign up; it’s HK$150 for regular members or HK$75 for age 60+. Life members don’t need to worry about renewal. Membership gives you more than 12 months of Club benefits, including reduced fees for many AVOHK races and social events. As an AVOHK member, you may also apply for HKAAA membership. This then allows you guaranteed or priority entry into HKAAA races, including the Standard Chartered Marathon.

For any queries about membership or payment, please contact membership@avohk.org.

New Website

Committee members Aldo Kriel and Nigel Raymont have been working extremely hard over the last year to build a totally new website for the Club. It is looking great and has a host of new features. They will do a short presentation at the Christmas Party and you can have a chat with them about the project. The website will go live in January.

Standard Chartered Marathon

Many of our members turned out to run in the various events last month. I hope everyone had the race they were aiming for! Congratulations to everyone who raced and especially those who achieved PBs. Special mention to Club members Gi Ka-man, who finished second overall in the Men’s Half Marathon in 1:08:55 (having crossed the line hand-in-hand with the winner), Rachel Sproston, who won the Women’s Master 2 10K by almost a minute faster than the runner-up in a time of 42:05, and Charlotte Hall, who finished second in the Junior Women’s 10K in 38:18 in her first attempt at the distance.

I hope to see many of you soon at the Christmas Party.

Happy Running!

Elaine Hall
Chair