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AVOHK Races

AVOHK 5K Race – Wanchai Gap –Sun 3 Oct 2021 – Results

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It was great to see the runners toe the start line at 7am at Wan Chai Gap this morning!  Thank you to all the club volunteers and others who supported the race.  Thank you also to Champion Chip for their support in organising the online race entry and in getting the results produced so quickly.

Congratulations to our overall champions, Jamie Nunn who held off a strong challenge from Rachel Sproston to win the ladies’ race in 23:21, and George Gaffney who was the men’s winner in a time of 18:37  who led the field home.

Also a big shout out to AVOHK’s John Fowler at the age of 83 years the oldest runner in the race and an inspiration to us all.

Category winners are below and full race results are attached.

Overall Results :  Click Here

Age Category Results : Click Here.

L 35-39. Jamie Nunn
L40-44.  Amy Mumford
L45-49.  Rachel Sproston
L50-54   Belinda So
L55-59.  Carolyn Wingard-Robertson
L70-74.  Evelyn Lim.

Men’s Open        
Ching Hin Lo
M35-39.  Yared
M40-44.  George Gaffney
M45-49.  Wan Hang Chung
M50-54.  Ka Wai Yam
M55-59.  John Yow
M60-64.  Ford Chan
M70-74.  Chak Yan Chan
M80-84.  John Fowler

Medals will be in the post to winners soon.  If you took part in the race this morning and would like to offer any feedback. 

We are keen to provide more events and would like to make it easier for runners to enter.

Looking forward to seeing you on the roads and trails again soon.

Elaine Hall
Chair, AVOHK

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Sept 2021

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We finally have some positive race news! Our AVOHK Wanchai Gap 5k will take place on Sunday, 3rd October. This has been a long time in the planning and we are very excited to hold our first physical race in more than 18 months. More details here: www.avohk.org.

We had been confident of holding the race on 12th September, but last-minute notice from the Home Affairs Bureau that testing would be required for all runners caused us to reschedule to allow more time to organize this. There are now more races appearing on the race calendar and it seems that testing is becoming a standard requirement. I know that this is inconvenient for runners and may seem unnecessary but, at the moment, this is the only way that race organizers can get events approved. AVOHK is a running club and our race directors and marshals are all volunteers. We do not make a profit from our races. Most other Hong Kong races are organized by businesses. This is their livelihood and the last 2 years will undoubtedly have been challenging for them. The same goes for many of the companies which AVOHK has long-standing relationships with, timing companies, medal suppliers, etc. Many of these people have worked with the running community for years and have become friends. As running events start to come back, please consider making the extra effort to take a test and support the races, whether those are AVOHK’s or other events. If the running community can come together and show that there is a demand for these races and that they are indeed safe, we have more chance of receiving permits for more races in the coming season.

There is a comprehensive report in the newsletter on the recent Hong Kong Masters Track Meet. I would like to congratulate our Athlete of the Year, John Fowler, who won the overall title in the Men’s 80-85. John will be racing at Wanchai Gap next week.

I hope that everyone who applied was successful in securing a place in the Standard Chartered Marathon. Fifteen runners were entered through our Priority Club Enrollment and many others secured slots through elite entry, guaranteed entry and the general ballot. It will be great to see many AVOHK runners out there on the day. Good luck to all!

Happy running!

Elaine Hall

AVOHK Races

AVOHK Wanchai Gap 5k Race 2021 Details

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Dear Members

I am delighted to announce that we have now received full approval from the Home Affairs Bureau to hold a 5k race at Wanchai Gap at 7am on Sunday, 3rd October 2021.  The race will be run over the familiar 5k Series course which starts and finishes at Wanchai Gap Playground.

The AVOHK Committee have been working extremely hard to organize this race in line with the current social distancing regulations and we are delighted to have received the go ahead.  There are some special arrangements to be aware of.

All runners are required to have completed the course of 2 doses of COVID 19 vaccination at least 14 days before the race.  The government vaccination certificate will need to be uploaded when you register for the race.

 All runners will also be required to show evidence of a negative PCR test, taken within 48 hours of the race, and will need to submit a health declaration form provided by AVOHK.

We understand that these requirements involve a bit more planning than runners may be used to for races.  However, by supporting races during these times, the running community can demonstrate that road and trail races do indeed provide an opportunity for Hong Kongers of all ages to get out and exercise in a safe and responsible way.  The more races that can go ahead successfully, the better placed we are to move forward with future races.

While we appreciate that the additional testing requirement may seem inconvenient, it is actually a quick and efficient process.  Appointments can be booked online at   https://www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/   and walk in appointments are also available.  There are 18 test centres around Hong Kong and it generally takes about 15 minutes to complete the test.  The cost is $240.  Your results will be sent to you by text message and you can show this at our registration desk on race day to collect your race number.  If you have any queries about testing, you can contact the Food and Health Bureau on 3509 8765. We recommend that runners take their PCR test on Friday, 1st October in order to receive their results before the race on the Sunday.

Our race is capped at 200 runners and places will be allocated on a first come basis.  Your bib number will also be entered into a lucky draw and prize winners will be notified by email on Saturday, 2nd October. (Prizes will be posted out.)

We very much hope that our members will support this race and look forward to seeing you on race day!

Enter HERE  https://www.njuko.net/w/899/

Queries to:  chair@avohk.org           Whatsapp 9131 0667

Yours in running

Elaine Hall

Chair, AVOHK

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – Aug 2021

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Race News

Malcolm Phillips Virtual 5k

The extreme hot weather proved to be a challenge for all the runners who headed up to Bowen Road last month for Virtual Malcolm Phillips 5k. Malcolm was a very active and popular member of the Club and he is remembered by the many friends and family members who compete in the race each year. As this year’s race was a virtual format, Malcolm’s brother and niece, Graham Phillips and Kathryn Taylor were able to complete their own 5k in England.

Congratulations to Gillian Castka of HKLRRC and AVOHK’s Thomas Wetzer who won the ladies’ and men’s categories in fantastic age-graded times of 20:52 and 17:24, respectively. 

5k and Reservoir Races

I had hoped to be able to announce the opening of registration for AVOHK’s first physical race of the season but we are still in discussion with The Home Affairs Bureau over the social distancing protocols needed in order to be granted exemption from the current COVID-19 social gathering regulations. We are hoping to hold a 5k race on 12 September, so do keep an eye on our website for information. We are working to a very tight schedule and will open registration immediately if we are granted permission. We have decided not to hold the 5k series as we normally would, but we are hoping to organize 2 independent 5k races over our traditional courses. We are also hoping to hold all 4 Reservoir Races, also as individual races rather than a series this year. This is all subject to approval being granted.

Standard Chartered Marathon

The HKAAA have worked extremely hard this year to get the Standard Chartered Marathon off the ground. You will have received the email from Vicent about priority entry for AVOHK members. Unfortunately, our quota has been cut drastically this year due to the very limited field. We are allowed to enter 15 runners through the Club (in normal years there is no upper limit). Good luck to everyone who is able to get to the start line. It has been too long since we have been able to race on the roads of Hong Kong. Let’s make the most of it and show that these events can be held safely for the benefit of Hong Kong’s running community, old and young.

Happy running!

Elaine Hall

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair – July 2021

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The Malcolm Phillips Virtual Age-Graded Race is underway. There is still time to sign up and complete the course before midnight on Monday, 26th July!

Please visit https://www.avohk.org/our-races/2021-malcolm-phillips-5km/.


Things are looking a bit more positive on the racing front at last. HKAAA have announced the October 24 date for the Standard Chartered Marathon and Action Asia deserve credit for managing to organise a 12k and half marathon at Pak Tam Chung at the start of this month.

There were many social distancing measures in place at the Action Asia race but these didn’t detract in any way from the atmosphere. This season has thrown up unique challenges for race organisers. AVOHK are planning to hold 5k races and reservoir races over the coming months and are working closely with the Home
Affairs Bureau to make this happen. Dave and Catherine are also hard at work on a proposal for the China Coast Marathon to be held in January. We hope to be able to announce more details of our races in our next newsletter.

Mo Devlin
Mo was moved out of the ICU 3 weeks ago following his serious bike crash, and he has now been transferred to Union Hospital to continue his recovery. This means that he is now able to receive visitors again, which is great news.


Mo’s partner, Janine, will be undertaking a virtual indoor bike challenge on the 24th July. She will be attempting to ride the equivalent of the height of Everest to show solidarity for Mo and give him a boost in his recovery. If you would like to join in on your own bike trainer, please contact Hayley on 9438 6340 for more details.

Happy running!


Elaine Hall

AVOHK Races

AVOHK Race update – July 2021

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AVOHK hope to be able to hold physical events in the latter part of 2021.  We are working with the Government to obtain permission for an AVOHK 5k and a Reservoir Race. 2022 AVOHK China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon.  Planning has started , we hope to hold the races on  Sunday 16th Jan 2022.  Covid and Government regulations permitting.

Awards and Recognition

2021 AVOHK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS PRESENTED AT 2020/2021 AGM

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At the 2021 AVOHK AGM held last night (17th June 2021) at Cafe 8.  John & Evelyn Fowler were awarded the 2020/21 AVOHK Male and Female Athlete of the Year by outgoing Chair, Colin Whittington.  Although there were no competitions held in the last 12 month’s we thought it very fitting to recognise two of our finest members in the Club.  Both have participated in AVOHK races for many years with John literally being in a class of his own in the M80+ category and holder of the Hong Kong M80 400m & 800m records.  John is a tremendous inspiration to all Masters Athletes.  Evelyn has won many medals both in Hong Kong and also abroad representing Hong Kong at international master’s athletic meets.  Well done to John & Evelyn, both outstanding AVOHK club members.

Awards and Recognition

Bill Purves recognized for his contribution to Hong Kong Masters Athletics

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At the 2021 AVOHK AGM held last night (17 June 2021) at Cafe 8.  We were joined live from Germany by Margit Jungmann, The President of World Masters Athletics.  Margit also prepared a prerecorded video.  Margit presented Bill Purves an award on behalf of AVOHK and the Hong Kong Masters Athletic community for his outstanding contribution over many years.  Especially ensuring Hong Kong were represented at the World and Asian Masters athletic championships and other international masters meets.  And for his contribution as a member of the WMA competition committee.  Bill received a lovely tankard and a can of the finest German Paulaner beer.  Bill, well deserved and thank you Margit.