Author: ALDO K

Dear Members,

The AVOHK committee are busy planning out activities for 2024/25 and arranging the necessary permits, etc. Our next event will be the Malcolm Phillips Age-graded 5K Race which will be held at 4pm, Saturday, 18th May 2024. This is an age graded race, so no age categories. Entry fee will be HKD80 for Club members and HKD100 for non-members. Race Directors Frank Riehm and David Woo will be sending out details within the next week and entry will be open early April. Please do consider entering. This is a great way to remember our dear friend and Club member Malcolm. If you don’t want to run, please consider volunteering as a marshal. Contact email: frank.riehm@hotmail.com.

We will also announce very shortly the dates for the AVOHK 5K series and are planning to hold 2 reservoir races in the fourth quarter of 2024, and of course the annual AVOHK China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon in early 2025. Firm dates to follow.

Date for your diary. The 2024 AVOHK AGM will be held at Museum Café8 on Thursday, 13th June 2024, starting at 7pm. Official notice will be sent out in due course. Your attendance would be appreciated. The AGM is always followed by a wonderful buffet and a chance to catch up with fellow Club members.

At the recent HKAAA Awards dinner, Phil Booth, Dave Smith, Catherine Leonard and Freeman Lee were recognized by HKAAA for their long-standing contribution to the Hong Kong athletic community. Also recognized was Sheila Purves for her contribution with the Hong Kong Ladies Road Runners Club. Sheila is also an AVOHK member. Please read the article in the newsletter.

There is a large contingent of 100 plus Hong Kong Masters athletes heading to compete in the Taiwan Masters athletic championship being held 27/28 April 2024. A big thank you to Club member Mick Wong for his contribution to the team organization.

A reminder the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships are being held in Gothenburg, Sweden, 13th to 25th August. It is hoped, as usual that there will be a sizeable Hong Kong masters team competing. Entry is open and closes on 4th June 2024. Details are here: https://www.2024wmac.com/. If you require further information, contact me: chair@avohk.org.

AVOHK SOCIAL RUN, 7pm, Wednesday, 10th April 2024. Meet 7pm at Hopewell Centre (BMW shop), then walk up to Bowen Road. Start running eastwards along Tai Hang Road and finish in Causeway Bay / Happy Valley with a casual drink and snacks. Around 7km run in ~60 minutes, easy social pace. Paved roads, no torch required. You may bring change of clothes – and cash for the food and drinks (optional) afterwards. Contact Norman (9249 1452) or Frank (9423 5422) for further information.

A large newsletter this month, including a report from Aldo Kriel who recently competed in the European Masters Indoor Athletic Championships in Torun, Poland, as a guest. Please do take time to read.

Yours in running Colin Whittington

Dear Members,

Sunday, 4th February 2024, saw the return of the AVOHK China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon. The weather was kind to the runners and the races went ahead without incident. A lot of positive feedback from the runners and everyone enjoyed themselves. This is testament to the hard work put in by Dave Smith and Catherine Leonard – the Race Directors – and the large number of volunteers that helped make this event such a success for AVOHK. A special mention to Mike and Emma – the Dragon Mascots who were in big demand – and to the Hong Kong Police for keeping all the runners safe. Thank you to all involved. And to top things off, AVOHK’s own Isaac Yuen crossed the line first in the Marathon and broke the 3-hour mark. Catherine has prepared a report which is included in this month’s newsletter. The results are also on the AVOHK Website: www.avohk.org. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihfVSReY8CY.

The 2023/24 Hong Kong Cross Country Championships were held on Sunday, 25th February 2024, at Fanling Golf Course. The call to form an AVOHK men’s masters team worked and a team was entered. They exceeded expectations by achieving 2nd place in the men’s masters (age 35+) team event. There is a report in this month’s newsletter. Well done to the HKAAA for putting on a well-organized and fun event.

The next AVOHK Committee meeting will be held on Monday, 4th March 2024, where we will be discussing activities over the next 6 to 9 months, including dates for the AGM, 2024 Malcolm Phillips race, AVOHK 5K Series and the possibility of holding Reservoir races. Once these dates are known, we will update Members at the earliest opportunity.

I repeat the message from last month in that we would welcome any Members who wish to join the AVOHK Committee and assist in keeping this historic Club going. Please consider and drop me an email: chair@avohk.org.

Finishing on a very positive note. I was contacted recently by Mark Siggers, a member from the 1980s and these days is based in UK. Mark was very pleased to see AVOHK in good health and still contributing to the Hong Kong running community. Mark and Sophia send their best wishes to all Members.

Please do take time to read the AVOHK newsletter, there are always some interesting articles.

The AVOHK Club Monthly Social Run is held on the first Wednesday in the month. Next one is at 7pm on 6th March 2024. Meeting outside the BMW Shop (formerly, HSBC) for further details, contact Norman 9249 1452 or Frank 9423 5422.

Yours in running Colin Whittington

Dear Members,

Sunday, 4th February 2024, sees the return of the AVOHK China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon after a four-year break due to COVID. Co-Race Directors Dave Smith and Catherine Leonard have put in a tremendous amount of hard work to ensure this event is ready. Especially the coordination with the various government departments and the Police. The Club commend Dave and Catherine for their long-standing dedication to AVOHK’s biggest event of the year and one of Hong Kong’s most historic races. Of course, this event could not happen without the support and help of many Club volunteers and other volunteer groups. A big thank you to those who volunteered when asked. Thank you also to those Club members who have entered either the full marathon or the half marathon. We all look forward to seeing many AVOHK Club vests on the course. Wishing you all a very successful race.

2023/24 Hong Kong Cross Country Championships are being held on Sunday, 25th February 2024 at Fanling. You do need to have a current HKAAA membership to enter. Included is a Masters Team event, anyone 35 years and over. If you are interested in being part of an AVOHK Masters Team (4 runners per team), please email me soonest at chair@avohk.org. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, 6th February 2024, and details of the event at https://www.hkaaa.com/en/comp_details.php?id=233

2023/24 Hong Kong Road Racing Walking Championships are being held on Tuesday, 13th February 2024, on Lung Wo Road, Wan Chai. Entry deadline is Monday, 5th February 2024. Entry details: https://www.hkaaa.com/en/comp_details.php?id=235.

If any Club member is interested in volunteering to be on the AVOHK Committee, please contact me at chair@avohk.org. Always good to have some new faces and we do need a strong committee to keep the Club going. Historically, the turnover on the committee has been low but we do have a couple of vacancies coming up. Those on the committee enjoy giving back to our Club, sport and the community through our AVOHK activities. The AVOHK Committee meet on a regular basis, approximately every six weeks and our next meeting is on Monday, 4th March 2024.

The AVOHK Swimming Group has restarted at the Wan Chai Pool from Monday, 22nd January 2024, and membership is full. On the subject of swimming, well done to Doug Woodring on winning Gold Medals in the M55 50M freestyle and 50m Butterfly in the Hong Kong Masters Long Course swimming championships held in December.

Please do take time to read the AVOHK newsletter, there are always some interesting articles. This month AVOHK Club member John Brewer details his experience at the recent Macau Marathon and the personal reasons for running this race. Also, Isaac Yuen writes about winning his M35 bronze medal at the World Masters 24 Hrs Championships held in Taiwan in December and what it took to achieve that. Two fascinating stories.

The AVOHK Club Monthly Social Run is held on the first Wednesday in the month. Next one is at 7pm on Wednesday, 7th February 2024. Meeting outside the BMW Shop (formerly, HSBC). For further details, contact Norman 9249 1452 or Frank 9423 5422.

Yours in running Colin Whittington

Dear Members,

I hope you are all enjoying the festive season and taking time out to relax and recharge your batteries.

Not too far until AVOHK’s big event of the year, the 2024 China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, 4th February 2024. This is the only Marathon and Half Marathon in Hong Kong that offers the full range of 5-year Masters age categories from 35+ upwards and allows you to compete within your age group. Being an AVOHK Club Member, you get the entry fee discount.

Support your Club AVOHK by entering here: https://avohk.org/index.php/2023/11/16/welcome-back-to-the-china-coast-4-feb-2024/

Reminder – Membership renewal. For those on an annual membership renewal, now is the time to renew for 2024. RENEW here: https://app.joinit.com/o/athletic-veterans-of-hong-kong/members

The AVOHK Christmas Party was held on 14th December 2023 at Museum Cafe8. Approximately 40 members and guests attended and they were entertained and dazzled by Zenneth the Magician. Melody and her team at Museum Cafe8 put on a wonderful buffet and made sure we were well fed. The evening was rounded off by the traditional lucky draw and the Club are very grateful for the donation of a number of bottles of Champagne by Club Member Johnny. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all. A big thanks to Aldo, Phil, Frank and Catherine in helping to make this event a success.

The AVOHK Club Monthly Social Run is normally held on the first Wednesday in the month. However, the next one is at 7pm on 10th January 2024. Meeting outside the BMW Shop (formerly, HSBC), for further details contact Norman 9249 1452 or Frank 9423 5422.

A reminder to all members, the new AVOHK Club vest is available: https://avohk.org/index.php/avohk-merchandise/

Well done to Club Member Gi Ka-man on being selected to represent Hong Kong, China, in the 2024 Asian Marathon Championships which is being held in conjunction with the Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, 21st January 2024.

The December AVOHK Newsletter contains some wonderful articles, including one by Ronald Thompson who describes how in November he successfully completed a solo “Round the Island” swim. An amazing journey. Please read.

Well done to Issac Yuen M35 who competed in the World Masters Athletic 24hr Championships in Taipei in early December. Issac completed an amazing 211 Kms in 24 hours for a 3rd place finish in the M35 category. A well-deserved bronze medal. Issac will be writing about his experience in next month’s newsletter.

On a final note, one of our longest serving and one of our most active Club members – Bill Purves – turns 80 shortly. Bill, on behalf of all AVOHK, many happy returns on reaching the grand age of “80”. We all look forward to your continued contribution to AVOHK and the Hong Kong Masters Athletics community and competing in the M80 category.

Yours in running Colin Whittington

World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships 2023

Congratulations to all of the athletes who represented Hong Kong, China, at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, last month! There were several AVOHK runners on the team, and they did us proud. Aldo Kriel has written a full report on the meet for the newsletter.

The Malcolm Phillips Age-Graded 5k 2023

The race is now open for entry. It will once again be held on the flat, fast Bowen Road course, and all finish times will be age-graded. It’s a great way to track your performance across the years. For full details of the race happening on Saturday, 20th May, and to enter, please visit www.avohk.org.

AGM and Sports Nutrition Presentation

The AVOHK AGM 2023 will be held at Café 8 in Central at 7pm on Thursday, 8th June. The meeting will be followed by a buffet meal, and we are also delighted to host a presentation about Sports Nutrition by Lisa Tarquini.

Lisa Tarquini is a UK-registered nutritionist with an MSc in Exercise and Nutrition Science. She has had a long career working with athletes of all levels. She was Sport Nutrition Manager at the Hong Kong Sports Institute for 6 years and worked closely with athletes on their journey to Asian Games and Olympic success. Lisa will be giving a presentation about sports nutrition and will be happy to address any questions runners may have.

Full notice of the AGM, along with proxy and nomination forms, will be sent out to Club members this week.