Awards and Recognition

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

Jeff Cheung

As an amateur runner with a marathon personal best of 2:52, I have always wanted to challenge myself with track racing. When a local 10000m event was announced, I signed up despite inconsistent training, knowing the competition would be stiff.

With a 10km best of 36 minutes, my form was not ideal. I knew I couldn’t keep pace with the elites, and would struggle to maintain speed and endurance.

I started conservatively, aiming to last 40 minutes without walking. My legs got tired quickly but I persevered. As the front-runners raced off, I focused on pacing and rhythm.

Though unable to break my personal best, completing the race within 40 minutes was a proud progress. I finished in the bottom quarter, clocking 38:45—disappointing—given my history, but a reminder of my capability.

This experience, despite falling short of expectations, inspired me. It highlighted my limits yet resilience. The difficult run motivates harder training and a continued journey of pursuit in a running career now long, yet only just beginning.

Though already 40, with dedicated work I can still achieve more. My first 10000m may bring speed and stamina disappointment, yet satisfaction in lessons learned, and motivation for progress ahead.

Connie Fong

On April Fool’s Day morning, I took part in the 10000m race which was held at Wan Chai Sportsground. It was a special experience for a road runner.

Is a 10000m track race the same as a 10K road race? All athletes have to run 25 laps of a 400m track. The shoe regulations are very different, only spikes or shoes with a 25mm height are allowed. I ran the race with non-spike shoes.

It was not easy for a road runner to run on the track. There were lots of repetitions of straights and curves, again and again. The skills are different from on the road. For me, it was difficult to repeat so many laps. Usually, I practice running on the road so it was a bit challenging for me to do repeating laps and keep up the concentration for the whole race.

I enjoyed the race and treasure this experience. Thank you to AVOHK for getting my entry.

Vaibhav Bhovarahan’s story

My preparation for the race consisted of training in longer intervals than what I would usually do, such as 4-km intervals. Additionally, on Thursday [Jan 5] which I felt was my last opportunity to run fast, I aimed to run quite quickly, just over my race pace of 8 km. I did this to roughly gauge how my body should feel when I run at this fast pace for the race. This was also a good way to check which stages during the run I had any issues in and if I could do something to prepare for it before race day.

On race day my day started early, taking the first train from Tung Chung to Tin Shui Wai. I took the 706 light rail line for the first time. I arrived at 7:05 to start at 7:45am and felt my heart start pumping. This left me with 30 minutes to warm up. I had never run a 10 km before and had a slight strain in my right Achilles tendon that had been bothering me for the past week, especially on the longer, faster runs.

I remember finishing my warm-up and walking to the starting line 5 minutes before the start time. Since I was classified as an elite runner, I had the privilege of being at the start line, but when I arrived 5 minutes before the start, almost all the runners were already lined up, so I spent those 5 minutes squeezing past people and trying to get as far ahead as possible.

I needed 39 seconds to cross the start line, so I spent a lot of energy in the first few hundred metres making my way through the pack and squeezing through the smallest gaps. Fortunately, the road widened and I was able to overtake many people before the first kilometre and was back among the other elite runners.

From then on, I continued my overtaking, trying to find the group of runners who were my pace or a little faster so I could go with them – it took me half the race to find that group.

But in hindsight, even though I didn’t have the perfect starting position, I honestly think it helped me to be further back from where I was supposed to be. I always felt like I was running faster when I was chasing someone, so it was an advantage for me to constantly have someone to catch up to.

As far as I remember, I wasn’t overtaken once, and I think especially in a 10k race, which for me was the longest race I’’ve ever done, I knew I was going to have mental struggles, but I was never passed and didn’t lose sight of anyone, which motivated me to keep running.

For kilometres 2-8 I was able to maintain a relatively comfortable pace of 3:45 – 3:50/km, which was well below what I had set for myself at the beginning of the race, which was 4:00/km, so I was happy, and to my surprise, I felt good! I didn’t feel like I was out of breath or struggling (even though some pictures said otherwise).

In the last 2 km I could see the finish from across the road and I got ready to push hard, but shockingly there was a slight hill that felt like forever. But I knew that eventually there would be a downhill portion, and so I kept pushing and I flew down the hill, probably because I didn’t have the energy to slow down.

For the last few hundred metres I had to go back up that same hill, and I gave it everything I had for that last kilometre and I crossed the line with a time of 37:34, with my last kilometre being the fastest of all at 3:33/km, but unlike the first 8 km, the last 2 km killed me and somehow I managed to stay on my feet.

For my debut 10 km at which I started in the middle and my goal was 40 minutes, I was very happy with my time even though I didn’t win.

When we invited Colin Whittington to share his Runner’s Story, we held our breath … Yep, Colin defines the word ‘Veteran’ in AVOHK! We actually heard that Netflix wants the rights to this Post as they’re considering adapting it for a series simply called “Whittington”.

So here’s Colin in his own words – grab a coffee and get comfy, you’re in for a treat, as Colin picks up his story at the tender age of 21 …

I started running in 1978 at the age of 21 when I was based with the British Army in Rheindahlen, Germany.  I joined a group that trained at lunchtimes, initially just to keep fit.  I had done some running before but never on a regular basis or with any thought or structure to it.  There were a lot of experienced runners within the group and apart from lunchtimes some of us met on Sundays for a long run over a very hilly course at Dulken Woods (8 big hills per 10k loop). The area we trained in at lunchtimes was superb, within minutes we were in the forest on some wonderful trails and quite flat. During the winter we raced on Wednesday afternoons in the local forces’ cross-country league.  In my first season in 1978/79 I was lucky if I finished in the top 100 but by 1981/82 season after 3 years of regular training, I was able to make the top 10 in some races.  During those early years I also started doing some track in the summer but really lacked the speed in the shorter races.  So added more speed and speed endurance track work to my training.  That really paid off and managed to reduce my 5,000 metre’s time to 15 mins 33 secs.  I was fortunate there were a lot of good people to train with. Along with the long Sunday runs this really prepared me well for my first marathon in 1981 at Enschede in the Netherlands.  A flat and very fast course but held in July and the weather was quite warm. I finished my first marathon in 2hrs 37mins.  I slowed a lot towards the finish, but I was happy with the result.   I was asked to be part of a small forces team to run the 1981 Athens marathon.  The original course from Marathon to Athens.  My time was not that great, but the experience was unforgettable.   In September 1982 I moved back to UK and in October that year I ran my best marathon time of 2hrs 33 mins at the City of Gloucester Marathon for 12^th place.  In UK I joined a local running club Telford AC and enjoyed running in the 3^rd Division of the Birmingham cross country league.  Telford won the league in the 1982/83 season.  Telford AC also qualified for the 1982 UK national six stage road relay finals.  I really enjoyed being part of the team and regularly attended their weekly club run.  I also competed for my local unit in the local West Midlands Police Cross Country league.

In July 1984, I was posted to Hong Kong and lived in Blackdown Barracks in San Po Kong, very close to Kai Tak Airport.  Not the ideal place for training but I found some good routes near the airport and made regular trips to train at Shing Mun and Shek Lek Pui reservoirs and the catchment path just off Tai Po Road.  Wonderful places to train. I also joined Phoenix AC a local running club that competed regularly in the HKAAA Cross country league and other HKAAA events.  Phoenix won the Hong Kong National Cross-Country championships in the first year I was with them.  In the mid 80’s there was a thriving HKAAA Cross Country league during the winter and most local running clubs entered.  Races were primarily held at Army bases in the New Territories and around Shing Mun Reservoir.  The club asked me to represent them at the HKAAA committee meetings.  I think it was in 1985 I ended up being co-opted onto the HKAAA distance running committee.  I was fortunate there were a few old hands on the committee, Nick and Maggie Brooke and also Mike Field.  During my time in Hong Kong, I also competed on Wednesday afternoons in the local forces’ cross-country league.  There was quite a depth of talent including some strong runners from the Gurkha’s and RAF.  In mid 1986 I was asked to take on the role of Hong Kong Forces Cross Country Secretary and decided also to put together a Hong Kong British Forces Team and enter the local HKAAA Cross Country League and Championship.  We had around 20 in the team from various forces units in Hong Kong.  All had to be registered with the HKAAA. We were fortunate to get some valuable kit sponsorship from New Balance.  In the 1986/87 season the British Forces won the HKAAA Cross Country League and the HKAAA Cross Country Championships.  We finished the season off by having a trip to Singapore and competing across the border in the Desaru Half Marathon where Chong Ba Sherpa and Ati Limbu finished 1^st and 2^nd in 1 hour 8 Mins.  I left Hong Kong in May 1987 not realizing at the time that I had met my future wife.

Back in UK and from mid 1987 to Oct 1993 I continued to compete in local forces Cross Country leagues and ran for Bicester Athletic Club.  One highlight during this period was competing in the 1989 Ben Nevis race.  Unusual terrain for me, but good fun. I left the Army in 1993 and went to work in Zagreb for 18 months.  I was fortunate to find a few friends to run with at lunchtime.   Not too many local races but still kept up Sunday long runs.   In 1995 I went to work in Oman for 2 years.  Wonderful location but incredibly hot in the summer (over 50c).  The winters were lovely.  I joined the Muscat Road Runners and although not many local races the club met three times a week at different locations for some social runs, time trials and club races.  During the winter we would organise some longer events and have our own club league.  A real social atmosphere.  Prior to my last year in Oman someone kindly volunteered me as Chairman.  One highlight was the club putting on a club relay race from Sur to the Beach Club in Muscat.  Around 210 Kms following the main Sur to Muscat Road.  We had 2 teams and each runner would run several 5k stretches during the day.  We started at around 4.30am after camping out over night at Sur and managed to make it to the Muscat Beach Club by around 7pm.  Followed by a hot shower, BBQ, and some beers.  I still have the T-Shirt.

After leaving Oman in May 1997, I spent some time in UK and a year or so in Singapore before deciding to come back to Hong Kong in November 1999.  I was still doing some running to keep fit but not that competitive.  Soon after arriving back in Hong Kong, I joined AVOHK and paid my HKD 1,000 for life membership.  I didn’t race too often for AVOHK, but I did manage to make the team for the 2001 Sedan Chair Race.  That was incredibly tough and an event AVOHK dominated for over 20 years.  I have always enjoyed helping at AVOHK races, being on the committee and in 2016 took up the challenge of being Chairman of AVOHK for 5 years (2016 to 2021).   I don’t run much these days due to a knee issue that occurred around 7 years ago.  I do enjoy watching athletics and have been fortunate to attend two Asian Masters Championships (2017 Rugau and 2019 in Sarawak) and the 2018 World Masters Athletic championships in Malaga.  I very much enjoy the sport.

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/  

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!

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.