Message from the Chair

Happy New Year and Kung Hei Fat Choi!

The running scene in Hong Kong looks set to resume with a number of races being launched. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to make sure that your AVOHK and HKAAA memberships are up-to-date. AVOHK annual membership runs from January till December and can be renewed through the “Membership” tab on our website at a cost of $150, or $75 for those over 60. Alternatively, the single payment of $1,000 for life members is a great deal and there is no need to renew this annually once you have signed up. For regular runners, membership of AVOHK pays for itself as it allows discounted entry to all AVOHK races, as well as heavily-subsidized social events. By also registering as an athlete with HKAAA, you then become eligible for priority club entry to HKAAA events, such as the Standard Chartered Marathon. Many of our junior runners compete regularly in HKAAA track and field meets. HKAAA membership is separate to AVOHK membership and can be processed through their website at www.hkaaa.com. This needs to be renewed annually in order to be eligible for priority entry.

AVOHK Anniversary Relay

Following the success of our anniversary runs at the end of last year, we will be holding another relay race on February 25th at Central Waterfront. The emphasis is on fun and is free to all members, but you can also rope in a couple of friends to make up a team. Full details can be found at www.avohk.org.

Finally, I would like to wish the very best of luck to all AVOHK runners who will be racing in the various distances at the Standard Chartered Marathon next month!

Elaine Hall
Chair AVOHK

As the year draws to a close, the focus for many masters athletes in Hong Kong in 2022 has been on the track rather than the road. The reopening of Scheduled Premises, such as sports grounds, has made it relatively easier to organise events within these premises, while permits and exemptions for road races have still proved elusive. The recent announcement that The Standard Chartered Marathon is able to increase its entry field slightly gives us some hope that things can change in 2023. Now is a good time to make sure that your AVOHK and HKAAA memberships are up-to-date in order to give yourself the best chance of getting on start lists in 2023!

7th HK Masters Track and Field Championships
Congratulations to the AVOHK team who took part in the meet at Tin Shui Wai earlier this month. Our women finished 5th overall and our men were 6th out of all the clubs participating. We had many verystrong performances and special mention must be made of members Lau Hoi-lam who was the overall champion in W35-39 and dominated the field events. Yau Tsui-fun was the overall champion in W45-49 and broke the 400m record in the process! Full results can be found at www.pacers.org.hk.

2023 World Masters Short Course Cross-Country Championships
We don’t yet have any Hong Kong representatives for the event which will take place on 18-19 February 2023 in Bathurst, Australia. There are full details on the AVOHK website and any questions should be addressed to Colin Whittington, who is planning to attend the event, at vice-chair@avohk.org.

2023 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, Torun
With the recent easing of travel restrictions, Hong Kong will be sending a strong team to The World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland. There is a great website with all the details at https://wmaci2023.com. The deadline for entries is 31 January 2023, so there is still time to enter and
any athletes who were born before 26 March 1988 are eligible. Hong Kong has a great tradition of sending large delegations to these overseas meets. If you have any questions about the meet, you can contact Bill Purves at billpurves@alum.mit.edu.

I hope that you all have a lovely time over the festive period. We look forward to seeing you in 2023.

Elaine Hall, Chair AVOHK

7TH HK MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Many of our runners will be delighted to hear that the 7th HK Masters Track and Field Championships will go ahead on 27th November and 4th December 2022 at Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground. If you would like to enter as part of the AVOHK team, please complete the application form no later than midday,28 October. We would love to enter a few relay teams, so please do indicate if you would like to run in a 4×100 or 4×400 AVOHK team. AVOHK will be paying the fees for all relay teams entered.

Please support your Club and let’s make this year’s meet one to remember!

To enter, please go to the link below:

The Hong Kong Masters is back! Register now!

For further information, see the link from the organisers, Pacers. If you open the PDF file in the link,

you can scroll down to see details in both Chinese and English.  http://www.pacers.org.hk/2022/10/17/10853/

If you have any questions about the meet, please contact our team captain, Aldo on 6125 7913.

AVOHK’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY 5K HANDICAP RUN AND DINNER

AVOHK’s 40th Anniversary 5k Handicap Run is taking place this Saturday, 29th October, at Wanchai
Gap. It will be followed by a dinner at Fini’s in Wanchai. The run is open to members only and is free to
enter. All runners will get a special 40th Anniversary T-shirt and the first 3 to finish will get a prize.
There will also be 2 mystery prizes. You can still enter until Friday, 28th October, by going to
www.avohk.org. The link to enter is at the right-hand side of the page.

The dinner is open to members and guests at a cost of $250 for members and $300 for non-members.
There will be 2 hours of free flow drinks from 6:30 and a dinner of casual Italian food will be served at
8 o’clock. To book a place at the dinner, please email Frank at frank.riehm@gmail.com.
I hope to see many of you soon!

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of John Casey. John was a very active member of AVOHK and a committee member for many years. He will be missed by many. A funeral service will be held for John on 2nd October and full details have been sent out to all members. Anyone wishing to attend should email Colin Whittington at vice-chair@avohk.org.

AVOHK’s 40th Anniversary 5k Handicap Run is set for 29th October. If you haven’t signed up yet, please visit our website at www.avohk.org to register. The run is a members-only event and there are only 50 spaces. It is free to join the run and all runners will get a special 40th anniversary T-shirt.

We will also be hosting a celebration dinner at Fini’s in Wanchai. The evening will start with free flow of drinks from 6:30 until 8:30 and a dinner of casual Italian food (including vegetarian options) will be served at 8 o’clock. The cost is $250 for AVOHK members and $300 for non-members.

To book your place at the dinner, please RSVP to frank.riehm@gmail.com.

Payment options:

• Cheque payable to AVOHK, mailed to PO Box 28893, Gloucester Road Post Office, Wanchai.
• Direct transfer to AVOHK at HSBC 018-363366-001. Please email a copy of the pay-in slip with names of the people paid for.

I hope that everyone is managing to enjoy their training through the heat of the Hong Kong summer. Those braving the oppressive conditions have been rewarded with stunning views and gorgeous blue skies.

The racing scene in HK has continued to suffer from the tight restrictions in place but our swimmers are back in the pool and we have had some great results from running races which have taken place.

World Masters Athletics Championships
There is a detailed report from Colin Whittington later in the newsletter about the Hong Kong team who recently travelled to Finland for The World Masters Athletics Championships. We had 6 athletes competing this year and they produced a string of PBs and Hong Kong age group records. Congratulations to all of them and I would particularly like to mention Willie Kung, who competed in the M60 long jump and won bronze. What an amazing achievement!

AVOHK are the governing body for masters athletics in Hong Kong and we have a long history of sending teams to meets around the world. Athletes do not need to be AVOHK members to represent Hong Kong and we welcome athletes from all events and age groups who are keen to take part in international meets. Please keep an eye on our website for details of overseas meets.

Hong Kong Athletics Championships 2022
Closer to home, HKAAA did a great job of organising the Hong Kong Athletics Championships, which were held in blistering heat last month at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground. AVOHK was able to enter a team of 5 runners. Congratulations to Charlotte Hall who is the new HK 5000m champion.

Sun Hung Kai Properties HK 10k Championships, Tin Shui Wai, 28th August
AVOHK has entered 17 runners for the HK 10k Championships which will take place next month. We are still waiting to hear whether all of our runners will be accepted into the elite race, but we wish all of our runners the very best of luck!

Elaine Hall
Chair, AVOHK

AGM
Our AGM took place over Zoom last week and I would like to thank everyone who joined the meeting or took the time to submit a proxy. Most of our office bearers have been re-elected to serve another term, but I would to thank our out-going treasurer Peter Wong, who has completed his term and therefore had to step down (per our constitution). I am pleased to say that Peter will remain on the committee and will still be involved in our events. Nigel Raymont was elected as our new treasurer and will take over from Peter this summer. Nigel may be familiar to our members as, along with fellow committee member Aldo Kriel, he was instrumental in building our new AVOHK website which launched at the beginning of this year. You might also remember him from the enthusiastic singalong at the end of our 2021 Christmas Party!

World Masters Athletics Championships and General Assembly

Our vice-chair Colin Whittington will be the Hong Kong delegate at the 2022 World Masters Athletics General Assembly, which will be taking place in Tampere, Finland, next month. There will be a small Hong Kong team of 5 athletes competing in the WMA Championships, also in Tampere. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing all about the meeting in our next newsletter.

Hong Kong Athletics Championships
Closer to home, we have 4 of our runners racing for AVOHK in the Hong Kong Athletics Championships at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground this weekend.
Good luck to all of them!

Elaine Hall
Chair

AGM

Due to current government restrictions, and the number of committee members who are currently overseas, the AVOHK Committee voted to hold a virtual AGM this year. In accordance with our constitution, our AGM will be held at 7pm on Wednesday, 15th June 2022, and formal notice will be sent out next week, along with proxy forms. The business of the AGM will be to receive and consider the Chair’s report and Treasurer’s report, to elect office holders and General Committee members, and to transact any other business of which due notice has been given. Since we are not holding the customary social event after the AGM this year, we will be presenting our Athlete of the Year trophies at a later date, hopefully to coincide with our anniversary celebrations in October.

All members are welcome to attend our AGM and Full Members, but not Junior Members, are eligible to vote. I would urge all members to submit a proxy form if they are unable to attend so that they can nominate a member to vote on their behalf. This year we have vacancies for the post of Vice-Chair and Treasurer and would welcome nominations for these roles. We would also welcome new General Committee members who are keen to get involved in race management, organising social events or sourcing souvenirs and medals.

We are also still looking for someone to take responsibility for our environmental policy.

Of course, members are free to nominate candidates for any of our other roles. A nomination form is attached.

If members would like to bring up any matter at the AGM, please submit notice to chair@avohk.org not less than 48 hours before the AGM.

MALCOLM PHILLIPS VIRTUAL AGE-GRADED 5K

Results are already starting to come in for the annual age-graded 5k! The Malcolm Phillips race is open until midnight on Monday, 30th May, and runners can still enter at:

MALCOLM PHILLIPS VIRTUAL RACE 2022

Please upload results to the link on the entry form. We have had some great temperatures for running lately so this may be your chance to get that age-graded PB!

Elaine Hall
Chair, AVOHK

As we head towards the summer, restrictions are slowly beginning to ease in Hong Kong and AVOHK are hard at work planning a season of racing. 

Our Races for 2022 

While the Cap 599 Social Distancing Restrictions remain in place, it is very difficult to organise races and the exemption, which race organisers require, is often only granted a week or two ahead of the race.  This makes planning and budgeting for these races extremely difficult and, for this reason, we have decided to alter our race schedule for this season in the hope that focusing our efforts on races towards the end of the year might mean that we no longer have to apply for these exemptions. We are very much hoping to see you all on the startlines! 

Malcolm Phillips 

Our popular age-graded 5k will take place in virtual format again this year.  The race is open for registration now and can be run between Friday, 13th May, and Monday, 30th May, on the usual course on Bowen Road.  As many of our members are currently overseas, we thought that it would be nice to include an international element to the race this year.  If you are outside Hong Kong, please feel free to sign up.  You can run the 5k on any flat course near you (we trust you not to cheat with a crazy downhill course!) and upload your result.  There will be a separate prize for overseas runners. For more information and registration, see our website https://avohk.org/index.php/the-14th-malcolm-phillips-5k-2022/. 

World Masters Athletics Championships 

The deadline for entry to this year’s World Master’s Athletics Championships in Finland is Wednesday, 27th April.  There are further details on the AVOHK website.  Please consider participating and representing Hong Kong if you will be in Europe in the summer. 

40^th Anniversary Race 

Many of you will remember the mixed team race which we held at Pak Tam Chung in 2012 to celebrate our 30th anniversary.  It was a great day and the unusual format made for some great post-race reflections over a beer! Dave Smith has been planning a similar event to mark our 40th.  Please save Saturday 29th October in your diaries and keep an eye on our website for more information nearer the time. 

5k and Reservoir Series 

We have started to organise a couple of 5k races in November this year, and Reservoir races in February and March.  Due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, we decided that it was better to treat these as stand-alone races this year rather than part of a series.  Details will be announced in due course. 

AGM 

The AVOHK AGM will be held in June and all members will be notified by email soon.  We are very much hoping that it can go ahead at Café 8 but we do have the option of conducting it virtually if necessary.  Colin Whittington will be stepping down as vice-chair and Peter Wong will step down as treasurer.  So far, Nigel Raymont has indicated that he would be happy to stand as treasurer and we are still looking for nominations to fill the post of vice-chair.  If you are interested in serving on the committee, we would be very happy to hear from you.  We are particularly looking for people who are able to help with race planning and organization, planning of social events and sourcing of race souvenirs.  We have also been moving towards focusing on more environmentally friendly policies (reusable / compostable water cups, reduced packaging, collaboration with recycling companies, etc) and we would welcome anyone who would be able to help with this.  Please feel free to email me at chair@avohk.org. 

China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon 

The China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, 8th January 2023.  So, get those training plans out! 

Elaine Hall
Chair

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

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