Running until I can’t

Kwong Hung-piu 鄺熊標PCEd 1993; MEd 1997; MEd 2000

(Written in December 2016)

“Whenever I feel down or encounter difficulties in life, I cheer myself up and get recharged by looking at the HKU Marathon Team’s photos on my desk,” said 78-year-old Kwong Hung-piu ( a.k.a. Uncle Kwong 鄺伯伯), who has participated in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon (SCHKM) 10KM race as a member of the HKU Marathon Team for the past ten years. He is the most senior member of the Team.

“People feel for me, thinking I am too old to run. I don’t feel that at all. If I dare to try and can achieve the target, the joy I feel overrides the effort I put into it.” To Uncle Kwong, marathon running is not just for health, but is also a sport that boosts self-esteem. He had always been passionate about running, and first competed in a race back in 1989. However, work commitments meant he didn't run again until HKU was recruiting for its first Marathon Team in 2006.

Having spent seven years at HKU for a postgraduate Certificate in Education and two masters courses, Uncle Kwong feels a strong sense of belonging to HKU and thus to the HKU Marathon Team. “I wasn’t confident at my first SCHKM race, but when I heard the cheers from the HKU Marathon Cheering Team along on the route, my energy picked up.”

In fact, “never give up” could well be his motto. He recalled running the 10KM at the SCHKM in 2011 when he hurt his leg few months before the race: “It was not just the pain in my legs, but the lack of strength in them that had me struggling to continue. I really wanted to give up in the middle of the race, but I kept telling myself that I am competing with myself, not the other runners. As long as I can reach the end point, I will have succeeded.” And, he did! Although he finished the race in 123 minutes, three minutes over the time limit, Uncle Kwong rightfully felt very proud of himself.

Perseverance is not just useful in the sports arena. Uncle Kwong finds his marathon spirit is beneficial in his daily work and has possibly been inherited by his grandson, who is a secondary school student and is also passionate about long-distance running. “I’m so lucky that my registration for the SCHKM 10KM for 2017 was successful. I just want to run until I can’t run anymore!”