Road to Marathon

Running with perseverance

Road to Marathon is a programme to hone students’ perseverance and their spirit of moving forward through professional and systematic training for long-distance running. Since its launch in 2013, more than a thousand students have received the training in both classroom coaching and onsite instructions at the running track. Many students joined the various local marathon events for their first time. Mr Lau Ming Wai of The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust which sponsored the programme, encouraged students to overcome difficulties with a positive attitude and face the myriad challenges in life with courage. He said: “Whether it is a marathon or short-distance running, everybody is equal on the athletic track. Efforts and results are most often positively correlated.”

For student Wong Yat Fung, who had never run a marathon before, the training he underwent was especially grueling and made him thought of giving up more than once. But it was during such moments that the words of encouragement from his classmates rang in his ears: “Run, keep running!” Motivated to continue running, he gradually developed the strength of resilience and learnt how to set goals for himself, as he kept moving ahead. Though it was his first time to take part in a half marathon, he finished in 1 hour 25 minutes and 47 seconds and the outstanding performance won him a referral to run a marathon in Australia.
 
Despite the outstanding results achieved, Wong did not rest on his laurels. Instead, he quietly set the next goal for himself. “I truly respect and admire my coach and often call him “teacher.” I remember how I started out with no possibility of keeping pace with the coach. Hence, apart from the routine training, I put in extra effort every day to run 10 km, in the morning and at night.” His hard work finally paid off. Wong could eventually keep up with his coach and earn the latter’s praise. Since then, they have become friends, and often shared ideas on running. The training experience taught him to “believe in himself”, as though he has made a commitment. “No matter what the challenges, I believe in myself and would never give up midway.”