GA YAU: never give up!

On February 12th, 2023, at 10.08 local time, I was crossing the finishing line of the 25th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. I was proud, although exhausted, to have completed my first ever 42 km at 56 years old, stopping the clock at 4:04:08.

This marathon has many meanings. 

• After a few challenging years, the city is returning to its original shining, and it was essential to have such a fantastic mass event. For the tricks that fate often plays, February 12th, 2021, was the day I was released after three weeks in a 20 sqmt room quarantine (with windows sealed), one of the lowest moments for HK, and being on the street two years later joyfully celebrating with so many people this event was something hard to describe. 
• When I started running to keep in shape a few years ago, I’d never thought to run on the street… only slow treadmill jogging. After my first 3 Km of road running on early May 2017 in Fa Hui Park in MongKok, I’d never thought I could run 10 Km. After my first 10 km around the TongHui river in Beijing, I’d never thought I’d run a half marathon. After my 1:36:06 at Tai Po Half Marathon on December 5th, 2021, I’d never thought I could run a full marathon. 
• Running with cramps for the last 5 to 6 km was not easy, especially after the end of the Western Harbor Tunnel and the rapid elevation (and later descending) of more than 50 mt in a 500 mt distance. I had one moment of discomfort when the left biceps femoral became hard like a rock, and I needed to stop. At that moment, one of the great thousands of volunteers asked me if I needed assistance, and if I wanted to stop. While I was looking at him, I saw all the efforts I put to be in that moment on that bridge, and I told myself, “I’d never given up”: I do not know where, but I found the determination to get the muscle back to normal and keep going. The second time cramps hit my right calf, I was – by chance – surrounded by familiar faces and was less than 1 km to completion, “never give up.”

• I set 3 targets for this race: 1) complete it, 2) sub 4 hours and a half, 3) sub 4 hours. By a handful of minutes, I missed my third target. I can blame poor muscle preparation (my heart and mind work well). I could blame 90% of humidity; I could blame a lot… But it is important to have room for improvement for the next November Marathon!

On the night of the same day, when all the other athletes were probably having a large meal or a good rest, I was at Hong Kong International Airport boarding Jakarta for a busy business week. I was in pain from the muscle sores, with difficulty walking, so the Cathay Pacific lady at the Check-in counter asked me if I wanted a wheelchair. She probably saw the same eyes as the volunteer a few hours before. When I woke up this morning in the Jakarta hotel, I did not know where I found the strength to wear shoes and do a recovering 5km jogging before starting the day.

I will keep in my ears all that fantastic volunteers that, for all the 42 km, kept shouting and cheering GA YAU (加油), which means “GO!” it was terrific background music that helped a lot in the down moments.

Few asked me why I love running: I can see many life lessons, and it helps me a lot with my business career as well: like T. E. Lawrence said, “Dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.” Always think the unthinkable, always set targets you think you cannot achieve, never think you reach everything, and above all … never give up!