Chow Yun Fat, 68, dissatisfied with half-marathon timing
Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat, who took part in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Jan 21, was not satisfied with his timing.
Under the guidance and in the company of his coach, Chow clocked in at 2hr 26min 08sec for the 21km race.
“It was four minutes slower than my target,” the 68-year-old told the media.
As to whether he would take on the full marathon at some point, he joked: “I may take part if I can complete it in two hours. I may achieve it when I reach 90 years old.”
Chow, who recently starred in the film One More Chance (2023), said he planned to challenge himself with the half-marathon again in 2025, as he hoped to complete it five minutes faster.
This was not the actor’s first half-marathon. He took part in the inaugural Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HK Section) Half Marathon in November and finished his first half-marathon in 2hr 27min 56sec.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong model Inez Leong did not let her second pregnancy deter her from taking part in the event, as she completed 10km in 1hr 4min 18sec.
Leong, 35, and her husband, TVB actor Tony Hung, 40, announced her pregnancy on social media in December. They have a two-year-old daughter. Leong, an avid runner who has taken part in other running events, is in her seventh month of pregnancy.
Leong said she felt excited running the 10km with her baby girl in her tummy, and that the run was slightly strenuous when she was going upslope.
“I believe I can still handle the run as the baby is not too heavy and not too big,” she told the media. “I felt her kicking me while I was running, as if she wanted to give me some encouragement.”
Leong said her husband, who was there to cheer for her, was concerned about other runners knocking into her and asked her to put a “Child in car” sign on the back of her shirt.
She said other participants did give way to her, with many of them helping her along the way.
“I have not decided when to stop before giving birth,” she said. “I will continue to practise or run shorter distances as long as my physical condition permits.”
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