Marathon Day

Today is the annual Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.  I have run all the distances: 10K, half, and full marathon.  I have not been able to run since 2019 for various reasons: injury, out of HK, …  This year my excuse was injury.  

But our eldest daughter got into the half marathon, from overseas.  So my wife and I went to the races to watch.  I even went to the starting line to se her off, and to relive the atmosphere.  Indeed it was invigorating.  The anticipation, the tension, the camaraderie.  One cannot help but want to be part of it.  

I crossed the harbour on the Star Ferry, and ran along the waterfront towards Victoria Park, without having to cross a road.  I then join my wife and daughter at the finish line, and saw the relief, the joy. Not just that of the runners, but also their families, their friends, everyone.  

We walked back along the final two kilometres of the route through Causeway Bay and Wanchai.  We saw the sweat, the tiredness, the suffering, the determination.  

The marathon is, of course, about running.  But it is also a microcosm of life.  Condensed into 2 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours. Before the actual event, there is the much much longer preparation, training, suffering, injury, recovery, training again.  After the event, there is the reflection, the determination to do better next time, …  It has the power to concentrate your mind, test you, and improve you.  Not just for running, but for the rest of one’s life as well. 

I do not want to stop running, ever.