Williams ready to hit the road in new NZ home
Mark Williams is used to being a front-runner, but today he will become a follower in more ways than one when he leaves with his family to start a new life in New Zealand.
The popular distance runner saw his personal belongings loaded on to a ship three weeks ago and will today follow the same path and arrive in Auckland tomorrow morning.
The sports-mad Australian-born Welshman will then pull on his running shoes to compete in a race on Saturday morning in his new hometown of Tauranga, which is in the Bay of Plenty, a little more than a two-hour drive from Auckland.
'I did a web search for local running clubs and came across the Tauranga Ramblers,' said Williams. 'I then sent an e-mail to the club's contact person, who replied with a question asking me for my personal best 10km time, and also asking whether I'd be available to run on Saturday morning. When I told him I had ran 31 minutes and 52 seconds he came back and told me I would be entered in the race and ranked fifth in the team!'
Williams has lived in Hong Kong for the past eight years and has worked at West Island School as a geography teacher. A self-confessed soccer fanatic, he developed into a serious runner after arriving in Hong Kong because running became a fundamental part of his football training. He soon became a regular competitor in local distance events and quickly established himself as the man to beat.
Winning his age group in the Golden Mile in 2001, and being selected to represent Hong Kong in overseas competitions are Williams' most cherished athletic achievements.
Not being selected to represent Hong Kong in the Greatest Race on Earth has been his biggest disappointment.
'I was extremely disappointed when I wasn't picked for the team last year and was prepared to look at it as an oversight. But when it happened again this year it was obvious that I was being snubbed,' Williams said.
For the next eight months the 35-year-old will try to establish his own business as a travelling DJ, and at the same time step up his training for distance races in his adopted country. He will then try to secure a teaching job.
'I'm very much looking forward to the clean air, and also the space. Hong Kong is such a crowded place that it's rare not to be surrounded by other people. That's one of the reasons I love trail running in Hong Kong. You can be all alone on a trail in the most breathtaking countryside and at the same time you're just 10 minutes from one of the most densely populated areas on the planet.
'It's been a great eight years and I will miss the running community and the many other friends I've made in Hong Kong, but it's time to move on, particularly because of the worsening air pollution. My children and I have suffered more and more with allergies in the winter time, which I'm certain is due to the foul air.'
Williams is unconcerned that he and his family will be economically less well off in New Zealand. 'Frankly I'll be on about one fifth of the salary I've been earning in Hong Kong, but money doesn't count for much if my kids are being poisoned by the air,' he said. 'We're looking forward to the quality of life that New Zealand offers, which means clean air, clean water and lots of space to enjoy the rest of our lives.'
