bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Alvin Sallay

Mo Wai-shing lives by the clock. Hong Kong's marathon man runs his life the way he would run a race - keeping an eye on the relentless hands of time.

 For Mo is a courier by profession, the person who gets your package delivered to you at express speed. Guaranteed.

 'Running a marathon has now become a miniature version of my life. I'm always running against the clock,' says Mo, who will carry the SAR's hopes in this Sunday's Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.

 Mo is part of a five-person Hong Kong squad who will run in the annual 26-mile event which has drawn an international field of top runners from all over the world including Kenya, Ethiopia and Russia.

 While more than 6,000 runners will take part in the marathon, half-marathon and 10-kilometre run, the elite Hong Kong squad will be spearheaded by Mo, currently the leading athlete in the marathon category.

 Two months ago in Macau, Mo finished as the top local runner when he completed the Macau Marathon in two hours, 38 minutes. This was the first time he had beaten such illustrious names as veterans Lee Kar-lun and Ho Kam-fuk.

 Now his coach Joe Leung is convinced that a new star is on the rise.

 'Mo is only 29 and already he shows great promise. I think he will become the top Hong Kong marathon runner of the future,' says Leung proudly.

 Leung's faith in his disciple was more than vindicated when Mo won the China Coast Marathon in Sai Kung last month.

 According to Leung, Mo has the potential to become one of Hong Kong's best ever runners.

 'He is dedicated and has great resolve. He is devoted to running. He does not have a girlfriend or other outside interests.

 'All he wants to do is to become the best Hong Kong runner,' Leung said.

 Like most Hong Kong athletes, Mo faces the perennial problem of having to balance a career with athletic pursuits.

 'I work 10- to 12-hour shifts a day. I have no time to train in the morning and have to go for a run only after work.

 'At the end of a day I'm very, very tired,' says Mo.

 During the week he will run for at least an hour in the dark along Bowen Road. Saturday is a half-day at work, so after he clocks off, he will do a 35km run. Sunday is the best - he has the luxury of running a full marathon on that day.

 'If he were able to devote all his time to training, I have no doubt that he would be soon able to go under 2:30,' says coach Leung.

 Mo's personal best is 2:37:09 which he registered during the Standard Chartered Marathon in 1998.

 Last year he finished a creditable 22nd overall in a time of 2:40:34.

 The target for this Sunday's race is 2:35. 'I believe he can do that. I'm not pushing him. He has to improve gradually,' says Leung.

 Mo's goal is first to become the top Hong Kong marathon runner and then to start representing Hong Kong at major international races such as the Boston or London Marathons.

 'I want to be the best in Hong Kong. I have made a sacrifice by taking up this discipline. It is quite lonely, running a marathon. Unlike other sports, you can't train with friends, you are on your own here.

 'But I look at life just like the way I approach a marathon. You encounter obstacles and difficulties along the way . . . you have to overcome these and keep moving forward,' Mo said.

 Mo got interested in the marathon after a chance encounter with one of Leung's sons.

 'I was hiking one day in a country park when I met Joe's son. We got talking and I was introduced to Joe, who used to be a runner and still is. He got me interested in running marathons,' recounted Mo.

 That was four years ago. Leung, 68, has since had a huge influence on Mo. He has nursed him to the point where he has become one of the leading runners in Hong Kong today.

 'The best years are ahead for Mo. When you are between 32 and 35 you are at your peak and I know Mo can improve a lot,' says Leung, a former employee with the Shell company.

 Although he retired 13 years ago, ['I was the driver to the chairman'] Leung stays active. And Mo provides him with all the motivation to face another day.

 'I will also take part in the marathon next Sunday. I expect to finish in around four hours. But my thoughts will be on how Mo is faring,' says Leung, who has six grandchildren.

 Leung remembers the time when Mo ran his first competitive marathon.

 'It was at the Macau Marathon in 1996. He finished in 2:52. Since then he has improved a lot.'  Mo has ventured outside the SAR only briefly - to China. He took part in the Beijing Marathon in 1998 and in Dalian in 1999, completing both in 2:44.

 This year he plans to run in the Melbourne Marathon in October.

 'If he can touch 2:35 this Sunday, then I think he can do 2:32 or even lower in Melbourne.

 'If he can lower his time by three minutes every time he runs in a big race, I think very soon he will be clocking times in the 2:20s region,' says Leung optimistically.

 Who knows, then maybe Paul Spowage's Hong Kong record of 2:21:10, set during the London Marathon in 1984, could come under threat.

 But Mo knows that is all wishful thinking. A lot of hard work has to be put in before such goals can be achieved.

 And in between all that work, he still has to keep delivering those packages.

 Soon after this interview had finished, Mo was back on the beat.

 An express delivery had to be made. He was on the move - with an eye on the clock.

Running a marathon is a miniature version of my life. I'm always running against the clock 



EXPRESS DELIVERY