Red-hot Maggie Chan Man-yee, who shattered the national mark in her maiden marathon in the United States last month, has turned down an invitation to represent Hong Kong in February's Standard Chartered Marathon, citing insufficient recovery time and a foot injury.
'I picked up a foot injury during my last marathon,' said the 27-year-old Chan from her base in Utah. 'I still find the marathon demanding physically. The Standard Chartered Marathon is too close to my last one and I haven't had good preparation since it's winter here. My coach suggested I run one marathon a year.'
The Hong Kong distance running queen registered her seventh national mark in distances from 1,500m upwards by shattering Yuko Gordon's 15-year-old national record on her way to winning the women's title in two hours, 37 minutes and 53 seconds at the Sun Trust Richmond Marathon in Virginia last month.
Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA) executive director Anita Yiu said: 'We're disappointed as she was in great form last month when she set the new mark. We had hoped she could return because the event is our annual showpiece.'
Like many marathoners, Chan suffered bruised toes and blood blisters over the gruelling distance in her triumphant run. She said after her race: 'I had bad blisters on both my feet and I felt pain every time my toes touched the shoes. My feet were yelling at me the whole time after the first 10 miles.'
Yiu said the HKAAA remained hopeful that Chan would be able to run in the 2004 Standard Chartered Marathon. 'Maybe she will return to run for us next time.'