Every year, students and teachers from Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School unite to prepare for the Standard Chartered Marathon and to carry on the long-distance running culture of the school.
The school's physical education teacher, Ho Hoi-to - a veteran long-distance runner - believes running is a healthy sport that brings a sense of fulfilment to students.
'Every student has a different talent,' he says 'Some are explosive short-distance runners, while others have the endurance of long-distance runners. Everybody can find their place in running. Once you begin to enjoy it, you want to keep going.'
This year Ho will lead 30 students in the 10-kilometre challenge and the half marathon. The teacher and his students run every morning for 30 minutes before classes and twice a week after school at a stadium.
'I get them to run six to eight laps of 600 metres. Then I gradually increase the distance to 800 metres and 1,200 metres and shorten the resting time between laps to help students build up their stamina,' he says. 'Ten-kilometre races are much more demanding than the inter-school cross-country races, so I must improve their stamina.'
But this is not enough for Form Seven student Wong Yung-chu, who aims to win the half marathon after coming second last year in the junior category of the 10km race.
