We Run HK: Rosamund Barker

Once a runner at school, it would be years before Rosamund Barker would slip on her trainers again - this time to escape the stresses of her new home, Hong Kong.

She never dreamed that anything would come of running. But before long, she was pounding the streets of London, on her way to a personal best, then representing Hong Kong at the 2008 Singapore Marathon and finally placing third in her age group at the 2013 Tokyo Marathon.

For Barker, 47, running is about efficiency. On most days, the professional support lawyer and mother of three can be spotted dashing through Alexandra House, en route to Bowen Road for a lunchtime run or doing a morning session along South Lantau's trails.

She is proudly running next year's Hong Kong Marathon and continues to dream of one day cracking three hours in her favourite race.

I was lucky enough to get a place through the ballot for the 2005 London Marathon. That gave me a goal to start some proper training. I followed a schedule and managed to finish the race in three hours, 35 minutes. I was far from satisfied. I knew I could have done better.

My best time is now three hours, 31 seconds. I've just never managed to fit enough training into my life to go faster. The sub-three-hour mark has eluded me. I don't mind, though. I know if I didn't have a job, a husband, three children and a dog, and could train as much as I liked, I am probably capable of it. But I do have all those things, so it's not likely to happen any time soon.