Hongkonger’s milestone marathon now just a marker on road to reaching magic number

When Ming Chen lines up for the Road Scholars China Coast Marathon (CCM) this weekend, it will mark her 88th full marathon – an auspicious number in Chinese culture that once seemed like the finish line. It was a number the 55-year-old had targeted when she spoke to the Post seven years ago on the eve of her 65th race; now she has another figure in mind. “I am going for 100, and then I am stopping,” Chen said. “I still enjoy running … after a hundred, maybe I’ll move on to half-marathons and maybe go back to tennis.” To ensure she achieved the milestone at her beloved CCM, the corporate executive and mother of three ran five marathons last year – including Cape Cod, Brighton and the Hong Kong Streetathon. Sunday’s race will be Chen’s 10th CCM – and the Hongkonger also marked her 50th marathon on the course in 2014. “The CCM course is very hilly, but it’s beautiful,” Chen said of the double loop around the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung. “In a way, it is easier because you are looking at such beautiful scenery.” Chen, who said she “hated running as a kid,” began her marathon journey in 1989 during her first year at Harvard. Two friends invited her to train for the Boston Marathon, and she said yes, thinking “What’s the big deal?” After six months of chatting and jogging along the Charles River in Boston, she finished her first marathon and was sore for a week, but was hooked. Soon after Chen added New York to her list, roping in her identical twin sister, Wah Chen. To date, the pair have finished 18 races together. Nearly 40 years later, Chen credited the running community for keeping her going. “That is one of the reasons I’ve been able to run for so long,” she said. “You need a high tolerance for repetition, but having running partners keeps you accountable.” Her long-time group, the Running Babes, a 12-strong crew she called “the run club before run clubs”, has been her anchor. The group started meeting 25 years ago at 5.30am on Hong Kong’s Bowen Road, a popular training route among local runners. Though members have since scattered across the globe to Paris, Washington, Miami, London and San Francisco, they are all flying back for this year’s CCM. “That is why run clubs matter, when you know someone’s waiting for you, you keep showing up. That is how I’ve managed to do this for so long,” Chen said. To celebrate Chen’s 88th marathon, the group decided to sponsor the race – the first time in more than 40 years the event has had a group of people as the main sponsor. They have playfully dubbed this year’s edition the “Road Scholars Run”, a nod to both Rhodes Scholars and their early-morning “problem-solving” while running. “We all love this race and everyone is coming back to run it, so we wanted to give something back,” said Chen. Among her 87 marathons, the first in Boston remains the most memorable. “Boston is selective, and it has incredible crowd support – people line every stretch of the route,” Chen said. “When you run races in Asia, it’s often quiet. But in Boston or New York, you feel that energy the whole way.” Not every experience, however, has been pleasant. “I had hypothermia once at the New Jersey Marathon; that was rough. And in Singapore, it was so hot I almost passed out,” she recalled. “Back then, I ran for speed. Now it’s about finishing and enjoying it. I call it a ritual, not an exercise.” Chen said her motivation has evolved over the years. “I think I originally ran for fitness, because Boston gets really cold,” Chen said. “Running was a way to stay active during the winter. But now, it is about more than physical fitness; it is also mental fitness. It calms you down and gives you clarity and focus while you’re running. “And afterwards, you feel good – energised, even. It’s ironic that something that takes energy actually gives you energy.” Chen added: “Running a marathon gives you structure to running, like the goal to keep practising and keep running.” While many marathoners chase the Abbott World Marathon Majors – Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney – Chen is already close to completing the set, with only Berlin and Sydney left. “There are not many spots left to make my 100th marathon special,” Chen said. “I have to be selective.” Chen is also considering entering the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, held a week after the CCM. “I have never done back-to-back marathons before,” she said. “But my running partner Claire Thielke, one of the Running Babes, is doing seven marathons on seven continents in seven days later this month – so she is inspiring me.”

Hongkonger’s milestone marathon now just a marker on road to reaching magic number

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ming Chen, who has competed across the globe, once planned to stop on 88 races. But she will hit that on Sunday, so now 100 is the target

Ming Chen, who has competed across the globe, once planned to stop on 88 races. But she will hit that on Sunday, so now 100 is the target