Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat participated in the 25th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday.
The 67-year-old screen legend began the race — which, despite being called a marathon, was actually 10 kilometers (approximately 6 miles) — at 5:40 a.m. and completed the race in 1:03:58.
Despite the dreary weather, Chow placed in the top 20% of runners in the event. His record was a result of rigorous training with a coach for over a year.
“The coach told me not to run too fast as there is a slope ahead,” Chow explained. “So I jogged slowly initially and conserved my energy so I could speed up towards the end of the race.”
Chow, who is also known as “Fat Gor” (“Big Brother Fat” in Cantonese), also took part in a cross-country race in December and plans to run the race again in 2024.
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Although Chow didn’t finish in first place, he was quickly overwhelmed by eager fans and media outlets after the approximately 6-mile run.
One fan who greeted him was boy band Error member Poki Ng, who shared a photo on Instagram with the caption: “Touched by Fat Gor.”
Other celebrities that joined the annual marathon were boxer Rex Tso Sing-yu, actor Sisley Choi, actor Dickson Yu, model Inez Leong and more.
The marathon is only one of Hong Kong’s 250 “mega events” meant to signify the city’s return to normalcy after the pandemic.
Although the number of participants is usually over 70,000, this year’s event saw 37,000 runners out of over 50,000 applications.
The winners of the 2023 marathon were Philimon Kiptoo Kichumba from Kenya and Fantu Eticha Jimma from Ethiopia. Local runners who successfully finished the marathon within three hours were awarded with 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (approximately $1,274).
