How Hong Kong marathon runner’s goals have come full circle after racing world’s 6 majors

When Catherine Lau Shuk-fan took up running in 2007, her motivation was simple. Stressed from her law studies at the University of Hong Kong, she needed to unwind. So she donned her trainers and set off on a run. “It was a beautiful journey for the mind,” she says, describing how running invigorated and recharged her. Within months, the budding lawyer had signed up to compete in her first 10km (6.2 mile) run in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon event. Seventeen years on, the 42-year-old plans to be at the starting line of the full marathon race on Sunday. Between these races, Lau has run around the globe, and gone from chasing personal best times to helping others chase theirs. After catching the running bug in law school, she moved on to running a half-marathon and then full marathons, eventually competing in the 2014 London Marathon. That London race, considered one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, marked the beginning of her journey to becoming a six-star finisher, one who has completed the six original Abbott World marathons in New York, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, London and Berlin; Sydney will join as the seventh major in 2025. In March 2024, Lau joined that hall of fame after competing in the Tokyo Marathon. Her accomplishment puts her in a small group of runners: as of December 2024, there were only 17,679 six-star finishers in the world, of which 2,425 were from Asia. For the longest time, Lau had no plans to become one of them. Her passion for running initially stemmed from its mental benefits and she revelled in being immersed in nature. “Many runners need to listen to some music during training – I don’t need that. I enjoy looking at the views, embracing the winds, seeing the birds, the seagulls,” she says. As her stamina grew, she became motivated by her consistent progression. When she learned that there was a benchmark time to be considered a fast female marathon runner in Hong Kong – three hours and 30 minutes or less – achieving that became her primary goal. Over the next few years, as she graduated and began working as a trainee solicitor, she continued running, but that target time remained elusive. Joining the Law Society of Hong Kong’s running team in November 2012 was a turning point. She met coach Gi Ka-man – who has set several Hong Kong running records – and joined his Runners Athletic Club, incorporating core muscle training, tempo runs, interval training and more into her weekly schedule. In February 2014, she finished the Hong Kong Marathon in three hours and 28 minutes, a personal best time. Two months later, she competed in the London Marathon. Her participation in the first of the six marathon majors was born from a casual conversation at a company Christmas party, when Lau was working at Boase Cohen & Collins. “All the law firm partners knew that I was a very keen runner,” she says. One of the partners connected her with Children with Cancer UK, and after raising some donation money among friends and colleagues, Lau was able to compete in the marathon through the charity. She finished the marathon in three hours and 37 minutes. Back in Hong Kong, she improved upon her personal best by finishing the Hong Kong Marathon in three hours 23 minutes. Never one to settle, she strove to achieve another personal best in her next marathon, in Boston. At the time, in spring 2015, Lau was at her physical peak. She had been following her coach’s training programme religiously, increasing the length of her runs before tapering off. “We have to build our mileage week by week, and then do our ultimate long run three to four weeks before the race week,” she says. “After the longest run, we have to taper and decrease the distance slowly, to ensure that we will be able to deliver our best on the race day.” She eliminated carbohydrates from her diet for the first three days of race week, mainly eating protein and vegetables, before loading up on white rice and pasta from the fourth day onwards. To ensure that her diet was aligned with her training she cooked her own meals, and to this day, follows this plan when she has a race coming. Ultimately, Lau was not able to beat her personal best at the Boston Marathon, but taking part in it was “unforgettable”, she says. Undeterred by the rainy weather forecast and the freezing temperatures that day, she had chosen to wear a singlet and shorts, which left her wet and cold during the race. She could not even unzip her pocket, which contained some dried fruit, because of the loss of sensation in her fingers. Thankfully, her peers saw her predicament and helped, and even bystanders offered her food. “I can still vividly picture an old lady placing a piece of orange on my palm. It was very touching,” she says. Her next major race was five months later, in Berlin. The race was memorable and well organised, she says, with ample refreshments, a supportive crowd, and dry, cool weather that allowed for an easier run. After Berlin, Lau still wasn’t planning to become a six-star finisher. After running marathons in Paris and Zurich, she took a break from competitive running as she adjusted to a new job. She joined the Chicago Marathon in October 2019, but having run only one 10km team race in preparation – instead of the 30km runs she used to do – she underperformed. “I hit the wall during the Chicago marathon only after 15km or so. It was a very painful journey,” she says. She finished the race in four hours and 42 minutes, her personal worst. Determined to improve her time, she signed up for the New York City Marathon in 2020, with a new-found desire to become a six-star finisher. But because of Covid-19, that race was cancelled. In November 2023, she joined the New York marathon, finishing in four hours and 37 minutes. Wanting to achieve a sub-four hour time, she trained exceptionally hard for the March 2024 Tokyo Marathon, where she clocked four hours and 17 minutes. “To be honest, I didn’t feel a lot of joy for completing the six stars,” she says. But on reflection, she recognises that not reaching her time goals is part of the journey. “You have to accept failure. Being able to accept failure is a way to enjoy the sport.” In recent years, Lau’s relationship with running has shifted. Early on, she was solely driven by personal achievement, but she has found fresh motivation, which includes supporting her teammates in the Law Society running team – she is now its convenor. She has also supported her nephew, triathlete Lau Yik-hei, who transformed from an overweight boy into a team member of the Hong Kong triathlon national squad, officially joining it at the start of this year. “That’s my greatest pride,” she says. She hopes to take part in the Sydney Marathon – a new addition to the majors – in August, in support of a charity dedicated to Alzheimer’s research following the death from dementia of her secondary-school English teacher in December. “It’s a special way to remember her.” Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

How Hong Kong marathon runner’s goals have come full circle after racing world’s 6 majors

Hong Kong lawyer and marathon runner Catherine Lau has gone from chasing personal bests to helping others achieve theirs