Hong Kong marathon: city’s fastest woman Virginia Lo Ying-chiu ‘emotional’ ahead of finish
Lo, who went under two hours, 40 minutes for the first time in only her third full marathon, says ‘I wasn’t running alone today’
Virginia Lo Ying-chiu was “emotional” before even reaching the finish line as the fastest Hong Kong woman at Sunday’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.
Her time of two hours, 39 minutes and 56 seconds made her the fastest local female runner – and eighth overall in the women’s category – to finish the 42.2km (26.2 miles) and burst into tears moments after crossing the finish line at Victoria Park.
“I was already emotional at the exit of the Western Tunnel as I saw a poster with [my boyfriend Wong] Kai-lok [who finished third in the half-marathon],” the 27-year-old said. “I felt I wasn’t running alone today, because he was so supportive all along.
“I received a lot of messages these past few days. I want to thank my Japanese coach Shinetsu Murao, who watched me train every day for the past six months. I also heard my family calling my name in Causeway Bay, so I was really thankful.”
Lo, who was running only her third full marathon, said he was “satisfied at hitting a personal best as she cracked the 2:40:00 barrier for the first time.
“It was my target but I wasn’t very sure, to be honest, because I was still fairly new to this distance,” she said. “I didn’t get to grab the first energy gel at the 22-kilometre mark while I also missed a few water stations along the way, so I was worried.”