My 2026 is already off to a great start and I hope it’s been like that for you. I’ve achieved what feels like a lifelong goal of mine. I managed to enter and finish a full marathon. Not just any marathon, but the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, which was very special as I grew up and spent most of my life in Hong Kong, so this felt like my “home race”.
It was less than a year ago that I got into running long distances. At the time, I was just starting my new job as an airline pilot. There was a lot of training and studying involved, so it wasn’t the “best time,” but is there ever really a best time to go after your goals?
In February 2025, I had the opportunity to sign up for my first half-marathon in London in May. After 3 months of training, it went quite well — I finished in 1 hour and 51 minutes. Later that year, I ran the Budapest Half Marathon in September, finishing in about 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The day after finishing my second half-marathon, I discovered that registrations had opened for the 2026 Hong Kong Marathon, taking place in January. I submitted my details, and two weeks later I was informed that my registration was successful. Damn… I now had just about four months to prepare.
September to October 2025
I was quite short on time, so after recovering from the half-marathon, I got started right away. I subscribed to a training plan on the Runna app and selected three days a week. As a pilot, my schedule was different every week, so I couldn’t always guarantee that I’d run on those exact days. Instead, I simply completed the runs in order whenever I could.
My long runs distance slowly increased, reaching 23 km right at the end of October—just before I got really sick. I was also extremely busy with flights during this period.
November to December 2025 – Months of Failure and Pain
I lost a good two weeks of training in early November due to illness. When I returned to running, I started with a 16 km run. On my next long run where I planned to cover 25 km, I had to stop after 15 km due to sharp pain in my right leg.
I went to see a friends who is a sports massage therapist because I knew something wasn’t right, and I discovered that I had weaknesses in several areas of my lower body, including my hamstrings, glutes, and hips. At a time when my weekly volume should have been increasing, I reduced it to spend more time in the gym focusing on lower-body strength training.
I slowly eased back into running and managed to do a 26 km run, followed by a 29 km long run toward the latter part of December. Each time post-run, I felt pain in my right leg. There was a weakness somewhere was causing excessive friction, irritating my IT band and leading to discomfort about an hour into my runs. Nothing too bad to stop me during the runs, but in retrospect my body was trying to tell me something. After the 29 km run, I had a particularly bad limp and I decided it was time to see a physiotherapist.
I found a sports physiotherapist near me and scheduled a session just three days before Christmas.
I was very fortunate to find this physio. He was extremely fit and had run marathons himself. I learned a lot and honestly felt that if I could resolve my IT band pain in the following weeks and complete one more long run of 32 km, I’d be in good shape for the Marathon..
I returned to the gym the very next day, began the strength work, and substituted running with easy cardio sessions such as spinning, the ski machine, and the cross trainer. I trained up until Christmas Eve, took Christmas Day off, and then jumped straight back into training on Boxing Day. Little did I know that a virus was circulating, one family member caught it, and I became sick soon after. This time, I was got very sick and hit my lowest point on New Year’s Eve.
I lost well over a week of training, which was a huge setback. With my chest feeling heavily congested and the marathon fast approaching, it was already time to taper. That meant no more long runs or intense training sessions.
I saw the physio for one final follow-up session just a few days before I was due to fly out to Hong Kong. Honestly, given how badly my training had gone in the days and weeks leading up to this point, I was just looking for any “trick” or crutch that might help me get through to the finish.
I went to the gym three more times, focusing heavily on strength work and mixing in easy cardio for longer durations. I only did short treadmill runs to keep my running muscles active.
My Marathon Strategy
In the lead-up to race day, my chances of finishing didn’t feel great, considering how little training volume I had done over the previous two months and the amount of pain I experienced.
In the 2-3 days leading up to the marathon, I did the bare minimum physically and began carb-loading two days prior to the race.
On race morning, I had a carb heavy breakfast consisting of oatmeal with banana, slices of toast with honey, and started hydrating well before the start. Just before the race, I took one energy gel and set off around 7 a.m., as daylight was just breaking. I took a sip at every water station, even if it was only a small amount, and kept my pace between 6:00 and 6:15 min/km.
Up until 28 km, I maintained my pace and actually felt quite good. I took a gel every 30–45 minutes and carried two 250 ml soft bottles of electrolyte drink in my running belt.
It was really after 32 km that I felt myself approaching the famous “wall” that so many marathon runners talk about. Each kilometre became a slog, and I had to slow down as I started to feel a pull in my left calf. Thankfully, I didn’t have to stop due to serious pain. After brisk-walking up the final slope near the finish line in Causeway Bay, I managed to jog the final kilometre and cross the line in 4 hours and 45 minutes.
I couldn’t believe what I had just done. It was two hours longer than my longest run ever, and given all the challenges and setbacks I’d faced in the previous months, I honestly couldn’t have asked for more.
I received a lot of help and advice along the way, and with the right tools, I managed to pull it off. If you’re hoping to do the same one day, here are some of my tips.
Training Plans
I’m far from an expert and feel like I’m still only scratching the surface. In short, my recommendation is to find a plan that suits your lifestyle and to listen to your body. There will almost certainly be times when you can’t follow the plan due to illness, injury, or other factors, so it’s important to build in a buffer. For example, if you think you’ll need 16 weeks to train, set aside at least 20.
I subscribed to Runna for both my first half-marathon and my first marathon. What I liked most wasn’t just the plan itself, but the additional advice included in the app: videos, articles, guides on strength training, injury management, and more.
A good coach or physiotherapist is also incredibly valuable, especially before you start training seriously. You’ll learn a lot about your body from an expert’s perspective.
Tools and Equipment
Running is free—until it isn’t.
As distances increase, investing in good equipment and using the right products becomes essential. These are some of the products I used to complete the marathon.
Running Shoes – ASICS Gel Nimbus 27
When I ran my first half-marathon, my shoes fit me well but weren’t really designed for long distances and had comparatively little cushioning. I only realised this after visiting an official ASICS store and did a gait analysis. I’ve always liked ASICS because they fit my wider feet well. They weren’t cheap, but I knew investing in well-cushioned shoes would pay off in the long run, especially for my knees.
Running Socks
Get a good quality pair of socks which have moisture wicking fabric to avoid blisters, and most importantly always test socks during your training runs
Running Watch
A good running watch with a GPS is extremely helpful for tracking distance and pace. I’ve had my Suunto Ambit 2S since 2013, and it still works great, which I find pretty incredible. It isn’t a smartwatch and requires a heart-rate belt, but I can connect it to my computer to sync it with the Suunto Moveslink app.
Cold-Weather / Hot Weather Gear
Running gloves, a beanie, jacket, and thermals are essential if you’re training through the winter in a cold country like the UK, and when the sun is shining, sunglasses, sunscreen and a cap are all useful.
Running Water Bottles
For longer runs, hydration is key. Two of these 250 ml soft flasks were ideal.
Running Belt
I bought a Kiprun marathon belt from Decathlon, and it was perfect during my training. During the Marathon, I used it to carry gels and my two soft water bottles.
Energy Gels
There are many types of gels available. They’re not just a source of carbohydrates, but can also include vitamins for fatigue reduction and caffeine for an extra boost. I really liked the gels from Decathlon, as they didn’t contain artificial sweeteners.
The most important thing is to test gels during your training runs. Try taking them every 30 minutes, even if you don’t feel like it to see how your body responds.
Hydration Drink
At first, I only carried water on long runs. As the distances increased, I started carrying at least one hydration drink, which helped significantly. During the marathon, I only carried hydration mix since there was plenty of water available on the course.
All of the equipment above helped me get through my first marathon. Whether you’re training for your first 5K or are already a regular runner, I hope you’ve learned something from my experience. If you’re on the fence about running your first 10K, half-marathon, or full marathon, get checked by a medical professional to ensure your body is up to the challenge and go for it.