Source: My UM
Stumbling Upon a New Hobby
Dr Kwan Fung is from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences. He stumbled upon his liking for long-distance running at an external competition, which he attended only because the university couldn’ t recruit enough faculty members to form a team. He took to liking this new-found sport after completing three kilometres at the competition. But he didn’t fall in love with it until after he met one of the best health coaches in Macao, who is himself a veteran long-distance runner. With the encouragement and professional guidance of this coach, Kwan started running every day, and has never looked back.
A modest person by nature, Kwan thinks of himself as an amateur when it comes to long-distance running. ‘I’m not in the same league as professional runners,’ he says. ‘And the reason that I have been able to keep running is because I’m a diligent person, but I don’t think diligence alone is going to get me to the professional level. Some people are just born with natural advantages that make them better runners.’
Keeping Pace with a Fast Changing City
Over the past decade, Kwan has maintained a daily running routine, but his running route has changed several times because of the rapid development of the city and the accompanying construction projects that have sprung up everywhere. He used to run from his home to the Coloane Village via the Cotai Strip. ‘The Cotai Strip used to be the only road connecting Taipa and Coloane, with few people and very light traffic, which made it a perfect running route, but now construction projects are everywhere,’ he says. His current running route covers the taipa end of Sai Van Bridge, Galaxy/Broadway Macau, the entrance of the underwater tunnel leading to UM’s new campus, The Venetian, and the downtown area in Taipa. He would usually have a brunch in downtown Taipa before heading back home. During his morning runs, Kwan has witnessed the changes of the city as a result of the rapid economic growth. ‘Macao is a city with enormous potential. It may well become the next start-up incubation centre,’ he days.
Preferring Solitary Sports
It turns out Kwan used to play table tennis a lot and was very good at it. He ‘ditched’ this old hobby to embrace longdistance running because table tennis requires a partner while running is a solitary sport one can do on his own. Still, with teaching, research, interview requests from the media, and a million other things to attend to, it’s not always easy for Kwan to find the time for running. But he sticks to it because running helps him decompress. ‘I always feel happier after running,’ he says. Kwan participated in a half marathon in 2014. Although he didn’t win any prizes, he felt the experience itself was worth all the effort, because for him participating in competitions is less about the outcome and more about challenging himself. This year, on 6 December, he participated in another half marathon, an international event organised by the Macau Galaxy Entertainment. He finished the half marathon in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 39 seconds, which he thinks is ‘not too good and not too bad’.
