Edited by Michelle Ho
Sue Ko is an ex-smoker who moved to Hong Kong in 1974 with her family. Ko grew up in Yorkshire in the UK, and had been a heavy smoker up until she quit at the age of 40. By that time, Ko was suffering from asthma, pleurisy, and bronchitis (Mathur, 2022). All of these conditions were caused by her years of smoking, from which her lungs have suffered extensive damage (Health Effects, n.d.). However, she took up running a while after that, in pursuit of improving her lung health.
Ko at that time was the chairwoman of the council of the English School’s Foundation’s Peak School, and had started training in September 2006 with teachers from Peak School. They ran every Thursday afternoon on Victoria Peak, with some walking time to help participants take a break (Mathur, 2022). Ko and the teachers would start reducing the intervals for walking as Ko got more familiar with the sport. It was a mere few weeks later that Ko was able to run the entire time without stopping, from which she described the experience as “absolutely thrilling” (Mathur, 2022).
Ko and the teachers ran their first race in 2007, which was a 10km run hosted by Standard Chartered. After years have passed and most of the teachers have relocated, Ko lost her motivation to run, having enjoyed the company of her running buddies. An eager trail runner, Peter Lee, was introduced to Ko, which then helped her discover her own abilities as a runner, as well as the countryside and nature of Hong Kong (Mathur, 2022).
Lee improved Ko’s running form and trained her to run in more efficient ways. Ko’s new trainer also provided advice for the types of shoes she should run in — shoes that have more cushioning and support. Peter’s training had also resulted in fewer injuries during sports, and Ko ran the Standard Chartered 2014 race in 0:55:55 (Mathur, 2022). Since then, she has finished marathons and races in the top 20th category for her age group, 45+, which is an incredible feat. Her personal best time was during Race the Runway in 2019, at 00:52:32 (Mathur, 2022).
Ko says that running gives her a sense of well-being, and makes her feel ageless. Running has changed Sue Ko’s life for the better.
References
Health Effects of Smoking & Tobacco Use. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/index.htm
#:~:text=Smoking%20causes%20cancer%2C%20heart%20disease,immune%20
system%2C%20including%20rheumatoid%20arthritis.
Mathur, B. (2022, February 26). Running makes age just a number for ex-smoker who took
up the sport at 58 in Hong Kong – at 71 she set her best 10k race time. South China
Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3168083/running-
makes-age-just-number-ex-smoker-who-took-sport-58
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