50-year-old Sergeant Jonny has been a famous long-distance runner in the Hong Kong Team. He represented the Force in the World Police and Fire Games held in Canada last year and won four long-distance running gold medals, showing that he is not yet over the hill.

After joining the Force in 1998, Jonny came into contact with long-distance running in 2002, which has become the essential driving force for his life. “Initially, my colleagues invited me to join them for running. Soon after that, I met the finder of my talent, the former Police Athletics Club (PAC) coach and excellent marathon runner Sergeant Fung Wah-tim.”

It was not until he was 29 years old that Jonny received formal training in running. Although he joined the game halfway, it turned out that he was a diamond in the rough. After being trained for a year or so, he became famous in his "first run" in 2003 by making the fourth fastest time among all local runners in the Standard Chartered Marathon that year. He ranked first in the following year and was selected into the Hong Kong Team to compete in the East Asian Games and Guangzhou Asian Games in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Being trained professionally in long-distance running helps carrying out policing work. Jonny said, “Many Formations set demanding physical requirements for colleagues, like the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and Rural Area Patrol Team of Wong Tai Sin District that I was stationed in. Strong physical strength is essential to be competent for the work.” To win in a marathon race, strategy is equally important. “For instance, keeping a fast pacing all the way is not necessarily a good thing. You have to consider whether your physical condition can support it. The same goes for maintaining law and order. When encountering a crime, if we want to enforce the law, we cannot rely on ‘boldness’ only. Instead, we must act prudently and respond correspondingly.”

Jonny emphasises that self-discipline and perseverance are the most important factors for pursuing progress in long-distance running. As police officers need to work on shifts, one has to train hard alone and sacrifice the time for leisure or staying with the family. He admits that his family members have grumbled, but he is fortunate enough to receive their understanding and support eventually.

Since 2013, Jonny has been serving as a coach at PAC. In addition to providing training for his colleagues, he takes long-distance running as a medium to help youngsters. “I hope to share the mental journey of my long-distance running over the past two decades through words and deeds with either Junior Police Call members or young people being administered caution under the Police Superintendent’s Discretion Scheme, so that they can hone their will through physical training and run on their own bright tracks of life.”