She was also faster than the fastest local women runners in both the Women Open and Women Senior events by 34 minutes 59 seconds and 40 seconds respectively.

This outstanding achievement is a pleasant surprise for Siu-ping because she drew a blank in the same race last year.

Perhaps, encouragement by a colleague might have been the driving force and a great motivation for her remarkable improvement within a year. The colleague's message of encouragement read in part: "Take your strides, tread out your life...Success is no glory but an experience of life. May every race help you achieve your goal and enrich your life!"

Coming from the District Intelligence Section (DIS) of Tsuen Wan District, Siu-ping has been participating in various marathons since 2003. In a matter of two years, she has made herself a name in the athletic circles and won several races, including championships of the Senior Category in the Mizuno Half-Marathon 2005 held at Tai Mei Tuk and the Women's Senior in the Dowman Race in both 2004 and 2005. In addition, she was a member of the winning team in the Women's Category of a 10-km race at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Police and Security Forces Sports Exchange 2004.

During an interview with OffBeat, Siu-ping attributed her athletic achievements to the systematic and proper training provided by her coach.

She pointed out: "I joined the Police Athletics Club (PAC) last year and that was a turning point for me. I must thank my coach, Sergeant Fung Wah-tim, because without his systematic coaching and encouragement, I would not have improved in such a short time.

"You can see I got all the awards after joining the PAC. Before this, my performance was by no means impressive, let alone winning any award or getting any placing."

Siu-ping's coach has devised a progressive training schedule based on the dates of the races in which Force runners would participate. She explained that during a training session, the duration, speed and distance of running would be increased only gradually so as not to over stretch the trainees' stamina.

In the past, Siu-ping was never keen on running, though her potential was recognised early when she received training at Police Training School (PTS) in 1988. Skin care was the main reason for her reluctance to take up running seriously.

"I didn't want to get sunburn; I also found it boring running on the treadmill in the gym. That's why I didn't take part in any race after leaving PTS," she explained.

However, Siu-ping began having second thoughts about distance running after her transfer to DIS of Sha Tin District in 2003. Many of her colleagues there enjoyed running and invited her to share the fun. She joined in order to foster fellowship, but, as time went by, she became increasingly interested in the exercise and put her dislike for suntan behind her mind.

She also found running beneficial to her health. "I used to get flu almost every month, but nowadays I feel more energetic and less stressful after running. It's good for my perseverance, will-power and confidence as I push my limit during racing!"

Siu-ping has encouraged her husband and her 10-year-old daughter to join her sport. "I even want my daughter to join the 10-km Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon next year," she declared.

As regards her race plan, Siu-ping naturally hopes to win more trophies. She, together with three fellow officers, will leave for Quebec, Canada, in June to represent the Force at the World Police and Fire Games, hoping to break her record of 1:28:55 for a half-marathon.

Being the leading Hong Kong runner in the Women's Category in this year's Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, she will represent Hong Kong in an international marathon to be held in Tokyo, Japan at the end of this year. She looks forward to breaking her own record by finishing the race in less than three hours.

She also hopes that the PAC would send a team for the marathon in Rotterdam, Holland next year. "I understand Rotterdam is a very pleasant location for marathons and it has the most level race course in the world. It helps runners get good results," Siu-ping concluded.

WPC Wong is the champion of the Women's Senior event in the Dowman Race in 2004 and 2005