The first Andy Naylor Memorial Race was held in the hills of Tseung Kwan O and Clearwater Bay on a blue-sky day with nothing going wrong, except for trail markings being deleted at two sections. Claiming to be “the smelliest race director in Hong Kong history”, Steve Carr praised the teams of volunteers who came out in support.
The 42km marathon was hotly contested with some of fastest men in Hong Kong toeing the line: Darren Benson, Santosh Tamang, Allen Ng, and John Ellis. Allen Ng, who spent days recceing the course, won in a blistering 4:56:54. John Ellis pounded in second. “It was a great course with something for everyone. I’d never run it before and the views were something else.” Santosh Tamang was third.
The women who did the full 42km were led home by Marie NcNaughton in 4:59:48. Zein Williams had been out front until losing her way. Zein finished second ahead of Sai Kung ANTS member Sherrin Loh.
The Andy Naylor Half-Marathon, which was 17km of hill trails and roads, was looking like a sure win for Maurice “Mo” Devlin, until he was forced to pull up within sight of the finish. Richard Scott and Michael Ormiston stopped to ensure Mo was safe. This allowed Thomas Hardcastle, James Park and Pierre Le Magman to take the top three positions.
Among the ladies in the half-marathon, Caroline Cresswell led the way from the off to the finish. Heidi Seich and Rachel Andrews were three minutes behind her.
Maybe the most charming event of the day was the family race. Parents ran with their kids over 8km, mostly on the hill above Lobster Bay and the Equestrian Centre. Peter Dingley and his son, James, were first in 52 mins. Nicole Cresswell and Kara Casey, fastest girls, did it in 1:03.
The event was created in memory of Andy Naylor, one of the finest runners Hong Kong has seen. A regular sight in Sai Kung pounding the roads in the country park, Andy suffered a heart attack swimming in the Hudson River, NY, competing in a triathlon.
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