Unstoppable: A Journey from Hong Kong to Africa and Marathon Success

2023-08-05 22:48:48

6 years ago, 39-year-old Zheng Lingxuan (A Xiang) spent 513 days, crossed 25,000 kilometers, and cycled from Hong Kong to South Africa; after that, he spent another three years overcoming injuries and went to Kenya to practice Run and eventually finish Marathon Sub 3 in Tokyo. For Ah Xiang, no matter how difficult the goal is, as long as he persists, he can achieve it.

“Before I started, I didn’t dare to imagine that I could go so far.” Ah Xiang said with a smile that he is a person who doesn’t like sports and has no perseverance, so in order to challenge himself, he decided to go on a bicycle trip without an airplane—— In 2016, he set off from Tai Po, passed through 24 countries including Sark, Egypt, and successfully arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, completing this seemingly impossible journey.

Hong Kong Cycling to Africa

During the journey, his bicycle was stolen, and the loneliness in the middle of the desert, coupled with the weather and the political instability in the surrounding countries, gave him countless times to give up: “It’s very hard, especially when you step on the pole and don’t reach the end, you will question Myself, why do you have to work so hard?” It was easy to give up, and it took a few minutes to buy a plane ticket to return to Hong Kong, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered. Whenever he wants to give up, he will open the photo of the destination and imagine the picture when he reaches the destination, because he believes in the law of attraction: “When you really want to accomplish something, you can do it.”

Therefore, when he reached the finish line, besides being touched, he also took it for granted: “It’s crazy to say this, but it’s actually the result I accumulated every day. At that moment, I didn’t think I was very good, but everyone as long as they are willing If you persevere and work hard towards your goal, you can achieve it.”

Hong Kong Cycling to Africa

Ah Xiang’s self-challenge is far more than just a bicycle trip. Affected by the epidemic, Ah Xiang’s tourism-related business was forced to stop. When he was confused, he set another goal: to run a marathon. In order to travel by bicycle, Ah Xiang only started running to practice physical fitness in his 30s. During the epidemic, he began to really devote himself to running, with the goal of completing Sub3. However, he was frustrated with the few races he played, all of which ended within a few minutes. In the process of preparing for the Tokyo Marathon, a foot injury a few years ago made him so painful that he could hardly walk. At that time, there were only a few months left before the race, and he couldn’t help thinking about whether to retire.

Hong Kong Cycling to Africa

Hong Kong Cycling to Africa

But this time, he didn’t give up either—he couldn’t run on flat ground, so he jumped into the sea to run in the cold winter. Coupled with uninterrupted physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises, he miraculously began to improve, and he set off smoothly in January this year I went to Kenya to practice running, received local high-altitude training, and finally ran the Tokyo Marathon with a score of 2 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. I ran the 42.195-kilometer marathon, one second faster than the goal.

Hong Kong Cycling to Africa

Ah Xiang said with a smile that his experience was as passionate as the protagonist of a Japanese manga. At the moment of crossing the line, he regained the emotion of arriving in South Africa: “The feeling of chasing for a long time, wanting to give up but not giving up, and finally completing it. I felt it again in that moment.”

Written by: Kathy Lam
Image: provided by the interviewee

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The post Cycling from Tai Po to Africa as long as you really want to do it, you can do it first appeared on OLO.

This article Cycling from Tai Po to Africa as long as you really want to do it, you can do it first appeared in OLO

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