financial guy ck kong xiao mas sydney marathon video diary

The route of the Sydney Marathon follows the full marathon route of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, starting from under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, running across the spectacular bridge deck that is usually off-limits to runners, passing through the Royal Botanic Garden, Centennial Park, Hyde Park, and other stunningly beautiful runner's paradises, and finally reaching the Sydney Opera House. The entire route encapsulates the breathtaking natural scenery and cultural landmarks of Sydney.

On September 20, 2015, I represented the Chongqing Liangjiang Road Running Club Yupaotuan and, along with another runner from Chongqing, participated in the largest and most influential marathon in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sydney Marathon, under the meticulous arrangement of the Chinese representative company Wholetour. Almost a year has passed since the event, and I am writing this diary to commemorate the details of my trip to Sydney. At that time, Jiang Shang, the leader of the Chongqing Liangjiang Road Running Club Yupaotuan, told me that Wholetour invited the club to send representatives to participate in the Sydney Marathon, and the entire trip would be led by Wholetour CEO Rick. Just thinking about it made me excited. Mr. Rick is an Australian travel expert awarded by the Australian government. He had already organized a large group of domestic marathon enthusiasts to experience the Gold Coast Marathon, and the feedback was excellent.

Before departure, Wholetour had already arranged the entire itinerary. Apart from some shopping spots we chose ourselves, we didn't need to plan anything else. We stayed at the century-old five-star hotel Radisson Blu Plaza Sydney in the city center, collected materials at the Sydney Running Festival Expo at the Town Hall, enjoyed nightlife at various local bars, took a Fantasea cruise from Circular Quay to go whale watching, had a pre-race carbohydrate-rich meal at Darling Harbour, took surfing lessons at Bondi Beach, had a luxurious seafood buffet dinner at Sydney Tower after the race, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, experienced the largest jet boating in Australia in Sydney Harbour, and had plenty of time to explore the streets and alleys of Sydney. Rick said that this itinerary was carefully planned to allow us to experience the authentic local culture in the shortest time possible. I believe that participating in a marathon in a place is a great way to experience the local culture. There is a Chinese idiom called 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' which expresses a similar idea.

Sydney, a bustling city on the west coast of Australia. When I was young, I always thought Sydney was the capital of Australia. My knowledge of Australia back then was limited to what I learned from textbooks: it was a former colony of the British Empire, rich in natural resources, home to koalas lazier than pandas, and kangaroos with incredibly strong hind legs. It wasn't until university that I learned about celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue, and Ian Thorpe, whom I once used as my desktop wallpaper. Later, friends went there to study, and I saw beautiful photos of the Great Ocean Road, the Great Barrier Reef, and the starry sky of New Zealand taken by photography enthusiasts. However, influenced by the US and Europe, Australia was on my travel destination list but not at the top.

Previously, while working at ANZ, I had business trips to Hong Kong and Singapore, but never to Australia, the headquarters. Sometimes, it's all about timing. Shortly after leaving ANZ, I ended up going to Australia, and for running, no less. At that time, Jiang Shang, the leader of the Chongqing Liangjiang Road Running Club Yupaotuan, told me that I was chosen to represent the club in the race, and the entire trip would be led by He Tu Travel Consulting CEO Li Gang. Just thinking about it made me excited. Mr. Li Gang is an Australian travel expert awarded by the Australian government. He had already organized a large group of domestic marathon enthusiasts to experience the Gold Coast Marathon, and the feedback was excellent.

Secondly, the route of the Sydney Marathon is simply amazing. The full marathon route follows the 2000 Sydney Olympics route. Starting from under the Harbour Bridge, running across the spectacular bridge deck that is usually off-limits, passing through the Royal Botanic Garden, Centennial Park, Hyde Park, and other stunningly beautiful runner's paradises, and finally reaching the Sydney Opera House. The breathtaking natural scenery and cultural landmarks of Sydney are all encapsulated in this route. Moreover, the Sydney Marathon is the largest and most influential running event in the Southern Hemisphere. So, would you run it or not?

Here's a small anecdote: In 2014, Ms. Sun Xingfang, the Australian Ambassador to China, was invited to visit the ANZ Chongqing branch. I quickly went to Xinhua Bookstore to buy a Lonely Planet guidebook on Australia for her to sign, saying that my wife and I were planning to go there for our honeymoon. This led my colleagues to follow suit, all bringing similar books for her to sign. I wonder if she thought we were crazy, with the whole branch saying they were going to Australia for their honeymoon. Unexpectedly, I did end up going there not long after. At that time, our child was less than a year old, so my wife and I decided to leave a freezer full of milk and set off.

The 2015 Sydney Marathon was held on September 20. I almost achieved a personal best at the Tokyo Marathon earlier that year, but fell short in the last two kilometers due to the excellent food and drinks along the route. Then came the Chongqing Marathon, where I was confident of finishing in 3:30, but I hit the wall in the last kilometer and finished exactly at 3:30. This led to several months of knee rehabilitation. In early August, I successfully registered for the Sydney Marathon and, with the professional guidance of He Tu Travel Consulting's visa staff, completed the visa process for my wife, Luo Nimei, and myself. I mistakenly thought it was July and that I had two months until the race, so I planned to gradually regain my strength. When I realized there was less than a month left, my body had just warmed up. I thought, 'I'll be happy to finish under four hours,' and cried.

Before departure, Mr. Li had already arranged the entire itinerary. Apart from some shopping spots we chose ourselves, we didn't need to plan anything else. We stayed at the century-old five-star hotel Radisson Blu Plaza Sydney in the city center, collected materials at the Sydney Running Festival Expo at the Town Hall, enjoyed nightlife at various local bars, took a Fantasea cruise from Circular Quay to go whale watching, had a pre-race carbohydrate-rich meal at Darling Harbour, took surfing lessons at Bondi Beach, had a luxurious seafood buffet dinner at Sydney Tower after the race, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, experienced the largest jet boating in Australia in Sydney Harbour, and had plenty of time to explore the streets and alleys of Sydney. Mr. Li said that this itinerary was carefully planned to allow us to experience the authentic local culture in the shortest time possible. I believe that participating in a marathon in a place is a great way to experience the local culture. There is a Chinese idiom called 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' which expresses a similar idea.

Because I didn't do much planning, please forgive the disorganized sections and the lack of coherence. Let the pictures do the talking.

Maybe it's because I have a child now, but this time I paid special attention to children abroad. The biggest difference I noticed is that children abroad almost always play with their parents.

Here are some pictures of children participating in the family group race under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the starting point of the marathon:

Here are some pictures of a playground next to the University of Sydney:

Almost every time I travel, I visit the best local universities. This time, I chose the University of Sydney, especially since I heard they have a swimming pool. Hoping we might get a chance to swim, we took a public bus there. It took us fifteen minutes to buy a bus card from a store clerk who was too engrossed in playing mobile games.

Cao Pro fulfilled his wish of swimming at the University of Sydney's pool and took a photo with a coach who casually runs a full marathon in three hours. If we had come a few days earlier, we could have caught the school's swimming competition.

Writing this travelogue in the middle of the night with a hungry stomach and posting food photos is simply too cruel. During our stay in Sydney, we went to the nearby supermarket almost every day to buy blueberries, milk, strawberries, and other goodies. The best thing, in my opinion, was fish and chips. When in doubt, order this. Even President Xi Jinping had it when he visited the UK and met with David Cameron.

Early in the morning, we walked from the hotel to the Town Hall to take a bus to Bondi Beach. The name sounds like a band-aid to me... My thighs were still sore, so I treated it as a recovery exercise. I also discovered that I quickly get the hang of any water-related activity. After a couple of practice runs with the coach, I could ride the waves for a few seconds. I also learned a new word, 'paddle,' which in Chongqing dialect translates to 'hurry up and paddle, paddle, paddle.'

Alright, the pictures are posted. Finally, I want to thank Jiang, Cao Pro, for their companionship and care throughout the trip, and Rick and the Sydney Marathon for the opportunity. Running never stops, life never ceases. Alright, it's time for me to start preparing to lose weight...