Bad science almost costs Alex Chan the junior half-marathon title

There were no tears but plenty of sweat and even some blood as Alex Chan Wai-tung claimed honours in the junior half- marathon.

"I wasn't sure if I could run, even when the race started," said Chan, who damaged the soles of his feet on Friday after taking part in a physical exercise study at Polytechnic University.

"My feet were hurting. I took some steps at the starting point and decided to keep going," said Chan, who finished in one hour, 17 minutes and 16 seconds.

"I was asked to run on a running machine barefoot, which lasted 17 minutes, and then with shoes on.

"I felt pain and I couldn't go on with the second part. I went back to my dorm and discovered I had blisters around the size of a table tennis ball on each of my feet. They were filled with blood," said Chan, who majors in physiotherapy.

Chan (pictured), could barely walk on Saturday but as favourite for the race after finishing third in 2013 and second last year, he didn't want to miss his last chance in the junior category.