Record-breaking runner Wong Wan-chun back on track after battling recurrence of rare debilitating illness
- Distance runner, who holds four Hong Kong records, is hoping to smash two more in 2022 after being sidelined by a bout of proteinuria
- The condition, which he has had since childhood, is caused by excess proteins in the urine, and leaves him with swollen feet for weeks at a time
Hong Kong distance runner Wong Wan-chun is ready to end 2022 on a high note by smashing more records, after battling a recurrence of a debilitating illness that has affected him since childhood.
Wong enjoyed a remarkable summer, breaking two city records. The 26-year-old ran the San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Half-Marathon in June in one hour, four minutes and 57 seconds, and the Gold Coast 10k in 29 minutes and 27 seconds a few weeks later.
As he looked to set another new Hong Kong benchmark at the Berlin Marathon in September, his efforts were derailed by a bout of proteinuria – the presence of excess proteins in the urine.
“I’ve had it [proteinuria] since I was a child, and it happens every few years. The last time I had the symptoms was six years ago,” Wong said.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this year, but it came when I was quarantined in a Hong Kong hotel after finishing sub-30 in Australia.
“I don’t appear different with this disease except that my feet are swollen, which made training difficult for the first two weeks. But now I’m back to regular training, even though I’m still taking medicine.”
