Off to a running start

Cook Hong Kong and the charity run

Anticipation hung heavy in the air as veteran marathoners and rookie runners alike listened for the race’s starting sound. At the cue, the crowd propels forward, in a wave of motion, as they take their first steps toward the finish line. Among the throng of runners for the “Pok Oi x Old Master Q Hong Kong Charity Run,” 19 employees from Cook Hong Kong, and a family member, hustled along.

As their sneakers smacked against the pavement, each runner was driven forward for a reason. For some, being a part of the 3k run (just short of two miles) was a way to challenge their physical and mental fitness, and for others, it was a way to tick an item off their long-held bucket list. But for all of the Cook employees present, making their charity run debut was about being a part of a meaningful experience for a good cause.

“Our decision to participate in a charity run was driven by Cook’s value of giving back,” said Swee Ng, senior engineer in Research & Development (R&D), who coordinated the employee efforts within Cook for the run.

Cook Hong Kong laced up their running shoes to help promote local art and culture and to raise funds for the construction of the POH Tuen Mun Lam Tei Nursing and Residential Care Home for the elderly.

“Knowing that we were running for the benefit of a charity was that extra motivation,” Swee added. “It drove participation, pulled us through the tough training sessions, and on the day of the race, it made the runners want to give their best efforts.”

Steeling up for race day

Everyone involved knew that preparing for the race would require a lot of hard work, dedication, and persistence, but that the gratification of sharing achievements with people who truly needed it would make it well worth all the sweat.

Our runners were fully aware that in order to tame the run, they would need to work towards improving their muscle capabilities and start building an internal battery that would help them sustain their pace during the race. With an utmost respect for the run, everyone took practicing seriously and participated in numerous training sessions. After work, Anita Li, a veteran marathoner and APAC Sales & Clinical Training manager in Urology, led high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions to help prepare her colleagues for the overall race.

“A 3k is 3k, and it deserves to be treated seriously,” Anita said. “Being persistent and hitting the pavement regularly, pushing your own mental and physical limits, and improving stamina is the key to slaying your run.”

Another major motivation for training so diligently and for taking the race so seriously is that everyone wanted to run their hardest and not let their team down. The charity run was a unique chance for the Cook employees to bond on a different level and to connect with each other outside of work. On the day of the run, coworkers were more than just people running next to each other, they motivated and supported each other, pulling the entire group through the long distance.

“I’m not the most athletic person, so it really surprised me how easy it was to survive a 3k run,” said Natalie Liang, an APAC project manager in the Vascular division. “I think doing it as a team really made a difference.”

Art, culture, and fun for all

After weeks of training and dedicated preparation, race day arrived. The employees were grouped into two corporate teams and eagerly waited at the starting line. Throughout the race course, and all around the city, decorations and artwork detailed the popular and beloved Chinese comic and cartoon Old Master Q.

A timeless, local comic series that touched upon a spectrum of topics, ranging from current affairs to surreal encounters, the presence of Old Master Q throughout the race was widely welcomed by the race’s participants.

“Old Master Q is a comic I loved ever since I was a kid,” said Vicki Chan, the Exhibition and Events manager in the Marketing department. “Seeing banners, backdrops, and official running shirts featuring Old Master Q, and a couple thousand people wearing those shirts was like being invited into a celebration of local art and culture.”

Together, the collaborative merging of local art, sports, and charity was a huge success for the community and a high point for many of the Cook Hong Kong runners.

“You don’t get to run on highways together with 8,000 people every day.” said Hazel Lin, the Marketing coordinator for the Corporate Marketing Operations team. “It allowed me to take a closer look at the city and rediscover the beauty of the local streets.”

Even though a great deal of the trainings could be intense, and even painful at times, experiencing the joy of accomplishing the run, connecting with each other and with the city, and having fun, made each step and drop of sweat worth it.

Anita said, “The moment you reached the finish line knowing that you ran your way throughout the whole course, it’s just an incredible sense of satisfaction, and you know every push you made is worth it.”

“Add all of this to this the support of the volunteer workers who lined the route, shouting, high-fiving, and encouraging you to keep going, and I can start to really understand why people keep coming back for the next run,” Hazel said.

Below is a video of the Cook runners excited to start the race three minutes before the race began.

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Written by KarSee Lock, a Written Content specialist in APAC Marketing at Cook Hong Kong. Edited by Alexandria Stanfield, an Editorial Content generalist. 

You can click The Cook Values Audio Series: Episode 1 to read and learn about the Cook Group values and how we can apply it to our daily work.