Hong Kong Marathon: blind runner who ‘had no purpose’ after sight loss targets sub-3-hours
The inspirational story of how Hongkonger Lee Chun-fai rebuilt his life after isolation and depression, thanks to dragon boating and running
After losing 95 per cent of his sight in just over one week at the age of 21, Lee Chun-fai locked himself away from the world for two years.
Depressed, isolated and with “no concept of time”, Lee had “no purpose at all”. “I would eat when I wanted and spend the day listening to the radio and TV,” Lee said.
Today, 18 years after aggressive optic nerve atrophy left Lee with 10 per cent vision in his left eye and completely blind in his right, and 12 years after he began running, the 39-year-old has ticked off the Hong Kong 100 Ultra, the Oxfam Trailwalker and a 5,364-metre climb to Everest Base Camp.
On Sunday, aided by guide runner Lukas Wambua Muteti, he will aim to complete the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in under three hours, after becoming the first visually impaired Hongkonger to break that barrier at Japan’s Nagano Marathon in 2023. His best time in four previous Hong Kong editions is three hours, eight minutes.
“It would mean more [doing it] at home, and the sense of achievement would be greater, because the course is more challenging,” Lee said.
