‘Do not give up’: spinocerebellar atrophy sufferer will race up ICC tower hoping to inspire others

General
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Runner afflicted with a degenerative disease will scale 21 floors of the ICC as part of the SHKP Vertical Run for Charity in a bid to set an example of determination

Racing up Hong Kong’s tallest tower is a challenge most of us would not consider, but spinocerebellar atrophy sufferer Kelvin Kwong hopes to inspire others by taking part in the Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) Vertical Run for Charity.
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Kwong will compete in the Fun Climb 21 for the second time in December, a race to the 21st storey of the International Commerce Centre (ICC), despite being afflicted with a degenerative disease.
Spinocerebellar atrophy slowly robs people of their coordination, making it hard for them to control their muscles and is characterised by difficulty walking and speaking.
Kwong walks with the support of two walking sticks, but this has not deterred him from taking on the ICC challenge.
The Vertical Run for Charity launch event on Thursday with (from left) organising committee co-chairman Edward Cheung, SHKP executive director & deputy managing director Victor Lui and executive director Christopher Kwok.
“I want to inspire people not to give up,” he said. “Despite my health issues, I’m still determined to walk up to the 21st floor.
“Many people have said to me that seeing me finish last year was touching and they were proud.”
The SHKP Vertical Run for Charity consists of two categories, the Fun Climb 21 and the full race up 82 floors, amounting to 2,120 steps.
Eric Yeung, only 19 years old, will be taking part for the fourth year in a row up all 82 floors. Last year he finished fifth and has a personal best of just over 14 minutes, but this year he is aiming for sub-14 minutes.

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There is no doubt that it requires a lot of determination to participate in the race. For many of us, getting to the bathroom in time requires a lot of determination, too. In fact, I admire the latter group just as much because their determination doesn’t make hedlines.

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YES,

determination, positive thinking but with knowing limitations and saftey

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:smirk:my thoughts too. Obviously it depends on his specific ataxia, you can’t generalise. Personally, I’ve found that ‘pushing myself’ ends up in a relapse​:expressionless: But, if he wants to do it, and doesn’t suffer afterwards, good luck to him​:slightly_smiling_face: I could probably manage to raise awareness about ataxia doing something while sitting down​:thinking::wink:xB