Wins second, third and fourth places in men’s marathon, third place in women’s marathon, and overall team prize

Hong Kong, 18 April, 2017 – The FWD team achieved remarkable results in the “FWD North Pole Marathon 2017”. Our two Nepalese professional long runners Bhim Bahadur Gurung and Samir Tamang won second and third place respectively in the Men’s Marathon, while Hong Kong athlete Chan Ka-ho came fourth. Former Hong Kong Olympics Track Team member Christy Yiu came third in the Women’s Marathon, while the FWD team also won the overall Team Prize. 

The FWD North Pole Marathon 2017 kicked off at 10:30pm (Norwegian Time) on 8 April at the extreme 89° latitude North with temperatures at nearly -40℃.  

David Wong, Chief Executive Officer of FWD Hong Kong & Macau, said, “I’m so impressed and proud of the FWD team who together overcame the extreme challenges with passion, strong will and perseverance. The strong team not only managed to complete the marathon while enduring extreme weather conditions and after travelling across different time zones in a short period of time, but achieved outstanding results.” 

David continued, “I also want to express my gratitude to the two representatives of FWD Hong Kong Steve Lo and Andy Chik, who were perfect examples of how Hong Kong people can embrace their passion and achieve life goals. Steve and Andy truly demonstrated the spirit of the FWD brand - daring to take on challenges, living life to the fullest!”

Christy Yiu said, “My original target was to complete the race safely and smoothly. The process was very tough and the freezing weather was definitely an extraordinary challenge to overcome. During the race I kept reminding myself not to give up, to keep on moving ahead and conquer my limitations. I also wanted to use this experience to encourage and motivate others to pursue their goals, and to show that perseverance will always pay off.”

Chan Ka-ho said, “Completing the North Pole Marathon smoothly and achieving such a great result is absolutely a bonus to me! Coincidentally I celebrated my 33rd birthday on the race day, and being able to run such an extreme marathon together with my wife Christy on my birthday will be a special memory that I will cherish all my life.”    

Following the race, a helicopter flight was arranged by the organiser to fly all participants to 90° latitude North to view the stunning nature and take group photos. Participants were then flown to Svalbard, Norway on 10 April. The FWD team arrived in Hong Kong on 13 April. 

Title sponsored by FWD, the “FWD North Pole Marathon 2017" kicked off on 8 April at 10:30pm (Norwegian time). Fifty-five runners from all over the world raced in loops on 12-feet thick frozen ice at the 89° - 90° latitude North.


Notes:

1. The six team members represented FWD include:
• Two athletes from Hong Kong: Chan Ka-ho, winner of Men’s 10km Challenge in Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2017; and Christy Yiu Kit-ching, former Hong Kong Olympics Track Team member
• Two FWD Insurance Representatives from Hong Kong: Steve Lo, first Hong Kong recipient of World Marathon Majors; and Andy Chik, an experienced runner who recently completed the World Marathon Challenge and 7 Marathons 7 Continents 7 Days
• Two long-run champions from Nepal: Bhim Bahadur Gurung and Samir Tamang, who were raising money for their hometowns
  
  
2. North Pole Marathon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/npmarathon/

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About FWD Hong Kong & Macau

FWD spans Hong Kong & Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. In Hong Kong, FWD offers life and medical insurance, general insurance, employee benefits, pension, and financial planning. The life insurance and general insurance operating entities have been assigned strong financial strength ratings by international rating agencies — FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited is rated “A3” by Moody’s and “A” by Fitch; and FWD General Insurance Company Limited is rated “A” by Fitch.

FWD is focused on creating fresh customer experiences, with easy-to-understand products, supported by leading digital technologies. Through this customer-led approach, FWD will achieve its vision to become the leading pan-Asian insurer that changes the way people feel about insurance.

Established in Asia in 2013, FWD is the insurance business arm of investment group, Pacific Century Group.

For more information please visit WWW.FWD.COM.HK or WWW.FWD.COM.MO.