The 2020 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon was held on December 6, starting from the Taipa Olympic Stadium, with the full route passing by iconic points in the city such as the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and A-Má Temple. Despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, 1,400 athletes registered for the full marathon (42.195 km), 4,800 for the half-marathon (21.097 km) and 5,800 for the mini-marathon (about 4.5 km), for a total of 12,000 participants for the 39th edition of the race, 4,400 of whom were women.
One female competitor was Vivi Cheung, who placed 146th overall in the full marathon, and an impressive third in her age category, finishing the course in 3:29:07. Vivi is no stranger to physically demanding races, claiming the honour of being the first local Macau athlete to have completed the gruelling 171 km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. With a degree in clinical psychology, Vivi’s passion for running has helped her to overcome her struggles with depression in the past few years, and she continues to participate in regional and international athletics competitions. In preparation for last year’s Macau Marathon, Vivi opted to train around the Guia Hill circuit.


Vivi Cheung
“This was the second time I have participated in the full marathon, and I have run the half marathon four times. Running a marathon in Macau has a special meaning for me because this is where I was born and raised,” says Vivi. “In 2020, I couldn’t participate in competitions abroad due to the pandemic, so I practiced for the marathon in Macau instead. My goal was to finish the race in 3 hours and 30 minutes. It was a huge challenge for me”.
Asked about her preparation for the race, Vivi points out that a good diet is one of the most important aspects, as well as avoiding injuries.
“I trained very intensively for the marathon, but to be honest, it is also something that implies the risk of injury. However, I always have well-defined goals for myself, and I really enjoy running,” she says. “I feel that running gives me a huge sense of achievement, so I’ll keep doing it, even if it carries the risk of injury. I do intensive training three times a week, and it’s quite painful, but every time I finish a training session or a race, I feel I’ve done something that seemed impossible, and that feeling always motivates me to continue.”
“Some people may listen to music when they run, but I prefer to listen to my heartbeat, my footsteps,” Vivi adds. “Sometimes when you go deeper into mindfulness, you can feel the blood flowing in your body. I love that feeling. Running a marathon can be a painful endeavour, but that kind of pain has an end. I think to myself, if I could overcome depression, why can’t I get through the physical stress from running?”
Ultimately, the first woman across the finish line in the full marathon was Mainland Chinese athlete Zhang Deshun who broke the course record with a time of 2:28:43.
Another local female competitor in the 2020 Macau Marathon was Portuguese national Sofia Bobone, who has lived in Macau since 1997. Making her Macau Marathon debut in the half marathon category, the 49-year-old designer started running more regularly after participating in Action Asia some 16 years ago, a multidisciplinary event involving athletics, cycling and swimming.


Sofia Bobone
“Actually I don’t really like to run,” she says with a smile. “I think above all I run to stay in good physical shape,” she adds, stressing that running outdoors is another great motivation. “Running outdoors attracted me a lot because I’m a super outdoor person.”
As more of a distance runner than a sprinter, Sofia intensified her training for the half-marathon in the month leading up to the event. “My training sessions are usually 7 or 8 kilometers when I am not training for a race. To run a half-marathon you just have to train once or twice at 15-17 kilometers.”
On food restrictions, Sofia says that she doesn’t have any because she already has “a balanced and careful diet”, “I didn’t eat immediately before the marathon because it started at 6am, but the day before, I ate more carbohydrates than usual”.
Although she admits that she participated in the race “for fun,” Sofia says that she analyzed the course carefully and prepared a strategy to complete the half-marathon in less than two hours.
“The course is quite urban, but I like to run in the countryside more. I live in Coloane, where the air is purer. I don’t know if the quality of the air makes much difference, all I know is that you feel a lot of pollution running in the city, although it is easier to run on a road surface,” says Sofia, who prepared for the marathon running on the Coloane tracks.
Sofia trained with other people in the lead up to the race, but on the day, it was very much an individual mission.
“Women are very competitive. When you say it’s a race against yourself, it is, but it’s not. That is, my goal was to do it in less than two hours, but when the other people I know do better than me, it irritates me”.
Ultimately, Sofia achieved her goal, finishing the half marathon in 1 hour, 58 minutes and 44 seconds, crossing the line in an impressive 35th place.