Our speaker of the day, Walter Cheung, was introduced by Rotarian Fei. Walter is well known in the public relations field, having served under five CEOs at Hang Seng Bank and is currently Managing Director of Walter Cheung Communications. Walter (水哥) is an avid marathon runner and shared with us his journey of 100 marathons. Inspired after reading Richard Branson’s autobiography, Walter wanted to do something unconventional and wanted a breakthrough. In 2002, at the age of 44, he signed up for his first full marathon. Battling leg cramps, he crossed the finish line merely 10 minutes before the time limit of five hours. At the age of 57, Walter completed his 50th full marathon. This past October, Walter completed his 100th full marathon at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Some of the highlights of Walter’s marathon journey, include: 50th marathon in Paris; 70th marathon in Rome; being the first Hong Konger to run a marathon in Bhutan; and completing the Great Wall marathon in 2008 and the Everest marathon in 2012. As a public relations professional, Walter used various media channels to document his journey and to build a personal brand. Even though he is not a professional athlete, his story of perseverance and commitment to the sport has attracted media and commercial attention. He has been sponsored by Starbucks (100 coffee coupons in recognition of completing 100 marathons), NISSIN and ASICS to name a few.
You can follow Walter via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WalterCheungCommunications/
