With the Sydney Marathon in the rear vision mirror, we wanted to touch base with a few more members of the community to see how the big day played out. Alex, founder of Chinatown Run Club, went out with the idea of finishing the race would be enough, but deep down wanted to finish around the 4 hour mark, which he and friend Teo managed to hit.

Have a read of Alex's future marathon aspirations and goals.

Firstly, introduce yourself; who you are, what you do and who you run with/for?

Hey there, my name is Alexander Fan. I have been blessed to start Chinatown Run Club based out of Chinatown Sydney, Haymarket. I also work within the lovely building of 17 Valentine Street in Haymarket, a multifaceted building which is home to Blank Gallery, MAILLOT and Outta Coffee.

How long have you been running and how/when did you get your start? 

I have been blessed to be a part of the running community since working with Kings Cross Track Club from Sydney, Grave Runners from NZ and AM:PM RC from Melbourne, on Subspace which was held in September last year at Blank Gallery. Since then, Subspace was the spark that lead me down the path of putting one foot in front of the other for fun.

What event did you run at the 2024 Sydney Marathon Festival and how did you go compared to expectations? 

I ran the full Sydney Marathon this year with my lovely friend and teammate Teo who runs the lovely coffee shop on the first floor of 17 Valentine Street, Outta Coffee. We both had the goal of just finishing but secretly had the goal of hitting close to 4 hrs which was achieved, so expectations and goals were met I could say.

How do you find running in a big event compared to your regular runs during the week? 

Big events are always so much fun. Only this year did I start participating in events and the energy is completely different when running these runs. Always so lovely hearing people cheer each other on, moving together and pushing each other forward. It's truly such an amazing time to be involved in.

Tell us a bit about what you ran in on the day and how you kept yourself fuelled during the race? 

I ran in the On running new Cloudboom Strikes which I have been a big fan of since release this year. They’re such a bouncy shoe and I have been a big fan of On running and their work quite a lot recently. For shorts and cap I was sporting Goldwin from Japan, that hat seems to be the only running hat that fits my tiny head, even though it is still a bit big. For my shirt I was sporting the Chinatown Run Club shirt pressed on a plain lululemon metal vent top to represent the crew.  I also had the most amazing support from my partner Puti who tracked me all around the course and pushed me on throughout the race. She ran her own supporter marathon for me and for that I am so so grateful to her. Seeing her cheering me on is better than any gel or aid station.

Maybe too soon to ask, but have you got your eyes set on your next race and goals already in mind? 

After this weekend’s race I actually contemplated heading over to NZ in November for the marathon however I may wait to let my legs rest before I make that decision. Sydney Marathon 2025 is a definite however. Goals for 2025 is definitely hitting that sub 4 in the full and under 1.5hr in the half.

Will you be doing anything differently in the lead up to your next race?

I definitely will be eating breakfast; I was starving for most of the run. Getting my training on a proper schedule will definitely be more important as I was juggling quite a lot so training wasn’t optimal for this year’s race. We still finished however which is always great.

Any words of wisdom for anyone considering having a crack at a marathon? 

Get out and move! Be that with your local run club or even just some friends. I always say you don’t need a run club to go out and run. It all starts somewhere. Everyone is in their own race.