From Grassroots boy to Iron Man

On November 3rd Mike Chan will participate in the 'BMW Destination X Ironman 70.3' International Invitation in Taiwan. The triathlon will include a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km run, and is likely to take up to seven hours to complete! Mike says he's been training for this for four years, but the truth is that his entire life has been an unofficial marathon.

Mike visits with Zhuo Ma after her surgery

I first met Mike two years ago during a reunion Christian Action organised for Vietnamese alumni of the Kai Tak refugee camp school. Mike's passion to serve as a volunteer was evident, and has not diminished! Now he is becoming a role model for children from our Mong Kok centre.

Mike says that he grew up in a grassroots family. He said, "I have seven brothers and sisters, and my parents had limited financial resources, so I was raised to be very independent. I had to work in order to get a tertiary education and attend university." He is a graduate of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With a valuable awareness of his strengths and weaknesses in various sports, Mike focused on dedicating his energy to participating in triathlons because of the reliance in this sport on endurance rather than speed.

For Mike, the purpose of it all is to use his God-given abilities to help children who are experiencing all the difficulties he faced as a child. When Mike met some of the children we help, he said, "These children are innocent, yet they are victims of poverty. They have a right to protection, care, encouragement and love."

The mothers of these children migrated to Hong Kong from mainland China, and survive by working 12+ hours a day, usually seven days a week.  When Mike visited our Mong Kok Centre, he could easily relate to the children he saw being fed, cared for, coached with their homework, and most importantly, kept off the streets and away from unscrupulous adults who prey on children's vulnerabilities.  These are the children he will be thinking about during his challenging race on November 3rd. And here's where you come in!

Mike has already raised over HK$50,000 in sponsorship! So let's encourage him, and thank him for caring by clicking on this link now!