Led by Kevin Lin, a team races in Hong Kong to show love and experience the city’s green charm

Few people know that beyond its food and drink scene, Hong Kong also boasts breathtaking green landscapes. In fact, over 70% of Hong Kong’s area consists of countryside, with vast expanses of rolling hills and offshore islands, as well as local beaches, hiking trails, and country parks — all great places to experience nature’s beauty. Sports-loving Hongkongers have come up with a unique idea: leveraging the city’s rugged hills to organize an internationally recognized, ultra-challenging and highly charitable team marathon — the Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong. At the warm invitation of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Taiwanese ultra-marathon runner Kevin Lin, Olympic gold medalist Chu Mu-yen, one of Taiwan’s 400m relay record holders Li Ching-yen, and triathlon enthusiast Si Shaohua joined forces to take on the challenge in Hong Kong from a philanthropic perspective.

When introducing the “Oxfam Trailwalker” event, Wang Wanmin, Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Taiwan Office, explained that its most distinctive feature is that participants must form teams of four, start together, finish together, and complete the 100-kilometer course along the MacLehose Trail within 48 hours. The route involves climbing more than 20 mountains and traversing both mountain paths and stairways. This race tests not only physical strength and endurance but also team cohesion — team members must help and encourage each other to successfully finish the course. Moreover, as the event is fundamentally a charity fundraiser, the proceeds go towards Oxfam’s poverty alleviation, development, and disaster relief efforts, giving it even greater meaning. This year’s race is scheduled for November 20–22, and four athletes have been specially invited to participate, while also introducing Taiwanese audiences to Hong Kong’s ecological and green tourism concepts.

In fact, Kevin Lin had already formed a team to compete in the Oxfam Trailwalker back in 2002, where he even claimed the championship with an outstanding performance. Having officially retired from marathon racing, he is now rallying friends to take part once again — both to contribute to charity and to enjoy the fun of the race itself. The other three athletes are equally excited and happy to experience a different kind of marathon and see Hong Kong from a fresh perspective. In early October, the four athletes traveled to Hong Kong for relocation training to familiarize themselves with the race environment. Kevin Lin is expected to complete the entire course in about 17–20 hours, and it is believed that he will once again be moved by the beauty of green Hong Kong as well as the strong team spirit among the four of them.