On the 19th of this month, the third edition of the Vibram Hong Kong 100 will kick off, with over 1,200 runners from around the world competing over two days for the title of this individual 100km extreme endurance race. This event is the largest individual trail marathon endurance race in Hong Kong and has been included as a qualifying race for the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc and Western States 100, both considered among the most difficult trail events in the world.
Hong Kong people love sports, and there are dozens of hiking and trail running events on the city’s four famous hiking trails: the MacLehose Trail, Lantau Trail, Wilson Trail, and Awa Trail. The starting point of this race is located at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung District in the eastern part of Hong Kong. The route passes through Ham Tin Wan, Wong Shek, Hoi Ha, Yung Shue O, The Peak (one of the Kowloon Mountains in Hong Kong), Shing Mun Reservoir, and ends at the Rotary Park at Tai Mo Shan. The course goes through multiple scenic areas including beaches, forests, reservoirs, and mountain trails, with a cumulative elevation gain of over 4,500 meters. Participants must complete the entire course within 32 hours.
In its third year, the event attracted over 1,200 trail running enthusiasts from 30 countries and regions. Registration, which opened 48 hours prior, was declared full. Nearly 300 of the participants came from mainland China. The competitors include Stone Tsang (曾小强), one of Hong Kong’s top trail runners and a physical fitness instructor with the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. Aside from setting numerous records in various Hong Kong trail races, he achieved 21st place in the 2010 UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc), marking the best result by a Chinese athlete in that event. Also participating are Jeremy Ritcey, who took 4th place in the 85km category of the 2012 Mount Fuji Super Trail and 2nd place in the 2012 Canadian Death Race, William Davies, the champion of the first Hong Kong 100km Ultra Trail Race, and Aite Tamang, who was the runner-up in the second edition.
It’s worth mentioning the most eye-catching highlight of the event—its volunteers. Over 150 volunteers have signed up to serve the race, including many young volunteers such as students from Hong Kong’s Sai Wan Ho Catholic Primary School and members of the Hong Kong Scouts. According to Qu Lijie, who participated in the race last year, these children ranged in age from as young as five or six to as old as fifteen or sixteen. They helped serve athletes at aid stations, with some working nearly 24-hour shifts, serving from 10 a.m. on the first day to 4 a.m. the next morning in temperatures as low as 8–9°C. After last year’s race, Qu Lijie wrote in her blog: “When I was dragging my extremely tired body, stumbling towards CP8 (aid station), and I heard the loud, clear trumpet calls from the brightly lit area, I was so moved that I really wanted to run up to those three kids standing on the high ground and kiss each of them.”