Wild to the MacLehose Trail

Actually, the pre-race period was the most fun. Domestic runners gathered around a table, happily enjoying the pre-race dinner. When they saw Huancheng sitting alone pitifully eating fries, everyone looked sympathetically and started giving him food. The brothers from the mainland were as close as family. Back at the hotel, Zichen, Yulei, and I seriously (I couldn’t stop giggling — everyone else was so focused) studied the map and strategy. Everyone shared their thoughts on the race route. Ababa showed off his abs for the media (Yulei’s dad) to take photos, Sister Xing quietly sewed bib numbers for everyone, Lele livestreamed our preparation process. Seeing Yulei — this big guy — carrying a small Solomon hydration pack almost made me laugh out loud. Amid the jokes, we learned from each other's preparations and gear setups. In short, it was full of experience sharing and learning.
    and the same feeling as during the09Oxfam Trailwalker, the atmosphere of trail running surrounded us. Everyone greeted each other warmly, encouraged one another, laughed joyfully, took crazy photos, met various media, and occasionally jumped into others’ photo ops for fun — it felt like New Year’s, with absolutely no sense of tension. I too got swept up in this “New Year” vibe, chatting happily with fellow domestic runners and taking wild photos... Actually, I was looking for one person the whole time: Zeng Xiaoqiangstone, but ended up findingEricinstead. It had been ages, and after all the catching up, it felt like we’d known each other forever. As laughter filled the air and the countdown to the race began, I ended up at the very back of the group, with zero interest in stealing the spotlight. After the starting gun, I set off at the same time as Sister Xing. Among the crowd, the most noticeable sight was theThe North FaceTNF100professional hydration packs. The two of us weren’t being the least bit tacky — twoThe North Face waist pack made for an easy start.

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Leading the charge was the big guy Yu Lei. It took me10minutes of huffing and puffing to catch up to the leading group. The front-runners were all familiar faces, and I was at a disadvantage following Yu Lei—he completely blocked my view. When I met the top two Nepalis, I greeted them right away:Namaste(Nepali for "Hello"), and they warmly chatted with me. Soon we were deep in conversation—the Nepali brothers are really friendly. FromRitcey(an American), I learned that Xiao Qiang couldn’t participate this year due to an injury, which everyone found regrettable. During the chat, I found out thatRitceyand another American had been leading in the09year’swilson trailbut got injured and were eventually overtaken and beaten by me andstone, who broke the record. Even now, he still can’t accept it.

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Running past familiar scenery and seeing kind volunteers and domestic media cheering us on, the five-star red flag on my bib made my heart swell again. After passingCP1, everyone joked about who could keep running up the steep hill ahead—only I and the two Nepalis didn’t answer. And sure enough, the three of us didn’t stop—we dashed ahead: whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Then we heard the three foreigners exclaim “fuck”“so crazy!” Haha, the only advantage us Asians have is our light bodies.holdGot it? The three of us burst out laughing and kept going. If flat terrain is about speed, then mountainous sections test endurance and climbing technique. They occasionally stopped to take selfies. That made me jealous—such beautiful mountains and waters, yet I hadn’t brought a camera. I regretted it so much I felt like jumping into the sea to “end it all.” All I could do was memorize the scene in my mindmark, bidding a teary farewell to this seaside paradisego on.

The damn sandy beach was as soft as a sponge, wasn’t it? I didn’t understand Nepali, just heard them blurt out “shit,” but one guy still stopped to take a narcissistic “click”photoof himself and kept running. Everyone had a slightly different running style. The South African guy seemed to be struggling, but he listened to music to relax. The two Americans were very serious—they tried to stay in the lead from the start. The Nepalis, however, were steady—they didn’t fight for first place but consistentlyholdthe front group. As for me, I kept looking back, hopingEricwould catch up and chat with me. We hadn’t seen each other in ages, and I felt we were the closest in the group. While running, there was no time to think about anything else—at least I was immersed in the MacLehose Trail. Whenever I saw a foreigner, I’d say “Excuse me ,” and they’d cheer me on enthusiastically. When I saw locals, I’d greet them with “唔该.” Along the way, a few guys relied on me to clear the way, and they gave me grateful looks.

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Even though we were laughing and chatting and not feeling tired, the two Nepaliskept running up very steep slopes, which I just couldn’t handle. I had to slow down and adjust my pace. With beautiful volunteers and quiet trails, I wasn’t lonely. I chatted occasionally with tourists, and at every rest stop, I’d stop to hydrate and eat, feeling the warmth of the young volunteers. Not knowing Cantonese in Hong Kong was truly helpless—I could only manage in English. They got excited seeing the five-star red flag on my bib...Ga yao......Ga yao...Such kind volunteers—hearing their cheers erased all fatigue. After running through this “damn awful road,” I felt anxious for my fellow runners back home—it was truly painful to run here. But since you’ve chosen it, you can’t escape. Since you’re here, just enjoy the pain the MacLehose Trail brings. Don’t you usually cry and beg to punish yourself? Well, here’s your chance. After finishing this continuous 5kilometer uphill climb, you can go home and yell in front of the mirror a hundred times, “You’re soTMDawesomeB!” As I kept running and looked back with nostalgia, I couldn’t help but marvel, “These mountains are freaking majestic—how the hell did I float up here?” But no matter—I kept charging ahead.

We glided all the way to52kofCP5 Teacher Ma asked a very professional question: What’s the difference between this race and those in China? I hesitated for a long time before saying, “It’s way more fun than the ones back home.” Actually, I was holding back a bit—I wanted to say, “This is a running route designed for demons. I’m loving these ups and downs, it feels absolutely amazing.” Little did I know how many guys were cursing those endless climbs, in so much pain they wanted to quit. If they’d heard my nonsense, they’d have beaten me up. After changing into gear and loading up on water and supplies, we pressed on along the legendary Oxfam Trailwalker route, which really showcasedTheNorthFacethe advantage of a hydration pack. Refilling water at aid stations was super convenient. Seeing others stop to take off their backpacks and pour water, I couldn’t help but feel smug—great gear gives you all kinds of advantages.

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The rest of the route was extremely familiar to me—it was straight out of the Oxfam Trailwalker design. I was mentally prepared as we neared Monkey Mountain. Early on, I put on my glasses, packed my food, and made sure no one saw a thing—not even a sip of water. If they got their hands on my stash, I’d starve for the second half of the race. Also, uneven distribution could get you mobbed. If they ganged up on me, my return flight the next day would be ruined. I didn’t dare look them in the eye, instead secretly admiring themonkeymonkeys playing around. They seemed to be mocking me—everyone else was driving while I was running, and I didn’t even stop. Seeing their antics lightened my mood a lot. I wasn’t mobbed and managed to escape safely.monkey hill I broke out in a cold sweat—luckilyzerofitthe moisture-wicking properties of my base layer kept me dry, barely affecting my progress afterward. The biggest mental hurdle next was Big Hat Mountain. Seeing those endless stair-like steps—Oh My God—my legs went weak, because I knew this marked the start of the nightmare before Big Hat Mountain.09When I came here years ago (it was already night then), I almost cried from exhaustion. Well,shit @#￥fuck &%￥# dame it The guy behind meRitcey climbed while cursing, saying he hated uphill sections and only liked downhills. Drip drip drip—who knows what magical force pulled us up that little hill.

Ritcey But his downhill speed was unbeatable. I heard him shout excitedly over his shoulder, “Bridge, Here we go!” And just like that, he disappeared. It wasn’t until the long uphill climb that I caught sight of him again. The mountain switchbacks felt like a gift from heaven to every racer. Without those grueling climbs, the race wouldn’t have been as perfect. It was a stretch where you had to talk to yourself—quit or keep going, stop or run, cry or stay strong. You had to ask your legs. The inner struggle and physical test were intense, but with victory close, I didn’t stop. That’s the spirit ofThe North Faceathletes: “Exploration never stops!” We kept a distance between us, both relying on willpower. He glanced at me, and I met his gaze—we were both unwilling to back down in the final stretch.

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Once we hit the downhill, that kid was like a horse let loose, disappearing in a flash. The blister on my foot warned me again, “Take easy” Stay calm, slow down. But I didn’t listen to my foot—and “pop,” it burst, the pain excruciating. If I justRitceyhad gone, I might’ve felt less frustrated. After conquering the truly massive Big Hat Mountain, a wave of triumph washed over me. I charged downhill, greeting volunteers who waved and cheered me on. It was dark, and I couldn’t see clearly, but I was just thrilled, desperate to sprint to the finish line—I was so hungry I could’ve eaten a whole cow. Darkness couldn’t stop me now; the finish was right there. Overhearing my family’s cheers, I got overly excited: “kao I can’t find the arch!” Their applause snapped me back to reality, and I crossed the finish line fifth with a time of11hours and01minutes. If I get the chance to tackle this devilish course again next year, I’ll definitely return to relive the MacLehose Trail.

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Finally, thanks toTheNorthFacefor giving Xing Jie and me this opportunity to challenge ourselves in Hong Kong, and to all the volunteers. A special thank you to Teacher Ma and Yu Leifu for following us the whole way with their cameras.TNF100Let’s meet again at the foot of the Great Wall.