Runners aim to be fastest Hong Kong team in Oxfam Trailwalker
Hongkongers have put everything on the line to complete charity event under 12 hours
The seeds of a dream were planted nearly six months ago at the Round the Island Race, where four runners talked about clocking the fastest time for a local Chinese team in the Oxfam Trailwalker's 27-year history.
At the finish of the Athletic Veterans of Hong Kong annual race round the Tai Tam Reservoir in April, Law Chor-kin, Thomas Lam Shing-yip, Tsang "Ying Ying" Chun-kit and Tang Sun-kam gathered for a photo. They also joked that they could be the "Dream Team" of Hong Kong's trail running scene. Tsang won the men's open division in five hours and 43 minutes.
On Friday, Team 2XU HOKA UFO hope to complete the treacherous 100km charity run in under 12 hours.
If they do, they will be faster than the 2010 People's Liberation Army time of 11 hours and 59 minutes, and faster than last year's 12:25 set by the "Convoy Cosmoboys", a Hong Kong team.
"Winning or not is a relative thing. Our focus is not on winning, it is on beating our target," said a level-headed Law, a 36-year-old surveying officer. "I will consider it a win if we can achieve what we aim for. Our competitors are ourselves."
Sometimes putting the best runners in one team may not work, but I am sure it will in this team
Tsang, a 30-year-old lifeguard, added: "To be the fastest will be something we can contribute to Hong Kong. We love Hong Kong and would like to do something for the city."
