Fung Kam-hung
32 years ago, Fung Kam-hung lost his left leg in a traffic accident. This year, Fung became the first amputee participant in the annual Oxfam Trailwalker and finished the 100-kilometer trail within 30 hours. He talks to Grace Tsoi about how he trained for the arduous hike.
HK Magazine: Why did you join this year’s Oxfam Trailwalker?
Fung Kam-hung: It was my first time to join as a walker this year. In the past three years, I had been a support crew for my wife, providing back-up assistance for her when she was doing the hike. In the course, I witnessed the joy and hardship of joining Trailwalker and I wanted to give it a try. This year, I finished a full marathon and that boosted my confidence. Also, I am 59 years old now and I wanted to challenge myself to finish the charity walk before reaching 60.
HK: Trailwalker participants have to be in four-member teams. Who were your teammates?
FH: My wife is a Trailwalker veteran and she has participated in the event for six years. She is the most experienced on our team. She is a nurse—in fact, we met when she was taking care of me after my accident—and sometimes she has to do night shifts. But even after working overnight, she will go hiking with me, with even more enthusiasm than me! She is my greatest motivation to challenge myself. The other two members were my prosthetist-orthoists, who have become my friends. They very much understand the difficulties of amputees and that’s why we formed a team together.
HK: Are you happy with your result?
FH: Our team finished the hike in 29 hours and 28 minutes. My wife averages at about 25 hours. So, we had a target of 27 hours, which is already quite difficult for a novice. It rained and we had to slow down our pace, so we failed to complete the hike within 27 hours. However, the most important goal was to finish the trail as a four-member team safely. We did that and that is the true meaning of Trailwalker.
HK: What was the most difficult part in Trailwalker for an amputee? Did you think of giving up?
FH: I never thought of giving up myself… but I did secretly hope that Oxfam would cancel the event mid-way! My prosthetist-orthoist told me that I needed to use one-third more physical effort than the able-bodied in Trailwalker, as it is very energy-consuming to balance myself with the prosthetic leg. I was also very worried about chafing because the flesh of my left knee joint—unlike the sole—is very tender. Walking with a prosthetic leg for such a long time means that the flesh will encounter friction frequently. Once your skin is worn off, you can’t continue the hike and you have to give up.
HK: How did you prepare yourself for such a difficult hike?
FH: I started training right after the marathon in February. So, I took almost nine months to prepare myself for Trailwalker. I would go on a hike of 20 to 40 kilometers three to four times every week. We also practice during rainy and sunny weather, so we are more prepared for not-so-ideal weather conditions. Also, I tried using different prosthetic legs to see which was the best for hiking. I tried four different legs, and I chose the one made of carbon fiber. 
HK: Are you planning to join Trailwalker next year?
FH: If I am to participate in Trailwalker again in the future, I hope to do so with fellow amputees. It is far more meaningful than finishing the hike in a shorter period of time. Traditionally, people think that amputees should not exercise so much. But I have shown that even amputees can finish Trailwalker!
