Hong Kong MoonTrekker 2024: registration for overnight trail race against the sunrise on Lantau Island opens on Sunday
- The goal of the up-to-40km hike, held on October 18 at 8pm, is to reach Lantau Peak while it is still dark to witness the sunrise
- More than 1,500 participants took part last year in the event, which is also a major fundraiser for the Nature Conservancy
Registration for this year’s Barclays MoonTrekker, an overnight trail event where participants race against the sunrise on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, will be launched at 7pm on Sunday.
Last year, more than 1,500 participants took part in the event, which is also a major fundraiser for the Nature Conservancy, with the race quota being filled within a few hours of registration opening.
This year’s hike through the night starts on October 18 at 8pm and will see the launch of the shortened 20-kilometre route that does not summit Lantau Peak, Hong Kong’s second-highest mountain.
MoonTrekker’s main events are a 30km and a 40km trail that takes participants over Lantau Peak.
The goal for those taking part in the two longer routes is to reach the top of the peak while it is still dark, allowing them to witness the sunrise over the mountain.
The cut-off for all distances is 9.30am and the finish line is on Pui O Beach.
In 2023, Filipino ultra trail runner John “Stingray” Ray Onifa set the record for the fastest 40km, completing the full course in three hours, 45 minutes and 31 seconds.
Onifa had previously conquered the 50km version of the race, finishing in 4:53:30 in 2018. However, that distance has not been included since the event returned after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions last year.
Hong Kong-based Hungarian Eszter Csillag, an event debutant and professional trail runner, took the women’s title with a time of 4:26:20
Competitors must register and pay an entry fee starting at HK$650 and separately raise a minimum sponsorship amount of HK$500 through an online donation platform that goes directly to the Nature Conservancy.
Since its inception in 2009, MoonTrekker has raised more than US$2.2 million for the global environmental organisation, making it one of the top fundraising trail events in Hong Kong.
