Hong Kong’s trail sweeper, cleaning race ribbons, rubbish and a siren call for the stragglers
- Loic Le Jannou runs at the back of trail races, ‘poking’ the last-place runners to go faster while clearing up rubbish
- The Hong Kong-based Frenchman is becoming famous for his police siren hat to cajole runners
Languishing at the back of a trail race in one of Hong Kong’s country parks, the last thing you expect is the distinctive sound of a police siren. But many of the runners holding up the rear have become familiar with the blue flashing lights.
Loic Le Jannou runs at the back of races on behalf of the organisers. A serial sweeper, he collects the ribbons and signs, and picks up rubbish. He also makes sure no one is injured and unable to get around the course. Le Jannou is distinctive for his hat, which has a police siren on the top.
“When I’m following the last runner, I put the siren on and they turn and say ‘Who are you?’ I explain to them what the sweeper is. ‘Oh really,’ they say, ‘I am the last runner?’ They remember they are in the race and they accelerate. They overtake the next runner and eventually I catch up to them, too. I explain it again and they say ‘Oh really,’ and accelerate.
“It gives an atmosphere of the race the whole way. Otherwise, they know they are at the back, they walk, they take photos. But they see me and it’s like I’m poking them. It’s a race!”
Le Jannou, 59, has been sweeping since 2014. He used to love to race, but he worried that it was putting too much strain on his heart. His brother died of a heart attack, aged 57, while riding his bike.
