Hong Kong Four Trails: Joannie ‘Jcy’ Ho is using hypnotherapy to prepare for 298km ultra marathon, to overcome fear of downhills
- Ho was scared to death of going downhill, until she started a unique therapy in time for the HK4TUC
- The contest is more challenging than ever, with additional kilometres and less support
Joannie ‘Jcy’ Ho Chung-yee was terrified of running downhill until last Saturday. She would become overwhelmed by a fear of falling to her death and have to sit down and crawl on her bottom. At best, she would creep down the slopes, nearly paralysed by her phobia.
But, after just one session of hypnotherapy Ho appears to be cured, just in time to run the 298km Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC) over Lunar New Year.
“I’m really surprised, I only did one sessions so far and I’m already improved so much. On Saturday, I did the half the Hong Kong trail in reverse. I was only one minute behind Veronika Vadovicova when she did the fastest known time,” the 41-year-old said.
“I was smiling. If it was before, I’d be constantly thinking ‘when will this section of trail finish, when can I get back to the road’. But on Saturday, I just wanted to get back to the trails. I don’t know how to explain it. It was just joyful. I was so happy. All day, I was just looking at my Strava, asking, what did I just do?”
The HK4TUC connects all four major trails – the 100km MacLehose, 78 Wilson, 50km Hong Kong and 70km Lantau Trail – with more than 14,500m of accumulative elevation. Runners complete the trails in reverse. There are no checkpoints or support allowed on the trails, but participants can have help travelling between the trails.