Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge: veteran Chan looking forward to 298km race after mum says he can do it this year
- 62-year-old Chan Kwok-keung is a veteran of many trail races, but this is the first time he’s been allowed to miss the Lunar New Year holiday by his mum
- Karen Tse is determined to separate the moment from her emotions as she takes on the famous challenge
He may be 62 years old but Chan Kwok-keung still needed his mother’s permission to take part in this year’s Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge.
The trail-running veteran has not been able to compete in the 298km race since its inception a decade ago, because his 93-year-old mum insisted he be home for Lunar New Year.
That will change on Saturday, when the man known as ‘KK’ takes up the city’s ultimate challenge and tries to finish the unsupported race in the allotted 60 hours.
Chan is no stranger to long distances, but his completion of the 171km Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in France last year was partly responsible for getting permission to miss the holiday celebration with family.
Traditionally the race, which takes in the MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau trails, would begin on the first morning of the new year, but this organiser this time, Andre Blumberg, has opted to start the race at 7pm on Saturday evening, meaning even the fastest runner will be out on the trails for three nights.
“The length of the race is not the most difficult part, it’s the lack of sleep for three nights,” Chan said. “I have felt sleep deprivation before, it feels like your soul is just gone. Sleep and walk. Sleep and walk. Maybe if I feel really sleepy, I will sleep along the trail, but I’ll set an alarm.”
The race is not just designed to test endurance but mental strength too, with Blumberg tweaking the rules to better represent conditions of the past. Running poles, music, even podcasts are on the list of banned items.
