OXFAM TRAILWALKER HONG KONG

100 kilometres in Hong Kong

Mark Phillips (Vic)

Oxfam is dedicated to emergency relief and poverty alleviation projects in Africa and Asia. Funds are raised through Trailwalker events in Hong Kong, England, Sydney and Melbourne. Over $HK200 million has been raised to help disadvantaged people.

THE Oxfam Hong Kong Trailwalker began in 1981, as a 24-hour endurance exercise for the Gurkhas, an elite Nepalese soldier regiment of the British Army renowned for their strength and stamina. The 100km course is on the MacLehose Trail, named after a British lord, and follows ancient Chinese paths. The 2004 event raised about $HK20 million, much going to aid Chinese orphanages.

Earlier, in March 2004, I entered the second Melbourne Trailwalker with Peter Mitchell, Nigel Aylott and Damon Georke. Being mountain runners, we hoped to do well, but did not expect to finish ahead of the invited team of Gurkhas. Well, 100km is a very long way to run and, to our surprise, we overtook the tiring Gurkhas at 75km, going on to win in 11 hrs 59 min - the first Australian team to beat the Gurkhas and the first Australians to finish under 12 hours.

A little later we were invited to the Hong Kong Trailwalker. Asia Miles, a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, had offered to sponsor us. We accepted not really knowing what was in store for us. Kevin Tory joined in place of Peter, who with wife Jenny, was expecting their second baby only weeks before the event. Then there was Nigel’s tragic passing which had a devastating effect on us all. We could not even think about the event and felt too drained of energy and emotions to run. After a few weeks we decided to forge ahead and dedicate the run to Nigel’s memory. We felt sure this is what he would have wanted. Pete kindly offered to come back into the team even though he had little time to prepare.

Arriving at Hong Kong Airport was overwhelming – the sheer size of it! Outside the heat and humidity struck us immediately. It was like walking into an oven. The drive to our hotel in Kowloon was amazing. I had never seen buildings like it before, so tall and so many. We stayed at the YMCA Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The view of the harbour and over to Hong Kong Island from our 15th floor suite was mesmerizing. It is the busiest harbour with ferries, fishing boats and ships of every description going in every direction.

Being one of five international teams we felt quite privileged. The hospitality of Oxfam and our sponsor Asia Miles left us feeling very honoured to be part of this special event. The weather forecast wasn’t so favourable with a predicted top temperature in the high 20’s and humidity of nearly 90%. Not ideal conditions for 100km of tough, hilly running. The air was full of excitement and anticipation. It was hard to believe it all.

Around 10,000 people were involved with the event, with 980 teams of four, support crews and volunteers. And here we were, a bunch of Aussie guys, on the front line with the famous Gurkhas and Team Montrail. This is the stuff dreams are made of and one of mine was about to come true. Wow! I could feel adrenaline pumping and tried to keep calm and soak it all in.

The course passed through ten checkpoints and some of the most stunning scenery - mountain vistas, secluded bays and idyllic beaches reminiscent of Wilson’s Prom. At other times we were running through open grasslands or under sheltered bamboo groves. We traversed steep mountain spurs with huge cities just below. It seemed unreal with never-ending steps, ascents and descents, one after another.

The early morning was warm and humid. An arduous climb on stone steps led up to a spectacular view from the top of the range

down to Tai Long Wan. My spirits revelled in the stunning vistas. We descended for quite a while down hundreds of stone steps.

By CP 1 at 16km we were in 4th place, but it had taken us longer than anticipated. We were sweating profusely and I knew it would be a long, hard haul. Two other teams suddenly appeared and overtook us. They had descended the steps much quicker than us and were obviously used to the humid conditions.

We ran along the white sands of a beautiful bay, dotted with rocky islands and surrounded by treed headlands. I did my best to soak in the scenery and the moment. We began a steep climb over the Tai Mun Shan mountain range. The steepness reduced us to walking pace which, in retrospect, was a wise move.

At CP3 we replenished our drinks and eats. The heat and humidity made it tough for running at any speed. The Gurkhas were traveling brilliantly and surged ahead of all other teams. They had been training daily in these mountains for six months. A local team was in 2nd position and Montrail was 3rd but in trouble. We were 6th or 7th. We were not concerned with positions but focused on finishing the course.

With 66km to go we headed into the Ma On Shan Country Park, one of the most difficult sections of the trail. Climbing hundreds of steps we approached the distinctive, rocky slopes of Ma On Shan, an intimidating 700 metre high sentinel. The trail then headed along a ridge with exhilarating running down a saddle to views of Port Shelter and its islands far below.

The heat and dehydration were taking their toll and I became quite worried, hoping we could hang in there. Our focus was simply on getting to the next checkpoint. I had been drinking sports drinks and eating carbo gels and sweet foods, but with the loss of fluid and salts from our bodies, our needs shifted to salt. At CP4 salty biscuits and nashi pear were welcome.

We were not half-way yet and feeling pretty tired. Rounding one of the mountain ridges a spectacular scene of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island came into view. It is an amazing and unreal sight with the city just below, looking so close you could reach out and touch the tall buildings.

We reached CP5 at dusk. Kevin was suffering most from dehydration and heat exhaustion. We stopped to rest a bit then headed into the Lion Rock Country Park, an area renowned for its thousands of monkeys. They were hanging in the trees, on the fence rails and by the roadside. We had been advised to hide our food and not carry anything in our hands. Talk about a ‘monkey on your back’ - Pete was holding an unpeeled banana in his hand but managed to escape unscathed. We were glad to leave the monkey area behind.

Near CP6 Kevin complained of feeling drunk. While we ate and drank he sat in the back of the van looking very sick. We all knew Kevin could not go on but had given his very best on the day. He was disappointed, but this could have happened to any of us. Our support crew phoned for an ambulance to take him to hospital.

We still had 40km to go, including the infamous Needle Hill - a heartbreaker which makes the ‘Thousand Steps’ at Ferntree Gully seem easy. As we climbed hundreds of steps, I asked a local if this was Needle Hill. He said “No, not yet, only the approach - over there”, pointing to the silhouette of a steep mountain-peak looming above us against the night sky. Our jaws dropped, it was scary. We were determined to make it to the top. We all enjoyed the slightly cooler night air. Finally we reached the summit of this monstrous mountain, and began the steep descent on the other side. Descents were now hurting my leg muscles and joints. I tried stepping sideways down the steps but it didn’t help much. Still, we were moving as well as any of the teams around us. Soon we reached some flatter ground. We focused on making it to the finish - time and position were no longer relevant. We still had to face Tai Mo Shan, the highest mountain on the trail (1,000 metres high) and a climb of nearly 700 metres after the Needle Hill descent. It was going to test our remaining strength and willpower. I played mind games, trying to calculate the number of steps this trail has. I estimated well over 15,000 - enough to keep any mountain goat happy! From the rocky trail we emerged onto a sealed road for the climb to the summit. The lights at the top seemed a long way off. We shuffled and walked. I took a cup of warm black tea at one of the drink stops. In ancient times, this mountainside was terraced for tea growing and wild tea bushes are still there. Eventually we reached the seemingly elusive summit - the highest point on the course - and I felt much better. A 5km downhill run on the road to CP8 came next. Yeah! No more steps, well not many. We had some salty biscuits and I enjoyed another cup of warm black tea - I couldn’t face anything sweet. The last two sections, about 20km, were the easiest running and lowest gradients of the course. The pace actually quickened with the cooler night air and knowing the finish was not far away. We caught and overtook another tiring team, then caught up to two runners from another team as well. Our anticipation of the finish was growing. I could feel myself getting excited. We had reached the sealed road alongside the water channel - we only had 3km to go. I was running on adrenaline. Rebecca later said the pace became even faster once we got a sniff of the finish. Off the road and down some steps – they would have to throw in more steps! We were all too excited to notice the pain. As one, we entered the brightly lit finish area amidst the cheers of our loyal support crew and sponsor, Asia Miles. It had been a very long run, over the most challenging terrain I have ever encountered. We finished in 16 hrs 21 min, in 16th place. I felt elated and exhausted at the same time. Our sponsors were delighted. Damon and Rebecca showered each other with champagne, much to the amusement of all. We mingled with other teams and swapped stories. The Gurkhas had finished first in what was an The heat and dehydration were taking their toll ..... outstanding performance. The organizers presented us with Super-Trailwalker Certificates as we finished under 18 hours. Meanwhile, Kevin spent the night in hospital on a drip. He had blacked out so had some tests done, but was released next day. I shall never forget this event. It has tested my willpower and endurance. Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong has enriched my life. Thanks are not enough for our superb support crew, Jill, Rebecca and our generous sponsor, Asia Miles. The real winners of these events are the underprivileged and disadvantaged people and children who benefit from Oxfam’s invaluable work. To help in all this, through my love of running, is a richly satisfying experience. For anyone who enjoys walking and/or running, I would encourage participation in an Oxfam Trailwalker. My thoughts and energies are already turning towards the Oxfam Melbourne Trailwalker on 1st April, 2005.