Trail Tales | Why Hong Kong’s trails are some of the best in the world for running
Ben Swee, a Singapore running coach and fitness trainer, recently made two trips to Hong Kong in the span of three weeks. Unlike most visitors here, however, the main draw wasn’t the food, the finance hub, of the famed Lan Kwai Fong parties. It was the running.
Swee was among the around 150-strong Singapore contingent that participated at the RaidLight Lantau 100km trail race in Hong Kong on March 16. The month before, he ran his third straight Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, standing out in the record 72,000-strong field in a Batman suit.
He’s quick to list a slew of positives that keeps him coming back to the territory: “The amazing scenery and skyline, the nature not too far from the city, challenging undulating terrain, easy accessibility to places, amazing food, and cool weather. Plus, great shopping for outdoor stuff.”
Swee is among a growing population of tourists making Hong Kong a destination for runners. At the RaidLight race, 300 of the 1,200 runners travelled in for the race from a total of 15 countries, says race director Clement Dumont.
Participation is also growing: the RaidLight race, which offered 100km, 50km and 15km distances, doubled its sign ups from last year’s inaugural race. "We have had to limit the participation as it grew too fast," says Dumont, who's also one of Hong Kong's top trail runners. The third edition of the Vibram Hong Kong 100km trail race in January had 1,200 runners from 30 countries, says race organiser Steve Brammar, up from 250 in 2011.
