The road warrior

It's 4.30am and Andre Blumberg wrestles with his alarm clock. Eyes full of sleep, he grabs a small pack filled with water and food before heading into the dark for his daily run - a two-hour sojourn in which he will cover a half-marathon distance while Hong Kong sleeps. It's a warm-up for the triple marathon distance he will run during the weekend and a stroll in comparison to the multiple ultra marathons he will complete this year.

Meet Hong Kong's ultra marathon man. He doesn't know how far he ran last year - "about 6,000 kilometres," he shrugs, or an average of 16 kilometres a day. This year the 43-year-old, originally from Germany though a Hong Kong resident for 11 years, estimates he has already clocked 1,000 kilometres. And it's only March.

Blumberg is not a pro athlete; he started running only three years ago. Like many hardworking professionals, he spent his mid to late 30s focusing on his career and enjoying the good life. Weighing 103 kilograms and on the slow slide to 40, he sought a change and began running. Just how far he has come in three years has been a surprise.

"I started running as it's simple, but eventually my running distances grew longer and longer," he says. He ran his first ultra marathon, the AVOHK Round the Island 64km race in 2010, only four months after he started running.

"To me running is more than just a sport, it's a lifestyle," he says.

Since making the change he has altered his eating habits dramatically, becoming almost vegan, and rarely drinks alcohol. Above all, it's a relaxing way to unwind in an unforgiving city, says the busy IT director at a regional power utility.