11 ‘survivors’ complete Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge but ‘no finishers’ under 60 hours
Tom Robertshaw was first to kiss the post box at Mui Wo after a gruelling journey involving blisters, chafing, severe sleep deprivation and hallucinations
Strange, weary figures kissed the postbox outside Mui Wo ferry pier from Sunday night until the early hours on Wednesday morning, marking the completion of a legendary local endurance feat which began at 8am on New Year’s Day.
Eleven people walked, ran, jogged and at times crawled for 298 kilometres over Hong Kong’s four publicly marked ultra trails, including 14.5km of steep climbing – equivalent to almost 30 times up and down the height of the International Commerce Centre (ICC).
Their remarkable accomplishment was part of the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge – a challenge, not a race, masterminded by well-known local ultrarunner Andre Blumberg.
HK4TUC is certainly not for everyone. At a minimum, you need to be a decent ultra trail runner with a huge appetite for pain and a big dose of mental stubbornness
Blisters, unimaginable chafing and severe sleep deprivation didn’t deter them, nor did Blumberg’s torturous rules: runners had to run all trails in the “harder”, reverse direction, non-stop, being self-supported and within 60 hours.
Despite their bravery, Blumberg asserts there are still “no official finishers” of the HK4TUC since 2013. “No finishers came within the cut-off time of 60 hours,” he said.
Briton Tom Robertshaw, 32, came close, finishing in 60 hours and 38 minutes.
