Double amputee Trailwalking
A former British soldier who is a double amputee has arrived in Hong Kong to officiate at the start of this year's Trailwalker.
Chris Moon lost an arm and part of a leg during a mine-clearing operation in Mozambique in 1995. He became the first amputee to complete the 250km great Sahara run - described as the toughest footrace on Earth - in 1997 and will also compete in the 100km Trailwalker, which starts tomorrow.
Mr Moon was also one of the few westerners to survive being captured by the notorious Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. After being taken hostage while clearing landmines in the war-torn country in the mid-1970s, he talked the guerillas out of killing not only him but also his two Cambodian friends.
He took part in the London marathon less than a year after his life was turned upside down by the blast in Mozambique.
Apart from officiating at the start of Trailwalker, Mr Moon gave a luncheon talk at the Foreign Correspondents' Club and met sufferers of neuromuscular disease yesterday. He also gave a talk at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology about his experiences as a solider and endurance athlete.
Mr Moon completed the British version of Trailwalker in April.
The Hong Kong Trailwalker event - an annual fund-raising event for Oxfam - will take participants on a hike from Sai Kung to Tuen Mun and over about 20 hills, including Hong Kong's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan.
This year's Trailwalker has attracted 975 four-member teams, and Oxfam expects it to raise $17 million.
