Record number in new-look Trailwalker
Oxfam Trailwalker veteran Whelan Leung Wai-lun has tested himself over 100 kilometres not just in Hong Kong but also in New Zealand, Japan and Belgium.
Mr Leung did his first event back in 1996 and has completed the track which follows the MacLehose Trail through the New Territories five times.
But now 44 and carrying the wear and tear of the years, what has driven him through the pain barrier in recent years, and what will drive him to complete this year's event, will be his promise to his four-year-old son, who is very proud of his dad's efforts.
'In 2006, I took part in a competition in New Zealand and I had thoughts of giving up,' Mr Leung said at a briefing session yesterday for this year's event.
'But when I wanted to quit, when I thought I just could not go on, I thought of my family and my son waiting for me at the finish line. They pushed me to go forward.
'After crossing the finish line I was so happy to see my family, my pain evaporated. So, I will keep running for my son. If I can't do it, I will break my promise to him.'
The Oxfam Trailwalker will be held from November 20 to 22.
Oxfam Hong Kong fund-raising manager Brenda Wong Yuk-han said the number of participants taking part this year would be the highest in the event's history.
Trailwalker started in 1981 as a training exercise for the Gurkha troops stationed in the then British colony. It was opened up to everyone five years later when Oxfam became a co-sponsor and now raises more than HK$20 million a year.
'Over 2,000 teams have applied to take part in this year's competition. But the cut-off is 1,100, 60 teams more than last year,' she said.
Ms Wong also said the route had changed and the finish line moved. The run starts from Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung and now ends at the Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Tai Tong Holiday Camp in Yuen Long, making it two kilometres longer than the old route, which ended in Tuen Mun.
The theme of the event is to help the poor combat the effects of climate change and raise awareness about global warming.
