Training with a Hong Kong dragon boat team gives you a full-body workout

The last time I was close to a dragon boat, it was made out of cardboard, styrofoam and glue. I was seven years old and it was a diorama for my third grade class. My boat was anything but water resistant and, suffice it to say, I didn't win any trophies that year.

But ahead of this weekend's action-packed day, I found myself aboard a more authentic dragon boat with a champion racing team that has its sights set on winning again.

The Dragon Boat festival, or Tuen Ng, is an annual holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It marks the death, in 278BC, of poet and patriot Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in a river, in Hunan province, in protest against corruption. Legend has it that to stop the fish from devouring his body, local villagers took to their boats, splashing paddles, beating drums and throwing rice into the water.

And thus the Dragon Boat festival traditions were born.

It's 10am on Sunday and showing me the ropes is Sai Kung-based team Altius Dragon. Training starts from the Sai Kung Promenade and, before even touching a paddle, the team is taken through a series of stretches focusing on core and upper-body strength.

Unlike many other teams, Altius Dragon trains year round - taking only a short break for Lunar New Year - in preparation for the big day. All that hard work paid off last year when the team walked away as Sai Kung champions in the mixed team division for standard boat.