Why it’s cool to run at night on Hong Kong’s countryside trails
Fans of night running tell us why they get such a buzz out of pounding the trails in a pool of light two metres wide, and share their tips for how to do it safely and prepare for overnight races
When the sun goes down, trail runner Jeri Chua likes to come out and play, the darkness of the mountainside broken only by the light of her headlamp.
“I love running at night. It’s a different world when you’ve just got a beam ahead of you illuminating the next two metres,” says Chua, a top Singaporean ultrarunner who races regularly in Hong Kong and all over the world.
“I love seeing wildlife, especially snakes, and they’re definitely more active at night. Also, the lack of light means that you have to rely more on your other senses. There’s a sense of calm from the stillness all around, yet it feels much more exciting at the same time.”
Running on trails at night can be practical – because days are too hot, or because your workday ends after sundown. A trail race of 100 kilometres or longer may start in the morning and go on into the night.
For the upcoming Barclays Moontrekker on Lantau Island on October 14, experiencing the trails at night – and attempting to “beat the sun” by finishing the 43km or 30km course before sunrise – is the point of the race. Judging by how quickly all 1,500 slots for the seventh edition of this annual event were snapped up, night trail running has great appeal.