How Hong Kong refugees’ running club Run offers relief from traumatic memories and uncertain future
Refugees in Hong Kong face a hard life and uncertain future as they await recognition of their status before heading off to a third country to be settled. We talk to members of Run, a non-profit group that aims to rehabilitate them through treks, runs, training and by offering online study opportunities
Surrounded by hills on three sides, the Aberdeen Sports Ground is one of Hong Kong’s more picturesque public sports facilities. Its floodlit tracks are buzzing with activity on a warm spring evening as a large group of runners sweat it out under the lights.
The men and women wearing the same white T-shirts are part of a social running club gathered for a weekly meet. It differs from other such clubs in one key respect: the runners are all refugees and asylum seekers from conflict torn parts of the world. They have taken temporary refuge in Hong Kong, having fled their home country due to war, violence or fear of persecution.
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They live under constant uncertainty as they await formal accreditation of their legal status as refugees and the suspense of the subsequent rehabilitation in an unknown new country. Yet, as they run and train together, they are able to forget the trauma of the past and uncertainty of the future.
The meet has been organised by Run, a non-profit group that rehabilitates refugees living in Hong Kong through running, outdoor exercise and education.
Run was originally affiliated with Free To Run, which human rights lawyer and ultrarunner Stephanie Case set up in the US in 2014. Its aim was to use running and physical exercise to empower and educate women and girls affected by war and conflict.
“Two years ago, Stephanie asked me if I could organise a hike for a group of refugee women living in Hong Kong,” says Virginie Goethals, Run’s director and programme head, who is a qualified lawyer and an ultrarunner herself.