Elsa Jean de Dieu trains at Tai Tam Country Park, Hong Kong. Photo: Kirk Kenny
The Adventure Trail: Art and athleticism with trail-running muralist Elsa Jean De Dieu
- A French mural artist who discovered a passion and spiritual connection on Hong Kong trails talks about her comeback from injury, and her love of trail running
Elsa Jean de Dieu trains at Tai Tam Country Park, Hong Kong. Photo: Kirk Kenny
Elsa Jean de Dieu is a French artist residing in Hong Kong who specialises in large wall murals. Some years ago she found herself with a choice of lifestyles, and discovered a passion that changed a lot more than merely how she spent her downtime.
“In Hong Kong you can drink, or you can do a lot of exercise, or do both. I felt like I needed to do something. I didn’t want to spend my time in Lan Kwai Fong. I started to go around to the Hong Kong trails ..." she tells Adventure Trail hosts Mary Hui and Mark Agnew in this latest podcast.
Jean de Dieu became a passionate trail runner, but suffered a knee injury and made her comeback after a three-year recovery in March of this year by running an 18km and then a 44km race on consecutive days for the Green Ultra, winning both events.
Now, she has set herself a new challenge, fusing her career as an artist with her passion as a trail runner. Listen in as she reveals her plan to crowd-source portraits from the public and then “paint 100 smiles and run 100 miles” in a unique project she will embark upon along the streets of Hong Kong.
