bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mark Agnew

Running has given a group of refugees a new lease on life, and now they have the opportunity to give back to the charity that introduced them to sport.
“I’ve been in Hong Kong for 14 years but this year – when I started hiking and running – has changed my life and made me better mentally and physically, and given me a chance to study so I can do something in the future related to my job. It gives me hope,” said “Alice”, one of the refugees.
Rebuild, Unite and Nurture (RUN) is a charity aimed at empowering refugees, mostly women, by introducing them to hiking, running and swimming in Hong Kong. The charity provides a community where they can meet every Tuesday for exercise and lunch.

How Hong Kong refugees’ running club Run offers relief from traumatic memories and uncertain future
“Coming here is like coming to my family,” Alice said. “If you miss a Tuesday you miss your family for two weeks. We all have a great relationship. God bless RUN.”
Alice said she used to suffer from headaches and could not sleep, but now she is pain-free and sleeps soundly because of the exercise.
Alice has run a 30-kilometre race and has now set her sights much higher: on the HK100 in January.
“When I got to 15km I thought I could not do it, I was at the top of Tiger’s Head,” she said. “I thought, ‘my kids are waiting to see me and I want see them and I wish to see them’.”
On World Refugee Day, Hong Kong asylum seekers talk about how hiking has helped them regain their confidence and improve their health

Running gives hope to Hong Kong's stranded refugees
On November 10, there is a race around Tai Tam Country Park to raise money for RUN with distances of 14km and 19km. Alice is taking part, along with a host of other beneficiaries of the charity’s work.
“It is a great cause and I’m glad I am doing something for others,” said “Lucy”, another refugee.
“Before, I was nervous and I was wondering how am I going to finish, am I fit enough, am I ready?
“Now I am confident. In life, outside running, I feel more confident as well.”
“Jess” will also be running.
“Before, I just stayed in my home but now I go out to exercise, it’s great,” she said. “It was difficult just sitting at home.
“The race won’t be too difficult because I’m feeling fit,” Jess said.
The names have been changed to protect identities. Registration for the charity race is still open.


5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, December 12-14

How power naps can give you an energy boost and improve your health into old age

Mental health support essential for all of society after Tai Po fire tragedy

Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic author, dies at 55 from brain cancer

Wellness

‘God bless RUN’: full of hope and life, Hong Kong refugees tackle charity race

RUN helps refugees by encouraging them to get outdoors and gives them a sense of community. Photo: Handout

This image shows ultra marathon runner Virginie Goethals posing for images in Shek O. Goethals runs Free To Run, a charity aimed at getting female refugees out on the hiking trail and empowering the women. 05FEB15 [FIT AND FAB LIFE]

RUN is a charity that gets refugees in the outdoors

Sport

Outdoor

Trail Running

Health & Fitness

A group of women give back to the charity that has supported them through tough times in Hong Kong


‘God bless RUN’: full of hope and life, Hong Kong refugees tackle charity race

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A group of women give back to the charity that has supported them through tough times in Hong Kong

A group of women give back to the charity that has supported them through tough times in Hong Kong