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Mark Agnew

Hongkongers Matthieu Maury and Nicolas Gontard had to rely on each otherto get themselves around a gruelling swim-run race in Croatia last weekend.
The pair came first and second in the TerraMar SwimRun series in Hong Kong last year so decided to team up for the 32-kilometre Otillo SwimRun Hvar race in the Mediterranean, which featured 9km of swimming and 32km of running.
“The most important thing is team spirit,” Gontard had said before the race. “Always in long races someone has a low moment, you have to be able to leave your pride and ask for help. The other must be willing to give it.”
That prediction came true.
“I was the one who went low,” he said. “I had a cold so about two thirds of the way through the race, he pulled me.”

Maury, 30, and Gontard, 53, had bought with them a tow rope for such an occasion.
“Our teamwork was excellent,” said Gontard. “It is great when you have a teammate who understands you. We were always talking about hydration and checking on each other. There was zero complaining.”
Gontard said the roles have been reversed in the past, where he was expected to help.
“But I am grateful. I paid for dinner,” he said.
Runners combine trails with sea as races boast swimming and kayaking in hot summer
The pair started the race slow but began to over take teams on the coasteering sections. They put their strong performance down to having access to rugged coasts and open water swimming in Hong Kong.
There are not many places you can open water swim all year round unless you are crazy due to temperatures, said Gontard.

“Hong Kong is perfect for swim-run races and training,” he said.
They finished 37th out of 141 teams, completing the course in six hours and 12 minutes.
Their teamwork was tested yet again in the swimming, when the conditions were rough. The longest section was 3km, so they needed to be conscious of navigation and sticking together in the swells.
“You need the training otherwise it is pretty intimidating,” Gontard said.
Gontard works in hospitality, buying and developing properties into luxury resorts in Japan.
But he also bought a small plot of land in Siargao, Philippines. After working with local authorities he built a school and now provides free education for local children. He calls his NGO, Espoir, which means hope in French, his native tongue.
He said he hoped he can raise more funds for the school via his endurance exploits .
You can donate to Espoir here.


Meet Summer Wong, the face of Hong Kong’s growing OCR scene

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Extreme fitness

Hongkongers use team spirit to complete Otillo SwimRun Hvar, as ‘intimidating’ seas and low moments force reliance

Matthieu Maury (left) and Nicolas Gontard focused on helping each other to complete the intimidating challenge. Photo: Otillo/Sara Lucasi

Guillaume Ponticelli and Matthieu Maury take part in the Otillo SwimRun in Croatia. Photo: Otillo/Sara Lucasi

Could a hiking pole ban protect Hong Kong’s country park trails, some of them rapidly eroding?

One Hong Kong race director is considering a ban on hiking poles to slow damage to country park trails. While preferable to suggestions by the government of concreting over trails, not all runners agree with the idea

Photo of Peter Hopper, a trail runner in Hong Kong

Stephanie Roland

Martin Cai provides this photo of a trail in Pat Sin Leng, New Territories, damaged by overuse.

The Hong Kong Classic took hikers from around the world on a three day hiking and camping trip through the new territories.

Martin Cai running on natural trail without poles [FEATURES 2018] Photo : Credit StudioZag

Hiking poles are extremely popular among hikers and runners in Hong Kong’s country parks, but some believe they could be causing irreparable damage to the environment.

Desert hiking in Jordan: explore Bedouin trails, climb Wadi Rum and have some unforgettable nights under the stars

Steep cliffs tower over the red sand desert of Wadi Rum, a sandstone valley in southern Jordan. Photo: Photononstop

Bedouin boys riding camels in the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve in southern Jordan on 30 December 2017. (Photo by Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto)

Local Bedouins ride camels through the desert landscape of the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve in southern Jordan on 30 December 2017. (Photo by Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto)

A group of Bedouin Man is dancing at the local Bedouin wedding Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

Endless amount of Red and earth colour the mountains of Wadi Rum, a sandstone valley in Southern desert of Jordan, during sunsets Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

Jordan, Wadi Rum desert, protected area listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, tourist and local Bedouin guide seated on a rock, contemplating the landscape from the mount Jebel BurdahEmirats Arabes Unis

Esther scaling some exposed ledges during the travers of Jebel Rum mountain Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

From the top of the mountains the landscape looks like Mars. It was also the backdrop for the Hollywood movie “The Martian” Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

Magical Rock Formation that looks like melted stone Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

Wadi Rum is a mecca for sports climbers, with several hundred routes having been explored in the last 20 years Credit : Paul Niel [FEATURES 2018]

Sport

Outdoor

Trail Running

Extreme Sports

How to Guides

Pre-race predictions that cooperation would be key to a successful race prove true with a tow rope coming in handy
One ran to raise money for his charity, which provides free education in the Philippines


Pre-race predictions that cooperation would be key to a successful race prove true with a tow rope coming in handy


Water sports