Hong Kong protests: Oxfam Trailwalker cancelled as unrest causes more havoc across the city
- The famous 100km has been called off as protesters cripple public transport and MTR systems
The 100km Oxfam Trailwalker has been cancelled because of safety fears as protests continue to grip the city, the organisers have said. Participants can defer or refund their spots.
Concerns had been raised about the safety of the 5,000 runners and their support teams, who travel back and forth to the trails over the weekend, as the public transport system is crippled by protests.
Hong Kong’s oldest ultramarathon was supposed to start on Friday. Winners take around 12 hours, and the last cut off is 48 hours. It starts in Sai Kung and finishes near Tuen Mun, taking participants over the mountains of the New Territories. Almost 5,000 runners compete in teams of four, whose friends and family meet them at points of the course for moral support and to bring supplies.
“The safety of our participants and volunteers is of utmost importance to us,” the organisers said. “In light of recent developments, transportation issues, in order to ensure the safety of over 10,000 participants, support teams and volunteers, and after much deliberation, we have made the extremely difficult decision of cancelling this year’s Oxfam Trailwalker.”