Hong Kong Four Trails: Cheung Man-yee refuses to let an agonising twisted ankle stop her ‘great and special’ 298km journey

Cheung Man-yee was just 50km into the mammoth 298km Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC) when she twisted her left ankle. “I fell on the floor and I thought ‘will I end my challenge so early?’ But I wouldn’t let it happen. It’s just too stupid,” she said.

Cheung, 30, picked her self up and soldiered on. She survived the challenge in 62 hours and 47 minutes.

The HK4TUC, which takes place over Lunar New Year, connects the major trails in Hong Kong – the MacLehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau trails. There are over 14,000m of accumulative elevation gain, no checkpoints and no support allowed on the trails. Runners can have help travelling between the start and finish of each trail. If they reach the end, marked by the green postbox in Mui Wo, in 60 hours or less, they are deemed a “finisher”. If they complete the 298km in under 72 hours, they are deemed a “survivor”. Cheung was one of four women to survive, along with Virginie Goethals, Yang Feifei and Sarah Pemberton.

As she completed the first 100km, which has an 18-hour cut-off, rain lashed down and lightning cracked across the sky.

“By the end of the MacLehose I completely forgot about the ankle because it was raining so hard. I was so cold, I just wanted to run back to the car,” she said.