Hong Kong Trail unsupported fastest known time set by John ‘Stingray’ Ray Onifa

The Hong Kong-based Filipino finishes 44km in three hours, 46 minutes – just seven minutes behind the supported FKT

William Davies holds on to his 11 year overall record, set during the Green Power race in 2009

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John ‘Stingray’ Ray Onifa sets the unsupported fastest known time (FKT) on the Hong Kong Trail, on his 30th birthday. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:20am, 16 Jan 2021Updated: 11:41pm, 16 Jan 2021

John “Stingray” Ray Onifa marked his 30th birthday on Friday by running the 44km Hong Kong Trail in three hours and 46 minutes, the “fastest known time” (FKT) by an unsupported runner.

“Doing it on my birthday makes me even more excited and motivated,” Onifa said. “It’s my first time to run an FKT.”

The Hong Kong Trail starts at The Peak, and snakes around Hong Kong, over Mount Butler, past the Tai Tam Reservoirs, over Dragon’s Back and finishes at Big Wave Bay.

FKT attempts have exploded in popularity in the last year, as there are no races to run due to Covid-19 restrictions. Last month, Veronika Vadovicova set the reverse Hong Kong Trail women’s FKT in 4:41.

John ‘Stingray’ Ray Onifa feels dizzy towards the end of the trail but keeps pushing, with William Davies’ record in sight. Photo: Alex Reshikov

Onifa is a member of The North Face Adventure Team. Two other members of the team have set recent records: Stone Tsang Siu-keung set the Wilson Trail FKT and Wong Ho-chung set the MacLehose FKT.