Hong Kong’s 298km Four Trail’s youngest survivor Pemberton savours ‘deeply personal, introspective journey’ ahead of 10-year anniversary

Three Hong Kong Four Trail Ultra Challenges have come during a formative period in Sarah Pemberton’s life and acted as an anchor in times of change

Only ‘finishers’ and ‘survivors’ are running to mark the 10-year anniversary of the unique challenge

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Sarah Pemberton returns for her fourth Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge, a year after finally ‘surviving’. Photo: Viola Shum

Published: 11:00am, 21 Jan 2021Updated: 11:25am, 21 Jan 2021

Sarah Pemberton will be embarking on more than a ‘simple’ 298km run over Lunar New Year in February. She will run the final chapter in a four-year “coming-of-age” journey. She is the youngest person to complete the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC), as a 26-year-old in 2020, and is returning for the 10-year anniversary.

The HK4TUC is a 298km challenge like no other. It links the four major trails in Hong Kong – the 100km MacLehose, 78km Wilson Trail, 50km Hong Kong Trail and 70km Lantau Trail. There are no checkpoints or support allowed, though runners have help travelling between the trails.

Runners are deemed a “finisher” if they reach the green postbox in Mui Wo on Lantau in under 60 hours. They are a “survivor” if they reach the end in under 72 hours. Pemberton, a Hongkonger, completed the challenge on her third attempt in 70 hours, 45 minutes.

This year, to mark 10 years of the HK4TUC, only finishers and survivors have been invited. There are fewer than 20 people taking part. There is no entry fee or prize. It is not a race, but a personal challenge.

Four years is the length of a university degree and the journey has been just as formative for Sarah Pemberton. Photo: Handout

“If I had the choice to survive on my first try, rather than on my third, I’m sure I would have been delighted. But I also would have missed out on these years of introspection, purposeful training and thinking about what success actually means to me,” Pemberton said.