Hong Kong trail runner Elam Cheng plans to stop sexism by ‘Everesting’ Castle Peak
- Elam Cheng will hike up and down Castle Peak until she accumulates the height of Everest as part of an Asia Trail Girls challenge
- She is sick of unsolicited advice and sexist comments from men, and wants to show that she can forge her own path to being elite
Elam Cheng has been trail running for just nine months but her relative new entry to the sport does not stop her blazing her own path. On June 11, she takes on her latest challenge – “Everesting” Castle Peak in Tuen Mun.
She will go up and down the mountain by the same route, about 17 times, until she has the total elevation gain of Everest from sea level – 8,849m. In the unrelenting heat of summer, it could take more than 24 hours.
“It’s not about the speed, it’s not about the time. Once I get something in my mind, I just want to achieve it. You have to give yourself a challenge, not because of the race, but because of the feeling,” Cheng, 27, said.
Cheng started running for weight loss. She had never run more than 5km, and never ran regularly. But she started running 10km a day about two years ago, then turned to trail running nine months ago.
She took to it like a duck to water, and has already completed challenges such as the Lantau Trail in under 12 hours – a quick time that puts her among the fastest – and says she felt like she could keep going. But she does not care about her times relative to others, or if she wins or loses a race.