Oxfam Trailwalker organisers add new route, target record donations, as race hits 40
- November’s event will be the 40th time the race has taken place since the inaugural edition in 1981
- Officials expect all 1,300 team slots to be oversubscribed, with a draw on July 2 to determine who can take part
 - Mike Chan.jpeg?itok=EQbwYm3R&v=1669714688)
The organisers of the Oxfam Trailwalker have added a new route and set themselves an ambitious fundraising target to celebrate the 40th edition of the famous race in Hong Kong.
Alongside the traditional 100-kilometre challenge will be a shorter 40km version, while officials are hoping to bring in a record HK$40 million in donations. The previous largest total was the HK$38 million collected in 2018.
First held in 1981, what should have been the race’s 40th anniversary event was curtailed by Covid-19 restrictions, so organisers are celebrating this year instead.
All 1,300 team slots across both events, which take place on the weekend of November 15 to 17, are expected to be oversubscribed by the time registration closes at 6pm on June 23, and a draw will take place on July 2 to determine which teams get to take part.
Michael Wong Ho-ming, the charity’s director of fundraising and communications in the city, said organisers were taking the opportunity to test the public’s response to a shorter route.
“We believe the Trailwalker spirit is to have four runners completing 100km within 48 hours,” he said. “But there had been people asking about a shorter route over the years.
“So, we want to see what it is going to be like, in terms of both the overall responses and the amount of funds raised. Perhaps some of them will want to challenge the full distance after a first try.”
Both routes will start at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung, with the shorter version ending at Gilwell Campsite on Fei Ngo Shan, and the full distance at Harrow International School Hong Kong in Tuen Mun.
Teams tackling the shorter version have 20 hours to reach Kowloon Peak.
Former champion Ferdinand Tsang Fuk-cheung, who was part of the quartet that shattered the local record in February 2023, said he would go for the “40th anniversary edition” this year.
“A lot of my [run club] students also like to participate this year, so it will be fun if I can be a supporter for them as soon as I finish my race,” he said. “I guess I can finish my race in less than four hours.
“To have a 40km route is like encouraging people to give it a try, to gain experience, instead of asking the participants to go the full distance right from the start.”
