The idea came up on 28th November 2013
when Vic sent a message asking if I would do the 4 trails or part of it.
Frighteningly I had already thought about it. But having spoken to a couple of
people I was recommended to get a couple more year’s endurance under my belt.
My response back to Vic, was that I was on the Cathay website looking for
flights out of Hong Kong to stop me starting anything insane.
Vic persisted, messaging me that HK100 two weeks
before was perfect training. My response was that he would need a lot of coffee
and I continued searching destination out of Hong Kong on the CX website over
Chinese New Year.
A week before, Vic was back on the messaging. ‘Will
you do the 4 Trails?’ and I was promptly back on the CX website. I had a small
niggle in my right leg after HK100 and didn’t want it to get worse by over
doing it but finding cheap flights over Chinese New Year was a non-starter. The
day before, after a lot of persistence from Vic on the messaging, following a
beer or 2 after work with a friend I relented to doing the first 50km of the
Mac at a 16 to 17 hour pace.
When you’re only planning to do 50km preparations
are not as important, so I threw a few energy bars, some cash and headlight
with spare battery into the bag. I’m still not sure why the headlight came with
me as I shouldn’t have needed it to get to Shatin Pass, clearly there was
something in the back of my mind saying I was likely to be going a bit further.
Maclehose Trail.
Friday
morning 7:50am six of us congregated in Tuen Mun at the start of the Mac Trail
with Andre and Paper. I felt out of place for the first photo given the end for
me was Shatin Pass, only 1/6th of the way.
8am came, the ring of the cow bell and we were off. However
300m up the trail, things ground to a halt as we negotiated the first pack of
village dogs that came charging towards us. We ran as a group along the water
catchment towards Tai Lam Chung reservoir, before Anders and Phyllis went off
ahead. The sun was out and it was starting to get unseasonably warm as we hit
stage 9 of the Mac, joking a bit and looking forward to getting off the
concrete and on to trail. It was on Mac stage 9 that Vic came out with his first
secret to long run preparation, “I’m really hungry as I didn’t have breakfast”
hoping the little shop at Route Twisk would be open over Chinese New Year. I
shouldn’t have been surprised having run with him a lot in the past, but this time
I was given that he planed to do 298km.
As we rounded the last corner to Route Twisk the
sound of the cow bell could be heard as Andre, Paper and Anders cheered us on.
A quick water refill at the little shop, and some biscuits for Vic’s breakfast
and we were off up Tai Mo Shan, the first of the hills. By the time we dropped
down to Leadmine pass it was just Vic and I together on the Mac at about a 16hr
pace. Needle Hill from Grassy Hill is the easier way up, but the lunchtime heat
of the day made it its usual killer slog up the steps and it was a relief to
get down to Shing Mun and be greeted by the sound of the cow bell and the vending
machine to stock up on water.
Crossing Shing Mun Dam. Photo by Patchanida Pongsubkarun
As we headed down through the monkeys on Stage 6,
the thought of food and the noodle shop at Shatin Pass were at the forefront of
the mind. We slowed down a bit going up Beacon Hill to conserve energy, but it
was good to be in the shade and 1km from Shatin Pass, Vic suddenly hit top
speed as the realisation that food was closing in. For those that don’t run with
Vic, 2 of his running gears revolve around food, Slow gear when hungry and the
next food stop is a long way off and a turbo gear when the noodle shop is
within 1km.
The noodle shop luckily was open and we stayed about
30 minutes eating and rehydrating, knowing that it would not be until we
finished the Mac that the next food would be available. We had made it in 7
1/2hrs so we had plenty of time to do the Mac in the 17hr target at the 50km
mark.
This was suppose to be my drop out point, but having
discussed quite a bit in the past 20km, Vic had asked if I would go further as
he was worried he would find it easier to drop out if alone, so I had agreed to
push on to the end of the Mac if my legs would take me.
We walked up the road towards Tate’s Cairn to help
the food digest a bit, but once on Mac 4 we speeded up running up to Buffalo’s
Pass and over the ridge line to Ma On Shan. The views both sides were great and
the sun was just starting to set. A fast decent down saw us reaching Sai Sha Rd
just as it got dark.
Mac Stage 3 could easily have been the turning
point. The ascent to Kai Kung Shan was a nice steady climb, but the downhills in
the dark were very technical with rocks all over the place. We were moving
surprising slowly on this stage as energy reserves were vanishing and knowing
that food was still around 30k away. We joked on the final descent as Vic told
me his leg muscles couldn’t take his weight anymore using his poles with each
step on the downhill. But we kept the motivation up by thinking how much easier
Stage 2 and 1 would be and maybe the restaurant might be open in Sai Wan at
11pm.
Meeting Andre and Paper near the summit of Kai Kung Shan.
Photo from Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge
It was almost a relief to get down to Pak Tam Au and
hit the village path towards the beaches as the going got easier. The
restaurants at Sai Wan were all shut and we snacked on energy bars to get us up
Sai Wan Shan, the final climb of the Maclehose. Our view had been that the
final 10k of road along the reservoir would be relatively easy, but this proved
not to be the case as we jogged and walked bit of it towards the end of the
Mac. This was the stage where moral reached the lowest point. Vic was talking
of calling it a day when we got to Pak Tam Chung and I had done 50km more than
I wanted to and was definitely stopping here as was not overly keen on starting
up Pat Sing Leng.
As we approach Pak Tam Chung, Andre, Paper and
Martijn were there cheering us the last 100m. The Maclehose completed in 17hrs
and 5 minutes. They sat us down, gave us recovery drinks and food and were full
of words of encouragement. Vic and I looked at each other and we both knew we
would not be able to stop here as the generosity and kindness had been too
great and we felt guilty and knew we had to start the Wilson. If there was
going to be any stopping it would have to be surreptitiously when no one could
see. We all jumped into a taxi driven by some former racing car driver and
before we knew it we were in Nan Chung.
Wilson
Trail
When
the taxi stopped at around 2:30am, we looked out of the window and commented
that we didn’t recognise this as the end of the Wilson Trail. Andre then
informed us, that as the Hong Kong Trail was not actually the advertised 50km
we would have to make up with a couple of additional km’s here and there, and a
2 or 3km extra to the start of Wilson would help fill the gap. What was this maniac
trying to do, torture us……
Start of the Wilson at Nm Chung with Martijn who joined us to Tai Wo
Photo from Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge
The first 1km up the road, I struggled. My legs felt
better, but certain muscles needed warming up again before I could run. I
eventually found my form as we made out way up the path to the bottom of Pat
Sing Leng. Vic commented to me, that he was not happy that I had come along on
the Wilson as it meant he couldn’t sneak off. I just grinned back and told him
‘I know, it’s a fun game isn’t it’. A few km up the track I got my biggest
scare and jumped back as I heard hissing sound near my left ear as I brushed up
against the trees thinking a snake was about to jump on me. A quick check and I
realised that it was the pressure from the Nuun tablet in my water bottle
trying to escape. A few jokes from Martijn about screaming like a girl and we
were back running. He was lucky that I was tired and had forgotten as we ran
the ridge of Pat Sing Leng ;-)
On Pat Sing Leng we were in and out the mist at the
start, but the going was good over the 8 immortals and the stars were shining
bright. It wasn’t long before we went over the last hill and then had the long
traverse before the descent to Hok Tau reservoir. By that stage the thoughts
had turned back to food and Vic was telling me about the restaurant in Tai Wo
which was famous for its Dong Lai Cha. As we neared the top of Cloudy Hill the
sky was starting to brighten as the sun rose. Vic was on his ‘lets get food’
pace as it was only the decent down to Tai Wo. I was feeling sleepy.
After 120km, 70k more then I intended, Vic was
looking strong and I felt that I could call it a day when we got to Tai Wo, but
I needed to make sure that was the case and so it was time for Plan B to be
enacted. I was sleepy and asked Martijn to phone Vince up and tell him it was a
life or death situation. He was needed in Tai Po at the start of the climb to
Leadmine Pass. The response was, he’s not picking up, he must still be in bed
as it’s not 7am yet. ‘Well keep phoning until he wakes up’ was all I could
muster up.
As we entered Tai Wo we hunted down the famous Dong
Lai Cha restaurant to find it closed. Luckily about 50m behind there was a 7 –
11 open where we could stock up on food and water and glorious 7 - 11
sandwiches.
By this stage the sun had come up and I started to
wake up. Out of Vic’s earshot, Martijn convinced me to carry on to where we
would meet Vince 4km further and we said our goodbyes to him and pushed up the
hill past the dog rescue centre munching away on sandwiches. As we approached
Wilson Stage 7, Vince wasn’t in sight so I pushed on to Leadmine Pass to keep
Vic company. We refilled with water at the camping site and headed down the
Hill to Shing Mun Reservoir. Vic was going strong up to Leadmine Pass and so it
wasn’t until we neared the track along the reservoir that Vince and his
non-stop talking came hurtling down the hill to catch up with us. It was great
to have him on board with his grin and constant banter. We ran at a good pace
around the reservoir chatting away and I negotiated my exit strategy out of
earshot of Vic.
As we approached Shing Mun Reservoir Dam, Andre and
Paper were there and we were greeted by the sound of the cow bell. I held back
as Vince and Vic ran across the dam. This is where I was going to call it a
day. I had done 140km, 90k more than I intended. It had been a great run and I
didn’t want to risk injury. We watched Vic and Vince take the left hand turn
towards Tai Po Road. The plan had worked. Vic told me later that day that he
smelled something was wrong. He thought I had hung back to chat to Andre and
would catch up. When he asked Vince 30 minutes later the ruse was up but it was
too late for him to do anything about it. Stealth tactics, for which I am renowned
for when wanting to avoid that ‘last drink on a night out’ had been deployed
and succeeded.
140km in, 90km more than I intended, it was time for me to wrap it up so I thought.
Photo from Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge
I made my way home, showered and had some food but
before I knew it, it was time to head to Tai Koo to see the guys reach the Island
and cheer them on. After doing a few chores I finally made it back home and
thought I’d be able to have dinner and rest before heading to the Peak. But
then the messages came in. ‘Hey! Help! Andre doesn’t allow me to quit and has
put me in a taxi to Sheko. I said no, but he insists I try’. A few messages
with Andre and bang had gone the sleeping idea. I was putting my running shoes
back on, grabbing another 7 – 11 meal and heading out to meet Vic and 2 runners
from China on Dragon’s Back with the intension of doing another +40k to the
Peak.
Hong
Kong Trail
I
went up to the highest point on Dragon’s Back where I met Vic coming up from
the other direction. He had a grin on his face and happy I had come back to
share in the suffering. I copped a bit of abuse over my stealth tactics at
Shing Mun Reservoir and how I had left him with someone that gets lost on the
trails all the time giving him an added detour. I then heard the story about
how Andre had deliberately sent 2 spies (Power and Mike) out on to Hong Kong
Trail to report back to him. It didn’t take long before he realised I would do
the whole of Hong Kong Trail that I was suddenly one of Andre’s spies to ensure
he completed. After a few choice words and that Andre needed a lesson on the
fact that even Hong Kong has human rights laws against torture and we heading
down the step on stage 7 to the water catchment, the dullest 7km section of any
trail in Hong Kong.
Stages 4 and 3 went by relatively quickly, the first
having a lot of concrete and the next following the contour of the hill on a
windy track. At some points on Stage 3 I was wandering if I would keep up with
Vic as he hurtled along. As we hit Stage 2 a different story started to unfold.
The tiredness of the second night out began to take its toll. I recall trying
to talk to Vic to keep him awake as I saw him walking along with his eyes shut.
But I was in not much better state desperately trying to keep my own eyes open.
I was starting to hallucinate which has never happened before. At points on
stage 1 of the trail I was seeing houses 10m up in front that would suddenly
vanish when I got there, 100s of people queuing on the side of the trail and
more bizarrely baskets full of cats sleeping. I hope there is no inner meaning
as what one hallucinates about, but I guess it could have been worse.
Hong Kong Trail Stage 1. Second night out & sleep deprived. I'm ready for a sleep and Vic tells us "When I sit down, my legs don't belong to me". Photo from Nic Tinworth
As we came of the trail and started round the rim of
the Peak, Vic’s food senses turned back on. He was obviously hungry and the
walking turned into a run to the Peak Tower where Andre and Paper were there to
greet him, get him fed and put him in a taxi to Lantau for the final leg, 228km
down in under 46 hours. One of the funniest moments was watching Andre tell a
very sleepy Vic what he needed and didn’t need for the last 70km. Vic throws in
his spare Garmin with no battery into the backpack. Andre, asks why do you need
that and takes it out. Vic then proceeds to put 2 MP3 players in his bag, one
with no battery and tells Andre they are not heavy. Andre shakes his head and
takes one out. Vic then starts to put a heavy battery power pack in his bag.
Before it can be sneaked in Andre is pulling it out of Vic’s hand telling him
it stays here.
Vic being advised by Andre at the Peak on what is important to carry and what is not.
Photo by Patchanida Pongsubkarun
For me this was the end. I would head out to Lantau
later the next day, but not before some needed sleep. I had now done ~180km and
the bottom of my feet were sore when ever I tried to put weight on them. I was
looking forward to bed.
Lantau
Trail
I
woke up after 5 hours sleep at lunchtime on the Sunday. My feet were still
feeling sore, but my legs not as bad as I thought they should be. It had been
suggested earlier that morning that I should try and head up Lantau or Sunset
Peak and as my legs felt better than I thought they would feel that morning, I
made my way to Lantau and up Kwun Yam Shan on stage 5 to meet Vic and his
entourage that he had picked up by that stage. Unbelievably at the 275km point
he was still smiling as he made his way to the finish. It was a pleasure to
come back to support for what are the 2 highest peaks on Lantau Island, but not
before yet another 7 -11 meal of sandwiches, chocolate milk and chicken legs.
Lantau Peak from Ngong Ping on fresh legs is a beast
of a climb, but I can only imagine what it is like with 284km in the legs and
no sleep for almost 60 hours. Vic made steady progress to the top and as we
descended we were joined by more fellow HKTR runners who had come to do the
last stretch over Sunset Peak and down to the post box at Mui Wo.
Still smiling on top of Lantau Peak. Only Sunset Peak to go.
Once we reached Nam Shan with 2km down the road to
go Vic prioritised his looks and hair in preparation for the finish line. Perhaps
for next years challenge a shower and make-up bag is needed to be stashed at
this point. The final 2km down the road and we were off following Vic at
4minute kms. Quite how he had the energy to do this I am not sure but perhaps
it was the smell of food coming from Mui Wo.
Vic reaching the finish post. 298km down over Hong Kong Four Trails.
Photo by Patchanida Pongsubkarun
Vic’s HK4TUC is a great achievement or persistence
he proved he had the ability and the right mind to succeed and I feel
privileged to have been a part of it. Having run with Vic quite a bit over the
past 7 months there was no doubt in my mind when he first mentioned giving a go
2 months ago that he would succeed. Whilst we may not have been best prepared
for taking this on with regards to nutrition and what we were carrying Vic has
the miles of training in his legs and is the one person I know who would have
the tenacity to pull it off.
Vic, Congratulation, a heroic achievement!
I would also like to add a massive thank you to
Andre and Paper, firstly for coming up with this insanity, but also for devoting
their entire long weekend at various points on the trails giving words of
encouragement looking after us at the end of each trail ensuring we were
watered and fed and ready to start the next leg. They both played a large part
to the weekend’s success.
I keep on getting asked why I dropped out at 140km
when I looked so good. For me it was never my intention to do this challenge. I
was originally only going to do 50km to keep Vic company and drop out at Shatin
Pass. I’ve only been back into running 7 months after a 2 year gap and was
never really a runner before 4 years ago. If I was going to do 298km I would
have wanted another year or two of endurance. I was worried that once I got
tired I would forget about my posture whilst running and I would risk my injury
coming back. The thought of having a long stretch away from the hills did not
appeal.
Will I give the whole 4 trails a go in the future?
Well as some have heard the best decisions are made on the spot…
