Wong Ho-chung sets MacLehose fastest time with ‘perfect’ run thanks to mental maturity
- Wong Ho-chung completes the 100km MacLehose in 10 hours and 38 minutes, beating even the Oxfam Trailwalker record
- The runner successfully meets his target of starting and finishing between sunrise and sunset
Wong Ho-chung, one of Hong Kong’s best ultra runners, has achieved the ‘fastest known time ‘ (FKT) for running the famous MacLehose trail unsupported. He completed the 100km route, with around 4,900 metres of accumulative gain, in 10 hours, 38 minutes and eight seconds.
He successfully managed his goal of starting and finishing between sunrise and sunset.
“It was better than I expected. I think this time is perfect for me,” Wong said.
The MacLehose is the best known of Hong Kong’s trails and closely associated with the Oxfam Trailwalker, the 100km four-person team race held in autumn. But the Trailwalker veers off the MacLehose for the last section to its finish line.
“Compared to the Trailwalker, it is 90 per cent the same. But the whole MacLehose trail is a little bit harder and a little bit longer. The Trailwalker record is 10 hours 58 minutes; my time is even faster than the race record,” Wong said.
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With no other runners to beat, Wong planned to push himself only when he felt good. His training was focused on the harder first half of the trail.
Despite expecting an easier second half, Wong struggled up the infamously steep Needle Hill at 2pm when the temperature began to climb.
“And I suffered on the catchwater after 90km. Running the flat catchwater and looking at the low sun in my eyes is quite tough. And I know people are waiting at the finish line and that moment is the hardest,” he said.
“I thought, firstly, about my plan. I wanted to do the first half and second half in the same time. The pace was good, but I was pushing hard and my muscles were already tired. And it was hot. But even if it is hard, I knew I could make it before sunset so I was feeling happy.”
Wong trained with five runs longer than 50km. He also worked on his speed on flat road running and set his personal best 10km in the build-up.
“I think everything was perfect. I rehearsed so many times. I tried to reduce gear, like hiking poles or backpacks, that I usually like to use,” he said.
Above all, it was his mind, not his body that was the different.
“I think mentally, I have become more mature than a few years ago, or even last year. I raced too much. In a race there is much pressure and I run even if I don’t want to. But a self-challenge is very different to a race.”
“Nobody else is there, I am the one who wants to do the challenge, so I enjoy it so much and then I have to finish and do my best. It’s more flexible than a race. I can choose the day, the time and the target is something I can control.”
Wong’s last race was the Vibram Hong Kong 100 in January, before Covid-19 ruined the race calendar. He started setting his own challenges to stay motivated.
“I enjoy self-challenges more than a race, checking my pace, not comparing myself with anyone. It’s all very quiet during the running,” he said.
Next, he plans to run some shorter routes. Records were set long ago on some short, specific trails in Hong Kong before trail running became a popular sport. The ‘old-timers’ have reached out to Wong and asked if he will have a go at beating their records, to compare and contrast how far the sport has come.
“I tried to make some targets and I asked myself what I can do. I tried some challenges in the hot summer and had a lot of people join me.
“But in the winter, I tried to make some challenges by myself, so that’s why I tried to make the FKT on the MacLehose. I feel happy to have made this one and I want to encourage other runners to challenge themselves, not just enter races, but to stay positive.”
