Hong Kong 298km Four Trails is about mental strength, but no one is born that resilient, says ‘finisher’ Law Kai-pong
- The Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge finisher says that years of trail and ultra races have made him mentally strong for epic run
- The challenge is celebrating its 10th anniversary by only inviting ‘finishers’ and ‘survivors’
Running 298km takes immense physical capacity, but it is not possible without mental strength. Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC) conqueror Law Kai-pong says you need time to build that resilience.
The HK4TUC is a unique and challenging event. It links all four major trails in Hong Kong – the 100km MacLehose, the 78km Wilson Trail, the 50km Hong Kong Trail and the 70km Lantau Trail. Runners are not allowed any support and there are no checkpoints, though they do have help travelling between the trails.
If they reach the postbox in Mui Wo on Lantau, which marks the end, in under 60 hours they are deemed a ‘finisher’. If they reach it in under 72 hours, they are a ‘survivor’. Only 16 people have finished, including Law, who completed the challenge last year in 58 hours and 11 minutes.
This year, to mark the 10-year anniversary, only finishers and survivors have been invited to run. There are fewer than 20 participants. It is not a race, but a personal challenge.
There are no prizes or entry fees. Usually, hopefuls have to submit an essay saying why they want to run, but as they have all completed the challenge in the past, it was done on a first come, first served basis this year.
“I don’t need any special qualities to run, I just need a pair of shoes and a pair of legs. I think this is what makes me happy, which is an important factor to keep me going. It is the passion that makes the whole thing beautiful,” Law, 36, said.
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“But I also have a strong mind to keep going. Now, everything is focused on this one thing. I believe no one has a naturally strong mind. I have it from races and different experiences over my life that make my mind stronger and stronger.”
Law, who is a captain in the Marine Department, backs up his mental strength with incredible training volumes. In November, he ran 675km, followed by 992km in December. He had run 457km by January 12.
“I want to improve on my performance from last year. My target was within 53 hours and I want to make the target this year. Hopefully, I can do it,” he said.
“Unluckily, I was injured two weeks before [last year’s] Four Trails. I couldn’t do my normal standard and I couldn’t hit my target.
“Every time I think about last time, I am proud of my performance, but I really want to try my best to beat it again,” he said.
“When I feel tired, I try to distract myself,” he said. “I focus on that moment, like my body condition, or try to calculate how many kilometres to the end. Anything to distract myself. I don’t think about giving up.”
Some runners have survived twice. Others have survived and then finished another year. But no finisher has ever ‘finished’ twice.
“I don‘t know why but I am conscious of it,” Law said.
