TransLantau race director targeting ‘bigger and better’ 2024 event, welcomes competition from new trail running series
- The director of the TransLantau trail race says an improved version of the event has the power to ‘promote Hong Kong’
- Clement Dumont says he welcomes emergence of a rival to organisers UTMB’s global dominance of sport
The director of the TransLantau trail races is eyeing a “bigger and better” 2024 event, after its first staging as part of the UTMB World Series in November.
Clement Dumont said the organisation’s endorsement raised TransLantau onto an international platform, and the event could be a “very powerful tool to promote Hong Kong”.
Dumont also welcomed the emergence of the nine-race World Trail Major Series, which begins next year, as a rival to the all-powerful Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc organisation.
“It is good news, a monopoly is unhealthy for UTMB, and for the runners,” said Dumont, who is the UTMB’s digital and global operations director.
“Competition is a positive thing, and pushes you to improve. People want more races, the major events in Hong Kong are oversubscribed, and we can exist in the same environment.”
TransLantau returned this year after a four-year absence, and Dumont said one of his major victories was “convincing the Hong Kong Tourism Board that TransLantau can promote the city overseas”.
“It took a long time but, finally, I think we managed it,” Dumont said. “It is not only having nearly 3,000 runners: they communicate about the event. We have promoted races with 4000-5,000 runners, they finish, collect their medals and T-shirts, and go home.
“Here, they spend time with people they met on the trails, then widely share their experiences. The board produced promotional videos and, together with UTMB, brought more elite runners. That attracted increased attention and social media, so TransLantau is a very powerful tool to promote Hong Kong.”
Dumont acknowledged an ongoing conflict with hikers, who are “unhappy to see so many people on the trails”, after route markings were disturbed on the eve of the races. Some sections needed remarking “up to six times”, with a 129-km race added to the traditional 100km, 50km and 25km distances in 2023.
“Eight people missed a turn and did not do their full course,” Dumont said. “That is not a big number, but we want 100 per cent success.”
Dumont has overseen TransLantau since its 2013 inception, and around 2017 recognised the potential for an impact beyond trail running.
There is a partnership with Tai O school, which this year raised HK$70,000 for students to take part in outdoor sports. In addition, waste has been reduced by 50 per cent over the past six years.
“We are trying to further reduce plastic, and we recycle,” Dumont said. “We want to be sustainable, and minimise our carbon footprint. This year, we donated all the leftover food, and T-shirts and vests, to people in need.”
Moves to make next year’s race “bigger and more prominent on the calendar” will involve “more pre-event activities to engage runners and the community”.
“We can improve the atmosphere, and have more activities with a local feeling, so overseas runners experience the real Hong Kong,” Dumont said. “We used to have a Lion Dance, and races started on the beach, so we are thinking of new ideas.
“We are already working hard. Advertising starts in January, we have to apply for the permit in February, and registration begins in March.
“This year’s elite racers said the course was really tough, but they enjoyed the beautiful scenery. They like experiencing city life, then taking the ferry and feeling the country park atmosphere of the race.”
Only 64 per cent of competitors finished the 100km, which is growing in popularity, with runners increasingly drawn to longer distances.
“The average age of competitors for the whole event was 42,” Dumont said. “People talk about a mid-life crisis. Some say, ‘I will buy a Lamborghini’, others say, ‘I will run 100km’.”
