I always thought: trail running (for 20+ kilometers! in the dark at night!?) to try to beat sunrise - how unpalatable compared to the myriad number of things I could be doing instead, such as reading a book, sleeping, paying my bills…gee, even flossing my teeth.
The trek was hard because of the heat, humidity and elevation, but I’m very proud to report that I crossed the finish line at 4:14 am, with a time in the top 50 in my gender group and top 100 overall for the 20km group.
It was a challenging, humbling, and exhilarating experience. It was very eye opening to me personally because it revealed a competitiveness within me that I was not aware!! I ended up running the race solo because I split from my friends Pam and Lisa as soon as we got to the first trail head. They probably sensed that I wanted to get ahead and try to run at a faster pace. I confess I just wanted it to be over too - my reasoning was, the sooner I finished, the sooner I would be finished!?
Turns out the trek was advertised as 20 km but actually 23km (misleading and terrible much?? But I didn't know until after I finished), split into four legs and 3 checkpoints.
My friends and I had done one practice hike on the first two legs and so, with the mental map familiar, I was able to conquer those pretty easily. I was hyped up and with the help of adrenaline, I made good time on both legs. I started getting excited and thinking I could do the entire thing in under 5 hours. But I made some rookie mistakes, namely, I should have pushed my way to the front of the line, because I lost so much precious time by walking the beginning and, for the remainder of the race, had to try to sprint uphill and run whenever the trail opened a little, to try to pass people. And I also had to go to the bathroom after the first checkpoint, which caused me to lose probably 10 minutes.
The hardest part was actually the third and fourth legs - the third because it felt sooo mind numbingly endless, and I was getting quite tired. With the elevation and the duration, I found myself needing to ration my energy gummies to keep my focus. When I pulled into checkpoint 3, I was fighting a headache and quite shaky. Thankfully two hot cups of potato and leek soup, a few small slices of orange and banana, and a cinnamon raisin roll later, and I was ready to go again. I found the last leg to be really tough mentally too, mainly because I kept thinking it was or should have been over, and I couldn't believe how there was STILL so much left.
In a show of love and devotion and support, Michael drove out to Tung Chung at 3am to wait for me and pick me up. I took the shuttle from South Lantau to Tung Chung, and then we dropped our friend Daniel (who'd finished the 30km shortly after me) off at home before making our own way back home.
My friends all did great and finished - Pam and Lisa finished shortly after 5:30 am and were among the top 100 finishers in the female category. Their partners Bon and Brian also conquered Lantau Peak despite fatigue and leg cramps. Woohooo what a satisfying and fun experience this turned out to be!
I’m so glad I got to partake in this unique, epic slice of Hong Kong. Along the entire route there was live electric guitar and singing, guitarists, a musician strumming a metal drum cymbal like instrument, and countless good cheer. I’m so grateful I got to be sweaty and bond with my dear friends under the steady glow of a full moon. What a powerful and life-affirming experience it is to step outside our comfort zones, challenge ourselves, and discover how much we are capable of. I felt so giddy and exhilarated when I was done!
...Admittedly, I felt a lot less giddy and exhilarated a mere 1.5 hours later when the kids woke up and crashed into my room when I'd barely just fallen asleep...
Who knows, despite my vehement protests, you may see me at the race start line for the 30km next year!
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