2011.1.15-16 Sunny 11-14c, Wind 5-6, Humidity 50-70%

D-day of my first 100km trail race, a newly inaugurated one in Hong Kong this year.  The weather was perfect except being a bit too windy.  I’ve been training for this for the past four months.  Though I didn’t follow exactly the training plan mostly due to holidays, I more or less trained consistently and most importantly I had no illness preventing me from training.  With all the mileage and weight training accumulated, I only wish luck be on my side on the race day.

The race route was quite hilly, with big hills loaded at the second half.  The total altitude gain was over 4,500 meters.  The first half followed the scenic trails in the pristine coastline of Sai Kung country park.     The second half joined MacLehose trail ending at the foot of Tai Mo Shan after descending from the peak of nearly 1,000 meters above sea level.  If one mistakenly pushes too hard in the first half, it is almost impossible to complete the whole race.

Morning on the race day

I got up at 5:30am and ate a sweet potato and a bowl of cereal in soybean milk as breakfast.  In addition I drank a 500ml bottle of water mixed with GU endurance powder and had a banana 1 hour prior to race on the minibus.

Many people had arrived at the starting line when I got there around 7:30am.  It was said around 200 runners and hikers would endeavor on the trail.  Many came from local running community, busy chatting with friends.  Some were from overseas.  One was Lizzy Hawker, a well-known British ultrarunner.

It was cold in the morning.  Originally I planned to run in a single long-sleeve running shirt and short pant.  Observing many runners wore windbreaker and long pants, I quickly reassessed the situation and decided to put on my windbreaker and gloves.  It later proved to be a right decision.  However I made a mistake, which almost ruined my race.  I normally don’t do stretching before warming up adequately.  But seeing many people did stretching, I also did some.  Immediately I noticed my right hip was aching, a sign of potential ligament damage.  Luckily later in the race the problem didn’t materialize.  So a lesson learnt is NEVER ever do static stretching.

Start to Supporting Point (SP) – 12km: total time 1h38min

This part was relatively flat, mainly on the paved road passing a dam before ascending hills.  The wind was so strong that I was blown away on the dam literally.  Luckily the wind mostly blew from sideway or from behind.  After a few km, my body warmed up and I quickly took off my windbreaker.  Took a banana on the SP and carried on.

SP to Check Point (CP) 1 – 9km: total time 2h35min

The fun part began.  We climbed over Sai Wan hill (250m above sea level) and trespassed several pristine beaches.   My friends Michael and Vincent were volunteering at CP1, recording times and supplying food.  Ate one sandwich.

CP1 to CP2 - 7km: total time 3h40min

The route entered Dai Wan beach, then veered left toward Wong Shek.  The beautiful Sharp Peak was right in front us.  So far I took it easy running the trail.  By the time I reached CP2, I felt good.  Last Sat when I recced the route, it took me almost 4.5 hours reaching Wong Shek and I felt quite tired.  Ate a sandwich and a banana.

CP2 to CP3 - 8km: total time 4h45min

The trail was right beside the ocean, offering a splendid view of the South China sea.  Not many people were on the trail.  A couple of other runners were running nearby, with about 1 or 2 minute distance apart.  After reaching CP3, I gave my wife a call to inform her I would arrive at CP5 in about 2 hours.  The area was so remote that the mobile carrier switched to China Mobile.  I just made an international call.  Ate a sandwich.  Didn't sweat a lot or feel tired.

CP3 to CP4 - 9km: total time 6h

There was a section we need to run up along the road.  A license was needed for private cars to enter this area so the road was fairly quiet.   We ran through some small villages where many local residents either abandoned or rented out the houses to foreigners.  The village of Yung Shu Au was so beautiful that it looked like a painting: a few white houses overlooking a vast area of grass field with a creek meandering through.  It took longer than I expected to reach CP4 due to some up and downs, though I admit I hadn't run this part in my race preparation.  Ate a sandwich.

CP4 to CP5 - 9km: total time 7h20min

From here the route gradually went uphill.  For the first time I began to feel the stress on my legs.  Midway the route rejoined MacLehose trail.  Immediately I was on the way attaching Kai Kung Shan, 400 meters above sea level.  The stress on my legs and hips made me walk like a moonwalker - every move was slow motion.  By the time I reached the peak, I called my wife informing her I'd reach CP5 in 20 minutes.  The downhill section was relatively easy.  My wife was awaiting me at CP5 (52km covered already) and bought me delicious noodle.  For the first time I sat down.  I also took the long running pants and the snow cap out from the drop bag and tucked them into my backpack.  The sun would go down soon and it would be cold and dark for the rest of the race.  I carried 3 packs of power gel from the start but didn't use any.  Also I put my headlamp in the backpack before the race, just in case the drop bag couldn't reach CP5 in time.  This turned out to be a right move as I hadn't thought about refilling power gel or bringing out headlamp at CP5 until I left 5 minutes later.  Anything can happen in such a long race.  Preparing adequately is a must.  This is why I like the quote "Ultrarunning may be a stupid game, but it's not for the stupid."

At a road junction after CP5, a race volunteer marking the route asked "How do you feel?"  I said "Great.  Only 40 something km to go."  I always said "Great" when asked how I felt in the race, even though my legs hurt like hell.  This is the way I motivate myself to finish the race - "Pain is temporary; quitting is for ever."

CP5 to CP6 - 13km: total time 10h

The first part of this section saw a 400 meter vertical climb onto Ma On Pass.  Normally this takes me about 30 minutes.  This time it took me 36, giving me an early indicator how much time needed to finish the rest of the race.  I figured it was not a problem to finish within 18 hours - my target time - from past training experience.  By the time I reached CP6, I felt very hungry so I ate a bowl of noodle, several cookies, a chocolate bar, a cup of hot coffee, a piece of cake and a cup of tea.  I put on the windbreaker and still found myself shivering, which stopped after a few minute running.  For the last 10km or so I ran along with Ida, a local elite lady runner.  Apparently she took it easy for the first half of the race.

CP6 to CP7 - 8km: total time 11h40min

It got dark completely.  I put on the headlamp.  I found out it was not bright enough for running on trail.  It was OK for hiking though.  So I tried to land my feet carefully.  Inevitably I tripped a few times but luckily didn't fall.  I overtook Ida before reaching Beacon Hill (CP7) and didn't see her again for the rest of the race. Ate some cakes and a cup of tea at CP7.  Also learnt Lizzy was here 3 hours ago.  Incredible.

CP7 to CP8 - 10km: total time 13h

This section was uneventful.  I was able to run mostly on flat parts of the trail.  Upon reaching CP8, I called my wife telling her I felt good and should be able to get to the finish point for another 3.5 hours.  Ate cakes, cookies, a cup of tea.  Three big hills (Needle hill, Grassy hill, and Tai Mo Shan) were in front of me.   I walked over the dam leading to the foot of Needle Hill, speculating I might have a chance to get a gold medal (i.e. within 16 hours).  This turned out to be out of reach later.

CP8, CP9 to Finish - 17km: total time 16h44min

Needle Hill is steep.  I just focused putting my best foot in front.  I'd got used to the pains in my legs and hips.  I was so close to finish line.  Nothing could stop me.  It was extremely windy around the peak.  After descending from Needle Hill, I had to put on my long running pants and switched to snow cap.  One down, two to go.  The trail became asphalt concrete road.  The moon light lit the road so I turned off the headlamp, enjoying my moment being alone.  No runners were in sight, only a dim light or two of runners' torch from Need Hill peak far behind.

The steps coming down from Grassy Hill were the most painful part.  My leg muscles became so tight that every step down was spring-less.  Shortly I arrived at CP9.  Ate a bowl of noodle.  A volunteer said "Only 10km left."  "Yes, the last push and I'll be home." said I, filling 500ml of sport drink to my backpack for the last time.  A nearly 500 meter vertical climb and possibly strong wind and single digit degree up there awaiting me, I headed to the trail with my last pack of power gel in pocket.

After climbing up for about 10 minutes, I felt hungry again.  I sat down on a stone and ate the gel.  No one could be seen, not even a dim light from Needle or Grassy hills far away.  The last push.

Once I reached the plateau midway to Tai Mo Shan (TMS) peak, I began to run on the dirt trail, no where close to being fast.  But I was running.  The wind was strong.  Luckily it blew from behind.  The light at TMS peak was beaming, and it was NOT too far away.

Soon I began to ascend toward it.  But I felt really hungry now.  And I had nothing left to eat.   I swallowed several sips of icy water.  It didn't help.  "Only a few hundred meters up, and I'll be there!" I told myself, trying to ignore the hungry feeling.  The peak there I was.  I could see the road winding down hill, shining under the moon light.  Another 500 meters vertical, this time downhill.  I began to run, despite feeling no fuel in my stomach.  I deliberately ran from side to side of the road to cover the shortest distance to save energy.  Still at one point, I stopped running and walked.  Just a minute or even less later, I persuaded my legs to run again.  From then I didn't stop running all the way to the finish line.  Nothing was in my mind now except "finish the damn race".  Magically no pain, no hungry feeling inside me were felt after a while.  I saw the lights.  This was it.  I ran through the finish line, finishing the whole race in 16 hours and 44 minutes.

Then my wife called my name.  I didn't know she would be there.  She wasn't able to recognize me when I ran out of the dark, as I'd totally changed my running outfit.  That moment I only felt relieved that I had done it.  I had no regret on the trail - I gave all I had.

Post-race

I didn’t sleep well after getting home that night, as my leg muscles constantly reminded me of the tough journey I’d put them through.  The nerves in my brain were so active that I was almost half asleep half awake – not sure I was still on the trail running or not.  The race is not about finish time or the race itself now looks diminished to me – looking back it’s more about preparation, physically and mentally, and dedication one has to put in place.  In the race I didn’t care how fast other runners were or even I was overtaken by a few I took peace with myself, and with the mountains and trees and even rocks under feet.  After crossing the finish line I was so overwhelmed by the fatigue and by the appearance of my wife bringing me warm clothes and food that I promised her not to run 100km any more as requested by her so many times.  Well as one ultrarunner put it, never say never as when all the pains subside and as one begins to talk with friends, all the crazy thoughts come back to your mind.  One thing is sure for me though – keep running and run injury-free.