"The final part of my October adventures was to take part in the Barclays Moontrekker. This is a 26km or 40km Endurance Night Hike which takes place every year on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Barclays is the title corporate sponsor with funds raised for the charity partner, Room to Read. Room to Read started in Nepal in 2000 with books donated to rural communities (such as the village school I visited in Katunge earlier in October) but is now a ‘global organisation dedicated to promoting and enabling education through programs focused on literacy and gender equality in education’. Additional to the entrance fee each participant had to donate at least HK$500 to Room to Read with many raising much more. Unfortunately due to other commitments I have not yet been able to do any additional fundraising but I am collecting second hand books and intend to hold an Afternoon Tea & Book Swap fundraising event in the New Year.
The trek itself was one of the hardest physical challenges I have undertaken. I have previously run a marathon and this was much harder. In part this was due to lack of proper training – given Singapore is so flat it is hard to train for such an event and I had only done one 10km hike in the dark to practice with my head torch – but mainly it was just really, really hard! The event started at 11.20pm near the Mui Wo ferry pier and my route finished 26km later at Cheung Sha Beach taking in Lantau’s 934m peak during the final stage.
The course was split into 5 stages of roughly 5km each with each one getting progressively harder. The first stage was relatively easy allowing me to practice using my head torch, but with all the participants bunched together on a narrow path it was rather like a long snaking slow moving queue, although seeing everyone’s head torches stretching out in the distance was a lovely sight. My friend Alex was with me for this stage but unfortunately had to drop out at the first checkpoint due to an ankle injury so for the next 21km (and more than 7 hours) I was on my own.
The second stage started with a steep uphill climb before levelling out onto a flat but rocky track allowing me to make up time and over take quite a few people. The third leg was long and repetitive, ascending gently and crossing a number of small streams and waterfalls. The participants were more spread out by this stage but I had to concentrate hard as the path was strewn with jagged rocks. I saw several people who had tripped over and had to pull out.
Things got interesting in fourth stage when the really steep inclines started. This section first went downhill for about 500m before heading back up again to the Po Lam Zen Monastery. Luckily where the course got really steep it was on Tarmac path so I was able to just focus on climbing up without also worrying about the placing of every footing to avoid tripping over.
I reached the start of the final leg at around 4.40am so had plenty of time to ‘beat the sunrise’ (getting to the Summit of Lantau Peak before the official sunrise time of 6.20am). However, little did I know how hard it would be! Luckily my lack of preparation paid off as I hadn’t studied the course route and did not know what was ahead…had I done so then I may have been tempted to pull out! The next 1km was a virtual vertical climb up steep rock steps. I am only 5ft tall and some of the steps up were almost half my height! I had to go on all fours and haul myself up. When I looked up all I could see rising vertically above me was a seemingly never ending string of headlights taunting me! It took me 1hr 10mins of strenuous effort to reach the Summit. Nearer the top the participants were so spread out that I found myself totally alone, in the pitch dark with the wind howling. It got very cold and as I was in the cloud line the air was very wet and the wind biting. I was so relieved to reach the Summit before the sun rose! But by then I just wanted it to end so I didn’t wait to see the beautiful sunrise and instead just powered on through to start my descent. It took me another 2hrs to climb down with every step jarring my knees and the soles of my feet. Somehow I still managed to find the energy to sprint the final 100m and across the finish line in a time of 8hours 22mins and 20seconds.
Taking part was certainly an achievement I was proud of, and I have so much admiration for the winner who completed it in the amazing time of 3 hours 39mins and 48 seconds, less than half my time. And the 40km winner who did it in just 4hours 4minutes and 50seconds! I just cannot imagine how they achieved that. Running 40km (2km short of a marathon) in 4hrs would be a good time but to do it in the dark, on rocky trails and climbing up hill is remarkable!
I got back to my hotel room around 9.30am and spent the day resting. And that evening my lovely friend Alex treated me and my mother, who had flown to Hong Kong to meet me, to a delicious dinner at The Bostonian at The Langham Hotel in Kowloon, where I enjoyed a much deserved Bostonian Sundae!"
Victoria
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