endurance

i was able to witness something spectacular this weekend.

every year hong kong hosts the oxfam trailwalker. the event is held annually on the MacLehose Trail, a 100 km hiking trail across the mountain ranges of the New Territories.

Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong is the first Trailwalker in the world. Other countries like UK, Australia and New Zealand follow the Hong Kong model closely. Since 1986, more than 42,000 Trailwalkers have raised over HK$ 158 million to support Oxfam's various poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects. The event was formerly a military drill for Gurkha soldiers before 1986. Trailwalker was opened to the public in 1986. Oxfam Hong Kong began to co-organise the event in the same year. As the Gurkhas left the territory, Oxfam Hong Kong enlisted the support of many community organisations to sponsor the event. (from left: tess, tara and susan from the support team. thanks, tara, for the photo!)

the team members walk up mountains, over narrow bridges, through rainforests and on unprotected hills, during the day and for most teams, throughout the long night.

they battle rain, wind, physical and mental fatigue. and injuries. the desire to keep up to the team verses the need not to push themselves too hard.

this year, tara's husband was on team "my knees hurt". he has been training hard for the past few months, long runs of 30 to 50 kms on saturdays, "shorter" runs during the week. his teammates were working just as hard. tara was fielding the support team. i have done support stints in the past, and offered to help out. susan (no surprise) offered to support as well (and to run a section with the team!) and so the three of us were off.

tara organised everything divinely. all i had to do was pack a pillow and blanket for the car, and anyone who knows me, knows i certainly did pack warm clothes.

we did a test drive two days before the run, so we knew what we were in for.

on the day of the run, we carried a cooler ( except aussies call them 'eskies'...wonder why??) filled with pocari sweat and gatorade to the car, a massive thermos filled with tuna pasta, two more thermoses filled with soup. four, 8l containers of water, the runner's bags, duvets to keep the runners warm during their food stops, medicine kits. chocolate. gummy bears.

and we were off. the first stop, it was around 3.30pm and the runners were about 40 kilometres in. they were pretty optimistic, but chilled. it was a cold day. they sank into the pasta. andrew did a lot of stretching. they stayed with us no more than 25 minutes and then they were off.

the next stop was later...around 8pm. the sun had set. the monkeys were screeching around us, you could hear wild boars squealing in the distance.

our support team was a bit different than some of the other teams. we cheered on every single runner and team that passed us. how could you not? these runners were working so hard, raising money for a great charity, pushing their bodies to incredible limits, how could you not applaud their efforts? how could you not clap and tell them, "looking strong! keep going! well done!! all right!" there were a lot of people who only cheered on "their" team. not us.

we set up carefully, and had the duvets ready. when they appeared, they were walking carefully. there were injuries, and one runner spent more time stretching than eating. lots of time spent digging around the medicine kit this stop. one runner was not really talking, he was on auto pilot. food. more pasta. i''l try the soup. my leg hurts, yes, that's better. yes. of the four runners, we were most concerned about him.

there was a fifth runner at this point. a friend of andrew's who is a pilot (and runner) had flown in from new york the day before (he is hk based) and decided he would support the team by running 20 kilometres with them.he started at the 3pm checkpoint, and then by 8pm decided he was feeling so well he would continue for the next 20 kilometres. amazing mental toughness.

the next stop was around 1am. during this time we tried to sleep in car after arriving at our destination, but it was tough given how cold it was. the boys texted us with the information that we were NOT to set up a nice looking picnic site like last time, they just wanted to eat, refresh their water and walk away. i could see their point. it was bitterly cold and no one wanted to risk their muscles cramping. they had 19 kilometres to go.

there was a real difference in their attitudes at this checkstop. conversation was minimal. it was a 10 minute stop and most of the time was spent tending to injuries. i rubbed a thigh muscle and loosened it up until my fingers cramped. very little food besides chocolate was eaten. their focus was finishing. there was less than 20 kilometres to go and they knew it was going to be tough and they knew it was going to take them about four hours to finish, but they knew they were going to finish it together, which is a heck of an accomplishment.

at around 3.45am, at the final checkstop, we got a call. they were only 45 minutes from the finish line. adrenalin had kicked in...they were running. after how many hours...they were running.

how amazing. at this point, they had been on the road for almost 19 hours. going without a break.

we raced to the finish line, and at 4.28, we saw four headlights piercing through the darkness. tara started screaming. and they kept running. joining hands they ran towards the finish. they didn't leave their tiredness and injuries behind, but the took it with them, carried it over the line. that fatigue was part of the journey, as was their perseverance and strength. the pilot friend of andrew's? he ended up running 70 kilometres instead of the original 20. incredible mental toughness.

it was amazing to witness. the human body, the power of the mind to keep going in darkness, when pain and tiredness tells you it's really time to stop. when checkpoints give you every opportunity to indeed, end the misery. but they kept going. this year, there were 3,420 participants who completed the 100-km trail within the required 48 hours, or 84.7% of all walkers.

it was amazing to be part of it.

Comments

[Charles (not a monkey waiting for the bus)]

You did a great job and I am very proud of you and your team spirit!

[Mo aka Maureen aka Grandmother aka Mum]

Great story, Tess. I got caught up in the raw excitement as I read your blog. Well done to the whole team.

[Tara]

I will keep this Tess for when i end up in the car next year doing it all again. Fancy joining me? Thanks for reading the maps and helping us get from stop to stop. You are a very special friend and i love you.xxx

[Dad aka GDad Blake]

I am so proud of myself. It only took me 6 naps to get through all the reports of physical efforts.

Love to all....Dad

[joeinvegas]

With all of your practice, will you be 'walking' next year?