Hong Kong’s Oxfam Trailwalker set to welcome back elite overseas entrants
‘We hope to have five to 10 elite overseas teams this year,’ official says, with entries poised to open
Details of Hong Kong’s Oxfam Trailwalker were announced on Tuesday, with organisers indicating they hoped to welcome elite multinational teams for the first time in several editions.
Teams of four runners can sign up for the 100km (62-mile) trail race from Wednesday next week, with the 1,300 slots expected to be oversubscribed when registration closes on May 27. If so, a draw for places will take place on June 5.
There were 2,600 entries last year and the organisers expected a similar response this time. In the field will be local elite walker Tsang Chun-kit, who was invited to form a team and has recruited three overseas teammates, each holding an International Trail Running Association world ranking.
“He was asking if they needed to break our record,” said Michael Wong Ho-ming, the charity’s director of fundraising and communications in the city.
“It’s good to have a new record, but I said no pressure. We hope to have five to 10 elite overseas teams this year, and their participation should attract worldwide attention.”
The event record was set in 2013 when Team Columbia S1 finished the gruelling course in 10 hours and 53 minutes.