Hong Kong to send 38-strong squad to inaugural Asia-Pacific Trail Running Championships
City’s team will be largest delegation at weekend’s races in South Korea, where runners will go head-to-head over 80km, 40km and 15km
Hong Kong will send a 38-person strong team to compete in the inaugural Asia-Pacific Trail Running Championships in Ulju, South Korea, on Wednesday, the largest of all competing delegations.
The races will be held from October 25 to 26, and participation is reserved for the best athletes from each qualifying country or region based on their International Trail Running Association rank.
Athletes will compete in individual and team events, racing on 80km and 40km trails and a 15km race for athletes under the age of 23.
“Recently, I have been doing more coaching, so as for my performance [in Saturday’s 80km race], I don’t think I’m in perfect shape,” Wong Ho-chung, the Hong Kong team captain, said. “But my target is not only focused on myself; I hope the Hong Kong team, the full team, can put up their best performance.”
At 37 years old, Wong is a Hong Kong trail running veteran and last month finished second in the Dark45’s Light16 race in one hour, 37 minutes and 57 seconds. He was also the race organiser.
Dark45 was the first night race in Hong Kong after the summer, where athletes ran 44.5km from the Shui Long Wo campsite in Sai Kung to Tsuen Kam Au, near Tai Mo Shan. Light16, which started at 8am on the same day, September 29, covered a shorter 16km route.
