By Pete, Neon Tiger Co-founder
We sponsored an Ultra Trail Running event in Hong Kong. The only thing to do was to run it!
Twelve hours of strenuous effort, cramps, sunburn, chafing, sickness – all part of a fun day out on a trail run. Who the hell would wanna put themselves through that? Well… me for one, apparently. What better moment than when Neon Tiger was sponsoring the 9 Dragons 50km Ultra, starting in Tai Po, and finishing in Ho Chung, near Sai Kung. The race has a rep for being… HARD. The elevation is a punchy 3400m. For reference, Everest stands at 8,848m.
Back for another pummeling
I should know how difficult the 9 Dragons is – I failed to finish in 2018. Actually, I completely ballsed it up. After getting boozed at a friend’s engagement the night before, I showed up late having not particularly studied the route. The result was predictable: turning off the trail on Tai To Yan by mistake, walking around Lam Tsuen and going up the waterfall route on Tai Mo Shan before getting told I hadn’t made the cut off at Sha Tin Pass.
For this edition, there was no room for error. I stayed home the night before, packed my gear properly, and loaded up on some pasta, yet lingering questions remained. Since I had run the last time, things were different. Injuries had been kicking in, the pounds seemed harder to lose, and my average pace was slowing. In Feb 2023, after years of successfully completing Trailwalker, I dropped out in a blaze of delirium and chunder. A year later, my ankle blew up running the China Coast Marathon and I needed surgery following the race. A few dissenting voices suggested I should quit running. Did I have the desire anymore? Was my ankle going to hold up? There was really only one way to find out.
On a Sunday morning in Tai Po, raring to go, I was joined by two companions, one of whom had completed the 50 mile challenge the day before and was shooting for the 50/50, and another fellow 50km runner. My aim was to keep up with them over Cloudy Hill and during the run to Fanling (11km).
A false sense of security
The weather was alarmingly hot, but the early running was flowy. As predicted, the boys turned on the afterburners on Tai To Yan and left me in the dust. At the checkpoint (19.4km) before Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest mountain, sunscreen reapplication was needed, and I fuelled up for the long climb – which was surprisingly enjoyable. So far so good.
It was on Tai Mo Shan that I met the first of what I call the “Will we finish crew”, a collection of runners like me who were battling to beat the allotted 12:30 hours dedicated to successfully finishing the 50km race. Having found this motley bunch to push me forward, Grassy Hill and Needle Hill were slayed, and I arrived at Shing Mun (33.6km) feeling the pain, but in good spirits. It was getting very hot though, and while the checkpoint food (pesto pasta!) was delicious – the time to move had come.
Pushing the limits
After avoiding wild monkeys and dogs on Golden Hill, a wonderful CP team at Eagle’s Nest Checkpoint (38.1km) put me in great spirits for the arduous climb over Beacon Hill. Arriving at Shatin Pass around 18:15, I thought, with over two hours to go, the finish was in the bag. Wrong! I assumed the ending was at 20:30, when in fact it was 20:00 - the extra assumed 30 mins comprising my very fragile comfort zone. The only thing to do was to muster all my energy after 44.6km and 3000m elevation and smash the last section (7.8km). With a resolute “NO DAMN *EXPLETIVES* TIME” announced to anyone at the checkpoint who would listen, I marched up the road, and with dark falling, started the long descent to Ho Chung and the finish (53km).
The crappy way down
In my mind, this section would be the hardest, one that the “Will we make it crew” had been talking about all day. In darkness, relying on a head torch, and with growing tiredness, the section over Tung Yeung Shan is simply SHIT. It’s SHIT in the day, at night, with energy or when you are exhausted…. It is extremely challenging in the best of conditions, particularly during the mid-section littered with rock debris and boulders of all manner of shapes and sizes with no discernable path. I had surprisingly taken a very Zen mental approach, despite looking like Bambi on ice. Following this tough and frustrating part, a clear staircase to the bottom emerged. It seemed after succumbing to despair and inevitable failure I could finish on time.
We will make it!
It was 19:30, and at the bottom of the hill, we had 30 mins to traverse 2km on a road descent. Even a massive stray dog walking past me (I’m terrified of animals) failed to dampen my mood. A fellow competitor came off the hill, his knees completely shot. We did some quick maths and grudging decided to forsake walking (there was some general complaining) and run together as it was looking a bit close for comfort to stroll. Finally! A sign for the finish. It was 19:48, 12 minutes to go. I wanted to do my signature “crawl” over the line, but decided there was a massive risk of cramping so settled for the “backwards walk” instead.
That was it! Very happy and relieved, and proved to myself there is still room for the next chapter of an “Opposite of Elite” trailrunner. See you in 2026!
