Hong Kong Trailwalker 1998 - Running The Maclehose Trail
A personal view by Paul Tattam
Six months after the event I am attempting to put my thoughts onto paper about probably the most physically challenging event I have ever taken part in. The wet seems to have arrived early this year - it’s only early May and the rain has been streaming down for the second successive weekend. It was on just such a miserable Sunday morning that our Maclehose Trail team started training in earnest for the 1998 Trailwalker.
Whether you know the trail inside out or you're doing it in'99 forthe first time,look up the website at http://www.trailwalker.org.hk/ and you’ll find some excellent stuff on the history of the event…... Herewith a few trivia questions !
- When did it all start ?
- Between which years was Murray MacLehose Governor of HK ?
- How long was allowed for completion of the original Gurkha exercise ?
- In which year were civilian teams first allowed to participate ?
- What is the course record in hours and minutes ?…and in which year ?
- What is the height of the highest point on the course ?
- What is the name of the former barracks that the trail finishes at ?
- Which team won last year’s event ?
- In which year was the Trailwalker cancelled and why ?
The popularity of the event at registration in early July last year amazed us and meant that team leader John Myatt ended up queuing in the rain with completed application forms from 2am until 9 am to make sure of the early start - it was lucky he didn’t get there any later as we just squeezed in as team 346 !
Accepted ! In 1997 a mixed team of teachers from the English Schools Foundation, Caryl Hartwright, John Myatt, Janet Quigley and John Rogers had finished in fifth place overall but come in first of the mixed teams. This year, the goal was to try and repeat that success with two of the original team members, Caryl and John Myatt and two newcomers to the event, Paul Tattam and Julie Bennett. Last year’s time had been 17 hours 36 minutes.
Training for the event didn’t suddenly begin. All of us have been regularly competing in running races for some years. With the Trailwalker a training schedule needs to prepare the body for something which won’t just go away after a few hours as happens with a simple marathon. There are a number of enemies to be slain along the training trail. Even though the event takes place in late Autumn, temperatures during the day will certainly be in the mid 20°C with humidity at least in the 50-60% range. Heat and dehydration are thus going to be one of the main problems along with the organisation of food and drink. Pace is be crucial, as is be knowing how to cope with a number of stages in the dark. The 1997 team had performed brilliantly even with a late start and thus at least twelve hours running in the dark but, thanks to John’s queuing, we would have the early start.
Our first training outing as a team was on a very wet Sunday in early September. We had decided to do one of the more difficult stages over the hills, Stage 3, which has very little shelter [or shade] from the elements and some very big climbs of several hundred metres on stony, uneven tracks. The only proper running we would do was along the road from Pak Tam Chung at the beginning and end of the morning to reach the trail and then get back to the car. What obviously needs to be established over the really rough terrain is when you can jog, where you have to walk and at what points the rocks or roots are likely to pitch the unwary full face into the mud.I was acutely conscious of this as I'd handed my place on the '97 team to another runner after a nasty ankle sprain caused by running on rough tracks. Our first session went well even if we did have to negotiate a swollen stream with water up to our thighs.
Finding out the blooming obvious is always a humbling experience - but it’s amazing how many things are to be learned for the big day on every training run .On this stage I quickly learned that a small, light rucksack which under any other conditions is superb for stowing away a few items developed the irritating habit of coming open and throwing water bottles into the mud. "Timberland" store provided the ideal answer in the shape of a large ‘bumbag’ with thick, adjustable belt, able to hold two water bottles and other small items with ease and which in the end was extremely comfortable over the whole 100km.
Wet from a downpour on the first big run - soaked in sweat on the next one. Our next training outing was the first test of our performance in the heat. We were to cover stages 5, 6 & 7 of the trail and at the start of the run the mercury was showing around 32 degrees. Only one big climb was ahead, Needle Hill, - you know the one - hundreds and hundreds of concrete steps above Jubilee reservoir but situated fortunately on this occasion towards the end of the run. No ill effects after this four hour run - but one week later the heat was to have its revenge.
We set off early in order to beat the sun’s rays and to attempt stages 1, 2 & 3 without encountering too many souls on the trail. Ch’ung Yeung, hill climbing day, and the sun was up early on a cloudless day with blue skies and temperatures well into the lower 30°.
The first stage on the concrete around the reservoir is relatively easy, but the heat was becoming oppressive by stage 2 around the coast. Stage 3 was to be the killer however. Our previous experience had been in the rain. Today it seemed like a desert with no respite from the heat, just tantalising views to the North of the cool waters of the Tolo Harbour as we negotiated hill after hill through the heat haze. We had plenty of water with us and on ‘hill climbing day’ lots of little stores were open to make the most of the unusually heavy foot traffic.
Electrolytes or plain water ? Isotonic or hypotonic solutions ? We all succumbed to dehydration to varying degrees and were well aware of the figures: a twenty per cent drop in performance with a two per cent loss of body fluid, a five per loss and you’re out of it. Unfortunately, not only did we arrive at the last café en route only to find they had run out of bottled water, but we were furthermore horrified to learn that on this sunny Sunday the owner could only offer bean-curd dessert (a speciality of the house) or cold home-brewed tea looking remarkably like Diesel oil. The tea quenched our thirst, but, saturated as it was with sugar, was to teach us a lesson the hard way about the foolishness of drinking hypertonic concoctions.
Although only a few kilometres from the end of the stage, the bean-curd oasis at Cheung Sheung is situated before two of the steepest and longest climbs. We had all had quite a few mouthfuls of the Diesel tea and, seemingly none the worse for wear, arrived at the end of the run at the Sai Sha Road a slow 5 hours and 45 minutes after our 8am departure. Within the hour however, one of our quartet, who had perhaps secretly quaffed a near bucketful of the syrupy brew, was showing all the signs of severe dehydration. Headaches give way to giddiness and nausea, the latter destroying any further desire to drink… and the next 24 hours were to be spent recovering in bed ! The experience taught us that on the big day there should be no chance of any lack of water supply. We already knew that we would have the earlier 11 am start on the 13th November and therefore had to cope with at least one hour of heat after the end of the Stage three before the cooler late afternoon would still give us daylight but much more pleasant temperatures.
Our next big team effort had a different objective - finding the way in the dark. Stages 5 to 8 would need to be tackled at night on the big day and it was on a beautifully clear Autumn evening that we set out from Sha Tin Pass just after dusk. Wooded tracks, Lion Rock in the darkness, over Beacon Hill and then sharply down to the reservoirs and on to the big pull up over Needle Hill, Grassy Hill and Tai Mo Shan.
A more beautiful evening would have been hard to imagine and our chosen headlights were performing well. ‘Cat eye’ halogen cycle lamps, which normally clip to the handle bars, are just the right size for the palm of the hand and when the batteries are fresh give superb illumination. On that night , however, the illumination almost seemed superfluous at times as we had so many excellent views of the brightly lit twin wonders of the Ting Kau and Tsing Ma bridges and beyond them the new airport platform. The track across the moors around Tai Mo Shan can be eerie at night - great boulders stand like sentinels in the blackness whilst up ahead the aerials and listening equipment which decorate the summit of Tai Mo Shan twinkle with multicoloured lights like a distant fairy castle. Half past six start, midnight finish. A great run.
Training up to this point had showed us what kind of bag to avoid, what kind of torch to use and what we needed to do in the heat. The whole thing now needed knitting together. In the weeks before the event some long training runs included for John, Julie and Caryl the Mountain marathon in Sai Kung and for two of us the Reebok half marathon .
An equal challenge to the run is the planning and rehearsing of the support team requirements before the day. Support above and beyond the official checkpoints is essential for water plus isotonic drinks, first aid, sun block, change of clothes, warmer gear if the night turns out cold and the kind of food you imagine you can get down. My favourites ? Marmalade sandwiches, oranges, raisins, the occasional banana and of course Muesli bars. Other very basic supplies can also be crucial. Our ‘cat eye’ torches lasted for about three hours if used carefully and that would mean at least two changes of batteries if we were to come close to last year’s time. We planned what we thought we would need at a good humoured meeting the evening before trying out stages 1 -5 in one big 57 kilometre run. John Myatt even provided motivational videos of the ‘Bob Graham Round’ in the Lake District so that we would all feel suitably inspired. More inspiring perhaps for some, however, was John’s special pasta and some good red wine!
You train and train and ...the week of the actual event I found it very difficult to sleep properly without rehearsing and replaying in a kind of waking dream the sections of the trail. Consequently on the morning of the run I was not surprised to be greeted by Julie’s "You look about as good as I feel". The procedures leading up to the start passed by in a kind of daze during which I desperately tried to seem cheerful alongside what appeared to be the rest of the world’s high spirits. We all acquired our bar codes on wrist bracelets for checking purposes and eventually after countless nervous calls to the toilet the encouraging speeches from patrons, worthies and organisers drew to a close and at 11 on the dot we were off in a mad caper down the road. If there was one thing which seemed to encompass the craziness of the 100 km run ahead, it was the shouted exhortation of one runner to a team mate at the top of the first hill two kilometres into the run: " Hey, come on guys, we’re thirty seconds down on last year’s time at this point !"
The weather ? Hot and sunny of course in 1998 just as it had been on the hardest training days. Once we had legged it some way around the reservoir, we really felt very relieved to be on the road and it was great to learn after an hour or so that we were in the top five teams. We kept a very steady pace and were well up with our proposed schedule right up to the half way mark. Our supporters had been marvellous. Ian on the motor bike showed up twice, overdoing it however in his enthusiasm to be on time. While parking his trail bike in some rough stuff near Ngong Ping, he managed to fall - with the bike ending up on top of him! Result? 1 X cracked rib. Phil found us half way though Stage 3 where we really needed extra water; Archie, Kathy and Bryan were at the end of Stage 3 with our supply bags, food, tea and anything we required. Neil joined us after Stage 3 to run alongside and keep us company for the next three stages. Janet, Carolyn and young supporters Helen & David brought more goodies and chocolate cake at the 50 km mark where we were joined by Ladies Road Runner, Anja.
It was at the end of stage 6 however that we met with shattered ambitions. Julie was looking very haggard and pale and had been slowing down for a few miles. By Checkpoint 6 at Gam Shan, she had to admit defeat having been violently physically sick. We checked out, leaving Julie at the medical tent with supporter Anja. Having signed out now as a threesome on the computer, we were even more determined to finish but our spirits were very much dampened by the withdrawal of a team mate.
The rest of the run remains a bit of a blur in my mind - but actually went like clockwork. Supporter James was at the most isolated checkpoint, Lead Mine Pass, having walked through the night to get to this lonely outpost. At Route Twisk, after Tai Mo Shan there was at least one other team which had lost a member through injury but we were obviously still up amongst the leaders. The end came quite quickly with Archie popping up after Tai Lam Cheung Reservoir and offering to carry all our bags - we must be nearly there! The next few minutes were even more of a blur - I remember quaffing champagne and trying to ‘drink’ Kathy’s delicious pumpkin soup at the same time.
Seventeen hours and seventeen minutes appears on our certificate. Trailwalker '98 was won in a time of 15 hours 52 minutes by team number 290, "Cosmo Boys", the first all Chinese team to win the event. The next two teams came in very close to each other at 16.43 and 16.48 respectively and included one mixed team. The next official time for a complete team was over eighteen hours. Our time was approximately twenty minutes faster than the previous year - but as an incomplete team of three we received a presentation but no final placing. Looking back, however, it’s hard to be disappointed about the achievement. We raised our sponsor money, finished the course and ….. Trailwalker '99 will take place from Friday 12 November to Sunday 14 November 1999. Details appear on the Trailwalker website if you fancy a nice long run over the hills ! Oh, and by the way, the last complete team came in with a time of 47 hours 59 minutes, one minute before the event closes down. Now, that’s timing !
Trivial Quiz Answers:
- When did it all start ? 1981
- Between which years was Murray MacLehose Governor of HK ? 1971 - 1982
- How long was allowed for completion of the original Gurkha exercise ? 24hrs
- In which year were civilian teams first allowed to participate ? 1986
- What is the course record in hours and minutes ?…and in which year ? 13h 18 in1993
- What is the height of the highest point on the course ? 957m Tai Mo Shan
- What is the name of the former barracks that the trail finishes at ? Perowne Barracks
- Which team won last year’s event ? Cosmo Boys
- In which year was the Trailwalker cancelled and why ? 1982 - Falklands War
Paul Tattam June 1999 tattams@hutchcity.com
